When Twin Cities diners last heard from Lisa Hanson, the Winona native was chef du cuisine at Corner Table (4257 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., www.cornertablerestaurant.com) and cooking up a storm, not a surprise for someone whose last job had been working the line at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, the culinary temple in New York City's Four Seasons Hotel.
That was nearly two years ago. Since then, she's been laboring under the radar, bartending at night and spending her days focused on the goal of opening her own restaurant.
That time has finally arrived. Come spring, the former Black Bamboo (333 S. 7th St., Mpls.), located just off the swank lobby of the Accenture Tower in downtown Minneapolis, is going to be home to what Hanson is calling Mona.
"It's simple, it's easy to pronounce, and I guess it kind of refers to the Mona Lisa," she said. "She's the woman with the mysterious smile, and I kind of feel like I'm going to be mysterious when I open. No one here really knows who I am. You know, the old, 'She's opening a restaurant? Who is she?' It might take some people by surprise."
Hanson is planning an all-small-plates menu, changing once a month to reflect seasonal availability. "I'll be sourcing locally for a lot of things, but I'm not striving to be 100 percent farm-to-table," she said.
Just don't invoke the word "tapas." "I'm a little sensitive about that," Hanson said with a laugh. "I lived in Spain during college, and in Spain, tapas are not supposed to be a full meal -- they're a snack to carry you over because people eat dinner so late in the evening."
Instead, Hanson plans to offer her diners the opportunity to experiment within an eclectic wide range of $5 to $20 options (bison, elk, rabbit, smoked oysters, chicken and waffles), without having to invest in a single $25 entree.
"It's going to be fun and approachable," she said. "I want people to be able to design their own tasting menu, or stop in for a few bites and a drink."
Lunch will be served weekdays, and dinner will be available Monday through Saturday.
The 100-seat dining room will feature an open kitchen -- with its own seven-seat counter -- and a four-sided, 20-seat bar. During warm-weather months, a 60-seat patio will materialize on the edge of the building's beautifully manicured lawn.
Hanson is hoping that another perk -- free underground parking for post-4 p.m. customers -- will draw a dinner crowd to what's now a relatively sleepy evening quadrant.
"I'm either brilliant for going into this area, or maybe I'm going to be another failure," she said. "But I look at it this way: Office people deserve good food, too."
New at 46th and Bryant
There's a new chef in the kitchen at Jack's (818 W. 46th St., Mpls., www.jacksmpls.com). He's Kevin Kathman, formerly of Barbette (1600 W. Lake St., Mpls., www.barbette.com).
The restaurant will now serve a coffee/pastries breakfast from 6:30 to 11 a.m. (Tuesday through Sunday), then reopen at 4 p.m. for a two-hour happy hour (Tuesday through Friday), followed by dinner (Tuesday through Saturday) that will emphasize seasonal flavors and small and mid-sized plates. Kathman is also preparing a weekend brunch on Saturday (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Sunday (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
Puck and Trotter call it quits
Wouldn't you know it: After noting in our Dec. 29 year-in-review issue how the Wolfgang Puck name had evaporated from the Walker Art Center and the Mall of America in 2011, but remained at a quick-service cafe at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the superchef's MSP outlet quietly closed.
Fans of Chicago's vastly influential Charlie Trotter's (816 W. Armitage Av., www.charlietrotters.com), listen up: Chef/owner Charlie Trotter is closing his 25-year-old restaurant in August.
Trotter told the Chicago Sun-Times that he intends to travel and attend graduate school -- studying philosophy and political theory -- and then open another restaurant. Trotters to Go (1337 W. Fullerton Av.), his nearby takeout cafe and gourmet food shop, will remain open. A little Trotter trivia: Fans of the 1997 Julia Roberts film "My Best Friend's Wedding" will recognize Trotter, who has a cameo in the movie's opening scenes, playing a stressed-out chef being reviewed by Roberts' preposterous restaurant-critic character.
