We stopped at a couple different places near Loring Park on a recent Friday night, starting with Bar Lurcat. We started here with drinks and an appetizer.
I feel like I’ve heard a lot from local food critics about the Lurcat burgers and they did not disappoint. Very good sliders on a fluffy bun with a juicy hamburger patty and some sort of special sauce for a little kick. These were really good and I’d come back again just to order these.
We had a late reservation at 4 Bells down the street, so walked over there a few minutes early. They were able to seat us pretty quickly, with just a short wait at the bar. I didn’t even have enough time to get the drink I’d ordered from the bartender. And I should note, it was not that difficult to get a reservation, I’d made it earlier that day. We were seated at the oyster bar, so it was fun to watch the chefs in action in between courses.
The first starter was baby octopus with achiote, serrano, orange, pepita, and hearts of palm. I was a bit hesitant to order this as we have not had good luck with octopus lately, but this was excellent. The octopus was very tender and the sauce was spicy, but not too spicy.
John’s starter was the pearl point oysters on the half shell. They were $4.50 each, but very good. They cost $1 more than at Oceanaire we noted.
Our next item was the snapper ceviche with leche de tigre, chili relish, pine nuts, yogurt, and mint. This was phenomenal and I was not sure I would like it. The fish was very fresh tasting, with no fishy flavor at all. The yogurt, chili and mint made it all really fresh tasting. We went with this extra seafood item, rather than order a side dish.
We decided to be brave and order the whole fried snapper with garlic chili glaze, fermented black beans, and basil. Wow. This was perfect. The fish was so light and flaky and the chili garlic glaze was the perfect complement with some spice, but not so much that it was overpowering. Something, maybe a light breading, added a bit of crunch to the fish and I loved that. I think we will be ordering whole fish a lot more in the future. I’ve always shied away from it, but there is no reason to avoid it, it is great. You just have to be a bit careful of the bones. I did find some in a couple bites.
The service was a little slow at times, but not too bad, we waited a bit for her to bring the check, but I don’t recall any other issues.
We really enjoyed 4 Bells, but we love seafood and it can be hard to get good seafood in the Midwest. Though, I may have to change my stance on that as we now have Oceanaire, Smack Shack and Sea Salt to select from for high quality seafood. There are a lot of non-seafood items on the menu at 4 Bells and some Southern classics that we want to try, so we will have to return soon. There is a large rooftop patio that will be calling our name if the weather ever stays nice for more than a day or two at a time.
Café Lurcat / Bar Lurcat
1624 Harmon Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone:(612) 486-5500
http://www.cafelurcat.com
4 Bells
1610 Harmon Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone:(612) 904-1163
www.4bells.com
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