Salut & View

I know what you're thinking. 

You're thinking, "I need to try a new cocktail.  Something delicious, with some pizazz, something with a name that's far too descript but not nearly clever enough.  Also, this cocktail should be overpriced (say, around $9.25?) and served alongside bad food, so that I'm unbelieveably grateful for its very presence on the table."

Well have I got the drink for you, my friend.  Over at Salut Bar Americain in Edina, they've got a little something called the Blackberry Mojito Martini Cocktail.  The name leaves little to the imagination (and, quite frankly, it couldn't be trying any harder to market two stale cocktail trends), but I have to say, it's quite a tasty drink.  Blackberry puree, lime juice, and Bacardi get shaken together and served up in a martini glass for this lively little number.  The end result smacks of a Bomb Pop; sweet, cold, refreshing, with a most delightful combination of berry and lime.  4 stars, Salut!

Too bad my Blackberry Mojito Martini Cocktail was the highlight of my meal, because I so enjoy an overall pleasurable dining experience. 

My first mistake was ordering the veggie sandwich ($9.95).  As just about any vegetarian will tell you, you never order the veggie sandwich when it's the only vegetarian option on the menu, beacuse it will always suck.  This particular sandwich falls under my least favorite food category: Two Bite Wonders.  Because it's a wonder I managed to eat two bites. 

This thing was loaded with so much mozzerella and parmesan cheese that I began pulling thick strings of it off the sides of the bread before I even took a bite.  When I did take the first bite, I was completely overwhelmed by the massive amount of pesto slathered on the insides of the bread.  I set it down and took a swig of my Blackberry Mojito Martini Cocktail.  I needed the fruit juice and the alcohol just to cut through the olive oil and cheese that was now coating my mouth.  Then I looked at the sandwich and realized that it had been grilled in approximately four cups of oil, as the bread was saturated all the way through.  I also noticed a previously undetected tomato slice buried within the cheese and pesto.  It had liquified in all the grease, so I pulled out the mushy remains and set that aside, determined to try again.  Blah.  Even worse than the first bite. 

I like cheese and olive oil as much as the next guy, but this sandwich was completely inedible.  I cannot believe it's served with a pile of french fries.  Coronary, anyone?  No wonder our server looked at me funny when I ordered it with the macaroni and cheese gratin on the side.

But hey, that was pretty good.  The quintessential creamy cheddar and elbow macaroni, topped with breadcrumbs and baked until the top is golden brown and chewy.  It was so good, actually, that I finished it off even faster than my second Blackberry Mojito Martini Cocktail.

I had to fight my dining companion for the last few bites of my macaroni and cheese gratin.  Apparently, he was still starving from the inadequate portion size of the shrimp cocktail.  $9.95 for just five of what we decided was 18-count shrimp is the most ridiculous pricetag I've seen locally on seafood, to date. 

But you know what?  The joint was hoppin' and we barely got in without a reservation on a Tuesday night.  The bar was filled with well-groomed MILFs sipping their Blackberry Mojito Martini Cocktails, waiting for their other MILF friends to meet them for dinner.  You would've had to throw elbows just to get some real estate up there.  The tiny reception area was packed with families of four waiting to be called up for their tables, kids running around, dads yammering away on their cell phones. 

Salut will do well at 50th & France, but it won't be a destination spot for me.  Those Blackberry Mojito Martini Cocktails are damn good, but I wouldn't go out of my way (and Salut is) just to get one.  No, I'll leave Salut to the residents of Edina.  With  scant other options in the neighborhood for dinner, they need all the dining they can get.

I have neither a clever segue nor a whole lot to say about View, the new restaurant and lounge that took over the old Dixie's Calhoun space, so I'll just get right to the point.  View is a club for people who are either too old for the Uptown nigthlife or too suburban for the Downtown scene.  Don't worry, though, because:

- You cannot be too blonde for View.
- You cannot be too fragrant for View.
- You cannot be wearing too much bling for View.

