A fairly amazing-sounding Better Beer Society brown bag series event at Butcher & the Boar, some revised menus at local restaurants, a local foodie’s epic Mother’s Day feast, tasting notes for Summit Pilsner and Steel Toe’s Provider, the Star Tribune’s Taste 50, and a new urban farm in Minneapolis.
by Jill Lewis on October 29, 2009
Jill Lewis / Heavy Table
No matter how sophisticated we may see ourselves when it comes to food, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who claims his or her tastes are too refined for pub grub. Really, what’s not to like? It has the four basic American food groups covered — carbs, fried stuff, fried stuff with cheese, and calorie-laden dips — and, during happy hour, is plated for sharing so you don’t have to feel too guilty about eating it. At the new Cooper Pub & Restaurant, located in the Shops at West End center in St. Louis Park, you’ll find your typical pub favorites and some interesting new dishes with varying degrees of success.
The Heavy Table tried four of Cooper’s happy-hour offerings ($4.99 each, available from 2-6:30pm) during a recent visit, and out of the group, the soft pretzels were the most disappointing. Though coated with a liberal sprinkling of salt and tasting considerably fresher than the freezer variety you’d find at a warehouse store, the doughy twists lacked the crustiness for which another new restaurant’s version was recently praised. The waitress delivered a warning that the two mustard dipping sauces were hot, and while they certainly had a kick, they were nothing that the tasters couldn’t handle.
Jill Lewis / Heavy Table
Notably better were the chicken shots — imagine a highly evolved version of popcorn chicken basted in a whiskey sauce. The chicken tasted juicy and fresh, unlike the defrosted kind you’ll find at fast-food restaurants, and the whiskey sauce was both sweet and tangy. The accompanying ranch dipping sauce did little for the appetizer, mainly because its thin consistency barely clung onto the chicken with each dunk, but luckily, it’s not necessary. Though buffalo wings often need blue-cheese dip to cut through the spiciness of their glaze, these chicken bites are nicely balanced on their own.
Jill Lewis / Heavy Table
The other two appetizers were a mixed bag. The chips (fries to us Yanks) came with a trio of dipping sauces: curry, tomato chutney, and the aforementioned wimpy ranch dressing. The most successful was the tomato chutney, with a pleasing chunkiness and slight smokiness that made it an upgrade from standard ketchup. The curry authentically tasted like a sauce you’d find in an Indian restaurant, and it is a popular chip dip on the other side of the pond, but it just didn’t work for this reviewer — blame those Yankee taste buds. The chips stood well on their own, too — their crisp, well-seasoned exterior gave way to a pleasingly soft potato interior without excess greasiness.
The Reuben fritters seemed to be an intriguing nosh on paper. They featured the traditional sandwich ingredients — corned beef, sauerkraut, and cheese — nestled inside a fried shell, with the Russian dressing and Dijon mayonnaise on the side. The Russian dressing finally offered the heft and thickness that the ranch was sorely lacking, but the tangy sauce couldn’t bring out the rest of the Reuben flavors, which were masked by the fritters’ crispy coating. It was hard to taste the corned beef lurking inside the browned spheres, and for Reuben fans, that’s non-negotiable.
In a move that’s sure to please Cooper’s diverse crowd of after-work professionals, families grabbing an early dinner, and pre-moviegoers (the nearby theater is scheduled to open next month), the happy hour drink menu covers all the bases. No Irish pub would be considered Irish without a long list of whiskeys priced from $6 to $14, and Cooper doesn’t disappoint. Wine and cocktail lovers have plenty of reasonably priced choices ranging from $4 to $12 a glass, and the draft beer list ($4-6) includes both local and imported favorites, such as Summit, Crispin, Guinness, and Smithwick’s.
Off to a good start but with room for improvement, Cooper provides a much-needed happy hour destination to an area of town with few options besides Fuddruckers and Chili’s, and the happy hour menu offers an excellent value. A word of warning on portion sizes, though: Those baskets are larger than you might imagine. If you’re moving on to the dinner menu, stick with one appetizer.
BEST BET: The chicken shots, with or without the dressing.
1607 Park Place Blvd
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
952.698.2000
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
ŌM:
“Absolute, ultimate state of peace.” - ŌM Contemporary Indian Cuisine
“Represents three important triads: earth, atmosphere, and heaven; the major Hindu gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; and the sacred Vedic scriptures, Rig, Yajur, and Sama. Thus om mystically embodies the essence of the universe.” - Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last night, ŌM Contemporary Indian Cuisine opened to a packed, albeit invite-only house — an enthusiastic crowd as ready for cocktails as it was for the sample menu. Located in downtown Minneapolis’ warehouse district, the restaurant is a partnership between entrepreneur Vik Uppal and restaurateur Randy Norman of Capital Grille, r. Norman, 7 Sushi Lounge, and the ill-fated Bellanotte. However, the menu was, as the website will tell you, “culineered” by Raghavan Iyer, the well-known cookbook author (660 Curries), chef, and co-founder of the Asian Culinary Arts Institutes in Minneapolis.
