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.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Chef Jon Hunt’s Rinata topped our list of five overlooked Minneapolis restaurants last summer, and though Sparks, his latest venture with business partner Amor Hantous, launched with a similar lack of fanfare earlier this spring, it’s unlikely to stay a secret for long. Blending seamlessly into the leafy, family-oriented Bryn Mawr neighborhood in Minneapolis, Sparks is wide open — literally, with its garage-door-like front windows raised in the warm weather — to welcome customers of all ages with its simple yet satisfying wood-fired dishes. While the wide-ranging menu, spanning Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Mexico, isn’t without its flaws, its strongest dishes will leave you thinking about them long after you leave.
Small plates comprise a good third of Sparks’ menu, and the best is the least obvious starter. The bulgogi tacos ($8 for two) marry the fermented fire of kimchi with tender beef, crunchy vegetables, zesty salsa, and a cool drizzle of sour cream. Each order comes with two extra tortillas, but you’re not going to share, so order multiples if numerous taco fans are seated at your table. Equally strong is the Greek salad ($7), a substantial platter of crisp cucumber spears, salty feta, briny olives, and ripe tomatoes. Fresh, filling and properly dressed, the salad practically dances across your tastebuds, though cilantro-phobes may shy away from its generous sprinkle.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
The hummus ($5) and tzatziki ($5) arrive with bowls of warm, hearty pita that are easy to swallow without the dips, but it would be a shame to ignore them. The thick, red-tinged hummus is made from cannellini beans, so while it lacks some of the nuttiness of a chickpea-based spread, the smokiness of the paprika adds another welcome dimension. The creamy tzatziki puts its garlicky-ness in the driver’s seat — awesome if you’re a garlic fan, not so much if you find its flavor to be overwhelming. But even though we’re huge fans of garlic, the Catalan garlic soup ($3 / cup, $6 / bowl) left us wanting more. The buttery crouton and soft poached egg couldn’t make up for the mild-mannered broth.
A weak broth also marred an otherwise successful mussels dish ($9), with its Spanish-inspired sofrito seasoning, but the vegan and gluten-free mushroom avocado enchiladas ($9) left no heat behind. The spice of the vegetable mixture tucked inside soft corn tortillas quickly builds up inside the mouth, but the meaty flavor of the mushrooms and the soothing avocado make it hard to stop eating. Just keep your water glass full if you order them or the chicken pocket sandwich ($9), which combines the roasted chicken from the entree list with the crunchy vegetables from the Greek salad and the kimchi from the bulgogi tacos. Stuffed inside one of those thick pitas, the messy sandwich offers a kick that would be even stronger if it were served hot rather than lukewarm.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
If you have room for more meat after those tacos, ask for the thinly sliced tenderloin steak with Bernaise and crispy potatoes ($19). Ordered medium rare, the meat arrives a perfect reddish-pink hue and toothsome texture. You don’t even need the creamy Bernaise for the beef, but you’ll want to dip the salty french-fry-cut potatoes in it. But if you’ve reached your meat maximum for the night, go for the addicting truffle asparagus pizza ($12) instead. With its almost flatbread-like crust, the pie offers a luxurious bite of fragrant truffles and fresh, lightly cooked asparagus spears. One pizza is the ideal size for two if sharing a few dishes, but if this is your only order, be selfish and savor all those slices yourself. The chicken pesto pizza ($9) seems equally promising on the menu but the lackluster sauce left us underwhelmed.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
An apple crisp ($7) tempts you from the dessert section of the menu — give into it. The warm apples, so often reduced to mush in these types of dishes, retain much of their firmness, which makes them a satisfying foil to the soft scoop of gelato. Just enough sugary topping gives it the requisite caramel coating, and the subtle cinnamon flavor of the ice cream ties the dessert together. If you’d rather imbibe your calories, the beverage menu presents everything from sake and local brews on tap to a wine list from around the world.
