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Travel Eats

Travel Eats: a fun-filled tasting at Travail Kitchen & Amusements, plus other fall flavors in Minneapolis

Travel Eats documents my food adventures outside of Chicago.

The last of fall foliage in Minneapolis
Caught the last weeks of fall foliage in Minneapolis

I spent last weekend in Minneapolis to visit close friends and soak in the last little bit of fall foliage. I’ve been to Minneapolis a few times before, but I was more impressed by the food this time around than ever before.

This was in large part because of my dinner at Travail Kitchen & Amusements on Friday night. It was unlike any tasting menu experience I’ve ever had: playful, interactive, a little off-the-wall – but none of the pageantry came at the expense of each dish’s technique and flavor. Across 16-plus whimsical courses, we didn’t just taste the food, but instead took part in more of a multi-sensory experience. For the pasta course, a cartoonish song about pasta blared from the speakers as the staff marched around to the tables, each adding one component until the dish was fully plated. Instead of coming to the table fully assembled, the mini foie gras burger served as the means for an interactive tour of the open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant, with diners snaking through each station until the burgers had all their toppings. And with foie gras mousse, slaw, and a french fry on top, it was probably the best slider I’ve ever had.

Mini foie gras burger, Travail Kitchen and Amusements
Mini foie gras burger assembled step-by-step during an interactive kitchen tour, Travail Kitchen and Amusements

As you can see in the video below, some courses required a little extra effort to eat, though now I can say that I’ve eaten speck (a cured ham like prosciutto) that was dangling from a hook!

The chefs at Travail played around with scent and temperature, too. For the steak courses, a miniature cast iron skillet with fresh rosemary atop smoldering charcoal came to the table first, adding a woodsy depth to the beef and brussels sprouts on the plate. As a palate cleanser before dessert, we were each served a spoonful of raspberry pop rocks straight out of a bath in liquid nitrogen, with firm instructions to “keep them moving on your tongue.” I admit I moved my whole body around as I ate mine, trying to make sure they didn’t stay in one place as chilly vapor poured out of my nose and mouth.

Rosemary coals, Travail Kitchen & Amusements
Rosemary and hot coals as (inedible) scent pairing for the steak course below, Travail Kitchen & Amusements
Steak and brussels sprouts, Travail Kitchen & Amusements
Filet with red cabbage puree, baby bok choy, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and sweetbread sausage, Travail Kitchen & Amusements
Raspberry pop rocks in liquid nitrogen, Travail Kitchen & Amusements
Raspberry pop rocks in liquid nitrogen, Travail Kitchen & Amusements

The next morning, I ate the best autumnal breakfast dish I’ve had all season: a savory waffle at Birchwood Cafe. The pumpkin waffle itself had incredible texture from the millet and gruyere cheese, and the accompaniments added all the sweet and salty notes I needed. And I wasn’t disappointed with my choice to pair it with a sidecar of sweet potato ale, for an extra touch of fall flavor. Later that afternoon, we indulged in Sebastian Joe’s ice cream, and I was especially wooed by my scoop of pumpkin, which was rich with warm spices.

Savory waffle and sweet potato ale, Birchwood Cafe
Pumpkin, millet, and gruyere waffle with red onion jam, apple cinnamon butter, bacon lardons, sunny side up egg, Wood’s maple syrup, powdered sugar, and spicy pepitas, and beer pairing of Indeed Sweet Yamma Jamma sweet potato ale, Birchwood Cafe
Pumpkin and turtle latte ice cream, Sebastian Joe's
Scoops of pumpkin and turtle latte ice cream, Sebastian Joe’s

The Bachelor Farmer, another Minneapolis favorite, pays homage to Minnesota’s Nordic roots through more elevated versions of traditional fare. While we sampled several dishes, it was the delicious board of various pates, pickles, and toast (served on the side in a gorgeous metal stand) that stayed with me the most. We wrapped up the weekend at French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, which made me wish that breakfast quesadillas made with black beans and fluffy eggs were on more menus in Chicago.

Groaning board, The Bachelor Farmer
Groaning board with country pate, headcheese, chicken salad, chicken liver mousse, pork fat pate, pickles, mustard, and toast, The Bachelor Farmer
Breakfast quesadilla, French Meadow Bakery & Cafe
Breakfast quesadilla with scrambled eggs, black beans, cheddar, spinach, house-made guacamole, chipotle sour cream, sprouted tortilla, and house-made salsa, French Meadow Bakery & Cafe

The details: Travail Kitchen & Amusements, 4124 W Broadway Ave. in Robbinsdale; Birchwood Cafe, 3311 E 25th St. in Minneapolis; Sebastian Joe’s, 1007 Franklin Ave. S in Minneapolis; The Bachelor Farmer, 50 N 2nd Ave. in Minneapolis; French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, 1662 Grand Ave. in St. Paul.