In its two-story format, ŌM reminds us a bit of Uptown’s Chino Latino. Guests enter into a lofted lounge setting with long leather couches, chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling drapes in fluid pastel fabrics that add warmth to the contemporary space and a certain Indian ambiance. In the center of the room, a stunning spiral of tiny, spot-lit crystals cascades down a floor, leading the eyes to a tiled pool, scattered with floating candles and fresh flowers. A staircase leads down to a dining area principally comprised of cozy circular booths. It is lovely.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
And so are the cocktails. In particular, the Amber layered mango, Bombay Sapphire, and creme de cassis very prettily; with just enough lemon to temper the heavy fruitiness, it tasted good, too. We also tried the Bollywood, a sparkly combination of Domaine de Canton liquor and Prosecco that was quite refreshing with some of the evening’s more salty dishes. Yet the Agni, with its muddled limes, Grey Goose Citron, simple sugar, and chiles was the favorite of the set; piquant enough to be interesting, sweet enough to go down easy.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
A dining companion commented that she loved the drama the restaurant’s stairs provide at the lower level. Indeed, they allow one to make a grand entrance into the dining room, which is good, as we predict ŌM will become a place to be seen as much as a place to eat.
The tasting provided a glimpse of the full menu, which ranges from a $6 for a small plate to $27 for a dinner. In a very brief conversation, Vik Uppal said that the restaurant designed the menu to be “contemporary but accessible, where the uniqueness of the dish comes from the spices.”
On that note, the cardamom filet mignon was a tender and well-cooked piece of meat, but it was so subtly spiced that the accompanying mushroom sauce — tasty, but not distinctly Indian — dominated the flavors. That plate also featured miniature papadum crackers, the salt and spice of which played nicely against a cool yogurt and spinach sauce (which was a bit like a very mild saag paneer, without the paneer).
A salad of papaya with peanuts tossed in a raisin dressing also provided a fresh, slightly sweet reprieve from the salt, and it was textural treat. Similarly, we also enjoyed the delicacy of the saffron-kissed rice; fragrant and light, it featured fruit and cashews.
On the aggressive side, a mango chutney served on wedges of warm naan well-nigh divided the table. Some of us found it pleasantly hot and caught an undertone of sweet; others thought it was all heat and no flavor. We could all agree, however, that a very salty, very mushy eggplant pate was a no-go.
We were also united in thinking that the star of the sampling was the fenugreek lamb chop — a beautifully prepared piece of meat, subtly spiced, with a simple fenugreek cream sauce. It was delicious but, again, not — at least to this Western palate — distinctively Indian.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Here we began to note a pattern: meat with a small amount of mild sauce. Aside from the aforementioned, there was also a Goan Pork Tenderloin with vindalho sauce that was billed as assertive — it’s a curry dish, after all — but tasted only of sweet onions and garlic. Maybe it’s the assumption of too many years of eating Indian food or the fact of Iyer’s involvement in the menu, but we had expected to sample at least one or two big, sauce-based dishes (curry!?) featuring — but not focusing on — chunks of meat.
The fact that we didn’t get it was disappointing but not fatal; nearly everything we tasted was delicious, it simply lacked the depth of flavor we’ve come to expect from Indian food. Perhaps that’s the point — it is very approachable.
It will be interesting to see where ŌM takes its contemporary menu — will it deepen its flavors? Will it move toward fusion or tradition? — and to see how representative this initial tasting is of the food on the menu. We look forward to going back for a second look.
401 1st Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612.338.1510
HOURS:
Mon-Thu and Sun 4:30pm-10:30pm
Fri-Sat 4:30pm-11:30pm
OWNER / “CULINEER”: Vik Uppal / Raghavan Iyer
RESERVATIONS: No
BAR: Full
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
With the closure of Three Fish in December, Calhoun Commons’ sunny corner spot has stood empty — that is, until last week. Newly introduced is Wakame, a sushi bar and Asian bistro that, according to the website, “feature[s] both traditional and modern Asian cuisine, especially Japanese.”
As the website states, the menu plays up many Asian favorites and flavors. Curries are listed alongside noodle dishes and stir-fries, most served with your choice of protein, ranging from $10 to $14. Other sea and land entrees, like sea bass with miso, apple teriyaki salmon, whole red snapper, and several steaks, are features on the menu and range from $15 to $27. Of course, there is sushi, the extensive menu listing sashimi, sushi, and signature rolls with creative names like the Minnesota Roll, Excelsior Boulevard Roll, Las Vegas Roll, and Hot & Spicy Girl Roll, to name a few.