Like the menu, the service at Sparks has its highlights and lowlights, too. Friendly waitstaff become less so when they disappear for a good part of the meal. On one occasion, our small-plate dishes remained on the table 10 minutes after we finished our starters — the bussing staff had to remove them when the entrees arrived at the table — and a long wait for the check is never welcome when you’re ready to hit to the road. But we always appreciate an open attitude toward children at the table, and with its indoor and outdoor seating, it’s easy to find a comfortable spot for families at Sparks. Come winter, though, it will be quite the squeeze.
For now, though, the bulgogi tacos and truffle pizza will continue to draw me to Sparks’ leafy patio, and if word spreads, the rest of Minneapolis may join along. Hope they made enough kimchi.
Sparks
Bistro in Bryn Mawr, Minneapolis
(Good)
230 S Cedar Lake Rd
Minneapolis, MN 55405
612.259.8943
HOURS:
Mon-Sat 11am-10pm
Sun 10am-9pm
CHEF / OWNERS: Jonathan Hunt and Amor Hantous
RESERVATIONS / RECOMMENDED: No, but you can call up to 30 minutes in advance to put your name on the waiting list.
BAR: Full
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes / Yes
ENTREE PRICE: $3-14 for small plates; $8-17 for pizza, sandwiches and large plates
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Like a mirage in a pastry desert, Angel Food Bakery & Coffee Bar opened softly on April 30, beckoning to workaday downtowners desperate for a morning doughnut or midday guilty pleasure just steps from Nicollet Mall and their office doors. Co-owner Cynthia Gerdes calls Angel Food Bakery a natural extension of Hell’s Kitchen, the 10-year-old downtown breakfast mainstay and music venue she owns with her husband Mitch Omer.
According to Gerdes, Hell’s Kitchen has always turned out its own scratch baked goods, led by pastry chef Katherine Gerdes. And “little by little,” she says, “word-of-mouth spread about her desserts, which was great, but we then ran out of space in the tiny baking corner of the kitchen.” Until Angel Food was born and installed just above Hell’s basement lair.
When speaking of bakeries, downtown Minneapolis is parched. Unlike South Minneapolis with its Patisserie 46 and Sun Street Breads, there’s little in the way of accessible specialty baked goods for pedestrians and people stuck in meetings or bound by half-hour lunch breaks. Angel Food seems like an excellent solution, filling the retail gaps left by Cocoa & Fig and Wuollet, and offering delicious Peace Coffee as a substitute for the nearest Starbucks.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
There are other cool things about the bakery. For one thing, it echoes that smirking and flashy Hell’s Kitchen aesthetic, but in a lighter, fluffier way. White and tinsel frame the bakery’s open kitchen, where you can sit at the bar and watch the bakers knead dough or torch meringue. The bakery also offers bread (created by Craig Nelson, a New French Bakery alum), catering, delivery, wedding cakes, and basically any special service you can imagine.
And yet.
The bakery’s most important aspect — its execution of pastry classics — is poor, and on the whole, the product does not reflect the kind of years-deep experience and pastry finesse the Hell’s Kitchen team claims to have.
Let’s start with something iconic: the golden, coveted croissant ($2). Though beautiful, the one at Angel Food is salty and supple, without the delicate outer crunch and stretchy, swelling inner layers of an expert croissant, and its buttery flavor is more schmaltzy than sweet and authentic. Take a look at our story on the many examples of a righteous croissant in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Angel Food’s doesn’t hold a dripping candle to them.
The raised glazed doughnut ($1.50) was a bit of a disaster. On one occasion it had a moist, underfried inside, and on another day it was chewy and dense instead of bouncy and light. This fluffy-looking yeasted treat is as deceptive as a rosy, grinning baby with indigestion. A blueberry lemon scone ($2.50) was similarly disappointing. There were none of the flaky layers essential to scones. It was soft, moist, cakey. Calling it a muffin would have made more sense.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
A carrot cake cupcake ($3), on the other hand, was a standard specimen made delightful by the best cream cheese frosting I’ve ever had. It was light and just barely cheesy without being gooey, dense, or wearisome. The cupcakes in general cater to decadence and greed, with whimsical colors and plentiful frosting. The Anti-depressant Cupcake ($3) was a decent combination of chocolate cake and delicate chocolate whipped cream, but the dollop of caramelized chocolate on top would have done more exciting things as a filling.
