Ever since I heard about the impending arrival of Parka in Minneapolis, a new restaurant near my home, I have been impatiently awaiting its opening. Wednesday night the wait was over, and I was thrilled to experience the fantastic atmosphere, delicious food, and tasty beer on Parka’s opening day — all of which I’ll cover in this Parka Minneapolis review.
Review of Parka in Minneapolis
When you arrive, be sure to take in the laid-back, hip atmosphere of the restaurant, which gets much of its decor (chairs and cups, for example) from Forage Modern Workshop, a cool shop with unique furniture and a modern vibe and atmosphere.
Start your culinary journey with one of three beer choices from the Minneapolis-based Indeed Brewing Company. We imbibed a Day Tripper pale ale and a Stir Crazy winter ale, and both were delicious. We absolutely love that this restaurant serves local beverages.
Appetizers at Parka
If you’re tempted to skip the appetizers, don’t. The succulent rabbit meatball hoagie was the best dish of the night. The moist, flavorful meatballs are served on brioche-like bun from Rustica Bakery — another local source — and topped with a divine apricot mostarda and pistachio aioli. The salt and vinegar beet chips that accompany the hoagie are a winner. This food was unique as I’ve never, ever eaten rabbit much less in a meatball; nor have I ever tasted beet chips. I love trying new things, and this is the place to do it.
Main course at Parka restaurant
For my main course, I ordered the beer can chicken. The chicken was moist and tender and served on a bed of popcorn grits. Being from Texas, I’m picky about my grits, and these were really good. The salad with roasted red peppers was a nice touch and well put together. The one thing I didn’t love about this dish was the bitter flavor of one of the sauces. Another minor point was that the chicken could have been more flavorful; it was a bit plain. But overall, it was still a tasty dish. I think I just expected a little bit more given how impressed I was with the appetizer.
My partner in crime loves ribs so she ordered them. Parka’s glazed spare ribs did not disappoint. The kale was sparse but tasty, and the vermicelli pudding was basically a fancy mac and cheese — in a good way. It was put together nicely.
Dessert at Parka in Minneapolis
For dessert, we ordered the apple cobbler with cheddar ice cream. Check out that presentation. The cobbler had good flavor and wasn’t too sweet, which I appreciated. The cheddar ice cream had a good texture, but I think it would have been even better if it were cheesier. Overall, a tasty dessert. I never even heard of cheese ice cream before. It was so interesting, and we would both definitely order it again.
Have you tried Parka Minneapolis yet? What was your favorite dish?
Parka in Minneapolis address
4021 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55406
http://parkampls.com/
Hours: Weekdays 7AM – 1oPM and weekends 8AM-10PM
We enjoyed visiting Parka in Minneapolis. It was decently priced, the service was excellent, and the wait time minimal. Since writing this piece and having been to Parka two more times, it has closed, and is now Dogwood Coffee Bar.
