Last Thursday, I joined Scott McGerik and his lovely wife Kat for a trip to the new North East fine dining hotspot, Fugaise. Scott has a cool idea in which some Minneapolis “Bloggers” get together once a month, eat some good foods, and then write about it. He likes to call this concept Dueling Reviews. Perfect for me, since I have a tendency to not eat out as much- this gets me out a little more. Also, I am something of a connoisseur of that which is inexpensive, wheras Mr. McGerik is prone to lavish sushi endeavors. Somewhere in the middle of this, we have the makings of a good dinner club.
So, enough with the details! Lets get on with the food, shall we?
Locating Fugaise is an interesting, almost legendary, endeavor. Despite the fact that the restaurant faces bustling Hennepin Avenue, and has a large awning with “Fugaise” lit up quite brightly, it is STILL hard to find… mainly because the word “Fugaise” is in a scripty font that is hard to read from a distance. For the record… next to the Bibelot and across University from Surdyk’s. Then, entering the door under said awning gives one a certain “the search continues” sort of vibe. I felt like I was Captain Adama searching for Earth or something. Er, wait… to much Galactica. Inside the door is a longish hallway, with a host station at the end. I had finally made it.
At the slick 3 seat bar, I finally meet our local legend Scott McGerik in person. He is someone that, in my own way, I am a big fan of. I have been searching restaurant write-ups for the past few years now, and when I look someplace up, Scott.McGerik.com is typically within the top three results, along with long time local gourmet fans Renee and Steve. It is the influence of reading these posts, along with the Grub Report and Watierrant.net, that Mose and I decided that we should just go ahead and add a little twin cities commentary of our own. Also, Scott and Kat used to live in northeast Minneapolis, but have since relocated to South Saint Paul… close to where I spent my tumultuous teen years. In the mean time, Christie and I have relocated from Uptown to Northeast… So, I feel that it is my duty to help represent Northeast. That is not to say that Scott and Kat are not opposed to investigating their old haunts…
Anyhow, they sat us, took orders, brought us drinks and our appetizer, then left us alone. Scott and Kat ordered mussels, and allowed me to poach a few of them. First time I have had mussels. Can you believe that your intrepid superstar mega-minnapolis hipster cuisine guide has NEVER enjoyed MUSSELS before? Well, I am here to tell you something you probably already knew- they are good. Fugaise serves them in a nice paprika and bacon broth. I ate my first mussel without the sauce to get a feel for it, then followed it up with a second mussel sunk in the delicious sauce. Wow… now we really have something. Yet another bit of anecdotal evidence that bacon makes everything better.
Now, I have to disclose something. When sampling a new chef driven restaurant for the first time, I am always tempted to order the pork loin or tenderloin dish just to see how they do it. Pork tenderloin can be very fun to cook once you understand that it is a blank slate, ready for your very whim to guide it to the point of delicacy. This evening, I declined my basic instinct to go with the chefs delicious sounding Pork Tenderloin with Stuffed Savoy Cabbage, Apple-Apple-Celeriac Puree, Grain Mustard Sauce. It wasn’t easy, but I pulled it off.
What I did decide to order was the Ahi Tuna, and it was something. At first, I tasted it, and was underwhelmed. Another bite, and I start to enjoy the juxtaposition between the raw center and the crisp, salty crust. Another bite, and I REALLY start enjoying it. Very tasty. Though I have little experience eating at french style restaurants, I can say that I have chomped my share of the fare at the sushi joints around town enough to know when seared tuna is good, and this was. Definitely vastly superior to the seared tuna one would find on an appitezer menu around town. Served on a bed of Cranberry Beans with chorizo and a roasted pepper sauce, this was definitely something to write home to mom about.
The thing about french food is that ultimately I know perilously little about it. It is very simple food typically, with the focus on masterful preparation and fresh high quality ingredients. Oh yea, and using a lot of crazy organ meats… although Fugaise has very little of the traditional French Bistro cuisine that the likes of Tony Bourdain and Fergus Henderson champion. As a cook, I personally tend to go for the more complicated spice rubs, and love the punch in the face one gets from my jerk pork tenderloin. French food seems to be more along the lines of Vietnamese food perhaps, with the emphasis on fresh subtle flavors.
So, that is my completely unprofessional take on Fugaise. Fantastically good food, if you are feeling like splurging.
-shogunmoon
PS Oh yea, we also went out to Erte’s Peackock lounge for desert. It was good. I was drunk by that time. Like most Northeast establisments these days, they have Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, the finest of all hoppy high octane brews. And they served up some good dessert. Gotta get back to Erte for some red meat eatin sometime soon.
Fugaise
308 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 436-0777
www.fugaise.com
Erte
1304 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 623-4211

