It would be a rare restaurant indeed that could out-twinkle the bright lights of Sex World, but when we pulled up to the newly opened HauteDish, the lights were so very dim we thought it might not be open. On closer inspection, a child's smiling face peering out the window told us otherwise. Inside, the light was actually quite welcoming as it reflected off earth-toned walls, a warm complement to the space's vaulted ceilings and tile floor.
We could not hope to scratch the surface of the drink menu, which (along with a swell cocktail list and extensive bourbon selection) includes something like 36 beers -- 16 on tap -- and a varied yet not overwhelming wine list, ranging from a $6 glass of La Fiera Pinot Grigio to a $95 bottle of Heidsieck Monopole Champagne.
The HauteDish dinner menu, mounted on a light piece of wood reminiscent of those retro balsam postcards, presented somewhat fewer options. If you are a vegetarian, you might find this a hardship, since you'd really only have one option -- a Med Plate ($11) combining veggies, legumes, olives and cheese. But have no fear, cow-, pig-, duck-, chicken-, fish-, mollusk- and crustacean-eaters, there are plenty of choices, and you will be well-fed.
We started things off with the Char-Cuts ($13), a sampling of three charcuterie with traditional garnishes. We were unanimously struck with the spicy head cheese, served with a brilliant red hot jelly, and rustic paté that was at once firm and light and clean in flavor. A chunk of mortadella divided our party between those who found it too bologna-like and those who delighted in its delicate texture and subtle smoke.
Also spot-on: the "Steak & Eggs" ($10), a complex dish consisting of a tartare well-balanced with capers, cornichon and mustard, a brioche egg-in-a-hole and a Bloody Mary oyster shooter. It was all good, but the shooter was the star. Imagine: a savory, piquant Bloody Mary, followed closely by a bracing mouthful of sweet vinegar, shallot and oyster. We should all wake up to that.
Amazingly, we continued to eat. A sous vide-cooked Duck in a Can ($33) made for a tableside spectacle as the metal can was cranked open by a hand-turned opener. The dish featured duck and foie gras from Au Bon Canard, and was a smooth, rich, almost buttery gastronomic assault, the fat and flavor of the duck matched with carrots, toast and a root veggie puree.
Overwhelmingly, the hero of the night was the Tater Tot HauteDish ($18), which very well may give the Modern Cafe's famous pot roast a run for its money. Served alongside a hunk of short rib, covered in gravy and tender beyond all belief, the croquette crust of the "tots" cracked to reveal a warm run of potato and porcini béchemel. On top: a thatch of lemony, perfectly al dente green beans.
When Heavy Table interviewed HauteDish Chef Landon Schoenefeld last February, he teased this writer, a native of California, for never having eaten hot dish, much less the Tater Tot variety. Well, I stand converted.
THE CHURN
The restaurant Blackbird, which burned along with Heidi's during a major fire in February, has announced plans to reopen this September at 38th Street and Nicollet Avenue S. in Minneapolis.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer, Art Schallock, is turning 100
