Cue

Address:
Guthrie Theater, 806 S. 2nd St., Mpls., 612-225-6499, cueatguthrie.com

The Scene
Cue’s über glam design, a Jean Nouvel inspiration, leaves me asking more questions than it answers. With huge glass windows, the views are amazing, the tables placed as ideally as the open space allows. The steel wine tower and see-across bar leave the open flow of the room intact and work beautifully. The thrilling “thrust” performance kitchen is the perfect solution to the open-kitchen mayhem found at so many poorly designed eating spaces. But all that polished steel and glass and the deep blue palette keep the vibe very cold and discomfiting, even in the heat of the summer. What will this place feel like on a lonely winter’s evening.

Our Take
Lenny Russo has left Heartland and is managing the multiple food service operations at the Guthrie for Bon Appetit, one of the largest food-service companies in the country. The result is impressive and ideally suited to Russo, whose ideas and ambitions required a larger stage than his St. Paul restaurant allowed.

His green gazpacho with lime crème fraîche was bold and refreshing, unpretentiously served. The restraint and care taken with the dish is indicative of what Russo is capable of producing. Steamed sea bream with saffron broth was appropriately subtle and delicate; braised rabbit with wild mushrooms was an emphatic comfort dish, as it should be. A wild boar pâté was a flawless rendition of the charcuterie classic, and all of Russo’s meat offerings are finely honed plates.

Some dishes work better than others, and teaching a large kitchen team—some highly skilled, some not—to taste and rework their dishes is the biggest challenge facing restaurants of this size. Service is a work in progress: Some staff clearly possess more experience than others, but the management team is stellar and will train the floor crew during the coming months.

The most complete aspect of Cue’s offerings might be the desserts of Carrie Summer, a veteran of New York’s Morimoto and Jo Jo. This national talent is executing at a ridiculously high level right out of the gate, and her dessert menu deserves a standing ovation.

Farm Hand
Russo is all about local, fresh, and best. During his tenure, Heartland was the most farm-connected restaurant to operate in Minnesota since Teddy Roosevelt was President. Every ingredient at Cue, with few exceptions, has a local pedigree, giving the cuisine a unique sense of place. With increasing frequency, every chef who is eager enough to tout his work with a crafty press release boasts of farm relationships. Much of it is hooey and spin, but not so here.