Monday, March 2, 2009

Town Talk Diner: Revisited

Town Talk Diner has been a good spot for us and our neighborhood.

For us, Town Talk Diner was our neighborhood joint. We took friends and family there on a regular basis. We celebrated our engagement there. It had been one of our top picks for sharing good times. Needless to say, we were a bit concerned when we heard that Thero's Restaurant Group had purchased the place. We were concerned that their chef-driven, creative, sustainable approach to running a restaurant would be lost.

We stopped in for food and drinks on Saturday. It was our first visit since Town Talk Diner became a Thero's joint.

I was happy to see that Nick and Patrick were still concocting drinks behind the bar, and that the restaurant is still featuring local, sustainable, seasonal ingredients.

The Carr Valley Cheese Curds were still naughty and tasty - fried with capers and paired with bacon ketchup. The duck bomb burgers were juicy and paired with bourbon ketchup. The ladies seated next to us raved about their wine braised pot roast and Fischer Farms pork chop. By 7pm, the dining room was near capacity, as was the bar.

Gerg treated me to a "scotch bonnet" from the current drink menu. It was habaƱero infused scotch mixed with apricot liqueur and orange bitters. Truly delightful.

They're offering a Sunday Night Supper menu featuring their own version of T.V. dinners - a four course dinner served with a beverage for $18.


[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]