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Photo by Robb Long
The chipotle barbecue shrimp at Bar Abilene.
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Flavor // Deep in the heart of Uptown
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By Carla Waldemar
Note to suburbanites: If you can’t stand the heat — well, there goes your kitchen. A few months ago, Tejas, that ever-lovin’ Southwestern café that put chilies even in the chocolate cake, went out of business in Edina. But the hi-ho-silver lining is, its hot chef, Drew Wilson, now parks his chuck wagon at Bar Abilene. Brought a few trusted recipes with him, too, and already is busy creating some brand-new signature items.
Meaning, it’s safe to come back to Bar Ab. In fact, it should be a residence requirement, now that Drew has stemmed the slump and brightened the quality once more. He hails from Louisville, where they know a thing or two about cooking, and honed his skills riding the range at New York’s esteemed Union Square Café.
Bar Abilene’s original culinary icon, the guac prepared tableside, remains, thank our lucky Lone Stars. But now there’s also a new app not to miss: the chipotle barbecue shrimp. Half a dozen plump and sassy crustaceans swan around in an ultra-creamy, slightly sweet and more than slightly lively, chipotle-fueled gravy, delivered with a spoon. (And if it weren’t, I’d be kicked out of the restaurant for licking my plate, it’s that good.) Hint: It’s not sized for sharing, unless you’re Mother Teresa or a masochist.
The new calamari salad does come super-sized, however. It’s built upon snippets of arugula, sequins of tomato, itsy-bitsy, crunchy croutons and golden shavings of aged goat cheese, all dressed in olive oil infused with a smoky hint of chipotle. The calamari themselves are pan-seared rather than deep-fried, rendering them far healthier but taste-free. It’s either a modest palate-cleanser or pretty boring, depending on if your glass is half-empty or full.
Next, add a pair of tacos, which Chef Drew has brightened with fresh garnishes. The pork number showcases lusty, Texas-size slabs of juicy meat layered with a perky apple-jicama slaw, creamy dabs of queso fresco and cilantro’s cleansing breath. The chicken taco blankets tender white meat dressed with crisp, translucent discs of radish and cucumber and a wake-up touch of chimichurri, balanced by a suave and creamy peanut sauce, almost Thai in its addictive comfort.
Alas, the chocolate cake’s chilies got lost in transit, so this version is simply yet-another molten chocolate number, dressed in (naughty, naughty!) aerosoled whipped cream, but also a satiny crème anglaise and paintings of espresso syrup to make amends.
Watch for coming attractions from Drew’s stove, including chorizo mac and cheese and a chicken-waffle combo. (You thought ham, and eggs were perfect partners? Just wait!)
What to drink? Well, quit sniggering. Of course I know that Bar Ab invented Margaritas. But maybe it’s time to graduate to a flight of tequilas (three hearty pours —good/better/best — each with its own fruit-and-salt/spice garnish, for a mere $15) — a great way to test the waters or loosen you up for the free salsa lessons on Thursdays.
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Bar Abilene
1300 Lagoon Ave.
825-2525
barabilene.com
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Art beat // Closing and opening
By Dylan Thomas
Art of This leaving current space, but won’t cease to existLYNDALE — A few weeks before they planned to shutter their Nicollet Avenue art space for good, John Marks and David Petersen of Art of This Gallery reflected on “Open Summer,” their ongoing, open door, last blast summer project. A free-for-all residency program that eventually enrolled 80-some artists, the slowly percolating “Open Summer” was building steam as it headed into its, and the gallery’s, grand finale at the end of August. And for all the potential pitfalls in telling some seven dozen people where the gallery key is hidden, about the worst thing that happened all summer was when someone spilled salsa in the refrigerator and never cleaned it up.
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On the mat // Green yogis in Linden Hills
By Sarah McKenzie
Devanadi Yoga, a new studio near Lake Harriet, is a trailblazer in the local yoga community. The small 525-square-foot studio, tucked behind the Bruley Center on West 43rd Street in Linden Hills, is the first yoga studio in the state to be certified by the Green Yoga Association for its environmentally friendly efforts. The studio’s green practices include using non-VOC paint, controlling the thermostat to keep the building energy efficient and encouraging students to walk, bus or bike to class. Tanya Boigenzahn Sowards, studio director/owner of Devanadi Yoga, said being green is “core value of the studio and it ties back to the yogic philosophy of doing no harm.” “Minneapolis frequently ranks as one of the top green
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Everyday gardener // Q&A
By Meleah Maynard
Struggling tomatoes, rain barrels and rootbound plantsEven though spring started in earnest in March this year, it still seems like summer is going by too fast. So, fast, in fact, my inbox has been a bit stuffed with questions. As always, I’ve replied directly to people who asked for help with various things. But here in the column I’m going to cover some of the questions that seem likely to be of interest to a lot of gardeners. By far, the questions I’m getting most are about tomatoes, so I’ll start there. Q: My tomato plants look good and have a lot of flowers, but I’m not getting a lot of fruit this year. What’s going on?A: It’s been too hot for tomatoes to set fruit
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Flavor // A smokin’ sensation on Nicollet
By Carla Waldemar
If you’re wondering what caused the traffic stand-still on South Nicollet the other evening, let’s just say I should have kept my window shut. When passing cars got a whiff of possibly the best aroma in the galaxy — I’m talking about barbecue, of course — they halted to demand, “Where’d you get that?” At C&G’s, of course. Greg Alford launched C&G’s Smoking Barbecue exactly a year ago; the anniversary balloons in the otherwise-Spartan, clean-as-a-whistle hole in the wall provided the only touch of whimsy in this serious business. Greg was born in Louisiana, which may explain his superior taste in food. He grew up in Detroit, one of 12 kids whose mamma set him to cooking when he was 5, he
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Wild city // Eating the yard
By Mary Jean Port
I love August. It is so lush. All summer, as I nurse the garden along, I anticipate these eating days. We now have too much of everything: tomatoes, green beans, heat, humidity, and also thunder, for those of us who have a dog frightened by it. I have been working our piece of ground for 14 years, and have good soil to show for it. Back when we first started, my husband was more of a lawn guy. He liked the idea of a garden, but drew a line in the grass with his toe. Don’t dig up anything beyond here, he said. So I dug my first of what are now 10 beds, and planted the pumpkin right on his line. The vines ran out of the garden and took over the whole backyard. My husband good-naturedly threw up his hands. We started with vegetables, and
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Kid rock
By Sam Lane
Twin Town Guitars hosts a camp that gives young musicians a chance to play and perform in a bandMore than 60 excited, camera-toting fans packed Cause Spirits and Soundbar on a warm August afternoon waiting for two headline bands to take the stage. The hotly anticipated musicians weren’t well known. They weren’t 20-somethings trying to strike a record deal. They weren’t middle-aged men trying to relive their youth. They were kids, ages 8–17, who spent prior weeks at Twin Town Guitars, 3400 Lyndale Ave. S., preparing for their first concert. In an economy where budget cuts deal constant blows to public school music programs, the owners of Twin Town have spent the last three summers providing a haven for aspiring
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