D.B. Searle’s Third Floor Restaurant

Not pleased. Mediocre food, pricey for what we got. Didn’t have really high expectations but def didn’t expect to be paying almost 30 $ for the tiniest burger/​rock with weird gooey bread. Two of us asked for med rare and one got a rock. It was me. Me, I got a rock. But I was starving so I ate it. Fried cheese curds were interesting though. General consensus from our party was disappointment.
Edit: just learned St. Cloud is the granite city. So I get it. Maybe. Still not tryna eat rocks though. For $ 30.

They need to visit restaurants in Chicago and New York City. For now, let’s just say it needs a lot of work. Caesar salad needed coarser chop, anchovies, and Caesar dressing! Pot pie was dry and inedible. Burger dry with boards of stiff hard bacon that had to be removed before the burger could be eaten. (bun was boring) Steak tips were good. But overall, would not be back. Atmosphere/​ambiance was old musty, decrepit and dull. Flowers would have helped.

Nick’s is fine, but it needs a little work. It is strange to walk through a bar to find the stairs to this restaurant, but it was wise to name the restaurant with directions in mind, so I didn’t really find that to be a problem.
We walked in around dinner time on a Monday, so not surprisingly, it wasn’t terribly busy. The bartender greeted us showed us to our seat where our server promptly took our drink order. Based on what I knew about the restaurant, I thought it would be a great place to order a Manhattan, but my drink was awful. It seems to me that a Manhattan should be something I can confidently order in an upscale restaurant located inside a bar downtown, but it mostly tasted like grenadine and was served over ice (we weren’t asked whether we wanted it up, but that’s how I would have ordered it).
Since I was really underwhelmed by my cocktail, we decided to just order an appetizer and if we loved that we’d stay for dinner, but otherwise we’d eat elsewhere. We ordered the bruschetta with house-​made focaccia and it was good, but not great. I don’t usually see mozzarella in bruschetta and don’t think it was necessary. Especially in summer, I’d rather see lots of fresh, ripe tomatoes with fresh basil and maybe some oil and balsamic. This was creamy and cheesy which seemed a bit odd. I actually asked my husband if there was mayo in it when it arrived. I don’t think there was, but bruschetta shouldn’t be creamy. After our appetizer, we paid our tab and left.
The décor definitely needs to be updated. Dark green blinds cover these huge windows with a beautiful view of downtown. New window treatments would definitely make it seem like a nicer, updated restaurant, and please let the diners see the view! As it is, the blinds seem out of place with the white tablecloths, and when paired with the maroon paint, the décor looks really outdated. The wood and brick are beautiful. I would love to see a bit more effort put into the design.
Service was excellent. Our server was friendly and attentive. No need for improvement there!

The more my wife and I discussed this place the more impressed we were. Service was friendly and efficient. The food was delightful. I had the whole trout which was actually stuffed with fresh rosemary, lemon and pepper. My wife had the butternut squash ravioli. The free bread was very good We enjoyed sitting near the windows the third floor of this old building. Very cosy and quite experience. But it was a Monday so the restaurant wasn’t very busy. The manager or owner (not sure which) even stopped by twice to check on us.
My only complaint is that you only get one side with the meals.

Not too shabby. I came here in a group of 6, my brothers and our wives, on a Saturday evening and had a great time. The waitress was fantastic, friendly, and knowledgeable about everything. The food was marvelous. All in all, it was a great dining experience.
First, let’s get the bad out of the way: The restaurant is indeed hard to find. D. B.‘s is an old place with tight stairs out is the way. So, it’s not the easiest to get to. It’s also open to the room below, and our conversation was often interrupted by the rather loud sound checks from that night’s band. As others noted, they do run out of menu items. We only missed out on the chocolate cake, so not too big a loss. Also, the sweet potato mash was not the most pleasant texture. Very tasty, but a bit runny.
And now, the good: the waitress was indeed knowledgeable and committed to service. We threw some questions at her and she was always quick with the answer. Kudos to her for knowing her restaurant. Also, the sweet potato mash aside, the food was fabulous. We had the beef tips, the bruschetta, and the mushrooms for appetizers. All were fantastic, and our favorite was the beef tips. I ordered the Dolson burger. It was a mess (I had to knife and fork it), but very delicious. I also had a sampling of the beef stew (wonderful) and the walleye tacos (good, but I’ve had better). Everyone else at the table has happy with their orders.
One odd thing was how empty the place was. Honestly, I would expect a place with good food and good service to be packed. We even thought it necessary to get a reservation based on the previous experience of my brother. Instead, hardly any tables were taken, and by the time we left we were the only ones there. It’s wasn’t a bad thing, just… Eerie.
Anyway, I’d recommend the place. Tasty food, great service… These people are really trying hard to have a quality restaurant. The naysayers here may have just tun into some just-​opened jitters. They’re getting smoothed out.
Give it a try!

