After our date night last night and stay at the Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis we headed to brunch at The Craftsman in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis. Craftsman is a great restaurant, their motto is
“We support local farmers who use sustainable and organic methods of production to provide us with healthy and delicious ingredients. Craftsman Executive Chef Mike Phillips has spent his entire career cultivating relationships with local growers and producers. We hope you enjoy your meal and thank you for your support.”
Great way to do business! We had a cinnamon roll to share and it was warm and freshly made that morning and small enough that we each got a few bites but were not stuffed from it.
I ordered the omelet of the day which had ham, mustard greens, apples and some cheddar cheese. I choose local sausage for my side, and it had a bit of spice and very fresh tasting. It was so much food I ate one of the sausage and about 2/3 of the omelet. I had a huge class of water and a Stash Organic Breakfast Tea.
Mike had the fried egg sandwich with cheddar, micro greens, bacon and an aioli with a egg strata as the side. He enjoyed the sandwich but proclaimed that the egg strata was not as good as his dad’s egg bake that we always have on holidays.
We did some cleaning when we got home- washed the floors, cleaned the counters and sink, cleaned the bathroom and Mike vacuumed the whole house and all the stairs (and we have about 4 flights). A nice sparkling clean house makes me happy! I headed to a massage at 2, the last of my monthly massages that Mike had gotten me for Valentines Day. I am going to miss the monthly massages they have felt great.
Mike planned a nice evening out for us, he had one more free night from Starwood so he booked a last minute room at The Ivy. Starwood has a Luxury Collection and this property opened about a year and a half ago is part of it. The Ivy, in downtown Minneapolis, is built into an old office tower and they used sustainable building techniques to restore the building. It is a beautiful space! Since we booked last minute we did not get upgraded like we normally do, it was still a really nice room with a great bathroom.
We enjoyed a little Vouvray sparking wine before dinner-
We had 8:30 dinner reservations at Porter and Frye, which we have been wanting to try since it opened to rave reviews. They describe the food as modern and Midwestern. It was a pretty quiet night in the restaurant and we were one of only a few tables. After reviewing the menu and wine list we ordered the cheese plate and a Beckman Cuve Le Bec which is a mix of 4 different grapes. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Counoise.
The cheese plate had a manchego, brie, a French cheese, a thick honey and candied walnuts. We really enjoyed the cheese plate!
For appetizers I had a frisee salad with prosciutto and roasted grapes that was ok, but not the best salad I have ever tried. While Mike had a potato, crab and corn chowder that was pretty good.
Porter and Frye had a supper and a dinner menu so there were a lot of choices and it was almost overwhelming, after a lot of deliberation I opted for the Gnocchi which had artichokes, preserved lemon and a tomato romesco while Mike had venison with cherries, leeks, chocolate and pecans.
Mike’s dish was much better than my gnocchi! Overall I was disappointed in the food at Porter and Frye and I was even more disappointed in the service. While we enjoyed the atmosphere and our cheese course and wine the rest of the meal was ok, but not superb.