Angel Food also makes muffins, tarts, cookies, and brownies the size of a saucer. Like the cupcakes, the brownies call to the id with words like “turtle,” “rocky road,” and “Butterfinger.” But again, they fall short. Though large and heavy, the chocolatey bases of both the Rocky Road and Butterfinger ($3.50) were bland, with a scant supply of their namesake flavors and just a tiny well of ganache in the center. Decadence they are not.
There are also baguettes and several sorts of large, golden loaves of bread for sale at Angel Food, and their sourdough’s ($4.25) thick crust hides a tight, slightly sweet crumb that makes for a sturdy slice of toast. In fact, the bread basket may be where Angel Food’s biggest asset lies. Being able to grab a loaf of decent, homemade bread before heading home from work, and in the same breath find a great cup of coffee, second-rate sweets, and an option for catered office meetings is an anomaly in downtown Minneapolis. And that’s just it — Angel Food Bakery is a great idea. But the food could be a lot greater.
Angel Food Bakery & Coffee Bar
(Notable)
Full-service bakery in downtown Minneapolis
86 S 9th Street (above Hell’s Kitchen)
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612.238.1435
OWNER / CHEF: Cynthia Gerdes and Mitch Omer / Katherine Gerdes and Craig Nelson
HOURS:
Mon-Fri 6:30am-6:30pm
Sat 7:30am-6:30pm
Sun 7:30am-3pm
BAR: Espresso
RESERVATIONS / RECOMMENDED?: None
GLUTEN FREE / VEGAN: Yes / Yes
ENTREE RANGE: Under $6
Crystal Liepa / Heavy Table
If there’s one thing Eat Street Social has in spades, it’s vibe. The second child of Northeast Social owners Joe Wagner and Sam Bonin, Eat Street Social (in the old Tacos Morelos spot near Nicollet) is all darkness and opulence: shadowy brocade walls, high maroon booths, and glowing castle-like light fixtures provide the setting for a huge and fantastic square bar that thrusts into the center of the room, commanding attention in a Guthrie-like manner.
It’s this stage of mixology that really inspires a visit to Social. All the eating and dining and chatter ebb from this center, where head bartenders (and founders of Bittercube bitters) Nick Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz grin and sling some really inspired drinks.
Crystal Liepa / Heavy Table
From a long list of unique creations, the Copper Dagger ($9) seems to be a favorite among the staff. Averna Amaro, Lemon Hart 151, St. Germain, and cap of foamy egg white make up a tart and delicate suede-colored cocktail masquerading as a thick cappuccino. The Queen Charlotte ($10) is like a floral lemon bar, fashioned with Grey Goose and liqueur violette, but the 21st Century Cocktail ($9) was our favorite on the list. Gin, Lillet Rouge, and house-made cocao nib liqueur result in a drink that’s 80s-prom-dress mauve. At first whiff it’s chocolately, but when the drink goes down it’s all mellow, floral citrus, with none of the piney edge that makes the gin-haters hate.
Unlike its list of bright, enthusiastic cocktails, Social’s lunch and dinner menus are governed by an earthier, iron-rich agenda. From the healthy list of appetizers (including steak tar tar and calamari), we tried the scallops ($10) and mussels and fries ($10). While both proteins were tender and treated well, they would benefit from a splash of brightness. The mussels absorb a dark edge from their hot but slightly bitter garlic and white wine broth, and the scallops come with a competing trio of apple butter, fried sweet breads, and an acerbic kumquat marmalade. A forkful of all four components loses the mildness of the apple and scallop almost entirely, making a harsh and confusing bite.
