Taste Buds: Southern Comfort Meets Minnesota Nice – BoneYard Kitchen and Bar
(From left): Pat Evans, Chef Jason Bush, and General Manager Jamie Trainis at Uptown’s new BoneYard.
The name may sound a little macabre, but BoneYard Kitchen & Bar is one of the most vibrant new joints to hit Uptown in a while. Located in the space Old Chicago used to occupy on Hennepin Avenue, the people who created the hugely successful Crave are bringing on a taste of Southern comfort and hospitality to Minnesota nice with their latest venture.
“It’s about tradition with sincere gratitude for the neighborhood,” insists general manager Jamie Trainis. “And we’re really looking forward to bringing that home with our food and modern mixology. The key ingredient with all of this is to cook with it and to serve with it…and hopefully it feels like a home away from home.”
About that down home food, the kitchen at BoneYard is headed by Executive Chef Jason Bush who hails from Georgia. (His beard looks like something he’s channeled from one of the characters on Duck Dynasty, only he’s much better looking.)
Bacon-wrapped duck meatloaf, fried eggs, potatoes, gravy and tomato jam.
“There are some recipes on the menu that are inspired by my aunt’s, one in particular is the bacon-wrapped duck meatloaf,” he explains. “My cousin David used to have a duck farm when I was kid so there was always duck meat around. Whenever Aunt Duane made meatloaf she made it with duck meat instead of ground beef.”
Another dish getting a lot of lip smacking praise is the fried chicken and waffles. No telling what would have happened if Scarlett O’Hara had dished this up for her beloved Ashley, he might have left Melanie in her grits.
For somewhat healthier choices there are some options. The lighter fare includes the bronze snapper, bourbon-glazed salmon, flavorful sweet tea-grilled chicken, and a few tasty salads.
Fried chicken and waffles—lightly breaded sweet tea-brined chicken with gravy paired with a waffle slathered with warm Sriracha maple syrup. (How can I describe it other than it felt close to a religious experience?)
Now to something sweeter than magnolias in bloom. Peach cobbler is a runaway crowd pleaser which can easily be shared, but only if you really like who are with.
I realize it might seem a little bit corny, but I actually believe Jason Bush is sincere when he says, “I want people to be able to come into BoneYard, feel like they are sitting at a grandma’s table in the South, and feel what it would be like to be able to eat dinner there.” Got that ya’ll?
A Southern twist on a Cobb salad which has corn, Honeycrisp apples, hand-cut Applewood-smoked bacon, poached chicken breast, and is topped with BBQ ranch dressing.
Here are the top 5 things you should know about BoneYard:
1. Outdoor patio seats 180. It has a retractable awning and heated cement floor with an outdoor bar and is expected to be open 11 months a year.
2. Traditional cooking and recipes. Everything is made from scratch. Not everything is a high-calorie gutbuster.
3. Modern mixology. All fresh ingredients mixed with the booze.
4. Cozy décor. Industrial metal, textured woods, frames, and mason jars give it a homey feel…jeans and t-shirts are perfect.
5. There‘s some free off-street parking, valet service available evenings.
Peach cobbler with a drop-biscuit bottom, bourbon peach filling, and oatmeal streusel topping served with vanilla ice cream topped with bourbon sauce.
BoneYard Kitchen & Bar
2841 Hennepin Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-455-6688
Happy Hour Monday-Friday 4pm to 7pm
www.boneyarduptown.com
Dickel gave BoneYard their own cask of whiskey from which there are a number of these beautiful bottles to be enjoyed.
Lavender Lemonade Refresher and Maple Bourbon Sour made with maple and bacon-infused whiskey…how can that be bad?
