Tryg's

Address:
3118 W. Lake St., Mpls. 612-920-7777, trygs.com

The Scene
Meeting under the arches hasbecome the hot new dining activity in the Lake Calhoun area. In this case, it’s the gleaming copper archways that loom over the entrance of Tryg’s, a 7,000-square-foot architectural tour de force (monolith to some) erected on the site that was once the home of Porky’s and Nora’s. At the roaring fireplace, the crowd of casually dressed young professionals and neighborhood folks heads left to the handsome, glass-walled bar, or right to the sectioned dining area that abuts a shiny, open-to-view, stainless steel kitchen. From the handsome stone and wood paneling to the unisex washstand, a lot of expense and planning (Shea Architects) has gone into this place, which reportedly cost $4 million. Come summer, the patios will be jumping.

Our Take
Ground, seasoned veal topped with calamata olive ketchup, served on pretzel bread with sweet potato shoestrings, is not your mother’s meat loaf sandwich. But Tryg’s is not his mother’s restaurant. Tryg Truelson, son of Nora Truelson—who for many years operated Nora’s, the Lake street senior citizen mecca—leveled that restaurant and replaced it with one of his own. In the kitchen, he installed the peripatetic Philip Dorwart, whose resumé includes Table of Contents and Tejas. The menu here is a seasonal one that tends to feature substantial portions and lots of heavy side dishes, such as bacon-mustard twice-baked potato, whipped brandade, sweet potato purée, and cheddar potato pie. There are also numerous flights of fancy, including a brined, notably succulent cinnamon rotisserie chicken and an unusual, fall-off-the-bone-tender, oven-roasted pork shank.

The combination of orange-lacquered rotisserie duck leg and breast was superb, particularly the intensely flavorful drumstick. A side dish of Brussels sprouts with blue cheese also proved to be a major pleaser. In contrast, a layered combination of slices of spit-roasted suckling pig and field greens was unpleasantly greasy and bitter. Grilled ahi tuna requested rare emerged singed to mediocrity.

The dessert list is interesting and the wine list reasonably priced, but the young service staff is lacking in confidence about the food and wine.

Note to the Wait Staff
Yes, I do appreciate that you want to know whether the food or wine you’ve just served is to my liking. However, until I’ve sampled it, I really can’t tell you. It would be a big improvement if you could just back away to an unobtrusive lookout and then wait until I’ve actually taken a few bites of my food or sipped a bit of my beverage before you inquire about my level of satisfaction. Must every new restaurant hire newly minted wait staff who have never worked in restaurants before?

Fine Print GETTING THERE, GETTING IN: The restaurant has its own adjacent lot and complimentary valet parking. Reservations for groups of ten or more only. HOURS: M–F 4:00 p.m.–midnight, Sa–Su 10:30 a.m.–midnight, Bar open nightly until 2 a.m. NOISE LEVEL: Moderate. Sound- baffling makes it possible to carry on a normal conversation. KIDS: No special menu, but happily accommodated with pasta and burgers. WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE: Yes. CARDS: AmEx, Diner’s Club, Discover, MC, VISA. SMOKING: Not permitted in restaurant, but allowed in bar. ENTRÉE PRICES: Lunch $7–$11, dinner $14-$29. EXTRAS: Weekend brunch is offered.