By Barbara Falconer Newhall
The wedding ceremony was going to be a simple one, so there was no need for an actual rehearsal. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t have ourselves a rehearsal dinner.
We’d just call it a groom’s dinner. Jon and I would host. We’d find ourselves a fun restaurant and the bride and groom could invite all the people who’d made this moment possible (including the guy who cleverly arranged for Peter and Emily to meet up again after a long separation).
Both bride and groom are foodies, so it didn’t take them long to make a list of their favorite Minneapolis restaurants. The list in hand and reservations made, Jon and I flew to Minneapolis in January to audition the suggestions.
Each restaurant proved better than the last, and each offered at least one thoughtful vegetarian dish. If you are ever in Minneapolis, squeeze as many of these restaurants into your itinerary as you can manage. You won’t be sorry.
Solera, 900 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403. 612-338.0062. solera-restaurant.com. Small plates tapas, Spanish, with an emphasis on locally grown foods. We decided this space was way too big for our 20 or so guests, so we opted not to sample this restaurant. But the food is wonderful, according to all reports.
Haute Dish, 119 Washington Avenue N., Minneapolis, MN 55401. 612-338-8484. haute-dish.com. You pronounce it Hot Dish — as in, “I’ll bring a hot dish.” Haute Dish celebrates and updates everything Midwestern, with delectable, imaginative results. Try the Tater Tots Hautedish. Too bad the private room was just a tiny space at the back of this fun, informal restaurant; we wanted a separate room for our party.
The Bachelor Farmer, 50 2nd Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401. 612-206-3920. thebachelorfarmer.com. Bingo. This was restaurant for us. We loved the Afghan Room upstairs — so named for the colorful afghans that line the walls. And the food was perfection. The menu choices for our groom’s dinner guests included walleye, and rabbit sausages.
You can read more about getting dressed for the wedding and getting ready to be a mother in law elsewhere on my website.
That was such a fun night! So glad we picked The Bachelor Farmer. Great job on the lilacs… I didn’t know you arranged those; I thought the restaurant did since they fit in so well.
Yes, there was a lot of emailing back and forth with the florist, who had a number of ideas. But I liked the idea of lilacs; lilacs were everywhere when I was a kid growing up in Michigan, but we don’t see much of them here in California. I wonder why.
The florist works with Bachelor Farmer often, so they knew what the tables would look like — and how purple those afghans were!
Lovely! I would have chosen the afghan room, too. Love the lilacs – they smell heavenly. Congratulations to you, Barbara, Jon, Peter and the rest of the family!