Red Stag Supperclub

In season one of Mad Men, an anti-establishment type accuses enigmatic adman Don Draper of inventing the materialistic myth of “Want.” Draper doesn’t flinch. “People want to be told what to do so badly that they’ll listen to anyone,” he declares. For some reason, this exchange made me think of Kim Bartmann and her successful Kimdom of eateries: Bryant–Lake Bowl, Barbette, and now Red Stag, the state’s first LEED-certified, urban-chic lodge restaurant. Bartmann and her people are the town masters of serving locally sourced grub in hipster-approved settings—in short, making us want the eco-alt aesthetic they think we need. At brunch, chef Bill Baskin offers creative and occasionally puntastic fare such as Green Eggs and Ham (think eggs Benedict), flax seed waffles, chicken-fried steak, a meat loaf sandwich, and smoked trout and flapjacks, plus side dishes such as milled grits, berries, cottage bacon, and hash browns. A roasted pork–and–French toast spin on the Monte Cristo sandwich was bizarre and unsatisfactory, but Baskin deserves props for writing a menu that resists brunch ennui. Another perk: Red Stag serves delicious little bites of streusel coffee cake before your meal—amuse bouche, breakfast-style. Thank you, please. I want another.

509 1st Ave. NE, Mpls., 612-767-7766. Brunch Sa–Su 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

Order: Buckwheat pancakes, Dry Weather Creek grits, meat loaf grinder, BLT with chips, chicken-fried steak, hash browns, simple egg preparations.

Libations: Good coffee, creative cocktails such as Wake Up beer (Guinness with a shot of espresso), and a Hail Mary (bloody with lots of “stuff”: house-infused jalapeño Ketel One and a delish sprig of homemade jerky). Gratis house-filtered flat or sparkling water—love that.

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