Best of the Eastern Suburbs

Best Flapper Dress Code
In the 1920s, membership in the White Bear Yacht Club became a status symbol with the names of the Ordways engraved on the clubhouse lockers. The prolific Scottish designer Donald Ross (North Carolina’s Pinehurst #2) was commissioned to design the naturalistic golf course in view of the lake. You can’t play it unless you’re with a member, and even then, you’re beholden to the club’s flapper dress code: Collared shirts, Bermuda shorts, but no denim.  [top]

Best Place to Recover
Woodwinds, a five-year-old “health campus” in Woodbury, is a welcome product of two twenty-first century hallmarks: wellness culture and market research. It’s a hospital with all the technological accouterments, but with the warm earth tones in the rooms and all the birch chips and attractive landscaping, it’s more like a community college that’s been outfitted by Pottery Barn. 1925 Woodwinds Dr., 651-232-0228  [top]

Best Orchard
With Dellwood mansions yawning at them from the top of the hill, the  Jacobson family—they’ve been growing apples at Pine Tree Apple Orchard since 1904—must have received some tempting offers from developers over the years. They certainly must realize that selling their 300 acres for the millions they must be worth is as American as Pine Tree’s famous apple pie. But the Jacobsons have held on and each fall around harvest time the orchard nestled so close to the city—with its beautiful trees, apple doughnuts, hay rides, and pumpkin patch—has become a bigger deal than Halloween. 450 Apple Orchard Rd., 651-429-7202. [top]

Best Place to Bump into Your Neighbor
White Bear Lake boasts an actual downtown, and during Marketfest, the summertime “family festival” that runs from June to late July, actual neighbors bump into each other while eating sweet corn from a stand or watching a band at the copper-topped gazebo or getting a “brownie pop” from one of the many vendors. And just when you’re starting to feel hot and crowded by all the happy families, happy children, and happy dogs, a cool breeze blows off the lake.   [top]

Best Billionaire Hobby Farm
In 1883, James J. Hill bought a 3,500-acre farm northeast of St. Paul, using the land to experiment with new technology in livestock and crop production. It wasn’t until 1950 that L. W. Hill Jr. expanded his grandfather’s massive railroad-baron–size hobby farm to more than 6,000 acres, built a golf course on it, and formed the North Oaks Company. With its restrictions on streetlights and sidewalks, Hill gave the Twin Cities an essential suburban prototype—the elite planned community.   [top]

Best Bunker Mentality
The address says Mahtomedi, but make no mistake, pardner, Dugout Bar on the other side of White Bear Lake is found in the heart of Willernie. The roadhouse’s name comes from its bygone horseshoe dugout, but now it’s more of an existential thing: The low-slung cobbled-together compound, with rowdy happy hours and ladies’ night on Thursdays, is spiritually banked against the encroaching yuppie-tude of Willernie’s more upscale neighbors. 96 Mahtomedi Ave., 651-429-8640   [top]

Best Ice
Claiming the best ice in this state can be presumptuous. But the Guidant John Rose OVAL in Roseville is the largest outdoor refrigerated skating facility in the world—with eighty-four miles of underground piping and more than 800 tons of refrigeration. Former Olympians Dan Jansen and Bonnie Blair skated here, and, presumably, so do future Olympians. In the summer it morphs into the popular inline skating Aggressive Skate Park. 2661 Civic Center Dr., 651-792-7007  [top]

Biggest Population Boom
Two-thirds of Falcon Heights is nontaxable! It may seem to reside in the shadow of Roseville, but the Heights is home to some pretty important Minnesota stuff—the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus and the State Fair, which means that come late August, the population jumps from 5,572 people to more than 100,000 per day! Visitors get a taste of history at the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life, set on Larpenteur near the fields of the St. Paul campus (2097 Larpenteur Ave. W., 651-646-8629). Down the avenue is comprehensive specialty shop Source Comics and Games (1601 Larpenteur Ave. W., 651-645-0386), key for comics lovers and gamers.   [top]

