Forepaugh’s Redux

Welcome to the crown jewel! That’s how this ornate Victorian mansion was hailed when Joseph Forepaugh built it in St. Paul’s pretty Irvine Park back in 1870. By 1970, however, wilting into disrepair, it was slated for demolition.

Fortunately, a foresighted restaurateur thought otherwise and launched what soon became an ultra-romantic dining destination — until COVID. Doors once again were padlocked and didn’t reopen to serve dining guests until three months ago.

On a recent Tuesday, its cache of dining nooks (fourteen of them, according to our super-server, Gina) was filled with guests eager to savor views of twinkling city lights and a new-old menu conceived by bold-name consulting chef Tim McKee and ably orchestrated by chef Jeremy Wessing.

Seated at a black-clad, window-side, lamp-lit two-top, we perused a succinctly curated, anti-rambling menu that starts off with small plates $22 and under. “I’ll have the fritto misto,” I declared to Gina … who thought otherwise. “Oh! You really must try the tuna carpaccio; it’s the dish to die for!” O-kay.

I’m happy to report that I did not perish but rather happily lapped up every last morsel of come-hither sweetness on the plate, abetted by curly boutonnieres of shaved fennel with its licorice accent and contrasting dollops of a sassy, bright salsa verde.

We next shared a generous salad of chopped endive laced with plenty of rich, voluptuous Gorgonzola, further enhanced with walnuts and apple — ideal and well-balanced accessories.

Then, pastas! They’re all made in-house and worthy of entrée status if that’s your inclination. (starter portions $17-22; as entrees $25-34). Begin, I urge you, with the demure, creamy, sweet pea-puree-filled agnolotti, festooned with even sweeter (and welcome) morsels of blue crab, then spritzed with lemon and dill to keep your palate paying attention.

The orecchiette proved a heartier, almost burly dish, perfect to fend off winter’s wrath. Bits of duck sausage mingled with stems of broccoli rabe abetted by welcome spikes of Calabrian chilies. There’s a technical food-writers’ term for all this: yum! I’ll return to try the meaty ragu and porcini, underscoring the kitchen’s Bolognese. And the simple-but-better-get-it-right spaghetti alla chitarra (“guitar strings”), sporting classic red sauce and tiny meatballs.

Nine entrees follow ($23 for the Irvine Park burger to $56 for the kitchen’s legendary Beef Wellington, which was our choice to split (plenty for two of us, it turned out). The peony-pink, tender and juicy hunk-o-meat came enrobed with a lattice pie-pastry topping rather than totally entombed in dough, as is usual — a fine improvement. The sweet beef sits upon a rich puddle of mushroom duxelles, all enhanced with a textbook-correct Bordelaise sauce and rich, rich potato confit.

The second-most popular entrée, attests Gina, is the roasted sea bass ($49), served with a miso glaze, farro risotto and cauliflower. Surf-and-turfers can combine their beef tenderloin with garlic prawns in a lobster reduction ($56), while burger fans can savor the Irvine Park version starring wagyu and brisket for a slim $23. There’s also a welcoming menu in the bar for those dining more informally.

Yes, there are desserts, and yes, they are house-made, but no, we couldn’t manage. Next time. Wines BTG begin at $11; my Manhattan rang in at $15, as did an Oak Manhattan, with acorn listed among the ingredients, waiting for my next visit. Valet parking makes life easy, too.

Forepaugh’s Restaurant
276 Exchange St.
St. Paul
(651) 666-3636
Forepaughs.com