Saffron Restaurant & Lounge

123 N 3rd St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612-746-5533
http://www.saffronmpls.com/

Category: Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 8
Service: 8
Ambience: 9

Recommendation: Excellent. The eclectic dishes on the fusion menu are mastered to perfection – add in the cozy, warm ambience and attentive service, and you have a restaurant that is a sure winner.

Saffron is a new and distinct addition to the ever expanding Minneapolis culinary scene. This restaurant located in the Warehouse district specializes in Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern flavors albeit with a touch of fusion. It is owned by the Wadi brothers (Sameh Wadi used to be a cook at Solera), whose parents own the Holy Land Middle Eastern Deli. The food is inspired by countries such as Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East. It’s decorated with warm and inviting colors and the brick walls, high ceilings, and white tablecloths add to the chic, upscale look. There is a rather large bar that runs about half the length of the restaurant. They have a comfy lounge section with couches if you want to step in just for drinks. The wine list is very different and the names on the list aren’t ones you would readily recognize. The cocktail menu has quite a few drinks that focus on flavors from the region (mango, mint, citrus) – we tried the Yowza-Yowza-Yowza (Patron Silver with mango, pineapple, and lime juice) and the Saffrontini (Vodka, lime, saffron syrup, and a dash of blood orange). Both drinks were good, but not memorable – the former was too sweet with no distinct flavor.

Chef Sameh Wadi puts forth a contemporary menu and if you’re looking for a place to eat standard Mediterranean fare, this isn’t the restaurant for you. The menu is divided into three courses – the mezze (appetizers), small plates, and the entrée. We ate at this restaurant with another couple and had a chance to sample quite a few things on the menu. They serve complimentary Pita bread (warm) with hummus to start with. We liked the Beef Kubbeh (with cucumber-yogurt and mint), Grilled Leek and Sheep’s Feta Tart (with roasted tomatoes and arugula), and the Blue Crab Salad (with avocado, spicy curry and citrus). The Kubbeh has the texture of a falafel and was killer with the coolness of the yogurt; the crab salad didn’t have much of a spicy curry flavor, but it had complex flavors with the rich avocado and the sour citrus fruit pieces. We weren’t huge fans of either the Foie Gras (w/ sour cherries, chamomile, and pistachios) or the Lamb Brain (w/ tomato confit and parsley). In the entrees, the Beef Strip Loin (w/ smoked potato gratin, oyster mushrooms, and taleggio fondue) was amazing and is highly recommended – the meat was juicy, the gratin was flavorful and crunchy, and the mushrooms and cheese added to the richness of the dish. The Lamb Shoulder (w/ a bacon and chickpeas base) was tender while the chickpeas had all the flavors you would associate with the Middle-East (another highly recommended dish). The Chicken (w/ exotic spices and eggplant wrap) was also good but a tab too salty. Nothing stood out at us on the dessert menu, but we decided to give the Crème Brulee Tart (w/ blueberry preserve and lemon verbena foam) a try. It was a splendid choice, because the crème brulee was very different (it had a firmer texture than normal) and it was served on a base of tart blueberry preserve. The lemon foam had been substituted with a basil ice cream, which was cool and refreshing and matched perfectly with the rest of the dish. Being chocoholics, we are biased to chocolate desserts, but in our books, this is one of the most creative and complex flavored desserts across the Twin Cities. Our server was very attentive and had great recommendations. Despite having worked there for only 3 weeks, he knew the menu items very well.

$$$$. The bill for four was $180.