Best Urban Suburb
Even city folk appreciate Roseville, home to the nation’s very first Target. Thirteen million-plus shoppers a year visit Rosedale, which is now in the midst of a giant expansion. Fairdale Shops and HarMar are humming. The city’s park system is gigantic, with Central Park alone covering 225 acres. Roseville’s motto, “Perfectly Positioned,” is spot on: Its geographic location plops it squarely between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Declassified: HarMar has two namesakes: original owners Harold and Marie Slawik.  [top]

Affordable Housing’s Last Stand
When you hit the Harley-Davidson dealership on I–94, you’ll know you’re in Landfall. All 0.08 square mile of it is a manufactured home community—and for a very particular reason. Original land owners James and Mitzi Olson had fallen on hard times early in their lives and had lived in a mobile home. Realizing that “affordable” housing had to be protected, they turned Landfall into a mobile home park. Washington County Housing and Redevelopment Authority purchased Landfall after a developer made a potentially lucrative offer. Oh, and John Dillinger reportedly lived here too.   [top]

Swedish Firsts
The first Swedish settlement in Minnesota was in Scandia and started with a log cabin built on Hay Lake in 1850. Celebrate all things Swedish at Gammelgården Museum (20880 Olinda Tr., 651-433-5053) and Hay Lake School Museum. East of Olinda Tr. N. and Old Marine Tr., 651-433-4014 [top]

Ghost Links
To golf with the ghosts (Sam Snead, Walter Hagen) of the PGA past (1930 to 1968), the place to be is Keller Golf Course in Maplewood. It’s also hosted several LPGA Patty Berg Classics. Considered by many to be the metro’s best municipal golf course,  it’s still beautiful—and for around $30, it’s a steal. Hwys. 61 and 36, 766-4170   [top]

Best Afternoon Drive
Rolling hills, flowering trees and shrubs, farmland, the river—Afton is eye candy of the sugariest kind. For a sweet-smelling, sweet-tasting end to your drive, pick up Dr. Kathleen Feehan’s homemade body oil at The Calla Lily and a scoop of ice cream (we sampled Rocky Road) at Selma’s Ice Cream Parlour, both located on St. Croix Trail. Dr. Feehan hand makes her oils, and they smell delicious and are guaranteed to work.  Selma’s is the oldest ice cream store in Minnesota, with a lovely porch and garden to visit after you get your frozen fix. If you’re there at night, notice the street lights: They’re the only operating gas lights in Minnesota. There’s plenty to explore in this town.  [top]

The Truth about Myth
Suburban teens set a trend.
When Dwight Yoakam performed at Myth Nightclub in Maplewood last fall, he thanked the crowd, telling them, “It’s great being back in Minneapolis–St. Paul. Or, excuse me, greater St. Paul.” Yoakam has played the Twin Cities plenty of times, but he was drawn to the suburbs by Myth’s large capacity (it can hold 4,400), state-of-the-art sound system, and large cash advance. Around 10:30, Yoakam finished his set and his audience of suburban cowboys and cowgirls in imitation Stetsons politely filed out. But since this was a Friday, Myth’s popular hip-hop dance night, a new audience was already starting to filter inside.

People have been dancing and drinking in hot spots in Hopkins, Blaine, White Bear, and other suburbs for years now, but Myth has stepped up the sophistication (well, if the new Las Vegas is considered sophisticated). One flight of stairs above the dance floor, bouncers with Secret Service earpieces check patrons into the large VIP section. It’s there, in themed private lounges cordoned off by velvet ropes, that construction workers, casino princesses, and salon owners have reserved a table for the night.

