Whilst killing time and exploring the St. Paul side of things, my friend Jeff and I were instructed by Kristen England to try out Ward 6. After a harrowing ride to the restaurant (I swear that once one crosses the river people drive exponentially worse...) we parked out back and headed in. Located in a building dating back to 1885, the restaurant is long and narrow--which I'm sure drives the serving staff crazy. The seating and the restaurant itself is a bit tight, but cozy rather than cramped. Upon entering I immediately felt comfortable and was greeted with enthusiasm by our hostess. The entire visit we had attentive and friendly service which is a necessity for a successful higher end restaurant. The bar along one wall is amazing: built by the Hamm's Brewery in 1903 and made of old oak, it just looks classic and classy.
Food! We did not eat a full meal here so I can't speak to the entrees but with a burger called the Fatty Melt I'm guessing they are tasty. We did share a good charcuterie plate (I'm such a sucker for these!) filled with terrines, pate, pickles, rillet and head cheese. I know mystery meats can be freaky, but these were very good. Not quite as good as The Happy Gnome's but respectable. Jeff got a plate of Poutine: the Canadian specialty of hand cut fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Coronary on a plate...Yum! I recommend it. I would love to come back for a true dinner, because I think these guys really know what they are doing.
Did I mention the beer yet? I don't really blog about places with crappy beer, so you had to be waiting patiently for it right? The entire beer list is Minnesota made beers, with the sole exception of Hamm's which is brewed somewhere else now, but needs to be served because Hamm's built that freaking awesome bar. I had a Surly Abrasive and a Surly Smoke, served in appropriate stemware glasses. They had about 16 taps of MN beers like Badger Hill, Indeed, Lucid, Surly Hell and Steel Toe. Good job guys.
More like an upscale neighborhood diner, this place is also a great bar with fantastic beers on tap. We met briefly with owner Eric Foster (also a BJCP beer judge) who seems very excited about his new endeavor. Support him by trying the place out!
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