Kafe 421 [MSP]

[Brad Ballinger]

I don't venture into Dinkytown much. I venture there even less for dinner. But my wife and I have season tickets to the U of M dance series. That means I park once (in the multi-compartment lot between 4th and 5th and 13th and 14th) and walk 5-10 minutes to Northrup Auditorium. We usually eat at Shuang Cheng, which is consistently excellent. But we decided to try a different place recently, Kafe 421.

The menu is all over the place. That's not good or bad. It just is. Overall, there is probably something of a Mediterranean-Asian theme, but that doesn't affect every dish. We were with another couple. They split a starter course of mussels in a saffron broth. The mussels were wonderfully tiny (the big ones don't have consistent or as good flavor as small ones IMO). My wife and I split an eggplant appetizer -- breaded, fried eggplant topped with a Caprese combo and drizzled with too much cloying balsamic.

For entrees, two people ordered the scallops with coconut risotto. The scallops were cooked very nicely, and the risotto had both coconut milk and coconut. I'm not a coconut fan, and only had a taste, but the risotto was cooked well. One other person ordered the grouper special, which she though was a little bland in its preparation. I ordered the bouillabaisse, which I think had the same broth as the mussel appetizer. The salmon in it was overcooked, and there was something that was like faux crab or faux squid, which was a disappointment.

Prices for entrees were in the teens, starters in the single digits. The wine list was okay -- almost everything under $30. I was able to find a good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the list. The place was crowded, and had a wait list of 45 minutes when we arrived for our 6:00 reservation on a Saturday night. The space has a small dining area in front and a larger area in back separated by a bar. When I made my reservations, I asked for a table in the back. We were shown to a table that they should really remove -- sandwiched between a railing and the kitchen door. But because we had tickets for a performance, and there was a long wait for tables already, we didn't complain. Our server was knowledgeable and eager to recommend specific dishes.

For the next performance in the dance series, I'll probably be back at Shuang Cheng. But Kafe 421 is okay as a backup -- although I may go with salads or sandwiches next time and see how they do with those.