Spend even a few minutes inside Target Field, and even the average fifth-grader could see that each sparkling inch of the place is designed to extract every last dollar of discretionary income from Twins ticket holders.
So where does that leave the neighborhood's restaurateurs, barkeeps and baristas, all salivating at the prospect of 39,000 out-on-the-town visitors landing in their laps 80 or so game days a year? If they've visited the ballpark, my guess would be nervous.
Then again, the Bull's-eye is so ingeniously plugged in to its downtown fabric that it's hard to imagine that crowds won't eventually spill out onto the sidewalks and explore their new surroundings. Which leads to the inevitable question, at least the kind fielded by people in my line of work: Where should we eat? Naturally, I have all kinds of suggestions, but I'll frame the dialogue this way: Where would I want to eat near Target Field?
It took a few seconds, but here's my answer: Sapor Cafe and Bar. Who knows for certain why this North Loop pioneer routinely falls off my dining-out radar. Is it the wallflower street presence? The who-knows-what-that-means name (it's Latin, for flavor)? The proximity to a bevy of attention-getting new neighbors (Black Sheep Pizza, Be'wiched Deli, Bar La Grassa) that have moved in up the street?
No matter, because 10-year-old Sapor now boasts an attribute few others have: an enviable four-block walk from the ballpark. No other nearby restaurant also features a talent like chef Tanya Siebenaler, or her inspired, continent-hopping cooking style.
The current menu borrows flavors and traditions from India, China, Morocco, Russia, Italy, Mexico and the American Southwest, a culinary polyglot that could come off as a discordant jumble or an exercise in spreading one's self too thin, but Siebenaler almost always makes it work, beautifully.
The daily fish special is a smart jumping-off point. A few weeks ago it was a transportingly delicious piece of halibut, seared in the pan so each bite was a perfect contrast between opposing forces; crispy and teasingly peppery on the outside, succulent and tender on the inside. The right-sized portion was served in a fragrant, saffron-kissed tomato broth brimming with white beans and kale, and it couldn't have been a better example of Siebenaler's approachable and sensitive cooking style. It was $13 at lunch, $24 at dinner, and a bargain either way.
I love how Siebenaler routinely fashions a lot out of a little. She turns plain-old Bibb lettuce into a birthday party, dressing it up in tons of herbs, lemon and hints of honey, and makes the combination of tart grapefruit and smoky salmon seem utterly natural -- inevitable, even. Her soups are gorgeous, whether she's turning potatoes and cream into something as supple as a piece of silk, or putting her reliably light touch on the often-ponderous combination of peas and ham.