My friends and I stopped in last Friday night to check it out, and it was totally jumpin'.  The men vastly outnumbered the women, so ladies, if you're all dressed up with no place to go, look no further.  Among the sea of sportcoats and sequined tank tops, you're sure to find that special fellow to buy all the Sapphire and tonics you need to get through the evening.  Hopefully he'll do so without slipping something in it while you wait in line for the ladies' room, or while you're shaking your ass for him on the dancefloor.

Oh, wait a minute, View has no dancefloor.

It's got wall-to-wall people, uncomfortably loud music, a live DJ, even a back bar, but no dancefloor.  Just a lot of antsy people, standing around, wistfully drink-dancing.  (I refer you to Matt Thompson for a full demonstration of drink-dancing.)  What's up with that?

View's interior is nearly unrecognizeable from the old Dixie's decor, and it is tres chic.  Very modern, very geometric, but with a surprisingly inviting warmth.  And moving the whole bar to the center of the main floor so it's no longer blocking the huge windows overlooking Lake Calhoun makes quite a difference, not to mention a hell of a lot of sense once you see it.

We stayed for a drink and a lap and that was it.  The cocktail prices were moderate ($16.25 for 2 vodka and sodas and 1 Seven-seven) and our cocktail server was friendly.  Cute, too.  All three of us agreed that, of all the dapper gentlemen around, he was definitely the best-looking.

I'd like to go back to View on a weeknight and have dinner.  The menu is... weird, but I'd still like to try it.  Plus, I really don't think I got a good feel for View on Friday night.  If the vibe is different on, say, a Tuesday night, I might have a new spot to add to my roster of business meeting places.  I'm optimistic.

Comments

[Adam McFarlane]

Is "MILF" pejorative? Thought it was (unless you're a high school guy). "Stepford wife" once had negative connotation; now, it's a compliment. Maybe that's happened to MILF, too?

Maybe "Stacey's mom has got it goin on", but is she OK w/ it?

[Alexis]

I certainly don't mean for it to be that way. I hope to God I'm a MILF someday. Or just an ILF.

[Geoff]

Actually, what I was wondering is where can I still get a shot of whiskey and bottle of bud for under $5 in the general vicinity of downtown minneapolis. I kinda guessed that Salut would be disappointing based solely on geography...

p.s Cosmos has a new vegetarian version of the tasting menu beginning this weekend...your head will explode when you see what the chef can do with a parsnip (get your mind out of the gutter)

[toobeaut]

Are you telling me that Sapphire and tonic is a chick drink? Damn! That explains a lot.

[Jason]

That's bad news for me too. I always enjoyed the Sapphire & Tonic. I guess its back to Old Fashioneds for me.

[Sarah]

That is what you get for leaving NE.

[Alexis]

HOLY SH*T, Geoff, are you serious? That's exciting.

I'll see what I can do about whiskey and beer.

[MOM]

Hilarious description of a grilled sandwich although it does make you want to #@!@#*. What is a MILF?

[Paul]

I'm not going to answer this one. Alexis? Anybody?

[taylor]

MILF is a commonly used slang acronym that references attactive older women.

The "I" in ~ilf stands for "I'd", as in "I would". The L stands for "like to".

The "F" is a little more risque. It's like "have FUN with" or "FOOL around with" or "FORNICATE with", etc.

As far as the "M" in MILF, I think Ton Loc said it best when he said:

I was five and a half
hangin out my lil' homie's
six year old
birthday bash

He was my next door neighbor,
I din't really know him that well
But I used play with him anyway
because his mom was fine as hell

He was one of them brothas
whose MOM was really young
and to get a glimpse of her
you used to go over there and play with her son...

So there you go.

[taylor]

I'd also like to point out the interesting correlation at View between amount of blonde and amount of fragrance. The same happens downtown all the time.

[Alexis]

It's okay, Taylor, you can swear in front of my mom. Who do you think I learned it from?

[Paul]

"I learned it from YOU MOM! I learned it from listening to YOU!".

voiceover:

"Parents who curse have girls that end up as MILF's!"

I'll never forget that commercial...damn Nancy Reagan.

[Alexis]

Amen, Paul. I think every member of our extended generation feels the same way.