The University Club

Decent brunch. Got the ‘Traditional’ — eggs, potatoes, English muffin, sausage. Very solid meal.

The University Club is a typical example of the type of property the owner purchases and then neglects. It is a historical and important landmark in Saint Paul full of unused potential. Unfortunately just enough is invested in the place where you can’t call it run down, but not enough is invested where the Club could exist in its natural grandeur. Despite the not so great food, the tennis court that isn’t maintained, the 20-​year-​old playground, and the code-​violation of a flagpole that is at a 75 degree angle leaning ominously over Ramsey Hill, the University Club still has enough members to survive. The pool might be its only fine attribute. Someday this Club will be one of the Twin Cities finest.

We had my niece’s wedding last weekend at the University Club downtown St Paul Ballroom. I want to thank the staff for all their hard work & professionalism! They were always available for any questions or concerns. The entire place was beautiful and everyone we worked with all played a part in making her and her fiancé’s dreams come true!

Don’t bother coming for breakfast.
I went for breakfast on a Sunday morning, to take advantage of a «free April breakfast» deal mailed to us, and to see how the food/​service has changed since I last was a member. My girlfriend and I were members some years ago, but opted out after a while, mostly because the food at the restaurant was extremely hit and miss. We rejoined this year to take advantage of the downtown health club facility, so we were looking forward to a new experience at the Summit Avenue location’s restaurant. Things have not changed, unfortunately.
First, my expectations for service and food quality are pretty high, given that the facility is upscale, gorgeous, has a long history of service and hospitality, and that it is related, management-​wise, to W.A. Frost, which has exemplary service. The service at the U Club is in no way close to that at W.A. Frost, however. It is also related, chef-​wise to Frost, as the Executive Chef at the U Club is a former chef at Frost.
We arrived one Sunday mid-​morning (10 AM), and were eventually greeted and seated in a mostly empty dining room. There were two other tables seated, one of which left shortly after we arrived. We were poured water and coffee very quickly, but then left alone for about 10 minutes with our one page menus. We eventually ordered, and were again left alone for about 15 minutes. I did finally flag our server down for more coffee, and he left, and must have had to go to a different part of the building for it, as it was another 5 minutes or so before he returned with it. Then another 20 minute wait. I finally did catch the eye of another employee, whom I asked to locate our server, so I could find out if the restaurant had, in fact, opened the kitchen for the day. The server arrived and promised to go see what the delay was. He came back with our food, which in all fairness, was pretty good. However, it was not a ton of food, and it was not hard to prepare, or shouldn’t have been if executed properly. I have no idea what the delay was, but we didn’t begin to eat our breakfast until about 50 minutes after ordering it, and this in an empty restaurant.
Add this unacceptable delay to the horrible, uncomfortable dining room chairs, and the complete non-​participation of our server in our dining experience, and what you get is a bad restaurant. There isn’t any other way of putting it.
A fellow member and friend had almost the exact same experience a couple of weeks ago, only their wait was over an hour. For breakfast. In an empty restaurant.
The facility itself is beautiful, the views from the restaurant are spectacular, the location is close to everything, the clientele pay to belong… There is so much going for this place, that to have it under-​perform the way it does is baffling and unfortunate. In my humble opinion, if Robert Crew (Manager) were to pay a bit more attention to this property, it might begin to catch up to W. A. Frost.

I became a member through reciprocity with The Saint Paul Athletic Club. I went to Sunday brunch. The building is old and historic with nice window views. The furnishings and bathrooms are tired and could use an update. My cohorts and I had a nice time for brunch, but waited 20 minutes for our order to be taken, and another 25 for the food to be brought out. One of my friends had to leave before he could eat his meal, so that was a bummer. Looking forward to checking out the outdoor pool in the summertime.

My parents are social members of the University Club and we love going there around the holidays for dinner. The decorations are great, and they have a really nice parlor area with a huge fireplace and comfy leather chairs.
We’ve usually had pretty good experiences here, and the food is quite good, but last night the service was definitely lacking. First of all, they got our table mixed up with someone else so we had to wait for them to figure that out. Then it took forever for the waitress to come back and take our order. When I had a question about an entrée and she didn’t know the answer, she wasn’t even willing to find out because «the kitchen is really busy and they aren’t even answering their phone.» Eventually we figured out the answer to my question, but only asking another server.
The food took forever to come out, at least 45 minutes. Thankfully, it tasted great and was hot. The dessert was also quite good, I especially enjoyed the caramel apple crostatada. The molten chocolate cake is also good, but a little on the small side.