The Veggie burger was awesome and the service was even better! The bartender Jimbo was the bees knees!

We came here because, I always like to support local farm to table restaurants. The first challenge with this restaurant was trying to figure out how to get to it. You have to walk through DB seales past rest rooms and wait staff stations to get to the stairs or elevator. The same mess greeted us at the entrance to the Third Floor. We were seated quickly and drink and appetizer order taken. The appetizers finally arrived but no drinks. The server came by to check on our appetizer and then realized she had never brought the drinks. She brought one cocktail and then had to go downstairs to get the beer.
As far as the main entrees, we were immediately informed that almost half of the entrees were not available. I then attempted to order the rainbow trout and was informed it too was not available. So, I ordered the fish tacos. The server said they were soft shell, but the edges were hard as if they had sat under a heat lamp too long. Conversely, there was too much of the sauce on the tacos so the rest of the shells were soggy. My sweet potato whip was watered down and has no flavor except for the molasses slathered on top. My daughter ordered the Cesar salad and it was well done with fresh shaved Parmesan. My partner ordered a burger which was good, but the fries were under cooked.
For dessert, my daughter wanted the berry tart, but guess what? They were out of that too. The server had enough awareness of the issues that she did give us the drinks on the house and 10% off the whole bill. Unfortunately, that is not incentive enough for me to try this restaurant again.

I had the beef stew and my wife had the tater tot hot dish. Both were very tasty. Our server was quick and attentive. We are both looking forward to going back and trying other menu items.

Absolutely top notch. Delicious appetizers, amazing meal and delicious desert.
I had «The F.E.A.S.T. Burger» which was incredible! Definitely recommend and will be going returning and again.

This is an extremely poorly-​managed restaurant that happens to have a good menu. I really can’t think of a reason why I would want to return.
I went to Nick’s Third Floor with a party of 4, plus an infant. We had heard that the third floor at DB Searle’s had a new menu/​restaurant focusing on local ingredients, and that the food was very good.
We waited for 5 minutes before out drink orders were taken, and 5 minutes later the drinks arrived and we ordered an appetizer. After 15 minutes the appetizer came out, at which point we able to place our entrée orders.
The menu listed Gourmet Tater Tot Hot Dish, which sounded interesting. When I ordered it, the server informed me that they had run out of it for the day. The place opens at 5:00, we got there at 6:00, there were maybe a dozen other people already in the restaurant, and they were already out of a menu item for the day. Okay. A bit of forewarning would have been nice.
During the course of the meal, every other table that was seated tried to order the same dish, and the server didn’t notify any of them ahead of time that it was unavailable. A nearby party of 8 had 3 people who wanted this dish, and once they were denied they all ordered the pork chop. 5 minutes later the server came back to tell them that they only had 2 pork chops available. One guy switched his order to something with prime rib, and after 5 minutes she came back out to tell him that they were out of that, too.
After a long wait, our food came out. The others in my party got the lamb burger (very good), veggie burger (so-​so), and the Minnesota Maple Salad (very good). I ended up ordering the Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie, which was tasty, but it looked awful. The crust was greasy and the sauce had broken, making the filling curdled and oily.
The slowness of the service kept us there until 8:00, meaning that we were there for two hours. My baby was quiet and well-​behaved through the meal, but I have no idea why the server didn’t think that the presence of a baby should call for faster service. Two hours is a REALLY long time to be at a restaurant with an infant.

