Spoons-Only Restaurant Discovered!
Shows what I know: There is a spoons-only restaurant in Minneapolis! Well, sort of. Here’s the deal. BANK, the restaurant in the Westin Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, does a lot of private parties for bigger groups. When you book one of their private parties, you can order hors d’oeurves—you know, little snacks. You can order these little snacks in a typical way, say, as a charcuterie platter of salami and such to serve 10 for $35, or hummus and vegetables for 10 for $25. Unless you don’t want typical platters! In which case you can order BANK’s “signature spoon display” (essentially a two-foot by two-foot rack, though they call it a “wall”). This wall will feature 39 hors d’ouerves individually portioned out on 39 spoons. So, your “signature spoon display” might feature 39 spoons of petit filet beef with Boursin cheese and dried fruit chutney, or 39 spoons of tuna poke, 39 spoons of beef tartare with quail egg, 39 spoons of deviled egg, egg salad, sweet aioli with melon and chili oil, and so on.
When you book your party you work with your chef to decide how many signature spoon displays you want, and what will be served on said spoons. If you have BANK cater your party off-site (that is, if you have BANK bring food to your house, office, or so on), they will even bring rack upon rack of spoons, filled to your specification, to you.
However: They have never—and typically do not—serve multi-course individual dinners on spoons. So, there typically are not guests hiding in the side rooms dining on one spoonful of soup, one of salad, one of petit beef tenderloin, and 36 more after that. I talked to BANK’s sous chef John Robinson, and he explained that the spoons are meant to be an appetizer presentation for parties, though graciously said that if any guest wanted an individual multi-course meal served on spoons, that guest could certainly discuss it with management and likely come to an agreement. Also, he mentioned that a new head chef is arriving at BANK on Monday, and perhaps if demand was great enough, the restaurant might be encouraged to start offering such meals. So, anyone want a 39-course bite-sized meal? If so, what would you pay for it?
And thus concludes this episode of "Stump the Restaurant Critic."
BANK Restaurant
Westin Minneapolis
www.bankmpls.com
88 6th St S., Mpls.
612-656-3255
Posted on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 in Permalink
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