In the past few weeks, I’ve gotten a chance to check out rebooted or re-concepted restaurants that have me pretty excited!
One is the return of one of my all-time favorite Twin Cities restaurants, and the other is a pretty big concept change from a suburban standout.
Saffron
My husband and I loved the downtown Minneapolis version of this restaurant and would go a few times a year for a date night. Its closing was truly some of the saddest restaurant news I have personally received.
But Saffron is back, baby! Chef Sameh Wadi is making his special Palestinian magic in the kitchen, while his brother Saed Wadi is working the dining room like a pro. The restaurant has taken up residence in the former Young Joni space in Northeast Minneapolis.
The immediate area is now home to three fantastic restaurants that offer an immigrant’s perspective on food: Vinai, Oro by Nixta and Saffron. When I lived in the area in the 1990s, I never could have imagined what this little slice of Minneapolis would become.
And due to public sentiment surrounding the liberation of Palestine changing, I can’t think of a better time for this particular reboot.
We tried a smattering of dishes at a soft opening, and all it did was make me want to return for more.
Our meal started with one of the most interesting and delicious cocktails I’ve had in a long time. The Simsim includes coconut, pineapple and lime, sesame rum and tahini, a sweet/nutty/creamy combo that kept me sipping and oohing and ahhing until it was empty.
Whipped labneh and poached fig pizza at Saffron in Northeast Minneapolis. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
It paired well with the sweet glazed carrots and the fabulous, nutty and complex muhamara dip. Pro tip, don’t forget to order house-made pita to go with the dip. We didn’t, and were jealous of the tables receiving theirs. We didn’t want to interrupt service flow on a soft opening night, so we slathered it on the crusts of our fabulous whipped labneh and poached fig pizza instead.
My husband was not leaving without trying the gigantic, dilly white beans, a favorite of his from the original Saffron. They are not listed on the current menu, and I wonder if it’s because they were just slightly too al dente during the soft open. We still loved them, though, and I hope they return sometime soon.
Charcoal grilled prime beef shish at the rebooted Saffron in Northeast Minneapolis. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
In the meat section of the menu, we tried the prime beef shish, basically a steak, sliced and nestled in a fantastic tomato butter sauce. And though I was full, I couldn’t resist dessert, which Saed said is his mother’s favorite, the Shosho sundae. We already know Sameh is an ice cream genius (the brothers also own Milkjam Creamery in Uptown), and the mango version at the base of this sundae is creamy and so very mango-forward, but the real stars of this show are a deeply pistachio-ey sauce and rose petal toffee that brings a floral, sweet, crunchy touch to every bite.
I really can’t wait to return and try more of the menu. If you want to go (and you absolutely should) just be aware that reservations are already starting to become scarce, so plan way ahead.
Saffron: 165 13th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis; saffronmpls.com
Smack Shack Steak
This Bloomington outpost of the popular Minneapolis seafood restaurant wasn’t quite catching on with suburban eaters — Minnesotans can be a little squeamish when it comes to food that comes out of the water. This has always confused me, because 10,000 lakes. But I digress.
The obvious answer to this conundrum is steak, so Smack Shack Steak was born. There’s still all the seafood items, including the lobster rolls that started it all, but the new concept is really focusing on great quality beef, cooked over Minnesota hardwood on a new 10-foot wood-fired grill. The grill is pretty impressive and takes center stage in the restaurant. The ventilation system works, though, as I did not come home smelling like smoke, even after standing near the grill for a bit while co-owner Josh Thoma, who drove to Abilene, Kan., with a trailer and a dream to pick it up, showed off its capabilities.
The new woodfire grill at Smack Shack Steak in Bloomington. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
None of that matters if what’s coming off the grill doesn’t taste good, though. And after working our way through four cuts — New York Strip (my favorite), filet, ribeye and porterhouse — I can definitively say it does. The tender, juicy USDA Prime beef comes out perfectly kissed with that woodfire smoke, but not overly smoky. And really, good steak just needs to be properly seasoned and cooked to make it great. There’s also a 16-ounce pork porterhouse that our table could not stop oohing and ahhing over.
A porterhouse at Smack Shack Steak in Bloomington. (Courtesy of Smack Shack Steak)
Like any steakhouse worth its weight, there are sides. Smack Shack Steak has a longer list than most, and we tried a handful of them. My favorites: A creamy, decadent sweet corn gratin with kicky andouille sausage, proper collard greens and excellent whole mushrooms, topped with a slurpable caramelized onion beurre blanc.
The space, a former Fuddruckers, has been changed a bit — they painted it a richer deep green and closed off the kitchen somewhat, except for the grill area. There are now four cow statues outside the restaurant, too, I guess to alert neighbors that something new and beefy is going on. But two of the best parts about this Smack Shack remain: There’s ample parking, and it’s big enough to easily accommodate groups.
Smack Shack Steak: 3801 Minnesota Drive, Bloomington; 952-333-7722; smack-shack.com
Dining and Cooking