The Red Stag Supper Club

Sorry for all the silence these past couple of weeks. I started work as a freelance fact-checker two weeks ago, and in my determination to finish my first projects, Amy and Mr. Ito fell by the wayside. I am back, however, with new ideas and a restaurant review, the subject of today's entry.

Two Fridays ago I had the pleasure of dining at the Red Stag Supper Club in downtown Minneapolis. My husband and I arrived with a group of friends furiously hungry. Our motive for going into the bowels of downtown (which is a rare event!): Our good friend's insatiable craving for fish. The Red Stag did not disappoint!

Before the food came, I was already impressed by the Red Stag. Where else stateside can you get both tap water and sparkling mineral water for free?! Yum! I definitely made the water-girl earn her money! As for the rest of the service, it was a little slow, but in a good, Italian-style, this-man-knows-what-he's-doing manner. Our table hardly noticed that our meal took most of the night to eat, from the first sip of water to the last bite of dessert.

Friday evenings are Fish Fry nights at the Red Stag. I threw a quick glance at the regular menu, which contained duck, steaks, chicken, and yummy-sounding sides and starters, all from local providers. The regular menu was not what we were there for, however. We were there for the fish!

The Fish Fry menu changes with the market availability of fish. Our menu included Walleye fish n' chips (our table's favorite), a halibut steak, and mussels, among other items. I ordered the mussels and an order of cheese curds (a guilty pleasure of mine...I'm glad I caved in this case, however; the cheese curds were the best I've ever had!). When the food came, an eerie hushed silence came over the table. Everyone adopted a "less talky, more eatey" attitude, and dug into their meals.

The mussels were delectable. They came in a light, buttery lemon sauce with parmesan baguette on the side. Only two mussels didn't open while cooking, which was excellent because any less mussels would have resulted in me ordering another plate of them; they were that scrumptious! There's nothing like seafood prepared well--ie, with minimal additions that detract from the taste of the fish, crustacean, or mollusk. The sauce was just perfect, and the parmesan bread was perfect for sopping up the leftovers after I finished up the mussels!

I ordered an apple crisp to round out the meal. It was a little heavy on the "crisp" part for my taste (I like almost all apples), but was tasty and hearty and served piping hot. My friends enjoyed a rich, flourless chocolate cake.

If you're looking for a place to spend an evening in gastronomic happiness, the Red Stag will probably do the trick, especially if it's fish you're after.

Enjoy!
Miss Browning