another pair of good meals in Minneapolis (Grand Bakery)

following Dicksond's advice here I ventured out to downtown MSP searching for pork tenderloin 2 nites ago at 112 eatery. the barkeep put in my 'rare to medium rare' order and the kitchen faithfully obliged. what resulted was pseudo-Paris like seared pork tenderloin that was softer than a baby's butt. KUDOS to 112 for ignoring FDA's admonishment re: cooking pork well done...

that was preceded by a Thai-ish sweet/sour crab meat & napa cabage based salad tossed with fresh mint leaves. before that was the astoundingly authentic french loaf from "New French Bakery". this bread, hands down, defeats the best of Chicago (fox & obel, red hen, blah blah). thin crispy crust, correct size, risen not too fluffy, not too doughy...

unfortunately, the buck stopped there and my fine meal was ended by a foul tres leches cake. couldn't bare to take more than 3 bites. the sponge cake lacked fluffiness & the heaviness of the pure evaporated milf evoked my gag reflex.

New French Bakery
2609 26th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55406
ph 612.728.0193
fax 612.728.9278

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yesterday's morning/noon/afternoon (there was a 2 hr lunch to be had) was blissfully lost in 1 of Dara Moskowitz's 10 best restaurants of '04.

Bakery on Grand is owned by Keith, a native New Yorker (born at St. Vincient, grew up in Greenwich village) who's been in/out of MSP for the last 13 yrs. BoG has been "only" open 2.5yrs, but judging by the blinging Rolex on Keith's wrist as well as the steady traffic of customers since 11am on a Friday noon plagued by whimsical weather, BoG is doing AoK.

lovely Laura, the server, first piqued my interest by offering me slices of BoG's french loaf after I asked her if she was aware of New French Bakery. alas, tho Keith proclaimed "every meal starts with great bread", BoG's can not hold its own vs. New French Bakery.

i had a chunky tomato basil (both ingredients fresh from their own garden - an often unadvertised fact) soup topped w/ crunchy baguette smeared with black olive paste. a 'light' duck confit w/ asparagus followed. it was perfectly moist; the skin was thin, not too oily & crispy ala Peking Duck. At $12, or any price for that matter, twas one of the best ducks i've had.

the pastries chef churns out about a dozen desserts (butterscotch pudding, fruit tarts, etc.). Keith said the desserts are cheaply priced because "everyone should have dessert". made sense to me as i obliterated the gigantuan Napoleon, which Laura, 1 time resident of Paris, touted "as good as Paris'".

BoG, housed in a 70 year old bakery (the old oven is still used for all the breads), is a wee bit tucked away & in an almost-charming, funky, part of MSP. The ambience is casual country bistro fair supported by the likes of "croque monsier" and "fromage sandwich" during lunch. Total Damage: $24. that's right, $24, tax included. in Chicago, I can't think of anything comparable except a few pre-fix menus at the french joints. and of the pre-fixes I've had, non as good as Bakery on Grand...

Bakery on Grand
3804 Grand Ave. S.,
Minneapolis
612-822-8260
(off of 35W, exit 36th St.)