Whitney Bistro & Onyx Bar
As I walked into the lobby of the Country Inn & Suites in Bloomington, I was struck by an eerie sense of déjà vu: Am I somewhere outside Indianapolis? So it was a pleasant surprise to turn left, walk down an aggressively wallpapered corridor and encounter the entirely unexpected Whitney Bistro & Onyx Bar. The bar is tricked out in mahogany and golden backlit onyx. The adjacent dining room is airy, slightly formal and unexpectedly lovely.
Chef Adam Levitt takes his cues from his convention-defying surroundings. Starters ($6 to $13) begin dinner on a positive note. There are flatbreads topped with smoked salmon and the complementary flavors of caramelized onions and roasted garlic, nicely grilled shrimp paired with guacamole, skewers of tender beef, and crispy wontons stuffed with chicken and sweet green onions.
Entrees (most under $20) include a half-dozen sandwiches, a handful of salads, four pastas and entrees that range from beef tenderloin medallions paired with wilted spinach to a pork loin with sweet potato hash. Aside from a big, juicy burger and a creamy risotto, nothing really knocked my socks off, but I didn't encounter any huge disappointments, either. Service is perky and fast.
North
The new Crowne Plaza hotel's contemporary restaurant and bar, North, is way more 8th-and-Nicollet than 494-and-100. Chef Luke Miller does a something-for-everyone menu with panache. I especially enjoyed lunch, where he puts out pretty salads and a host of creative, well-dressed sandwiches ($8 to $12), as well as a decent pizza-soup-salad buffet ($9).
Dinner gets more ambitious. I admired the sizzling jerk-rubbed shrimp, ravioli stuffed with earthy mushrooms and crispy, pork-filled egg rolls ($7 to $13). A dozen entrees (average price: $17) range from winners (delicate barramundi with buttery sauteed spinach) to definite losers (dry, gristly pork chops), with some falling somewhere in between (a hearty but drab Bolognese on overcooked spaghetti). The bar maintains a decent wine list and service was enthusiastic.
Bloomington ChopHouse
Sure, the Bloomington ChopHouse is part of a chain, but it's a small one. Diners benefit from the corporate budget in two ways: One, service is noticeably head-and-shoulders above the suburb's low benchmark. Two, chef Chris Hammer makes his somewhat boilerplate steaks-and-chops menu stand out with well-regarded local ingredients.
There's Minnesota beef and pork and smoky Wisconsin-made bacon wrapped around succulent scallops, all delicious. My favorite appetizers included an earthy grilled portobello over a nutty wild rice cake, nicely lumpy crab cakes, a plate of paper-thin raw beef shavings with lemon and chive accents and an exceptionally pretty chop salad. I was less than impressed with tough, flavorless lamb chops (an overpriced $35), and a roast chicken was dry and overcooked.
Lunch includes a bevy of pleasantly prepared sandwiches ($9 to $16) and salads ($10 to $14), joined by a thick, savory wild rice soup and an amusing pass on hot dish: a robust beef-mushroom concoction crowned with an oversize, cheese-filled tater tot.