eat + drink

You don't have to be single to enjoy the View, the new restaurant and lounge at the Calhoun Beach Club, but you are likely to get more out of a visit if you are unattached and looking to get attached.

On one visit, one of my dining companions suggested that the view at the View was better for men than women (or at least straight men and women) since the men at the bar tended to be more middle-aged, and the women were mostly (if I may use a politically incorrect expression) hot young babes. But on a return visit, the babe/hunk ratio seemed to be closer to 50-50.

The restaurant is pretty looky itself, with a sleek and stylish contemporary decor, and a great view of Lake Calhoun. The Calhoun Beach Club athletic facilities are upstairs, so it's no surprise that the menu caters to diners who care about how they look: plenty of low-cal salads, sandwiches, and even a menu section called Joe's Healthy Corner that offers grilled flank steak, fresh fish of the day or smoked chicken breast, with a choice of fresh fruit, steamed vegetables or side salad.

If you really wanted to eat healthfully at View, you could start with the steamed edamame (soy bean pods), or a light and refreshing vegetable spring roll filled with carrots, cucumbers, avocado and bean thread noodles, followed by an entree of Moroccan grilled tofu over soba noodles. But that's probably a little too healthful for most folks.

The food's OK -- nothing I tasted was very exciting or very disappointing. The pan-tossed calamari and the coconut shrimp were competent renditions of starters you can find in lots of places. The only thing remarkable about the seared ahi tuna starter was the price: $11.75 for four small slices. And the signature fries probably don't count as health food, but they were quite tasty: French-fried potatoes plus a few strips of zucchini, yellow peppers and red onions, served with ketchup and ranch dressing for dipping.

The Caesar salad, with anchovies optional, was a bit overdressed but still pretty good, as was the carefully stacked salad of tomato, avocado and mozzarella, served with a herb-infused olive oil. We were less pleased with the Italian sausage pizza: The crust looked pre-fab, and the toppings seemed to have been doled out with dieters in mind.

Seven different sandwiches and wraps are offered, including a tofu wrap, beef and turkey burgers, a rosemary chicken sandwich, and a simple but satisfying grilled salmon sandwich, served with a dill spread on rosemary onion bread.

The shrimp and pasta en papillote (baked in a parchment bag) was a nice idea, but the execution was weak. Part of the pleasure of this dish is having the bag opened at the table, so the diners can savor the trapped aromas, but this dish arrived already opened. And the pesto was quite oily; a tomato sauce might have been a better choice.

Best of the entrees I sampled was the roast chicken breast, stuffed with spinach, mushrooms and Gorgonzola, accompanied by fresh green beans. The grilled tofu was also a noble effort, but rather bland, even with the citrus marinade. I probably wouldn't order an entree of unsauced flank steak with steamed broccolini (from Joe's Healthy Corner) unless I was on a low-carb diet, but the meat, served in Weight-Watcher portion, was actually quite tasty. So was the fish of the day, a perfectly cooked portion of very fresh halibut with a delicate blood orange sauce.

For singles -- or anybody else trying to look buff -- my dessert recommendation is the berry cobbler, which I loved, or the sliced green apples with peanut butter (which I didn't try). For anybody else, I highly recommend the chocolate dreams. The servers describe this as a chocolate bread pudding, which might make it sound healthier and less caloric than, say, Death by Chocolate. But don't kid yourself, this whipped-cream-topped dessert is as sinful as they come.

View **

Location: 2730 W. Lake St., Minneapolis (in the Calhoun Beach Club), 612-920-5000.

Hours: Open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., brunch Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Atmosphere: Sleek and lively restaurant lounge for a hip young, mostly single crowd.

Sound level: High-decibel in the lounge, more moderate in the back dining room.

Recommended dishes: Tomato, avocado and mozzarella salad, stuffed chicken breast, chocolate dream dessert.

Price range: Sandwiches and pizzas $8.75 to $10.75; pastas and entrees $9.95 to $24.95.

Jeremy Iggers • 612-673-4524