On the entrée side of things, the gnocchi ($17) is similar. Though soft and heady with truffle, the dish is almost overwhelmed by a pool of earthy brown butter. But the menu’s dark and stormy bent is perhaps best embodied by the smoked jalapeno and tomato soup ($6). It’s a creamy barbecue in a bowl, and while other dishes would welcome a squeeze of lemon here and there, this soup is practically perfect just the way it is.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Confession: I rarely venture to Uptown anymore. The traffic, the pain-in-the-rear parking, the crowds of pretty, young folk who remind me that I’m a very uncool suburban mom who gets up for the day around the same time they usually go to bed. A few recent trips to Social House, the latest incarnation of Zeno and Fusion at the corner of Hennepin and Lagoon avenues, might not convince me to make the big 15-minute drive on any given day, but is it worth stopping by after my semi-annual trip to Penzeys? Absolutely.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
With the food definitely a notch above its Fusion days, Social House offers a menu mainly focusing on small plates — though the name can be deceiving as some offer quite generous portions — and sushi rolls. Traditional starters such as edamame ($5 with salt, $6 with chili oil garnish) and miso soup ($3 / cup, $5 / bowl) are all present, but look beyond the typical for a more interesting and flavorful meal. The chilled soba noodle salad ($7) boasted a lively vinaigrette that was enhanced by a squirt of fresh lime, and the perfectly cooked noodles were a delight to slurp. A few more wedges of mango and cucumber would balance the dish even better — we relished the sweetness of the former and crunch of the latter. The curry aioli on the shiso miso sliders ($13 for three) made a delightfully tangy schmear, and the tiny brioche-like buns put many burger buns in this town to shame, but the plate suffered from a lack of textural contrast. The miso-marinated ahi needed something besides a similarly soft slice of avocado to awaken the senses — the crunch of cabbage or slivers of carrot and radish, perhaps.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
The bacon cheeseburger egg rolls ($10), featuring Kobe beef and cheddar, proved the State Fair theory that deep-frying anything makes it better. Though the accompanying habañero ketchup didn’t live up to its promised heat, we dug the rolls’ crispy exterior and umami-rich interior. Continue reading Social House in Uptown Minneapolis »
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
One has to wonder about these restaurants with menus reaching from Italy to India to Iran. Can a chef ever do justice to multiple kinds of cuisine when he or she bounces between a pasta with Bolognese sauce one minute and a clay oven-cooked chicken kabob the next? In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, we’ve seen the “everything for everyone” concept thrive (Crave) and dive (Ringo), and local food service management company Taher Inc. recently decided to throw its hat in the ring when it made over its Alaska Eatery off I-394 in St. Louis Park into the St. Louis Park Woodfire Grill.
Investing in a tandoori oven and grills large enough to cook a brontosaurus, the Tahers hope “YOUR SENSES ARE DELIGHTED WITH THE RICH SMELL OF THE THE WOOD FIRE GRILLS” (yes, the press release was entirely in caps), but after several visits, we walked away more with a sense of mediocrity than amazement. While only one item sampled was a complete miss, only one dish met the hype, and tellingly, it wasn’t even one cooked on the grill.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
The list of appetizers circle the world from Asia (ahi tuna crisps), the Middle East (saffron chicken wings), Canada (poutine), and the good ol’ U.S. of A. While the woodfire avocado ($7) took a fun twist on a traditional guacamole by grilling a whole half directly, the slightly underripe fruit was overshadowed by the tomatillo salsa that accompanied it. A perfectly ripe avocado likely wouldn’t have held its shape on the grill, we understand, but when the avocado is the star of the dish, it’s hard to overlook its diminished flavor. More successful was the grilled house-made naan ($4) with a cilantro-mint topping that enhanced the bread’s smoky char from the grill and rendered the cucumber sauce on the side unnecessary. The Mexican chile verde soup ($4 / cup, $7 / bowl) also impressed with its tomatillo-based broth, chunks of tender chicken and fresh lime flavor.