As a Northeast Minneapolis resident, I have become used to having a lot of wonderful bars near my house. One of the things one appreciates living up here is that many of the folks who tend bar at these august establishments have been doing so for far longer then I have been alive. Some of these men and woman have performed a noble service to this neighborhood, city, and yes even the nation, and I would like to take this time to thank them for services rendered. After all, it is the inalienable right of every Nordeaster to have a bar within two blocks of any given residence, and these bartenders have done their part to insure that this sacred pact is never broken.

One of these old school neighborhood bars, the 331 Club, has been servicing Northeast Minneapolis for as long as anyone can remember. Unfortunately, it has historically been the sort of bar that many of the neighbors would probably just as soon seen shuttered due to the seedy clientele. Fortunately for the nearby residents, those rough decades have been behind us for about a year now. The club was purchased, hosed down, revamped, painted, and generally upgraded for a new generation of Northeast residents. I imagine that the respective owners of The Modern Cafe and Erte, the fine restaurants flanking the 331, are big fans of this new direction.

The most obvious change has been to paint then entire building a fairly bright yellow color, creating an anchor for the now entrenched Northeast Arts District. Indeed, the current owner of this establishment is local artist and Nordeast booster Jon Oulman. He has cleaned out and stripped down the interior as well, hanging a small but tasteful group of paintings on the purple walls. The bar also sports 5 deep half circle booths that can accommodate six people apiece. Add to that a nightly roster of free music, and you have a great place to get a drink and see a show.

But what about the food, you might ask? Now that the 331 has been open a while, the menu has evolved somewhat. They have added competent fare, featuring staples such as a tuna melt, a reuben, hush puppies, a tapenade plate, and some other bites you can nosh on if you decide to visit on an empty stomach (though one night the tuna was too salty and caper-laden to be palatable, though this may have been an anomaly). The hush puppies, however, were perfectly deep fried and delish.

The 331 has a culinary ace up its sleeve however, in the form of Raleigh’s Texas Tacos. Between 7 and 11 on Tuesdays, one is advised to saunter in, ignore the standard menu, and allow Raleigh to take care of sating your hunger pangs. The choice is yours: beef, chicken, or beans. Burrito or tacos. 2 tacos can be had for 5 bucks. The beef tacos are a down home and supercharged version of the ground beef tacos you might be familiar with if you grew up in the midwest. Raleigh just swaps out the stale hard yellow-corn shells with fresh tortillas and adds a whole lot of Texas to them. The chicken taco is even better, especially if you take the homemade salsa she offers and dump some in. The salsa itself is tangy and outstanding, proudly made fresh the day it is served. I do truly wish more bar food was this good.

The revamped 331 Club is a wonderful addition to Northeast Minneapolis. It will continue on with the tradition of fine drinking establishments along side fellow revamped bars Mayslacks and Northeast Palace. With the counterpoint of instant classic Psycho Suzi’s, Northeast Minneapolis residents are definitely in good hands. Fellow University and 13th Avenue NE hotspots the Modern Cafe and Erte now have a respectable business to help establish this corner as the de facto premier piece of real estate between Broadway and Lowry Avenues. Maybe something will become of that theatre!

If you find yourself in the neighborhood, you will be unable miss the huge yellow building on the corner. And when you see it, you should stop in and have a drink. The bartenders are very friendly, and they have daily drink specials posted for those on a budget.

Oh yea, and If you are wise enough to go on a Taco Tuesday, be aware that Margaritas are only $2.50 a pop.

-shogunmoon

331 Club

331 13th Ave NE @ University

Minneapolis

Just a little update on my original Northeast update post. I hope to get back to regular posting soon, but have not been eating out as much lately. Winter is coming soon though, so weekends spent outdoors grilling will soon end.