For a big blue box with a profile similar to the Best Buy across the street, Myth is a sexy, beautiful club on the inside. And most nights, it’s packed with the suburbs’ slickest, most beautiful people who give the urban cougars at Bellanotte a run for their money, and are generally younger too. They come to Myth for an atmosphere unencumbered by downtown complications such as petty street crime and hard-to-find or expensive parking (Myth sits in the middle of several football fields’ worth of black top). And they come for the middle-rung name acts—Billy Idol, Too Short, Cinderella . . . . While this crowd may see Minneapolis as a pretentious hassle, they read Us Weekly and know that Paris and Lindsay roll with $200 bottles of champagne and designer vodka, and now they can too.  —Steve Marsh   [top]

Best Place to Spend a Weekend

Stillwater’s charms are too numerous to list them all, which is part of the reason you need a whole weekend to explore the river city to the east (even if you’ve been there before). Here are just a few of our faves: Stay at newly renovated Victorian Rivertown Inn (306 W. Olive St., 651-430-2955 )—it’s not to be believed. Hit up all the shops along Main Street and drink wine at Cesare’s (102 S. 2nd St.,651-439-1352 ). You can dine on Greek specialties or burgers at Phil’s Tara Hideaway (15021 N. 60th St., 651-439-9850)—John Dillinger reportedly used it as a hangout. Cap it all off with a Venetian gondola ride on the St. Croix by the light of the moon or sun. It may just be the most perfectly romantic, unique thing we’ve run across. (Gondola on St. Croix, 651-439-1783)  —Katie Derdoski  [top]

Dining Bests
You Betcha Service
This delightful 125-year-old inn has one of the state’s largest salt-and-pepper displays, a giant-sized menu featuring dishes with names like Scooter Pie (a tenderloin-stuffed mushroom), a “you betcha” service attitude, and gobs of sofa art. But in a fine-dining world dominated by plate painters and children’s portions, the Lake Elmo Inn is everything you’ll ever want in a grandma-friendly restaurant. Go right for the rack of lamb, prime rib, or wild rice soup, or the roasted duckling that is fall-off-the bone good. 3442 Lake Elmo Ave. N., 651-777-8495

Fest & Feast
Bayport Cookery made a name for itself offering three-, five-, and nine-course themed tasting menus (Morel Fest and Garlic Fest are two of the most popular), but chef-owner Jim Kyndberg has revamped the dining room, constructed an à la carte menu for those not interested in a tasting menu, and, most delightfully, elevated the level of sophistication and quality of cooking to high plane that makes the reinvented destination restaurant worth the drive. 328 5th Ave. N., Bayport, 651-430-1066

Axdahl’s Garden Farm & Greenhouse
The Axdahls have quite an operation these days, but their farm stand on Manning Avenue in Stillwater is one of my favorite places to shop for fresh local vegetables, especially their bicolor sweet corn and the green beans. There are none better in the state. Brian and Leslie Axdahl still operate the family business the way farmers have for centuries, with hand-tended fields and sustainable farming systems. 7452 Manning Ave., 651-275-0251

Country Chic
Beautiful Tria in North Oaks has really come together under the watchful eye of chef Joan Ida. New menus embrace a less formal style of cooking, with pot pie, burgers, hand-cut fries, and ethnic food influences. But I love Ida’s homey take on classic dishes. Check out the braised beef short ribs, cassoulet, onion soup, and Moroccan lamb stew. Save room for the artisanal local cheeses and Ida’s killer desserts. The patio is delightful for alfresco dining, and the fireplace is always lit. 5959 Centerville Rd., 651-426-9222

Chinese–Malay Combo
For years, one of the best-kept secrets in town were Singapore Chinese Cuisine’s invitation-only Wild Malaysian Nights when Chef Lee would steam farm-fresh chickens and bathe them in aged soy and sweet wine, sauté whole shrimp in a classic assam-style preparation, and pan-fry noodles with glazed short ribs until no one could move from their chairs. Those treats and other spectacular Malay- and Chinese-style dishes can be sampled at this one-of-a-kind Minnesota institution in Maplewood that still makes some of the best Asian food in the state despite the amazing growth in the competition. 1715 Beam Ave., 651-777-7999

