Uptown's newest vegetable-forward restaurant uses 'meat as a condiment'

Avid runners Kate and Patrick Sidoti met near Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis when they both happened to be out on a run.

"Ever since that first run, we knew that we wanted to work together and create something," said Kate Sidoti.

They eventually married and are now making that first-meeting goal a reality. They're collaborating on a restaurant, choosing a site that's a stone's throw from the lake.

The menu at Brim (1806 W. Lake St., Mpls.) will focus on nutrient-packed bowls, assembled in a Chipotle-like mix-and-match array of ingredients, most of them sourced locally: base (brown rice, sticky rice, wild rice), sides (crispy Brussels sprouts in a fish sauce, cauliflower-goat cheese gratin), proteins (grass-fed beef, arctic char, baked tempeh, poached eggs), toppings (avocado, microgreens) and dressings (cashew-chipotle aioli, citrus balsamic), each served from a long line of brightly colored Le Creuset Dutch ovens.

"We want to be approachable for all," said Kate Sidoti. "You can be 100 percent vegan, or you can have a steak-and grain bowl. Ninety-five percent of what's in each bowl is plant-based. It's very vegetable-forward. We'll use meat as a condiment."

There will also be a set menu of seasonally changing bowls: turmeric-scented basmati brown rice topped with a purple potato salad, baby kale, roast chicken and a lemongrass-coconut dressing, or quinoa paired with charred greens, broccoli, avocado, pesto and pumpkin seeds.

A basic bowl will start at $12.99, with add-ons taking the top price to $16.99.

"It's a dream experience to be part of this food community," she said.

Kate Sidoti has been a wheat-free baker since the age of 12. The restaurant's made-from-scratch baked goods, following paleo and gluten-free norms, will start with a few cookies, including an almond butter-chocolate-cherry combination. Once Brim is up and running, the Sidotis plan to expand into nondairy ice creams.

A standard menu item will be a paleo-style roll that Kate Sidoti has been perfecting over the years, made with almond and coconut flours, eggs and apple cider vinegar.

"It's kind of a cornmeal muffin-meets-bread," she said. "I'm not a fan of labels like 'paleo,' it's just good bread."

Beverages will include local beers, kombucha and biodynamic wines, as well as a high-tech Toper brand coffeemaker that produces, at the push of a button, a wide range of brewed coffee beverages in 20 seconds.

Brim is located in the space formerly occupied by the short-lived JJ's Wine Bar (pictured, top), and the couple has extensively overhauled both the front and the back of the house ("I learned how to solder," said Kate Sidoti with a laugh, referring to the construction of a planter that makes use of showy copper tubes). Accordion-style windows link the sunny dining room with a patio that looks out on the neighborhood's constant parade of walkers, runners and bikers.

The counter-service operation will be one of a growing number of restaurants to operate on a cash-free basis. The plan is to start with lunch and dinner daily (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.), adding weekday breakfast and weekend brunch next winter or spring.