Restaurant Review: The Bachelor Farmer, Minneapolis, MN

Another summer weekend gone, but what a beautiful one it was!  I hope your was wonderful as well. On a recent work trip to Minneapolis, I had time for one dinner downtown with my coworker/travel buddy.  I enlisted the help of one of my teammates who formerly lived in Minneapolis, and with my teammate's help selected The Bachelor Farmer in the North Loop neighborhood.  This restaurant was opened in 2011 in one of the old brick warehouse buildings that has been completely renovated.  The menu changes daily, but consists of fresh, often locally sourced dishes that honor Minnesota's Scandinavian heritage.  They even have a rooftop garden where they grow herbs and vegetables!  Check out the photos of our amazing meal below:

The Bachelor Farmer did not have a large sign, only simple lettering on the door.  You could have easily walked right by it without knowing it was there, and that made me feel like I was "in the know" about a super secret spot.

One unique thing about The Bachelor farmer that I really liked was this chalkboard.  Customers had the option to purchase a half bottle of any bottle of wine on the menu that was not normally served by the glass, and then the wait staff would write the name of the bottle on the chalkboard with check boxes for the remaining glasses available.  Then, any other customer in the restaurant could have the opportunity to purchase a glass of wine the wine listed on the chalkboard that they would not otherwise have been able to try by the glass.  I really like this concept!

I picked a 2009 bordeaux called "Grand Poujeaux," a cabernet/merlot blend from Chateaux Dutruch in France.  We purchased as a half bottle, and then other customers purchased the remaining glasses while we were dining.  You're welcome, random strangers who also had the opportunity to enjoy this fantastic bordeaux!

Radishes are a common ingredient in Scandinavian dishes, and The Bachelor Farmer served complimentary radishes with flatbread, butter, and salt.

There were many delicious appetizer options, but we chose a vegetarian dish of shaved summer squash, kohlrabi, burnt butter, toasted almonds, Parmesan, and wood sorrel.  It was fresh, summery, and delicious.

The Bachelor Farmer is known for its toast dishes, so of course we had to try one.  I chose the pork shank terrine, cherry tomatoes, arugula, and terragon aioli.  I was not disappointed!

 The toast for the pork shank terrine was served in this cute little toast tray!

For a main course, I chose the old-water beef brisket with duck fat potatoes, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, purslane, and red wine vinegar.  The presentation was not fancy, but the brisket was so tender and flavorful!  The combination of the beef, potatoes, and veggies was perfect.

The Bachelor Farmer gave customers their checks inside little red guestbooks.  They took these pages and pasted them all along one large wall where the restrooms were located.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading through these little pages while waiting to use the restroom, and I hope that ours will be added to the wall too!  We made sure to add some Seattle images: the Space Needle, an evergreen tree, and the Seattle Great Wheel.

If you are in Minneapolis and have the opportunity, I definitely recommend dining at The Bachelor Farmer.  My coworker and I had a fabulous meal, and it definitely seemed like a restaurant that would thrive in Seattle.  Check out their website if you are interested in learning more about the restaurant or menu:

http://thebachelorfarmer.com/

I hope you enjoyed this review, and thank you for reading!