Wine Bar
European café hustle and bustle meets Prairie–style chic at this small, warm, and woodsy restaurant. The vibe is delightful. The ever-changing wine dinner menu at Cesare’s Wine Bar in Stillwater keep regulars coming back. New selections stave off boredom. Try the wine lover’s plate of salami and cheeses for a quick snack. Cesare’s has a wine list of 400-plus bottles, and any bottle under $80 will be opened and poured by the glass if you’re willing to commit to two servings. 102 S. 2nd St., 651-439-1352

Ethnic Faves
In Little Canada, check out My Le Hoa’s stunning dim sum buffet brunches every weekend starting at 11 a.m. 2900 Rice St., 651-484-5353

D’Castellanos in White Bear Township, run by the same family that owns Casa Lupita in White Bear Lake, features some of the best Mexican-style home cooking in town. Try  the shrimp enchiladas or the tomatillo sauce paired with the braised pork. The empanadas are killer, the guacamole is salty and infused with plenty of lime, and the margaritas are strong. 1011 Meadowlands Dr., 651-426-5303  —A. Z.  [top]

Retail Bests
Water Wonders
If our waterways to the west offer the charming shops of Wayzata and Excelsior, the east delights with the lovely boutiques and shops of White Bear Lake and St. Croix River Valley’s Stillwater. White Bear Lake’s truly quaint little walking town is ideal for a stroll, a cup of tea, and a visit to the needlepoint store, baby store, and garden store, as well as one of the sassiest shops in town, Goodthings. A few miles farther east, Stillwater’s Main Street, with its circa 1870s architecture, transports us to another time—and place. Added to its  impressive mix of antiques dealers are top-notch lifestyle stores The Chef’s Gallery, Autumn Cottage, Rose Mille, and Alfresco.

Unexpected Treasure:
Yes, we are admiring a chain. Z Gallerie has finally come to the Twin Cities—and, frankly, we were surprised when we learned it was setting up shop in Woodbury (hey, they also recently opened in SoHo). The California-based lifestyle retailer joined the mix of the metro’s newest lifestyle center when Woodbury Lakes opened last fall. The on-trend selection of reasonably priced furniture and furnishings is worth the drive from Long Lake! I-94 and Radio Dr., 651-714-7130

A Store We Adore:
Before St. Paul fixture Kowalski’s took on Minneapolis, it opened its flagship grocery store in Woodbury in 2000. In urban settings, grocers compete in closer proximity. But it’s in the ‘burbs that they can really loosen their belts, build larger stores, and offer even more shelf space, plus huge delis and prepared foods areas, wine shops, coffee bars, and gift galleries—and in the case of the Woodbury Kowalski’s a JUUT salonspa, deli, and glass-walled bakery oven. 8505 Valley Creek Rd., 651-578-8800

Trendsetter:
Where to give a nod to Best Buy? Burnsville—home of the first Best Buy Superstore in 1983? Or Roseville, home to one of the original Sound of Music stores—which eventually morphed into Best Buy? We went for Roseville. The infamous tornado in 1981 rocked the roof off the joint, ultimately creating a Tornado Sale, which led to the still current corporate philosophies of “low prices in a no-frills retail environment” and “name-brand, price-and-item sales.” Today the chain is the nation’s number one specialty  retailer for consumer electronics.  [top]

Fun Facts
Ron Gardenhire hangs his baseball cap in Little Canada.  Lake Elmo's Park Reserve sits on 2,165 acres and in 2005 had more than half a million visit0rs. Maplewood is home to 3M, Fortune 500's #101.  Woodbury was named the Hottest City by Money magazine for its 1,600 acres of parkland and 70 miles of trails. in 2004, tiny Hugo issued 205 building permits averaging $159,000 each.  Headquarters for Land O'Lakes, Fortune 500's #301, is in Arden Hills. Roseville's native sons include Richard Dean Anderson, AKA MacGyver. White Bear Lake is the hometown of Brian Bonin, Mr. Hockey.