NorthCoast

Address:
294 Grove Ln. E., Wayzata, 952-475-4960, northcoastwayzata.com

The Scene
NorthCoast is the ultimate expression of the Wayzata lifestyle, at least in season—a casually elegant restaurant that wears its bilevel lakeside patios with umbrella-topped tables (try to sit downstairs) like a diamond tiara. Well, a tiara’s a bit gauche for Wayzata. The crowd is Lake Minnetonka to the max, beautifully tanned, middle-aged, in topsiders and slacks (yellow or plaid in season), and just off a day on the water. Indoors, there are multiple gas fireplaces swathed in stone, a big bar, and lots of warm woods for cold days.

Our Take
Finally! A restaurant that might survive infancy at the Wayzata Boatworks. The proprietors have nicely updated the old Portofino space, moved and enlarged the bar, and crafted a menu of upscale American food.

Early on, the kitchen worked best in simpler genres, whether the pristine peel ’n’ eat shrimp, crisp calamari (the too-sweet mustard’s gotta go), a delectable center-cut filet mignon, little cones filled with ahi tuna, avocado, tobiko caviar, and wasabi. When the lily was gilded, alas, it wilted: mushy crab cake sliders; cloyingly sweet sloppy joe quesadilla; soupy, busy, overcooked trenette pasta (with smoked chicken, peppers, and basil pesto). At other times, kitchen carelessness was the problem: Meats and fish arrived overcooked, béarnaise sauce lacked tarragon, pizza had a gummy top layer of dough, fruit desserts were almost absent of fruit.

NorthCoast has an interesting wine list (many half bottles!) with a variety of price ranges—it’s a real high point. Service varied from enthusiastic to blasé but was consistently tentative, typical of so many new restaurants.

Icon Status
Why is it that great settings so rarely result in great restaurants? Waterfront eateries have never needed great food to survive in the Twin Cities, and there are many that make it on surprisingly little to recommend. But the Wayzata dining scene is mature and competent and demands more than eye candy. Executive chef Steven Vranian certainly knows iconic locations, having previously run California Cafe at the Mall of America and the Murray’s kitchen. It’s tough in such settings to divine what diners expect, when the food seems a decided second to the view, the scene, or a tradition. Chef Vranian says he and his NorthCoast partners are preoccupied with satisfying a wide range of constituencies, with everything from Chicago-style hot dogs to lobster-tail kebabs and French rosé. They will need to—if NorthCoast is to attain icon status.