We ate at Tenant at the beginning of June, right before we headed off to California. Though there were things we enjoyed at that meal, it was not our favourite of our recent meals there. But as I said at the end of that report, it wasn’t going to keep us from going back. Given how much we enjoy their take on fine dining, odds were good that we’d have no quibbles about the next meal, especially if it included their usual end-of-summer tomato water course. I am happy to report that our meal there two weekends ago did include a tomato water course, that it was very good, and that the rest of the meal was excellent as well. Here are some details.
We had a reservation for the second seating at the counter on a Saturday night and arrived at 8 pm just as the transition between seatings was underway. For a change we had not arrived early enough to start out with cocktails Next Door—blame an unexpected bit of gridlock on 35N—but a number of the other 8 pm diners had and once they were all at their tables and counter seats, the action started.
As you may know, Tenant does a 6 course menu surprise. There is no menu on their website and nor do they hand you one when you sit down. You find out what each course comprises when one of the chefs brings it out (they cater to food restrictions as best they can if communicated at time of reservation). There’s no wine list either. You can either do the wine pairing (three pours for $30) or get individual pours of the wines on the pairing. The missus decided to skip alcohol entirely for the evening; I decided to get the pairing. At most places wine pairings get you parsimonious pours. Not at Tenant: each pour was close to being a full pour. The first was a prosecco which kept me company through the first two courses. Those courses were:
Course 1: Hamachi Crudo, fermented red currant, yuzu, sweet and sour beets radish, fresno curls, mint
This was both lovely to look at and perfectly composed in terms of flavours and textures. A lovely start to the meal.
Course 2: Poached Lobster and Shrimp, grilled and pickled fennel and carrots, demisec tomatoes, scallions, tomato water seasoned with horseradish
We were thrilled to see glass tea pots coming out of the kitchen as this course made its way into the dining room; sure enough they contained tomato water. This time around the tomato water was spiked with horseradish. A new twist for us, I think, and one we really enjoyed. It was poured over a bunch of pickled and seasoned veg and also poached lobster and shrimp. If I had to quibble about anything it might be that lobster and shrimp were a little redundant but it would be a very minor quibble.
The second wine on the pouring was presented at this point: a very nice unoaked chardonnay that went with the next two course.
Course 3: BLT, grilled sour dough focaccia, pancetta, tomato mayo
We’d found the sandwich that sat at this point in our meal in June to be a bit of a non-sequitur. This one, however, worked very well as a playful transition between the first two courses and the next two.
Course 4: Ravioli, Camembert filling, corn soubise, grilled corn zucchini and shishito peppers, burgundy truffles
We always look forward to the pasta course at Tenant (one of our disappointments in June was that there was no pasta course proper) and this outstanding ravioli demonstrated why. The pasta was perfect and the counterpoint between the camembert filling and the other elements was conceived and executed very well.
As good as the ravioli was though, it was upstaged by a little bonus course of risotto they kindly gave us (COMP ALERT). This was a portion left over from a small batch made for guests with gluten restrictions. Man, it was great. I am ready to start a petition to have it become a regular offering; if it doesn’t, I might start saying I can’t eat gluten in the hope of being served it again.
The third wine was poured at this point: a Croatian red blend. Also very nice.
Course 5: Grilled Pork Loin and Smoked Pork Belly, mashed potatoes and crispy potato skins, asparagus, mushroom conserva, mustard jus
A big hearty plate of comfort food with every element in harmony. The maitake/hen of the woods mushroom was maybe the star of the plate but all the components were done just right and the whole came together very well.
The usual pre-dessert palate cleanser followed in the form of a slushy. This time it was a yuzu-forward citrus slushy, both very tasty and a nice call-back to the yuzu in the first course.
Course 6: Peach Custard, whipped cream, graham streusel
Tenant’s fruit custards are the most reliable desserts in the Twin Cities. I am yet to eat one that I did not love and this one was no exception. An excellent end to an excellent meal.
For a look at everything we ate and drank, launch the slideshow below. Scroll down for thoughts on service, to see how much it cost, and to see what’s coming next.
I’d also noted of our last meal that the vibe seemed off for whatever reason, seemingly resulting in somewhat perfunctory service. There were no such issues at this meal. The energy was high, the chefs were having fun in the kitchen and out at the counter and in the dining room throughout the meal. And it was great to see Grisha Hammes (who runs the front of the house) after a run of several visits on his night off or when he was on vacation. It’s not like the room doesn’t run smoothly in his absence but he truly is one of the best hosts in town.
Cost? With the wine pairing, tax and tip, the total came to just below $250. Certainly not cheap but pretty good value in the Twin Cities for the quality of the meal. Alas, we are unlikely to make it back before the end of the year but look forward to getting there in the spring when they will be marking their 8th anniversary (hard to believe they’ve been around that long—the energy still feels fresh).
Alright, what’s next on the food front? Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that I did not post any of the promised California reports at the end of last week. What can I say? The first week of term was a doozy. This week is already shaping up to be a worthy successor so odds are good that I’ll only get a maximum of one of those remaining California reports up this week. Let’s see how it goes. Next week’s Twin Cities report will probably feature Mexican food from either the low or the high end of the spectrum.