The sandwich menu splits roughly 60 / 40 between grilled and deli-style sandwiches, and of the ones tried, the deli-inspired sammies get the nod. A tarragon chicken sandwich ($10) featured a pleasingly fresh, herby flavor that was only marred by the mealy out-of-season tomatoes tucked inside the nine-grain bread. (Hint to restaurateurs: If the tomatoes aren’t up to snuff, just don’t serve them. If they’re looking pink and pathetic, they add no flavor or appeal.) While the reuben ($12), chock full of corned beef and melty cheese, wouldn’t hold up to New York deli standards, the savory rye bread and ample filling made it a satisfying lunch. But the turkey burger’s ($10) bottom was so charred from the grill that it was hard to discern any other flavor, not even from the pepper jack cheese, and while the Asian-style slaw added a nice kick to the black bean burger ($10), the patty was the same Morningstar Farm variety I keep in my freezer.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Head to dinner at the North Loop’s newest fine dining establishment without an address scribbled down, and there’s an excellent chance you’ll miss it. With little in the way of signage (the only indication we were in the right place was a couple of trendy twenty-somethings asking for IDs and a subtle laminate on the door), at first glance the Bachelor Farmer seems more like a chic invite-only speakeasy than your standard Minnesota eatery. (Read our story about a dinner party that contains some of the restaurant’s origins).
While the chic speakeasy bit is partially true — the restaurant is owned by Governor Mark Dayton’s sons, and we spotted the governor and Senator Amy Klobuchar dining at a nearby table on a recent visit – the place seems more like a – well, a bachelor farmer. You know, a working class guy with an honest upbringing, aspiring to make it in the big city with a more modern spin on things than the generation he succeeds. Sappy, yes – but pale hardwood tables with industrial metal legs, old-school Scandinavian-inspired blue heart wallpaper, and simultaneously hipster-and-homey blue gingham awnings make the restaurant seem right at home in Minneapolis’ Warehouse District. Open for more than a month, the restaurant offers a menu that has experienced a number of minor tweaks and still reads “friends and family.” Whether that promises a final sweeping overhaul down the road remains to be seen.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
As it stands, the menu is packed with well-executed classic cocktails and Scandinavian standards with a modern spin. Excluding drinks, it’s split into five categories: appetizers, toasts, entrees, sides, and desserts.
DRINKS
Drinks at The Bachelor Farmer stick to the classics — if you’re looking for something a bit more adventurous, head downstairs to the quirkier Marvel Bar (read our take here). In our experience, the Old Fashioned was akin to the pre-Prohibition Era drink — no sugar packets, Maraschino cherries, or Sprite — it was bracingly strong (in our book, this is a good thing) and eschewed the cloying sweetness so frequently found in modern incarnations of the drink. The Sidecar was similarly constructed: strong, well-balanced, no filler.
APPETIZERS
What better way to start a meal at a Scandinavian-style restaurant than with lox? This version was cured in-house to great effect – silky texture and buttery, dill-tinged flavor without an overwhelming presence of salt or fishiness. The accompanying scrambled eggs were topped with a potent mixture of herbs and onions that broke up the richness of the eggs and lox.
Fried Pacific Cod, Spring Onions, Green Beans ($11) was essentially tempura-battered bar food done right – the onions had give without being soggy; the fish was flaky and tender. The lemon caper aioli dipping sauce was tasty and added just enough kick for the cod – overall, a pleasant, non-greasy, balanced snack.
If you’re looking for a flavor bomb, get the Grilled Sausage, Lefse, Pickled Beets, Grain Mustard ($10). The sausage was packed with spices, which played nicely with the tang of the beets and the spice of the mustard. The lefse makes an excellent, flavor-neutral vehicle to carry the otherwise volatile flavors.
A healthier option, the chilled kale soup ($7), split our group. The earthy broth tasted like pureed kale with just enough body, in part due to a dollop of crème fraiche – however, there were a few objections that it tasted “too healthy” – a bit like something one might drink on a juice cleanse. We found the Bibb Lettuces, Montforte Blue Cheese, Walnuts, Cider Vinegar ($9) — really well seasoned and balanced, with the right level of acid — delicate and delicious.
TOASTS
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
By virtue of a charming little rack of toast (which, even after it grew cold, retained a perfect balance of crunchy-yet-chewy texture), the substantial appetizer or light meal toast options were reasonably filling. The Gravlax, Sweet Mustard, Cucumbers ($13) was a nice take on a classic, featuring spot-on, lightly pickled cucumber slices and house-cured gravlax. A rather tangy, country-style mustard offered a not entirely unwelcome, rustic spin on the smooth, sweet stuff often served with gravlax. Continue reading The Bachelor Farmer in the North Loop, Minneapolis »
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