Restaurant review: 112 Eatery is humble high-brow

Duke Ellington would have liked the new 112 Eatery in the Minneapolis Warehouse District.

The legendary composer and band leader once remarked that there are two kinds of music -- "the good kind and the other kind." At the 112 Eatery, chef/owner Isaac Becker demonstrates that the same holds true in the world of food. He does beautiful work with such high-brow fare as sea scallops with wild mushrooms and seared ahi tuna with chimichurri sauce. And he shows that basic bar grub, like the short ribs with chili salsa and the bacon-and-egg sandwich can be just as delightful when they are prepared with the same loving attention to flavors and textures.

What Becker, former chef at Cafe Lurcat, most likes to do is confound the categories of high and low. One of his starters, billed simply as cold cuts with pickles, turns out to be a terrific sampler of prosciutto, Italian salami and a homemade chicken pâté. And amidst all of this elegant charcuterie, he places little French cornichons and sweet-and-sour homemade refrigerator pickles side by side.

His point is so obvious that it almost feels preachy: humble refrigerator pickles can be great food, too, if they are made with skill and care.

I don't think Becker is simply being cute when he calls his restaurant an eatery instead of a bistro or trattoria or American grill. At a time when a lot of restaurants are selling sizzle, image and dining experience, he's making a statement: This isn't about the image or the ambience, it's about the food.

(Feasting at an "eatery" where the "cold cuts" turned out to be charcuterie of the highest quality, I couldn't help recall dining at a heavily hyped local French restaurant, where the assiette de charcuterie turned out to be supermarket-grade cold cuts. )

Becker, whose wife, Nancy St. Pierre, is co-owner and general manager, is no respecter of traditions. He tops his cheeseburger with Brie, combines foie gras with sticky rice, and serves his Chinese eggs sunny-side up, sprinkled with oyster sauce and jalapeño peppers and accompanied by grilled French bread. His Middle American bacon-and-egg sandwich is slathered with spicy North African harissa. It's all quite tasty, but the cheeseburger, ordered medium rare, is almost an erotic experience.

In making this simpler fare memorable, Becker plays careful attention to textures: The bacon is perfectly crisped, the Chinese eggs browned on bottom but runny at the center, and the fat, twisty stringozzi noodles with lamb sugo sauce are firm and chewy.

The menu also makes another important point: Good food doesn't have to be expensive. The priciest entree is the grilled rib-eye at $23, but there are a lot of more affordable options, including the $7 cheeseburger, and a roasted pressed chicken for two for $19.

The fancier dishes on the menu, such as the seared ahi tuna and the sweetbreads in porcini and clam sauce, are done with great style but without fussiness, and with the same attention to textures. Tender morsels of crab are played off against a crisp vegetable slaw in the sweet-and-sour crab salad, while tender and succulent meets the earthy and chewy in the sea scallop and wild mushroom appetizer.

But many of the tastiest dishes on the menu are more rustic, such as the side dish of braised escarole with nutmeg and anchovy, or the savory choucroute bread pudding, made with sauerkraut and morsels of coarsely ground sausage.

Carnivores will be delighted by the juicy grilled rib-eye, topped with lightly battered fried potatoes, and by the Berkshire pork tenderloin with apple relish and mint jus. The lamb scottadito, served with goat-milk yogurt, is aptly named: It's Italian for "scorch your fingers," which is what happens to anyone who can't resist snatching these slender little lamb chops hot off the grill.

Vegetarian options are more limited: a couple of basic salads, a few side dishes, but only one entree -- gnocchi with artichokes, which is also available as a starter.

Service can be slow when the restaurant is busy, but the servers are friendly and knowledgeable. On one visit, when I was accompanied by a 6-year-old, our waiter was exceptionally accommodating.

***½ 112 Eatery

Location: 112 N. 3rd St., Minneapolis, 612-343-7696.

Hours: Monday through Saturday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Atmosphere: Stylish simplicity with exposed brick and stamped-tin ceiling.

Service: Knowledgeable and attentive.

Sound level: Moderate.

Recommended dishes: Crab salad, sea scallops, cold cuts, cheeseburger, rib-eye.

Wine list: Full bar and an eclectic international list with some great values.

Price range: Starters $2 to $14; sandwiches $7; entrees $16 to $23.

Credit cards: All major credit cards.

Smoking: No smoking until 10:30 p.m.

Wheelchair accessibility: Completely accessible.

Parking: At meters in front of restaurant, and in pay lot across the street.

Children: No children's menu, but kids are welcome.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN

****Exceptional

***Highly recommended

**Recommended

*Satisfactory

Jeremy Iggers is at jiggers@startribune.com.