Eat The Menu: New Kid on the Old Block

It was one of those proverbial dark and stormy nights. We were sloshing our way along the riverside bricks of St. Anthony Main Street — the city’s oldest — seeking its newest restaurant, um, Aster something. Spotting the Aster Café, where nearly half of Minneapolis basks in its sunny patio all summer long, we peered around in confusion. “Oh, you want the Aster House,” the hostess set us straight and on our way to our destination, a bit farther down the road. (This newcomer was launched, turns out, by the Aster Café’s owner.)

The restaurant is brand-new, but the building isn’t. Its dining room, bound in vintage fieldstone under burly ceiling beams, hosts well-spaced tables cloaked in dim, cozy lighting — a setting that positively screams “Romance!” And the menu accommodates.

It’s been collated by range rider Josh Jones with guidance from celeb chef Karyn Tomlinson of Myriel, one of this year’s darlings of Food & Wine magazine. It’s honed with a Midwest mentality: no words you’re embarrassed to ask your server to translate; no flowery hype, as suits our innate Minnesota modesty.

Folks dropping by for cocktails (they’re generously poured) are wise to summon the Lazy Susan tray ($24), a medley of cold cuts, dips, cheeses, veggies and crackers that can also stand in for a light meal. Instead, we discussed the toasts ($8-9) with our server.

One, touting a topping of corn kernels in buttermilk, sounded downright silly, but the other, a spread of creamy pureed chicken livers spritzed with parsley and sweet bits of onions, hit the spot. (But the opportunity for a bread base of equal merit was passed up in favor of a Wonder-type slice. Hmmm.) We paired it with a dish of wild rice fritters — golf-ball in size and tamed with more filling than wild rice within their salt-kissed crust. They’re poised for swooping through a saucer of herbed mayonnaise.

The menu’s middle section ($9-16) tempts diners with choices ranging from squash bisque with orange cream and pepitas to a fall salad marrying cheddar, apple, celery, blueberries, sunflower seeds and a drizzle of maple, or ratatouille with chevre (next time, both!) and our choices, starting with roasted carrots, served whole.

Good idea, for sure, but further finesse is called for. These carrot logs offered an understated, innate touch of sweetness, not quite sufficient to rescue the dish. They’re abetted with a scant but imaginative carrot-top pistou. (Points for that: As granny would say, “Waste not, want not.”) We paired it with a plate of polenta — creamy as one could dream, radiating a come-hither, cheesy flavor, and topped with an enticing tangle of wild mushrooms. Yum!

A quartet of mains ($24-42) made us wish we could manage more than one between us: lake trout with braised fennel? Slow-cooked chicken with cabbage and Dijon cream? A classic steak-and-potatoes pairing? Our choice, and a fine one, was a hefty two-fisted pork chop, prudently timed to remain juicy and allow its pink interior to beckon. It’s served with bits of braised kale mingling with white beans. I’ll remember the dish as a hearty antidote when Minnesota’s blizzards hit.

Three dessert options ($8-10) are on offer: a cheese selection, a cup of chocolate mousse and our choice, banana toffee pudding. Out came a petite square of what granny would call banana bread — nicely moist but, here, shy on banana flavor. It’s bolstered by a creamy toffee sauce and a topknot of gently whipped cream.

As I sipped the last of my soul-warming Old Fashioned, the rain let up. We’d found a metered parking spot just steps from the front door, but if you’re not so lucky, not to worry: The ramp elevator is close by.

Aster House
25 SE Main St.
(952) 479-7832
www.asterhousempls.com