Wakame features early and late happy hours on appetizers and sushi, but the best meal deals are to be had at lunch when Wakame runs specials on bento boxes ($9 to $11), sushi ($11 for 1 California roll and 5 pieces), sashimi ($14 for 12 pieces), and rolls (2 for $10 or 3 for $13).
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
For our first taste of Wakame, we visited at lunch and sampled several options. First was the seaweed salad, a light and well-seasoned starter dressed with a toasted sesame vinaigrette. Amongst the many signature rolls, we decided on the Sweetheart Roll — salmon, tuna, and tempura flakes on the inside, fresh tuna on the outside, and drizzled with wasabi mayo. While the roll was a fun blend of flavors and textures, it did not stand out overall as fresh.
A lunch special, a bento box with shrimp tempura, was served with a side salad and miso soup. While the tempura was well-cooked and perfectly crispy, overall the bento box was bland, especially with the apparent lack of any seasoning on the shrimp and in the soup. And while the Ginger Mushroom stir-fry with tofu could have been a favorite dish with its fresh ginger and crisp vegetables, the heavy sauce weighed it down.
Not even a week into service, Wakame still has time to work out some of its new-restaurant kinks. If executed well, the well-rounded and interesting menu could be a promising addition to the Calhoun Commons neighborhood, the main focus of which centers around the usual fast-service suspects of pizza, burgers, and burritos.
Asian in Uptown
3070 Excelsior Blvd
Minneapolis, MN 55416
612.886.2414
HOURS:
Mon-Thurs 11am-midnight
Fri 11:30am-1am
Sat 12pm-1am
Sun 12pm-10pm
BAR: full bar
RESERVATIONS / RECOMMENDED: No
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes
ENTREE RANGE: $10-27
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
What follows is a brief sneak peak of Kate Sommers’s shots from the penultimate Paired underground restaurant experience. You can find the full story (with photos) over on Les Petites Images.
Courtesy of Kate Sommers
Woodworking was the theme, and hand-crafted wooden elements made the meal unique. Scott McGlasson of Woodsport was the event’s featured artist.
Courtesy of Kate Sommers
The menu: White gaspacho with poached egg and grapes; chickpea, red onion, leaf lettuce, plum and minted yogurt salad; cedar planked North Dakota walleye, rhubarb compote, wilted field greens, roasted new potatoes, and garlic chips; gingerbread with strawberry ice cream.
Courtesy of Kate Sommers
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
After all the hype about the opening of The Butcher Block, the new trattoria is now officially open. Located in the former Fugaise space in Northeast Minneapolis, the eatery has been touted for its new decor (some paint and a few pictures on the wall), diverse menu (sophisticated Italian plus 29 varieties of chicken wings) and passionate chef, Chef Darin Koch (formerly of I Nonni). The Heavy Table stopped by Saturday night to check it out.
The menu is undeniably exciting. Pastas ($13 to $14) such as the Pork Ragú, spaghetti smothered in a slow cooked braised pork ragú, and Rigatoncini alla Gricia, with guanciali, arugula, onion, and pecorino cheese, are enticing first courses, and secondis ($17) are an equally tempting assortment of lamb chops, steak, short ribs, and fish of the day. For diners interested in a more casual meal, there are several options for burgers and sandwiches.
Although the late night menu ($8) is not yet available (the waitress was unsure when it would debut), the options listed looked tasty with selections like the Tuna and Egg with Harissa, Pork Tonato (sliced pork with a creamy tuna sauce served with an egg), and the Fried Rice Omelet. The Butcher Block is open until 4am on weekends and 2am on weekdays, making it one of the few truly committed late-night games in town.
And, as promised, there are the 29 varieties of wings ($9 for 12 wings).
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Traditional flavors such as BBQ, teriyaki, buffalo, and jerk coexist with other, more unusual offerings such as green coconut curry, cranberry chile, country fried, pesto / salsa verde, and cacciatore. Tempted by the array, we tried two varieties: the Mango Curry and the House.
Meaty and with crispy skin, these wings were fantastic. The mango curry featured a subtle mango and peanut undertone that reminded us of chicken satay. They had a moderate spice level that lingered lightly, but only until relieved with a quick sip of beer. As for the House wings, sesame and soy as the prominent flavors made these an immediate favorite. The existence of a number of similarly themed wings raises the question of how much overlap might exist between similar flavors, but the overall quality is indisputable.
As can be expected with a very recent opening, there were some tasting glitches — an otherwise inspired ravioli dish suffered from a crushing excess of mint — but, overall, The Butcher Block’s inspired menu lives up to the hype and promises great things to come.
The Butcher Block
308 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612.455.1080
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