We think we've found a new favorite place...The Standish Cafe
Driving around aimlessly, looking for a different bite of something interesting or tasty or fresh or ?
I finally pointed the car toward 38th Street in Mpls...knowing that
there are multiple options along the way. Maybe Victor's? Maybe Tiny Diner? If all else fails, end up at May Day--knowing that you'll get an
exceptionally good quiche or baked good.
Me: "John, what place was that? I don't recognize the sign."
John: "What?" ....while looking at the phone as we passed 6 or 7 places.
John: "How about the Standish? It sounds 'ok.'" (this guy really knows how to sell a concept)
Me: "What's the menu?"
John: "Pastries, veggie panini, hamburger, coffee."
Me: "Where is it?"
John: "About a mile back---where we were 5 minutes ago."
So I turn the car around (on Mpls streets, among the snowbanks, after
having waited thru the westbound traffic light at Hiawatha, not once but
twice already...) and we arrive at the Standish...in the building
that I had asked about 20 minutes earlier...ay
yay yay yay yay...
The Standish Cafe took over the old Colossal Cafe building on 24th Ave and 38th St.
No place to park in the tiny lot, but a place on 38th if you jam your
car into a snowbank...I was ready to go for it. Nicely, I let John
out of the car before I climbed the mountain.
It was late enough that there was immediate seating. We were seated in
what we call the 'Chicago-style' seating...a long bench along the wall
(in this case, a church pew) and then tables for 2, set a little bit
apart. Actually, it wouldn't qualify as Chicago-style because they don't have the tables jammed in, sardine style.
You can actually get to the pew seat without knocking over your
neighbor's table.The Standish Cafe Service
Quick, friendly service. Since I already drank my espresso on the
somewhat lengthy drive, I opted for sparking water. But they serve,
coffee, espresso, cold brew, bottled juices, kombucha, and wine.
Drinks arrived there before I could finish column 2 on the 'everyday brunch' menu.
Food: The Standish Cafe
John laser-focused on one of the specials...the Oh My Veggies vegan
burrito bowl. I was torn...the veggie panini or the brussel sprouts
hash. The server voted panini (interestingly, John asked a different
server later, and he said hash...or the Reuben with
house-made corned beef (our server agreed the Reuben is great...and she
doesn't like Reubens). My conclusion: I don't think you could go
wrong with any of those choices...I opted for the panini.
Unbelievable speed getting the food out...like Anne-speed (well, no not
quite---there's really nothing like Anne-speed--she often had the food
ready before the person finished getting the words out of their
mouth). But this was really speedy for a place
where just the walk to and from the kitchen took a minute.
Oh my, my. What attractive food...I hope it tastes as good as it looks.
It does!!!
 |
| Oh My Veggies |
John fell in love with his bowl...he fell harder than Trump has fallen
for. Kim Jong Un. And, let's face it...John's relationship with the Oh
My Veggies bowl is a LOT healthier all around!!! The bowl had a base
of black beans....some of the tastiest black
beans we've had in quite some time; really good black beans. Quinoa,
grilled yellow squash, diced tomatoes, the creamiest avocado ever (oh, I
was so tempted to go beyond my one bite limit on John's lunch),
jalapenos that didn't kill you, guacamole, and diced
onion. The
onion was the weakest link in a tremendous dish---it was a
little sharp and bitey. I would have expected a little push back from
the jalapenos, but they were very approachable. The onions needed a
little rinse or a little time on the grill to
make them friendlier...but that was a very small thing in a really,
really great lunch bowl. The tortillas were a bit dry...a little wrap
would have solved that problem.
 |
| Veggie Panini |
Now, that panini. John says...maybe among the best panini ever. It
was perfectly grilled, with creamy goat cheese, roasted veggies (sweet
red pepper, yellow zucchini, onion), and tasty mushrooms. We've had
some wonderful veggie panini sandwiches over
the years, but this one did stand out in the exceptional category.
There was a choice of sides--I opted for the Standish potatoes---if
they're named after the place, they had better be good. Yup, they
were. Fried to crispy with onions and bacon (and
the excellent server--her family was in the restaurant biz elsewhere
for decades---immediately asked if I was ok with the bacon in the
potatoes, since everything else we ordered was vegan or
vegetarian---excellent service!), the skin-on big chunks of potatoes
were perfectly made. I was glad I was sharing (kind of) because I
would have eaten the whole pile if I was eating alone...enough crispy
delish potatoes to share.
The place is cute---carrying over the decor from the
Colossal. I'll
have to say--the food at the Standish is SUPERIOR to the food at the
Colossal. (We had multiple bad experiences at Colossal with shellfish
cross-contamination on one visit; and the most
awful, left over from the back of the refrigerator sauces on another
visit). Our meal at the Standish was just what we had been searching
for. It made our day.
It's a small space (well, not as small as Marianne's)
with a variety of
seating. Seats at a long table-height bar along the front window; one
whole wall of Chicago style seating, and a combination of seating on
the other wall---half Chicago and half tables
for 4. All the tables were flexible, 2 person tables, so it would be
possible to configure what you need for a bigger group if the place
wasn't crowded.
The Standish opened under that name last November. It's the brain child
of Joe Schlarbaum and
his business partner; it's a winner so far. Joe
was the guy in the kitchen at Keys downtown Mpls for years, so he knows
his way around a grill. Here, he's changed
to focus to a lot more veggie/vegan options. If they are all as
well-prepared as our 2 options today, this place will have a line out
the door every weekend. Apparently the place was packed before we
arrived (I guess that was a good outcome of driving
around aimlessly for awhile!).
Other things to try: monkey bread, huevos rancheros, the brussel sprout
hash, the Reuben, aebelskiver (the special was nutella), and the
breakfast sammie, forager omelette.
The Standish....38th St and 24th Avenue....just a few blocks west of Hiawatha on 38th. We highly recommend!
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