
Red Rabbit, the Italian sibling to owner Luke Shimp's Red Cow mini-empire, is quickly coming together in the North Loop. The restaurant's 100 staffers began training shortly after Thanksgiving. Opening date? Dec. 20.
The one-story building has graced the corner of Washington and 2nd since 1906, and over the years it has housed an unlikely series of enterprises. The last tenant was an imported auto mechanic's garage, and Shimp & Co.'s architectural archeology unearthed signs that the building was once home to a house of burlesque; look for a hand-lettered show times painted onto the dining room's back wall.

The 50-seat bar's decor best demonstrates the structure's early 20th-century roots, with an original yellow brick wall and a restored bead board-and-beam ceiling. The zinc-topped bar is the domain of beverage director Ian Lowther and his ambitious cocktail program. Sommelier Jason Kallsen oversees a program of 42 wines by the glass (including four sparkling options; one is an unfiltered prosecco), all maintained by a cutting-edge, nitrogen gas-fueled preservation system.
Craft beers will occupy 19 of 24 taps; the remaining will be devoted to a house-made cocktail, a house-made cold press coffee, a pair of house-made limoncellos and an Aperol-prosecco spritz.
A prominent feature in the 80-seat dining room is a wall covered in horizontal cedar planks, the wood charred in a kiln and clear-coated. "I'm not a big barn wood guy," said Shimp with a laugh. And yes, those are filament bulb light fixtures, but not too many of them. "We're going for an industrial look, so we have some filaments," he said. "But we're trying not to overdo it, because they're used everywhere."
The restaurant's design is by Studio M Architects in Minneapolis, and Shimp.
"I had a strong hand in most of it," he said.
Outside, the property boasts a North Loop rarity: a parking lot. Its original 21 stalls were whittled down to 12, sacrificed to make room for a larger patio (a garage door between the bar and patio will bring the outside in) and a thousand square-foot kitchen addition. Shimp will operate a daily valet parking service.