eat + drink

You could almost hear the neighborhood's collective sigh of relief when the Grand Cafe, 3804 Grand Av. S., Minneapolis, opened -- or reopened -- at the end of June. The Bakery on Grand had closed abruptly at the end of last year, with a sign on the door promising that the cafe would reopen in February, but as the months went by, anxieties mounted. Nearly every week, somebody called or wrote to ask for news about the cafe's condition. It was as though an elderly neighbor had gone into the hospital and friends were worried.

The cafe had built a reputation for first-rate cuisine, which had slipped a bit in the months before it closed. But it had become more than a place to eat -- it had become a place that defined the neighborhood and gave it character. If you lived nearby, as I do, you could almost count on running into a friend or neighbor when you stopped in for morning coffee or dinner. (Full disclosure: I lost my anonymity at the bakery long ago.)

When the cafe finally reopened, it had new owners (Mary and Dan Hunter), a new chef (Justin Frederick), a new name and the old bakery case had been replaced by a counter. But enough of the old bakery remained to make the opening seem like the return of an old friend.

Mary Hunter had been a waitress at the old bakery, and veteran waiter Johnny Imgrund was back on the job. The Hunters' daughter, Emma, a student at the U of M, waits tables part time, giving the cafe a mom-and-pop-and-family flavor.

The menu has changed completely, but it's still similar in style and spirit to the old bakery's. Frederick, former executive chef at Tryg's, strikes a careful balance between Euro-sophistication and classic Americana: Starters include lightly breaded walleye cheeks with preserved lemons, alongside a French country terrine and an Italian carpaccio with shiitake confit, chiles, lime and cilantro. Entrees include chicken fricassee and Kobe beef brisket side-by-side with saffron pappardelle with shiitakes and crème fraîche; and peppercorn- and cumin-encrusted lamb chops.

Only five entrees are listed on the regular menu: the chicken, lamb, beef and pasta, plus wild Alaskan salmon pan-roasted with hominy gnocchi, but nightly specials also are offered, which can range from seared yellowfin tuna in a cool sweet broth of summer melons and prosciutto, to a petite rack of veal with stuffed squash blossoms and basil pistou. Except for the $22 lamb loin chops, most entrees are $18 and under, and most wines are also reasonably priced.

Using Kobe beef brisket to make pot roast may be extravagant, but the result was sublime -- fork-tender and full of flavor, with a rich gravy intensified by smoky pancetta, accompanied by a lively succotash of corn, beans, squash and tomato. The lamb chops were also sublime: juicy and generous, enlivened but not overpowered by the cumin and pepper.

The chicken fricassee was misnamed, but prepared perfectly. A fricassee is a stew, but this was more like classic Southern fried chicken, juicy, thickly breaded, and pan-fried to a deep crusty brown, and accompanied by asparagus, glazed onions and roasted Yukon potatoes.

The Grand Cafe is no longer open for breakfast on weekdays, but several popular breakfast items have been added to the weekend brunch menu, including a twice-baked brioche, cherry maple sticky bun, and a delightful croissant scramble (also served at lunch), stuffed with gravlax, scramled eggs, cream cheese and chives.

From the weekend brunch menu, I probably wouldn't order the eggs in the hole again; the eggs were underdone, and the bacon overcooked. The fish tacos, a white-on-white combination of shrimp, tilapia, hominy and flour tortillas, also served for lunch, wasn't nearly as lively or colorful as more authentic renditions. But I would gladly go back to try the frittata of the day, or the truffle-scented eggs en cocotte, which was one of my favorite dishes from the old Bakery on Grand menu.

The lunch menu is limited, but includes a delightful seafood gazpacho with shrimp, fennel, cucumber and crushed tomatoes; a Kobe brisket sandwich, and an Alaskan king and blue crab sandwich.

Service was excellent, as I would expect when the staff knows what I do for a living. (But actually, it was good before, too.) The selection of wines by the glass is limited, but well-chosen and reasonably priced.

Jeremy Iggers • 612-673-4524