The Loring Pasta Bar

THE LORING PASTA BAR DINNER Fall 2015 Minneapolis SMALL PLATES ARTICHOKE RAMEKIN baked casserole of broken hearts and spices, garlic toast 8 SALT ‘N PEPPA SEA SCALLOPS red potato, pancetta, lemon beurre blanc 10 CALAMARI FRITTI roast pepper aioli, soy 8 WINGS OF DESIRE boneless chicken wings, Ethiopian-spiced bbq sauce, bleu cheese 8 SALSA ITALIANO burrata mozzarella, chèvre, roast garlic, focaccia toast, olives 9 BOURBON MUSSELS jalapeño, basil, cilantro, tomato, bacon, whiskey and cream 10 SALADE SAUVAGE spring greens, bleu cheese, candied walnuts, pears, raisins 8 EGG ROLL SALAD Rainbow Chinese Restaurant chef Tammy Wong’s famous egg rolls, radish sprouts, enoki mushrooms, arugula, citrus vinaigrette, fried taro chips 9 GREEK SALAD romaine, iceberg, poached egg, romano and feta, tomato, oregano-lemon dressing 10 ASPARAGUS, PORTABELLA & POLENTA rosemary, sage, corn, sweet pepper, malt vinegar, mozzarella, gorgonzola 9 TORTILLA PIZZAS arugula, marinara sauce, onion, tomato, fresh basil, mozzarella, truffle cream 13 portabella mushroom, garlic cream sauce, pancetta, onion, parmesan, gouda, mozzarella 13 PASTAS served with small salad SPAGHETTI CARBONARA prosciutto, ham, bacon, garlic, cream, chilies, peas, parmesan, egg 18 BEEF SHORT RIBS RISOTTO shiitake mushrooms, balsamic syrup, parsley 19 "LITTLE EARS" green beans, button mushrooms, lemon, garlic, fresh thyme 17 CARNITAS FETTUCCINE slow-braised pork shoulder, fresh made fettuccine, jalapeño, olive 18 SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALL jumbo meatball with marinara rosa sauce 16 MUSHROOM PENNE gorgonzola, cream, raisins, pine nuts 18 SEAFOOD SPAGHETTI shrimp, scallops, mussels, crab, saffron cream, squid ink spaghetti 20 MAC ‘N CHEESE the classic, with broccoli 14 TORTELLINI IN BRODO large bowl of homemade chicken soup, veggies, pesto, cheese filled pasta 12 MAINS COFFEE CRUST LAMB LOIN raspberry burgundy demi-glace, mushroom and eggplant risotto 23 CHICKEN PICCATA lemon, caper, sherry, red potatoes, green beans 22 PORK TENDERLOIN carrots, onions, maple and cider vinegar, dried fruit, acorn squash mash 22 GRILLED SALMON with BOMBAY MINT SAUCE curried vegetables and mashed potatoes 22 DRY-AGED NEW YORK STRIP STEAK - 10 oz. shiitake mushrooms, green peppercorn & brandy demi-glace, choice of potato 27 THE LORING PASTA BAR started as the Loring Cafe, founded in 1986 in the Fawkes Building, the luxury new car showroom palace of the 1920’s and 30’s where Oldsmobile, Cord, Rolls-Royce and other new “liverymen” of the day lined up to display their “horseless carriages” overlooking Minneapolis’ then named Central Park, (now Loring Park). Half a century later the shiny automobiles were gone, high-tailed to the suburbs, and the Fawkes had become a derelict mass of crumbling rococo granite and terracotta waiting for the wrecking ball. When the fledgling Loring Cafe staff banded together in 1987 and spoke to the Minneapolis City Council of the promise of the restaurant they had just helped to open, and what might be possible if, instead of tearing down the Fawkes and other buildings along Loring Park to make a hole in the ground for a suggested new development that “might be funded”, the Loring Cafe suggested that the Fawkes be allowed to remain, at least until the funding actually materialized. The funding never did come through, but the Loring Cafe certainly did, and the Fawkes became well known once more, this time as “the hottest, hippest” block of “urban renaissance” to emerge within the Twin Cities at the close of the 90’s. The Loring Cafe was founded by actor/director-turned-cook Jason McLean. Over the first 16 years the Loring Cafe grew from a 60- seat bistro styled restaurant serving “Eclectic, Adventurous Cuisine at Reasonable Prices” (nothing to cost above $10), to open the Loring Bar in 1989, in a small neighboring space in the same Fawkes building. The Bar was mismatched and “funky”. Antique chairs and