Traveling to Minneapolis on academic business, I needed to meet some people who suggested lunch at the University Club. It was a great decision and I enjoyed the architecture, the waitstaff service, food, and of course, the conversation that ensued.
Such a beautiful venue, I regret that I am only a visitor, but will certainly welcome a return trip.

My sister recently held her wedding with the University Club of Saint Paul (January 2011), and it was truly a memorable night for everyone. The wedding was held in the downtown location, which was unbelievably beautiful. The ambiance was so romantic, and the building so incredibly charming.
Aside from the beautiful location (and delicious food!), the waitstaff was very attentive and incredibly nice. We had a last minute change to table seating, which they gladly helped us with, and we also had 2 more guests join us who were not originally counted for meals. The staff happily took the additional guests’ orders for their meal, and the kitchen put it out flawlessly. We also had a guest with a nut allergy, and the staff took additional care to meet with her and make sure that everything from her salad dressing to her entrée to her dessert were free of nuts. Considering there were over 230 people at this wedding, I was very impressed that they took the time to truly serve this individual. The staff was always there to help, but didn’t overstep their boundaries and linger around the tables too much.
Although the entire staff was great, my sister and my’s personal favorite was Ray. Ray was assigned to the head table and to the table that sat our parents, and was an absolute riot. He must be 85! But he was cracking jokes, danced with my sister, and took pictures with all of us at the end of the night. He truly made my sister’s night extra special, and gave us even more of an unforgettable time!
The guests I have talked to had a ball. Many commented on how great the wait staff was, and how accomodating both the wait staff and the hotel staff were (some of the guests stayed in Hotel 340, which is in the same building — highly recommended!).
Overall, it was an amazing night, not just for the bride and groom, but for everyone who attended the wedding. I’m hoping that some of the couples that attended the night hold their wedding at this location, too — I can’t wait to come back!
Sarah (sister of the bride/​maid of honor)

THis past Tuesday, we had lunch here after my father’s service at Nativiyty Churfch (see my review.) The atmosphere is very eligent with all of the woodwork and eligent dining room with comfortable chairs and table cloths. The food, served buffet style, is excellent. The turkey sandwich is excellent with what tastes like oven roasted turkey, fresh tomatos, onions, pepper jack, and creamy mustard on fresh white bread. The pasta salad is excellent with a skinny, twisted pasta with artichokes and olives in a light vinigry dressing. For dessert, the oatmeal cookies, brownies, and sugar cookies are sinful; the oatmeal moist with just the right amount of oatmeal and rasins, the sugar cookie with just the right amount of sugar, not overly sweet, and the browny moist, sweet, and loaded with creamy frosting; definitely not sickingly sweet. The staff is very friendly and helped us bag leftovers to take back to our friends’ for a gettotogether later that evening. The valaes are very friendly and professional, parking and returning cars in a timely manner. For $ 4000, we definitely got what we payed for; my fathedr would have definitely wanted such opulant splendor. So, for excellent food with friendly service in a an upscale atmosphere with friendly valaes at a spendy but well worth it price, The University Club cannot be beat. Keep up the good work guys.

My company had its annual holiday party here this past weekend. I planned most of the event and had a lot of contact with the University Club’s food and beverage director. Despite being a total flake and frustrating to work with from start to finish, he was friendly and managed to get most of the details right. There was one snafu with one of the servers, but once I pointed out her error, she swiftly corrected it. Everyone who attended really enjoyed themselves. The food was decent — although I heard some say their dishes were really salty. My salad was quite wilty and had almost no vinaigrette on it, but I didn’t hear anyone else complaining.
Those of us who stuck around after the party to have drinks in the members only bar had even more fun. The bartenders were fantastic… and nice to look at.

This is a lovely old club on Summit Avenue. Gorgeous entertaining rooms and foyer. The pool and tennis court are old but kids still enjoy summer days there. Must use valet parking for events as parking on the very steep Ramsey Hill (yes the hills is sooo steep). Private membership.