Photo: Mary Subialka
Step into Forepaugh’s restaurant and it’s like walking into no other local dining spot. This elegant Victorian mansion in Irvine Park near downtown St. Paul was constructed in 1870 to house the prominent local Forepaugh family, then helped people celebrate birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, and more as a restaurant in recent decades. (Learn more about its history here.) When it closed in 2019, it seemed as if this venerable destination might be lost, but it is now enjoying a much-anticipated rebirth under new ownership. Or, as its sign out front reads, it has been “Rededicated 2024.” And if you believe in the afterlife, spirited talk is not just about the craft cocktails.
Forepaugh’s is now under the ownership of Taher, Inc., led by Bruce Taher, president and CEO of the contract food service management company he founded in 1981. You will find new twists and variations on old favorites on the menu by Tim McKee, the James Beard Award-winning chef who was behind notable local eateries like La Belle Vie, Sea Change, and Solera. John Sugimura, corporate chef with Taher, has been overseeing the project through the renovation and the restaurant’s rebirth, and shared tales as my husband Jeff and I had the opportunity to check out the newly opened and renovated restaurant for dinner.
Photo: Mary Subialka
Seated in a prime spot in the cozy main floor dining room, which we suspected was once the Forepaugh family’s living room, we started with a cocktail. The St. Paulitan, a riff on the Cosmopolitan, which includes orange liqueur, cranberry, and hibiscus with the vodka base, caught my eye on the cocktail menu, and it was a delicious balance of sweet and tart—not to mention attractively dressed up with a flower floating atop a thin lime slice. Jeff had the Old Fashioned, which is mixed up with St. Paul bourbon, New Richmond rye, and a bittered cherry/orange syrup with a dash of cinnamon and a splash of aromatic bitters. With other cocktails sporting names that give a nod to the city and bygone eras, you’ll find options including the Irvine Park Swizzle, The Victorian, Hemingway Daiquiri, Pig’s Eye Sidecar, and more.
Photo: Mary Subialka
For our starter, we chose the Burrata, which is a lovely fresh taste that dished up delicious bites of explosive flavor combined with the creamy fresh and mild cheese. Jeff thought it was decadent and healthy at the same time. The flavorful swirl of sauce, mint pesto, shell peas, thin slices of asparagus, and the crunch of nuts sprinkled atop the dish paired well with the crispy toasted bread we got to accompany it. Other small plate options include a range from a Gorgonzola and endive salad or steamed mussels to tuna carpaccio or a beet fonduta.
Photo: Forepaugh's
Fresh house-made pasta is part of the new menu, with five choices currently available. And a nice feature is that they are available in two size, which makes it easy to share pasta before an entrée or order the larger size as your entree. We shared the smaller size of the Mafalde Bolognese, which the menu describes as having a rich pork and beef ragu with porcini mushrooms. It was a nice dish but a bit mild flavored and we wished it had a little more punch. After dinner we talked with some other diners, and they raved about the Sweet Pea Tortellini, which includes blue crab in a lemony dill sauce. We’ll have to try that next time.
Photo: Mary Subialka
The entrée selection includes an homage to the original restaurant’s menu that generations of guests look for—Forepaugh’s Beef Wellington. So, we needed to try that, and Jeff focused his beef-loving sights on that. It has a mushroom duxelles (minced mushrooms, onions, and herbs sauteed and reduced to a paste)—a Bordelaise sauce (a classic French red wine sauce), and is served with potato confit (potatoes slowly cooked in olive oil for a creamy texture). The beef is encased in pastry, which their take has an open lattice-style pastry to help regulate the temperature/cooking level of the beef. (Those Sweet Pea Tortellini-loving diners we spoke with after dinner mentioned dining there 20 years ago as children with their family—using their best table manners—and having the Beef Wellington, so when she came back that night, she simply had to order that.)
