Landmarc Grill

Address
Normandy Inn & City Place Suites, 405 S. 8th St., Mpls., 612-455-1204

The Scene
As the scattering of black-and-white photos adorning the walls attests, there was a time when the Normandy was a bustling downtown landmark. It housed its own bakery and butcher shop and was a popular place for weddings, banquets, and other special occasions. These days, it mostly attracts middle managers in town for short-term assignments and visitors to sporting events. In general, the restaurant caters to a humble crowd, whose preferences are reflected in an interior that’s comfortable, homey, and unpretentious. Spilling between two rooms are a collection of tables, high-back booths, wood paneling, mirrors, and an assortment of singles, couples, and friends traveling together.

Our Take
Normally, an announcement about a restaurant in a second-tier eighty-three-year-old hostelry on the periphery of downtown wouldn’t draw much attention. What’s different in this case is that the Normandy’s owner, Mike Noble, decided to hire Michael Morse, the former proprietor of café un deux trois and subsequent peripatetic maitre d’, as Landmarc’s general manager. That led many of Morse’s ardent followers to pray for Gallic tastes from the old un deux oeuvre. For now, at least, that’s not his charge. Rather, it’s to focus on the hotel’s primary stock-in-trade. Morse’s mantra is, “Comfortable, classic, and timeless.” That translates into straightforward items such as jumbo shrimp cocktail, an iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, reliably cooked traditional steak frites, and a fish of the day along the lines of pan-seared salmon with a white wine cream sauce. About as exotic as it gets are wonderful shrimp deviled eggs, sautéed calves’ liver, and a standout veal and spinach meat loaf with wild mushroom gravy—all quite tasty. Morse has always hired a first-rate service crew, and that’s certainly the case here.

Burgers King
In its heyday, the Normandy was revered for three items: pancakes, popovers, and The Henry VIII hamburger. All have been brought back by Morse. There’s a lot of lore associated with each, particularly the hamburger, which I found unremarkable. No one knows exactly why it was so popular—only that it was made from local beef and contained a special mixture of suet—or how it was named. The most credible theory had to do with the 8th Street location. Indeed, the hotel once operated a 24/7 corner hamburger stand called Henry VIII. Mike Noble’s grandfather had visions of making it into a national chain.