Palm Court Caribbean Bar and Grill

Went to the Palm Court again, a few weeks back. When we arrived at around 8:30, the proprieter had moved most of the tables to the side of the room, readying the joint for Saturday reggae night. With the sole exception of a fellow sitting at the bar, we were the only ones in the place. We were assured, however, that we were welcome, and that the kitchen was definitely open.

After asking our server (whom I have reason to believe is the owner and also went back and helped cook our food) what was good, she suggested the fried rice/ lo-mein combo, and the curry.

Using her advice as a basis to venture forth, we ordered, we ordered nan, curried lamb, and chicken fried rice.

The nan bread was good! Very much like what you might find in an indian restaurant. Palm Court adds garlic butter to some of it, a nice twist. The entrees were also tasty and interesting. The lamb curry was very good, a hearty guyanese take on the ubiquitous curry. I loved having both rice and non to eat it with.

Fried rice with chicken was also quite delicious and unique, especially the chicken itself. This fried rice looked somewhat like Asian style fried rice, but had different spices added. Think cinnamon and nutmeg, as opposed to soy sauce and peanut oil. Almost bordering on spanish rice territory. The chicken itself was outstanding, cooked bone in, and falling off the bone tender. I am not sure if she slow cooked it, or simply brined it, but she nailed it. Very good.

And, once again, they have a great tiki drink selection, and everything on the menu is pretty much under $10.

Erte

We ventured into Erte a few months ago, and had a really tasty trout dish. Brisket, Erte’s signature dish, is also outstanding, and is one of the cheaper items on the menu. On our last visit, they had a trio playing some gentle music, a nice touch. This is a great place to bring parents, or even a first date.

331 Club

I love this joint! I think as far as northeast bars go, this is my favorite at the moment. Although I would hesitate to call it a dinner destination, they do now have a menu featuring some decent basic sandwiches, including a tuna ment and a reuben. More importantly, they offer Hush puppies! Oh yea, and Tuesdays, they sport Raleigh’s Texas Taco’s. Yum.

La Tortuga

Still not sure about this place. First off, the tacos and guacamole are outstanding. This is one of those places that makes the guac on the fly, for your dining pleasure. Hell yea. The pork tacos are the best, in my opinion.

The other menu items, I am not sure about. They are certainly good, but for some reason, everything comes with tons of cheese. I like to seek out authentic mexi places that take it easy on the cheese… I wonder if they see a gringo in there, and assume that all of us need a heart stopping pile of cheese on absolutely everything? hmm.

Kramarczuk’s

My wife and I, in a fit of guilt from having visited this place not one single time, stopped in at Kramarczuk’s Deli for some lunch. We ordered Nalesnyky and Szegedin Goulash. Can you say rich? This place nearly killed me dead.

The Nalesnyjy, 2 huge crepes stuffed with ground meat, and topped with a nice mellow cheese and sour cream, was so rich we barely made it through half of the dish. Same with the Szegedin Goulash. For the tender price of around $8, they gave us enough sauerkraut to feed a legion of east europeans. The accompanying dumplings were quite tasty though… I would eat them again. Good, high quality food. Coupled with one of the many high octane Russian beers available, you could probably give yourself the gout within two visits if you need to dodge the draft or something.

Viva La Mexico

Out of curiosity, we stopped at Viva La Mexico, a small establishment on NE University avenue, about a block south of Jax Cafe. The food was not to bad, and they did have a nice Mole. Worth a shot if you live right around there. Very friendly! No beer though.

And, that is that. Hopefully more soon!

Palm Court Restaurant & Bar

2424 Central Av. NE.

Minneapolis

(612)789-3373

331 Club

http://www.331club.com/

331 13th Avenue NE

Minneapolis

La Tortuga Mexican Restaurant

2411 Central Avenue NE

Minneapolis, MN 55418

(612) 998-0785

Kramarczuk East European Deli

215 E Hennepin Ave

Minneapolis, MN 55414-1013

(612) 379-3018

Viva Mexico

1900 University Ave NE

Minneapolis, MN 55418

(612) 781-3890