Photo: Mary Subialka
As a loyal fan of chicken, I also ordered the Brick Roasted Half Chicken, which the menu describes as lemon brined and served with charred broccolini and olive oil potatoes. “What does ‘brick roasted’ mean?” Our server checked on that. Turns out, there is actually a brick atop the chicken as it cooks to flatten it out a bit and lock in some moisture. It certainly worked. The chicken was delicious. The lightly crispy skin was delicate and coated with just the right amount of a slightly sweet sauce and was moist and flavorful. The attention to flavorful sauces and seasonings, from that Burrata starter to the seasoned broccolini with the chicken to the sauces with the Beef Wellington gives all these dishes we tried a step up on classics, though the Wellington had a little more oregano than Jeff prefers. The potatoes served with the chicken were awesome. While they were described on the menu as “olive oil potatoes,” they went way beyond that with the chunky cuts of potatoes a little smashed and mixed with a creamy and flavorful sauce akin to some sour cream or cream cheese and speckled with green onion slices. Jeff was also very taken with the chicken dinner and had a little entree envy as I claimed prime ownership of the dish.
Photo: Mary Subialka
We had to try a dessert, of course. We selected the Madelines, which were elegantly served with a light, lemony mousse topped with lemon zest, dusting of chocolate underneath, and a mini meringue for each of us. It was a petite sweet but tasty and just the right amount to top off a hearty meal. There were a couple desserts on the menu that had been sold out, so we’ll have to try those another time, too.
Photo: Mary Subialka
Forepaugh’s built its name as a unique destination for a variety of special occasion meals since it opened in the 1970s, and the rededicated restaurant lives up to fulfilling that niche for those with fond memories of dining there in years past and for those making new memories. It also can be a spot to stop in for a drink in the bar, on the second-floor open-air deck overlooking the park, or in the cozy nook next to the bar. The bar menu has delicious-sounding food options including the Irvine Park Burger, which is made with a mix of Waygu, brisket, and chuck beef, a fried chicken sandwich, calamari, rosemary-garlic fries, warm olives, and more.
Photo: Mary Subialka
The restaurant can accommodate 200 diners throughout its various dining areas on different floors. The renovated spaces features cozy cushioned chairs at the tables and a mix of decor that embraces the Victorian-era heritage—such as a sprinkling of vintage portraits, books in a case, and elegant chandeliers—while bringing in modern elements, such as little lamps at each table and cool wallpaper above the fireplace in the bar so you won’t feel like you’re dining in great-grandmother’s house.
Photo: Mary Subialka
And we can’t talk about Forepaugh’s without addressing the ghost in the room—or rather “ghosts.” Notoriously believed to be haunted by not only a 19th century former domestic worker named Molly, who is said to have purposely fallen to her death from the third floor, there are also a number of other spirits who roam the property, including perhaps one who has more recently “moved on”—but not very far. Sugimura shared some tales with us about recent occurrences that gave me a few chills. During renovation, evidently a man working on the HVAC system heard someone talking when no (living) souls were nearby. On the fourth occasion, when this voice told him to “get out” he obliged, leaving the area shaken. There is speculation that it was the ghost of former chef Kyle Bell who passed away unexpectedly after a battle with the flu right before the restaurant closed in 2019. The area where the HVAC worker was trying to do his job was evidently interfering with what was once the chef’s cooking line. And some expert ghost hunters who came calling last fall managed to get the name Michael from a 7-year-old boy who was then asked to move a ball in the physical world, which he did, and the demonstration sent chills to Sugimura. Other tales throughout the years have included workers who closed up for the night, having turned off the lights, only to look back after leaving to see a light had come back on. The night we were there, the manager, who had dined there decades ago, said he saw a shadow move along the wall that night where there hadn’t been a person nearby it. And Molly’s Table is a frequently requested spot to dine, as tales of odd occurrences with the windows have intrigued believers. A little search online will lead you to more tales if you’re interested.
Whether you lean in to the spirited world and are drawn to Forepaugh’s by tales of hauntings, or you just like a delightful meal expertly presented in a well-appointed and updated historic setting—or both—you’ll want to pay a visit to the rededicated restaurant for any special occasion or no occasion at all—especially with a new menu that offers a variety of choices for either scenario.
Photo: Forepaugh's
Forepaugh’s is at 276 Exchange St., St. Paul, MN.
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday: 3:30pm–10:30pm; Sunday and Monday closed
No reservations are needed, but it’s often nice, and tables can be reserved through the restaurant’s website. Valet parking is available.
