Your challenge: In 250 words or fewer, propose the Twin Cities area restaurant, cafe or bar that you would create if money was no object. Where would it be located? What would be served? What would the decor be like, who might work there, eat there, supply the place with food? What would it be called? Signature drink? Amuse bouches? Go nuts!
We’re looking for ideas that would fill interesting niches in the local dining scene, dovetail with local food traditions and suppliers and/or vividly stimulate the appetite. Additional consideration will be given for particularly creative, outlandish or entertaining suggestions.
Entries can come in the form of descriptive paragraphs, a sample menu, song lyrics… whatever.
The winner of our contest will receive a $50 gift card to Annona Gourmet, redeemable for vibrantly bright balsamic vinegars, artisanal olive oils and gourmet sea salts, among other things.
Two runners up will receive $20 gift cards to Annona Gourmet.
Winning entries will be published on the Heavy Table.
Send your submissions to contest@heavytable.com.
Deadline is midnight, Friday Feb. 27.
Good luck!
I’m suddenly full of ideas thanks to this link: http://www.cracked.com/blog/9-restaurants-designed-to-ruin-your-appetite/
props to Rachel for that.
I’d start a place called the Emigre Café. I’d put it in the main floor of the empty Bottling Office of the Grain Belt Brewery (across Marshall from the Biergarten/Public Library in NE Mpls). It’d be a place with lots of bookshelves, a shabby-chic lounge area like the old Loring had, maybe a small performance stage for readings or acoustic music, and then a very simple restaurant that would serve a rotating menu of maybe only 4 or 5, well-thought-out, simple, affordable (and maybe organic) meals. By having a small menu, prices could be kept lower, and if the wine list was relatively cheap ($4-5/glass), it could become a regular hangout for artists and writers. It’s be a hybrid of Bedlam’s restaurant, the late Chet’s, and the Nomad — our own Cabaret Voltaire!
It would be called The Apocalyptic Librarian. It would be filled with old books and you would pick one to burn. Tables would have fire pits in the middle where you cook your meal over an open flame. It would look like Henry Higgins’ library.
My idea is for a tech restaurant called Dissonance Dining, the surfaces would be hard, shiny with round silver tables that sat up to 14 people. Some tables would have bucket ikea chairs and others would be low with black and silver pillows to sit on. There wouldn’t be tables for small parties and you would be seated with random strangers. The menu would be change daily and be visible on a flat panel reader screen in the middle of each table. The specials would involve foams and molecular gastronomy. You would text your order to the kitchen either from your own phone or a loner ogo phone and your GPS would guide the kitchen to where you are seated. You could also be texted your bill and you could pay with paypal. The chef would randomly pick diners to text and inquire about the meal, if you are texted by the chef you either get a free dessert or drink.