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i always liked world cafe on main street - the garden is really nice and the food's pretty good (been there for brunch and dinner - if you do dinner, the cocktails are served in fish bowls, as i recall)

You're a ways away from the restaurants I originally suggested, but if you have a car I'd suggest heading toward the water and some of the locations I originally recommended. You're fairly close to Montana, which has some great restaurants (though I've never tried any of them for breakfast). Head to Montana and about 15th...it's a wonderful area to wander about.

omelet parlor on main st is an old fave.

Urth Cafe on Main St. (Great croissants, expect a line and possibly a wait if you're eating in.)
The Sunday Farmer's Market (2640 Main St.). Get an omlette, pastry or tamale, listen to music and chill out.
The Deli at Broadway & 3rd (love the chocolate brioche and also the croissants)
If you're a light eater, you can make a meal from the Wednesday Farmer's Market (Arizona & 2nd) and Saturday Farmer's Market (Arizona & 3rd).

Santa Monica's a big town. Where are you staying?

Places I LOVE to eat in Minneapolis:

Hell's Kitchen - lemon ricotta pancakes, wild rice Indian porridge (try it, you will love it!), cocoa to die for, and servers in their p.j.s on the weekends

Vincent - the steak tartare was perfect and came with a raw egg, the fries are crispy and come with bearnaise, the burger really IS the best in town, and the whole room makes you feel like you are in the quintessential French restaurant.

Izzy's - all right, it's in St. Paul, but the ice cream is unbelievable, especially the salted caramel, and I love the "Izzy scoop", which is a mini scoop that comes on top of your regular scoop.)

Leeann Chin - yes, I know it is Americanized Chinese food, but the shrimp toasts are very high on my guilty pleasure list (when you can get them to make them -- they are not on the current menu, but the used to be available from the location that was in the food hall in Dayton's)

And of course, the best eating in Minneapolis is at the State Fair. Truly a spectacular spread. Honey ice cream, frozen cider pops, french fries, honey lemonade, Sweet Martha's chocolate chip cookies, pork chops, fried cheese curds, milkshakes . . . mmmmm . . . State Fair!!

Enjoy, and remember to keep kitty litter, a shovel, boots, and a blanket in the back of your car from October to March! Shovelling snow all winter is the perfect way to slim down after eating all of the Fair food!

Thanks guys! I've already heard such great things about Minnesota so this makes me even more at ease moving there (my hubby-to-be just got a job there). I really am impressed by your attitudes towards your state.

Check out http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/ for more information on CSAs, locally raised meats, and farmers markets.

Whole Foods is in MPLS. All kinds of places to eat in MPLS.

Oh my gosh, yes! MN has a very, very strong streak of environmentalism and pride in their land (you'll realize soon after getting here that just about everybody has found a way to buy a little bit of lakefront property with a cabin somewhere in the state's wilderness, even the lower-middle class folks.) Being in touch with nature is a major priority here. Because of that, there's enormous pride in locally-produced meats, cheeses, produce, etc. The slow food/locavore scene is huge here (you may have noticed that a disproportionately sizable chunk of the posters here are Twin Citiesians). There are even several meat CSA's. We also have absolutely no lack of fine dining options, and at prices that are actually quite a bit cheaper than what you'd pay for similar meals on the coasts or in Chicago.

Sorry forgot to mention that I'm going to be living in faculty housing for the U of M, so I'm assuming it's right on campus? lol. I'm so lost. Thanks for the comments though!!

Wow, what a broad question! Of course there are plenty of amazing restaurants! You're going to love it. What neighborhood are you moving to? What kind of food are you looking for?

We've got Trader Joe's (S. Mpls/St. Louis Park), Byerly's and Lunds (higher end grocery stores) and co-ops in various neighborhoods. We've got all kinds of restaurant chains. Any specifics you're looking for?

Check out these local blogs for food news and reviews:
Dear Dara
City Pages Restaurant section

Have to throw in my vote for dumplings.

@ love2cook I totally feel you. I live in an almost entirely rural corner of Georgia. It's hard to believe we're only an hour and a half from Atlanta. You simply cannot find anything not beaten to death with trans fats here. You must drive to Atlanta, and with the ever-popular gas situation, that's happening less and less.