Last week, the pastor huz and I wrapped up premarriage counseling with a couple getting married in January. For our last session, we always meet up at a restaurant to discuss finances. That seems to be a good combination, right? Food and money. The huz chose a cozy restaurant in the heart of the Northside in Minneapolis - only a few miles from our house and right in the midst of where the tornado hit back in May. The Lowry Cafe, named for the street where one can find the cafe, is a wonderful find. The huz had been there previously, but I had not. I am so glad that we went there!
The overall atmosphere of The Lowry Cafe is inviting and warm. The dining area has high ceilings, a good combination of booths and tables, and lighting that can change throughout the day or to meet the occasion. The owner/chef mingles with diners, asks about how they liked the food, and takes praise and criticism equally well. The prices reflect the economics of the area - an appealing factor as some other recently opened Northside establishments have prices higher than what residents can afford. This is truly a Northside cafe for those who live on the Northside rather than a cafe located in the Northside that attracts consumers from other parts of the city who can afford the higher priced food.
The appropriately priced food does not lower the quality of the food in the least. The huz and I split a walleye sandwich and chicken wings. The walleye had a great taste to them, but the breading was a bit on the light side. If the walleye would have had more breading, I would say it was an "A" without a doubt. There were too many choices to decide from in terms of how to have the wings prepared, so we made up our own order. We ordered them with a chipotle spiced rub and had buffalo sauce and teriyaki sauce on the side with some bleu cheese and celery. I would order the wings with the rub on them again any day of the week! It had a little smokey flavor to it, and I really enjoyed the flavor.
A big plus in our experience: the server left the pitcher of water with us at the table. This rocked because I was still getting over pneumonia and needed a lot of water. The server was attentive but gave us our space; this is huge in my book! I like to have my needs covered but do not like the server to hover. And rather than scold me when I stood on the booth seat to shoot a picture for the blog the employees just had a little conversation about me...it was not too obvious, but I am always on the look out for reactions.
Overall, I enjoyed our experience and would go back to The Lowry Cafe again. I have high hopes that this establishment remains open and can be a part of the commercial revitalization of Lowry Ave North.
PS: Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks that this restaurant rocks. According to their Facebook post yesterday, the Star Tribune named them a Restaurant of the Year!
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