When Yum! Kitchen and Bakery opened down the street, I was ecstatic. It was exactly what my St. Louis Park neighborhood needed: fresh-baked goods, a place for lunch meetings, and dinner in a pinch.
Wrong.
After a terribly disappointing first visit, my friends and I began lovingly referring to the place as “Yuck.” Sure it was white and bright and filled with red velvet cupcakes, but the food completely disappointed—especially when we could get something better at, say, Panera, for half the price and a fraction of jostling baby strollers.
Today, however, I stand corrected. I’ve been to Yum! numerous times in the past month at the request of my lunch companions. Each time I am reminded of how much I love the modern space, and the convenience factor. And while I can’t speak for the entire menu, the dish I keep coming back to is my idea of the perfect weekday meal: fresh, healthy, and better-tasting than anything I’m willing to throw together on a Tuesday. It’s the Spring Berry Salad ($9), and while it’s no complex curry, it has the ying and the yang of a good salad: glossy grilled chicken, juicy berries, candied pecans, and tangy goat cheese. Laced with a not-too-sweet maple dressing, it is, in a word: Yum.
Yum Kitchen and Bakery
4000 Minnetonka Blvd.
St. Louis Park
952-922-9000
yumkitchen.com
