French Meadow Bakery - Minneapolis, MN

BrianMcM - The French Meadow has become a Minneapolis institution. It has a location at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport on the Blue concourse and its products are served on Northwest Airline flights. But for all the times Jeff and I have visited the flagship location on 26th and Lyndale Ave. S in Minneapolis after one of our City Lakes runs, Saturday, January 11, 2008 was the first time either of us had ever ordered oatmeal. So, how was it? This was very good oatmeal. Maybe not the very best, but excellent nevertheless. It has good texture and is not too wet and mushy or too dry and sticky. The FM oatmeal is served with chopped apples, bananas, raisins and almond slivers. It is garnished with a side of trademark FM sourdough toast. The coffee at FM is first rate and there are several choices at the serve-yourself coffee bar. FM is always crowded as it has established an excellent reputation amongst the younger set. When you grow tired of the oatmeal (is that possible??), there are plenty of other organic and veggie choices for breakfast or lunch. Oatmeal = 4.5, Ambience = 4.9, Service = na

http://www.frenchmeadow.com/

Anodyne Cafe - Minneapolis, MN

BrianMcM - I went with the standard oatmeal here, not the upgrade special Anodyne Oatmeal (see Jeff's comments). The standard oatmeal was just that: standard with a decent texture and taste, but nothing special. It did have bananas and raisins, to go with the milk and brown sugar. But the cafe was a nice neighborhood coffee house / bakery with a warm ambience and was quite busy for a late and cold December (2007) Saturday morning. There was no wait staff as it was a help yourself facility. Oatmeal = 3, Ambience = 4, Service = na

http://www.anodynecoffeehouse.com/

Hilton Suites - Auburn Hills, MI

BrianMcM - Generally we will not post our hotel oatmeal experiences since they usually are not good enough for any commentary. However, my oatmeal from the breakfast bar at the Hilton Suites in Auburn Hills, MI in December 2007 was notable in one respect: the use of dried cherries as a garnish. The oatmeal itself was horrible: from a large kettle that was 4 hours without refreshing. The oatmeal was overcooked, mushy and dried out. But I was able to use enough dried cherries (the state fruit of Michigan), raisins and brownsugar to partially redeem the cereal. While I am thinking about it, other embellishments that might save some bad porridge would include: pecans, walnuts, peanuts, almond slivers, coconut, apples, dried apricots, and sweet fruit juices instead of milk. Oatmeal = 1 (garnish brings it to a 3), Ambience = 2, Service = 1 (what should I expect at a hotel buffet)?

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/DETAHHS-Hilton-Suites-Auburn-Hills-Michigan/index.do

McMorris House - Albany, OR

BrianMcM - while not really a restaurant, I must credit the source of my appreciation for oatmeal, my mom and dad's home. We had the occassional bowl of oatmeal as I was growing up, along with Roman Meal, Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal and other members of the porridge family. But good ole Quaker Oats oatmeal, with bananas, brown sugar and evaporated milk were a mainstay. Now, when I go home to visit, oatmeal has become a daily offering and is accented with bran (watch out for the double dose), bananas, raisins, dates, nutmeg and brown sugar. My family experience demonstrated to me the range and variety of oatmeal cereal and also helped inspire this blog. Oatmeal = 5, Ambience = 5, Service = 5

318 Cafe - 318 Water St., Excelsior, MN

BrianMcM - This is where it all started. One summer 2006 Saturday morning after a 5 mile run on the LRT Trail that runs west of Excelsior along Lake Minnetonka, Jeff and I decided to have a bowl of oatmeal in addition to the usual cup of (excellent) coffee. That singular moment provided the inspiration for a journey to discover a bowl that could equal or even surpass the oatmeal at the 318. The oatmeal here is not the ordinary soupy mush of many restaurants. It has texture, fragrance and is visually appealing. The 318 obviously takes great pride in the quality and presentation of its oatmeal. It is served with raisins and bananas along with milk and brown sugar. I think the key to the 318's oatmeal is the topping of uncooked oatmeal which provides crunchiness. We are always pleased with the service offered by the smiling and attractive wait staff. They never hesitate to offer Jeff's dog a bowl of water after our long runs. Additionally, 318 is a very scenic cafe in on Water Street in the cozy downtown Excelsior marketplace and also fronts the LRT bike path. The 318 Cafe also hosts jazz, country and folk musicians on most nights of the week. Their site has a music booking calendar. Oatmeal = 4.75, Ambience = 4.75, Service = 5

http://www.three-eighteen.com/

Zumbro Cafe - 2803 W 43rd St, Minneapolis, MN

BrianMcM - The oatmeal here was the "Best of Tour" to date (Jan 6, 2008). It was comprised of a granola combination of grains that gave it a very nice texture. Included with the oatmeal was a delicious fruit combination of kiwi, banana, cranberries and strawberries. The blend of colors and shapes on the taupe granola canvass made the visual presentation first rate and difficult to surpass. Whole milk and brown sugar completed the palette. The cafe is in the very nice "City Lakes" neighorhood of Linden Hills, which adds to the pleasant experience. The streetfront cafe is rustic with a nice jazz music in the background. We had a corner window seat, which added to the experience. The day we visited was a warm day for January with temperature of about 38F and sun breaking through the morning fog. There was a 15m wait when we arrived at around 11am on a Sunday morning. We enjoyed a cup of coffee at the Dunn Bros. across the street while we waited. Oatmeal = 5, Ambience = 3.5, Service = 4

http://www2.rakemag.com/rm4/restaurant_guide_729.aspx?RESTAURANT_ID=1531