I enjoyed a sunny Saturday afternoon from large picture windows inside The Green Room in Waconia. The recently opened restaurant is small and casual, with a seat-yourself atmosphere perfect for lunch with close friends or a family outing.

The restaurant is co-owned by Tom Peterson, Keven Kvalsten and Matty O’Reilly. Kvalsten was last a sous chef at The Corner Table in Minneapolis, and Peterson and O’Reilly own 318 in Excelsior. Peterson is also a working musician, playing bass in a band called the New Primitives.

Linoleum covers the floor and a decorative tile ceiling top the green walls. There are about a dozen tables, a nice mix of high-tops with high-backed chairs and low tables. There is a small bar with four stools where you can grab a sandwich and coffee or dessert and wine on the go.

The servers dress casually, and ours, Jake Streeter, let us know that Saturday afternoon might be a good time to have a glass of wine. The wine list was great, with several wines by the glass and a good choice of wines by the bottle as well. They also offered bottled beer, from a great summertime beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon, to a bigger bodied can of Guinness. Peterson, one of the owners, waited on tables and chatted with everybody in the place. We felt comfortable right away.

My friend and I shared a spinach salad with onion, bacon, crouton and hard-boiled egg. It came with a warm bacon dressing, although my friend and I agreed the salad was good even without it. The club sandwich, which came on fresh bread with delicious applewood smoked bacon, was definitely something I would come back for.

The pulled pork sandwich had a nice flavor; the Carolina barbecue sauce wasn’t too spicy or sweet. The chef cooks with local and organic ingredients whenever possible, making everything fresher.

Both sandwiches came with tasty sides of potato salad and coleslaw. Other sandwiches were served with chips. The Green Room doesn’t have a fryer, which keeps the restaurant cleaner smelling and makes their barbecue wings even better because they’re grilled and finished in the oven.

The dinner menu features more variety in the entrée selection, from braised beef to rosemary leg of lamb or a seared salmon filet; it offers sandwiches and salads as well. Consider ordering warm spinach dip with bread or fruit and cheese off the appetizer menu.

The Green Room also offers fare for kids, with grilled cheese and buttered noodles for the finicky and ham and cheese sandwich for the young adventurer. Several families with kids as young as a few months were dining while we were there.

The menu offered at least one vegetarian option in the appetizer, salad, sandwich and entrée categories. Everything is priced reasonably. Our meal of with two glasses of wine, a full salad and two sandwiches cost less than $40.
The dessert list featured a chocolate crème brulee and upside-down apple pie with cinnamon ice cream, but if you can think ahead, order the chocolate lava cake when you get your dinner. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to make, but it is worth the wait. The warm gooey chocolate cake is perfect: not too sweet and not too big either; just the right way to end dinner for two.

The Green Room is a fun, quaint new restaurant with a comfortable atmosphere and fresh food. It’s a great addition to Waconia. Visit to start off an afternoon of shopping or walking trails, or make it the destination of a romantic date or an evening with friends.

Rebecca Margulies is a reporting intern at the Shakopee Valley News. She is a senior at the University of Minnesota.

The Green Room
140 W. Main St., Waconia
(952) 442.3353, http://thegreenroom-waconia.com