Friday night and it was standing-room only at Cafe Maude at Loring.
Owner Kevin Sheehy was proudly working his bustling new venue like a winning candidate on election night, and roughly half of my fellow diners appeared to be there for the bar's striking, scrupulously prepared cocktails, with good reason.
But chef Matt Kempf's kitchen was running full-tilt, too. Some of the plates would be familiar to regulars at Cafe Maude in southwest Minneapolis, although Kempf is admirably using the opportunity of a downtown address to expand the menu's appealing framework.
Kempf re-energizes the familiar small-plates format, layering a creative, around-the-world array of flavors into each dish. Flaky, golden empanadas are filled with a subtle chorizo and hints of a sturdy white Cheddar. Wild rice and maple lend a Minnesota air to tender fried quail. Sumac's tart bite is tempered in an aioli that dresses dainty lobster croquettes.
A long, rectangular flatbread connotes the Mediterranean with its blanket of seasoned ground lamb and halloumi cheese. Even a potential dullard along the lines of a linguini primavera gets a new lease with plenty of dried chiles and a splash of fruity California-pressed olive oil.
More substantial appetites can find refuge in a short list of entrees: lamb shanks with risotto, duck breast with brown butter gnocchi, a saffron-infused fish stew. The kitchen's charcoal-fired grill is the instrument of choice behind an expertly charred rib-eye or a big, juicy burger.
Other reasons to celebrate: Prices fall in the mid-teens for small plates and flatbreads, and the low $20s for entrees. Wines are similarly reasonably priced, and there's a pleasant weekend brunch.
Desserts, mirroring some of the savory counterparts, have a tendency to be a bit overwrought. The crush of customers -- and ensuing onslaught in the kitchen -- meant, at least on one visit, that several parts of our order never materialized. And when cover-charge-free live music starts on weekend nights, conversation pretty much grinds to a halt.