I came in from out of town and I was looking for something really good to eat. Based on driving around, the ambiance and outer décor Nick’s Third Floor at D.B. Searle’s was enticing enough for me to have dinner.
I walked in and was informed that the restaurant was on the 3^rd floor. When I got upstairs there were people having dinner, however, there wasn’t a restaurant employee to be found.
Five or so minutes go by and I am seated. When I sat down, I waited a few minutes to be acknowledged. I asked a few questions about the menu and I took one of the suggestions.
I ordered the Spice Blackened Walleye. It came with a salad. I also ordered a glass a wine. Sounds innocent right?
I waited at least 45 minutes for my salad to come out. And then approximately 20 minutes with a dirty plate sitting in front of me, my wine never came and lastly my entrée finally came over an hour from ordering it. I told the waitress to remove the wine off my bill since I was already done with my salad and still waiting for my entrée. She did not even acknowledge that she completely forgot it.
The walleye was excellent and extremely delicious. The lack of and nonexistent service completely spoiled my appetite. While waiting for my salad, I contemplated numerous times of walking out. I also contemplated leaving while waiting in between my salad and entrée.
Needless to say, if you have nothing but time and don’t mind spending 2 hours at a restaurant, enjoy. However, if you do not want to wait an hour for your salad, I would not recommend this place to you.
I’ll be back in town hosting an event with over 20 guests. Nick’s Third Floor at D.B. Searle’s will not be having our business.
All in all, the Walleye gets an A+ however the service gives this restaurant a D-.

Wasn’t impressed… appetizers were not great. Probably wouldn’t go back. We got the sirloin tips and they weren’t good. The feast burger was small and didn’t even have sprouts. The hot corn dip was good.

After many meals here this is still my favorite restaurant. Tonight’s meal started with sourdough bread and honey butter, walleye cakes with a cilantro sauce, a simply stunning beef veggie soup made with prime rib (huge chunk of beef) to start.
This was followed by pulled pork that was simultaneously succulent, sweet and spicy for myself and a Minnesota maple salad with goat cheese for my wife. The maple basalmic dressing on her salad was sublime.
A perfect dinner.

So, I am a sucker for «farm to table» places. I think that I have learned my lesson after this half baked example.
Fresh foccaccia was a great start. …walleye cakes were lacking walleye. Too much batter and their «famous aioli» is still repeating. Veggie burger tasted and looked like a can of black beans were opened and smashed together… totally lacking the promised jalepeno and spices. It was not cooked thoroughly and server ignored the not eaten portion. Bright spot was the side dish of fresh asparagus and mushrooms. So despite the negative temps there is some fresh produce in the pantry. Too bad the burger set up included limp lettuce, pathetic tomato (why bother?) & a very stale bun.
Beer menu looked interesting and the old building appeared historical next to the Palace theater.
Service was innocuous– server kept my water glass filled but left dirty finished dishes on my table– pet peeve!!!
Several large holiday parrties going on-​maybe Santa will deliver some quality to a place with much potential!

FAVORITE RESTAURANT. I honestly could not think of one bad thing to say about this restaurant (I challenged myself to try the last time I went). The servers are soo friendly, the food is amazing, and the prices are good. And It’s the coolest place. I will continue to go there over and over.

Still the best food in town. My husband and I have been impressed with everything there. The daily specials are fresh and tasty highlighting seasonal items. The walleye tacos are a favorite. My husband said it has been the best thing he has ever eaten. I love that there is a large variety on the menu to allow me to get a dish that I am in the mood for. Sometimes a burger other times a salad or pasta. Everything is well prepared and I love that local ingredients are used.

We eat at Nick’s 3^rd floor frequently and enjoy every meal. The grass fed beef is delicious, they try and use local when avail which of course taste better than produce shipped across the world AND helps the local economy. The service is awesome and even the chefs make it to the front of the house to gain feedback! Highly recommend!

Had dinner before a show at Pioneer Place. Interesting and delicious choice of burgers. Great desserts, good service great salads. They use as much local food as available.

Inspired (I had caramel corn cheesecake for dessert!), locally-​sourced food in a historic building. In addition, they have a good craft-​beer selection. It is a bit tricky to find the first time (third floor above D.B. Searle’s), but totally worth the hunt. The third floor restaurant is split into two levels, with the second level being lofted-​awesomeness. Nick’s Third Floor’s combo of food, beer and ambiance make it our current favorite St. Cloud restaurant.