tables, overstuffed sofas, venerable paintings, tapestries, all put together with a je ne sais quoi; “like having communion in an old curiosity shop”... This was the beginning of what was to evolve into the Loring-style; a certain tension between ravaged opulence and the threadbare; barely concealed decadence, theatricality, and the quaintly homespun. As additional spaces became available the Loring grew arms and legs to fill them. In 1991 the 150 seat Loring Playhouse opened, and for the next 10 years served as home to Ballet of the Dolls, Eye of the Storm Theater, and the Loring Playhouse Theater Company, thus fulfilling McLean’s dream of uniting the theater of the stage with the everyday theater of his bar and cafe. Then, in 1994, The Loring Design/Build Guild, a small team of builders headed by McLean, now schooled in creating durable public spaces with outside-the-box whimsy & stagecraft imagination, began work on the remaining and most magnificent of the spaces on the park-side of the Fawkes. Out of stone & old world brick, vaulting arches flew up, floor-to-ceiling casement windows were hand- crafted overlooked the pastoral beauty of Loring Park’s ponds and ever-changing theater of seasons. The kitchen of this new space would be in the dining room; the cuisine was to be center stage; an “amalgamation of degustation & drama”; quite literally a restaurant IN a theater. And though the Loring Cafe is no longer the tenant of the spaces it breathed life into and made famous, the vitality of the Fawkes Block lives on. New generations of guests come to experience and catch at least a hint of the “bohemian” scents, the personality that once was. The relentless progressive innovation, the legends of music, of block party festivals, rooftop saxophone serenades, the alley courtyard, the "kitty litter" bar, enormous tables covered by Persian rugs & the hijinks under them, the free-wheeling experimentation of a “handmade/non-franchised” personal touch so rare in these days of corporate conceptualization and control--these characteristics were vivid during those storied 16 years, and the imprint, a bit faded today, is yet still evident. But the story is far from over! In 1999 the Loring build team set to work on the most ambitious project to date, the former Campus Drugs building, across the river in Dinkytown. Taking nearly 2 years, “what are they doing in there, using Playskool tools”, one journalist smirked, the long anticipated Loring Pasta Bar opened in March of 2001. Now entire floors were removed, the existential constructs of the building were entirely revealed, the vestiges of centuries disclosed and invitation to examine and to imagine offered; much more than just food was on the menu. And the selection of the Dinkytown location was, in part, a conscious mission to introduce this alternative vision of community life, the role of an iconoclastic cafe as catalyst to the minds and manners of the ever self-replenishing student-centric community of the University of Minnesota. The space and the style is intended to be alternative to herd trends. And once more, an emphasis on being “affordable”, so that remarkable efforts are shared, access is assured, and an invitation is made to include a broad community, even those who are less fortunate or on a tight budget. Further projects proceeded: the Kitty Cat Klub—a music club and laid-back lounge; The Founders Lobby of The Music Hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire—an A.I.A. award for excellence in design, the nearby Varsity Theater—national music concerts and private events hall; Loring Cafe | Oakland, California, and shortly, CAFE INK, a coffee shop collaboration with Lunalux letterpress printers and stationers, back on the Fawkes Block, next door to the original Loring. Yes, the Loring is indeed “More Fun Than a Circus”... We all hope you enjoy your visits and please do come often. September, 2015 .

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