After punk-rock restaurateur Leslie Bock’s country club application was rejected, she decided to create an alternative, populist, Northeast-style version of such an institution in the former home of her popular Psycho Suzi’s, which relocated down the street in 2010. Set in the fictional village of “Mexampton,” Betty Danger’s Country Club features fake animals, a mini-golf course, astroturf carpeting, and the iconic Ferris wheel everyone’s been talking about, called “the Danger.”
Commitment to the “country club for the 99%” gimmick is complete, starting with the staff, who play the role of the naughtiest kids at prep school: mischievous and well-heeled, pairing plaid hair bows with nose rings.
Danger’s “Mexampton” cuisine combines elements of Mexican food (enchiladas, stuffed and grilled tortillas called “melties,” and taco varieties dubbed the Parker, Winthrop, and the Muffy) with accent notes straight from the Hamptons (the “Foxcroft,” red wine braised beef over mashed potatoes with romano cheese, is one of the best things on the menu).
Cool the buttery-hot Cast Iron Shrimp with one of the six margaritas on offer. Or wash down the Kingsley (a beer-braised chicken enchilada topped with chili-habanero sauce) with a pint of Northeast craft brew—both the Bauhaus Wonderstuff and Indeed Day Tripper are on the tap list.
Or head straight to the Danger, where $29 gets you a meal and a drink to enjoy over the course of a 30-minute ride (weather permitting). Despite its name, the Danger feels remarkably sturdy, even on the gustiest of days. The only real danger is losing your grip on your phone as you snap pics of the glittering Mississippi below—or on mundane reality as you float merrily above it in a weightless, whirling dining car, margarita in hand.
2501 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis,
612-315-4997, bettydangers.com
