I’d been reading the reviews since the end of July when Nochee Restaurant became Harry’s Food
& Cocktails, 500 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis. Dara Moskowitz Grumdal (City
Pages) gave it a solid review and Rick Nelson (Star Tribune) nodded “thumbs up.” Talk on the
street, however, has given the new venue less than stellar reviews.
I've known the executive chef, Steven Brown, from his days at The Local and Levain; so I knew
that he could do great things with food. Since Harry's had been open for several months it was
high time to give it a look-see for myself. I had never been to Nochee, so I had no comparison
to make as far as atmosphere, but Harry's was quite nice with lots of wood, a huge chandelier
made from what looks like upside-down hérisson (bottle rack) on which clear beer bottles are
back lit. There are also a half dozen or so large wooden cube boxes that act as chandeliers that
give the room an inviting glow. The large open kitchen faces the center of the room while an
extensive bar anchors one end of the restaurant. The Cajun music, however, did not match the
décor; it was so loud that I was ready to crawl out of my skin.
Our server was very attentive, and shortly after we sat down a generous serving of house-made
bread-and-butter pickles landed on our table. We put an end to those in short order and another
bowl was presented soon after, which we devoured as well. Our server explained the menu in
detail, giving highlights on what was popular. Before sending her to the kitchen with our order,
we did ask if the music could be taken down a notch or two. The volume decreased for a while,
but then creeped up again as the dinner wore on.
Making a point to try calamari at every restaurant to which I go, I decided on the Calamari-Like
Dwight Likes It ($10). I'm hoping that Dwight (he's one of the owners) enjoys the calamari at
Harry's, as I found them to be over breaded and flavorless. I'm not sure as a restaurant reviewer
if one is supposed to compare a dish from restaurant to restaurant, but I'm going to anyway. My
suggestion to the server was to have the line cook seek out the sweet rings of lightly breaded
tenderness at jP's American Bistro or Sea Salt in Minneapolis: two examples where they get this
easily overcooked delicacy just right.
My entrée was the Mussels & Grilled Bread, Garlic, White Wine & Sweet Butter. The large bowl
of tiny mussels arrived with nicely grilled baguette slices to soak up the steaming liquid of garlic,
wine and butter. However, early fall may be the wrong time to order mussels, as the little critters
were tiny compared to the monsters that I have had at Café Barbette in Uptown also in
Minneapolis.
My two dinner companions each ordered the Friday Special: Wisconsin Fish Fry – Just Like You
Remember. ($16) The fish was lighted breaded and deep fried, served with fries and cold slaw.
It's all you can eat, but one plate arrived overcooked and cold, while the other arrived perfectly
cooked and hot. You can guess which one we should have sent back to the kitchen but didn't.
We just wanted to eat and get out before the music caused one of us to hurt someone.
We happened to run into a couple of friends that had arrived ahead of us and were sitting in the
next booth. On their way to the Guthrie, they gave us the thumbs down on their dinner as well.
It was so unfortunate.
I have to say that our server was most charming and very attentive. Granted she even attempted
to lower the decibel of the music, which worked for a while. She did give us the inside scoop
that Steven Brown is no longer behind the line, but now the "consulting" chef at Harry's. He’s
moved on to Ivy's which opens soon near the convention center in Minneapolis. I'm hoping that
the new venue will provide Chef Brown the nitch and the latitude to excel at what he does best.
& Cocktails, 500 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis. Dara Moskowitz Grumdal (City
Pages) gave it a solid review and Rick Nelson (Star Tribune) nodded “thumbs up.” Talk on the
street, however, has given the new venue less than stellar reviews.
I've known the executive chef, Steven Brown, from his days at The Local and Levain; so I knew
that he could do great things with food. Since Harry's had been open for several months it was
high time to give it a look-see for myself. I had never been to Nochee, so I had no comparison
to make as far as atmosphere, but Harry's was quite nice with lots of wood, a huge chandelier
made from what looks like upside-down hérisson (bottle rack) on which clear beer bottles are
back lit. There are also a half dozen or so large wooden cube boxes that act as chandeliers that
give the room an inviting glow. The large open kitchen faces the center of the room while an
extensive bar anchors one end of the restaurant. The Cajun music, however, did not match the
décor; it was so loud that I was ready to crawl out of my skin.
Our server was very attentive, and shortly after we sat down a generous serving of house-made
bread-and-butter pickles landed on our table. We put an end to those in short order and another
bowl was presented soon after, which we devoured as well. Our server explained the menu in
detail, giving highlights on what was popular. Before sending her to the kitchen with our order,
we did ask if the music could be taken down a notch or two. The volume decreased for a while,
but then creeped up again as the dinner wore on.
Making a point to try calamari at every restaurant to which I go, I decided on the Calamari-Like
Dwight Likes It ($10). I'm hoping that Dwight (he's one of the owners) enjoys the calamari at
Harry's, as I found them to be over breaded and flavorless. I'm not sure as a restaurant reviewer
if one is supposed to compare a dish from restaurant to restaurant, but I'm going to anyway. My
suggestion to the server was to have the line cook seek out the sweet rings of lightly breaded
tenderness at jP's American Bistro or Sea Salt in Minneapolis: two examples where they get this
easily overcooked delicacy just right.
My entrée was the Mussels & Grilled Bread, Garlic, White Wine & Sweet Butter. The large bowl
of tiny mussels arrived with nicely grilled baguette slices to soak up the steaming liquid of garlic,
wine and butter. However, early fall may be the wrong time to order mussels, as the little critters
were tiny compared to the monsters that I have had at Café Barbette in Uptown also in
Minneapolis.
My two dinner companions each ordered the Friday Special: Wisconsin Fish Fry – Just Like You
Remember. ($16) The fish was lighted breaded and deep fried, served with fries and cold slaw.
It's all you can eat, but one plate arrived overcooked and cold, while the other arrived perfectly
cooked and hot. You can guess which one we should have sent back to the kitchen but didn't.
We just wanted to eat and get out before the music caused one of us to hurt someone.
We happened to run into a couple of friends that had arrived ahead of us and were sitting in the
next booth. On their way to the Guthrie, they gave us the thumbs down on their dinner as well.
It was so unfortunate.
I have to say that our server was most charming and very attentive. Granted she even attempted
to lower the decibel of the music, which worked for a while. She did give us the inside scoop
that Steven Brown is no longer behind the line, but now the "consulting" chef at Harry's. He’s
moved on to Ivy's which opens soon near the convention center in Minneapolis. I'm hoping that
the new venue will provide Chef Brown the nitch and the latitude to excel at what he does best.
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