There's a local guy by the name of Lee Zukor who is doing his part--more than his part, really--to champion local food and good food, preferably good local food, over at his site Simple, Good & Tasty. As part of his mission, he's taken on the (probably joyous) task of organizing group dinner outings at restaurants that strive to source locally as much as possible. This month's outing, the first I've been able to attend, was at Minneapolis' notable Red Stag Supper Club.
I was especially looking forward to this, having not visited Red Stag before but having heard wonderful things about it. Besides focusing on high-quality local food, Red Stag is the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) restaurant in the area. What that means is that the restaurant was built and is run with a heavy emphasis in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
That's, of course, quite commendable. But even better is it's such an enjoyable place to visit.
The interior is a renovated warehouse, complete with original wood fixtures.
Unfortunately, I forgot to ask about the disco ball (upper right)--I'm going with the assumption that was recycled from somewhere too. The table tops were made from cabinet boards rejected from another construction site, and the bar stools belonged to the owner's family. Even the napkin rings have a backstory:
These are made from antlers of deer used seasonally for the menu. Less to waste.
But as always, no matter how lovely and sustainable the interior it, it won't matter if the food's mediocre. Red Stag has that covered too.
Appetizers included a house relish plate, and smelt fries, with sweet onion tartar sauce and smoked tomato ketchup. I have to confess: the first bite, my reaction was "Huh, fishy." But the second bite made me rethink that, and the third, as well as the fourth, fifth...you get the picture. They were good, those smelt fries.
As part of a group fixed-price dinner, we were offered the opportunity to try a tiny version of a regular bar item: lemon basil martini.
Lovely. I'm not a big fan of flavored martinis, as they tend to be heavy on the sugary-sweet side, but this one emphasized the lemon instead, with the basil a nice offset.
This was the only (mild) disappointment of the evening: heirloom tomatoes with arugula, cucumber gratin, and tomato consomme. Having been counting the days until local tomatoes are ready, I tucked into this with great enthusiasm--and found it lacking in the full tomato-y flavor I expected. As it turns out, though, I can't blame Red Stag for that; instead, Mother Nature needs to take the blame. The late spring and cool summer have drastically slowed tomato growth, forcing Red Stag to source from out of state on this item. I'm sure it'd be an entirely different dish with local heirlooms.
There were three entrees offered. I choose the tortellini with mushroom duxelle, corn puree, and Pecorino Toscano, a wise choice.
The sauce is much lighter than it appears, and the mushrooms were so flavorful.
Meat lovers had much to appreciate as well. DH ordered the braised pork belly with housemade guanciali, sweet corn, and sorrel.
The pork was perfectly cooked, juicy and tender.
One of my tablemates (seating was in small, family-style groups) was kind enough to let me photograph her brick-pressed chicken with broccoli ala Romana.
Several people around me ordered this and raved about it.
Finally, dessert.
Raspberry tart with lemon curd, almond, and mint. The mint was the crowning touch of this beauty.
Would I go back again? Absolutely. Even if the chef did appear to be, ah, rather young:
I must be getting old, when it's not just the doctor and dentist who appear to be too young for their jobs.
Thanks, Lee, for a wonderful evening!
If you're interested in these monthly events, visit Lee's site and sign up for his mailing list--it was great fun, and I'm sure they book up quickly.
