Pittsburgh Blue: Big crowds for big meals

The jam-packed place is destined for cash cowdom.

By Rick Nelson, Star Tribune

Last update: September 19, 2007 - 4:57 PM

It's called Pittsburgh Blue, but a more appropriate name might be Pittsburgh Green -- not due to some noble carbon footprint reduction effort, but because, if my visit earlier this week is any indication, the jam-packed place is destined for cash cowdom.

Enormous yet inviting, it's something of a suburban hybrid between its corporate cousins, Manny's and the Oceanaire Seafood Room, albeit one with a slight dent in prices. It's no doubt poised to be replicated in lifestyle centers nationwide (such as Maple Grove's Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, its host strip-mall-with-landscaping). And why not? It's as savvy an operation as Smith & Hawken, Trader Joe's, Anthropologie and other neighboring retailers. Chef Miguel Urrutia's straightforward format starts with a long list of all-American appetizers (shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, oysters Rockefeller, mini-burgers, $7 to $15) before moving into a he-man selection of beef ($17 to $37) and seafood ($22 to $40) that's accompanied by a plethora of family-style side dishes served in cast-iron roasters (all $8).

Befitting any self-respecting chain-in-the-making, the portions are enormous enough to satisfy even the most famished of steelworkers. "Welcome to Maple Grove," said my friend as a plate of fried chicken, French fries and coleslaw -- enough to easily feed a family of four -- was put in front of me. Desserts ($4 to $12), absurdly plus-sized, include slabs of red velvet cake and a boozy banana-bread pudding. The richly sourced wine list includes three dozen by-the-glass options (average price $10). The animated main dining room, accessible through a truly great-looking bar, is all rich browns and reds and lined with deep booths. My advice: Don't get within 500 yards of it without a reservation.

Pittsburgh Blue, 11900 Main St. N., Maple Grove, 763-416-2663, www.pittsburghbluesteak.com. Open 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; bar open to 1 a.m. daily.

Guthrie options widen

Meanwhile, the neighborhood near the Guthrie Theater has another dining option: Sanctuary. Chef Gary Stenberg takes the opposite approach of Pittsburgh Blue, sending out complicated dishes fluent in fusion-speak. Beef tenderloin is stuffed with lobster, placed on a potato cake and finished with a chipotle-laced bearnaise. Scallops, sealed inside crispy potatoes, rest on top of long green beans. Sculpted cucumbers provide a base for tuna tartare crowned with osetra caviar. An avocado-crab salsa puts a rich touch on a corn chowder.

Tucked into a long, narrow space on the ground floor of a newly restored 19th-century brick building, the restaurant starts with the brick-heavy timbered feel of old industrial Minneapolis before adding several gothic visual touches -- particularly in the snug little bar -- that make it a fine companion to the Guthrie's current production of "Jane Eyre." After a long exodus of working for others, it's good to see restaurateur and host-with-the-most Michael Kutscheid (formerly of Kapoochi's) back running his own dining room.

Sanctuary, 903 Washington Av. S., Minneapolis, 612-339-5058, www.sanctuaryminneapolis.com. Open 5 to 10 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; late-night menu to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Rick Nelson • rdnelson@startribune.com