Loring Kitchen & Bar

Loring Kitchen & Bar has one of the best warm-weather locations in the Twin Cities—close to downtown Minneapolis, but with a bucolic urban park across the street. Look inside, though, and this could be urban anywhere. The stylish Shea design, which offers an array of patio seating options (of waning relevance, alas), could be on Beacon Street in Boston, Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, or Chicago’s Rush Street—it has that generic urban yuppie vibe. The menu is an appealing mélange of upscale comfort food, plus a couple classics from partner Burt Joseph’s Birch’s in Long Lake. And there are the requisite small plates, pizzas, sandwiches, and entrées. Thankfully, there’s no sushi. The crowd is an interesting and urbane mix of youth and elder, with a heavy gay quotient. Managers should reduce the volume of their frequent upbraids of staff—it adds an uncomfortable note. At press time the restaurant serves dinner and weekend breakfast/lunch.

1359 Willow St., Mpls., 612-843-0400, loringkitchen.com