Craftsman

I had the good fortune to eat at Craftsman recently and was thoroughly pleased with my dinner. I was in Minneapolis basically for a day and my "tour guide" sister--Jean--also a vistor though a frequent one, guided me to Craftsman for dinner--I'm so glad she did because the meal we had was very nice.

We started off by perusing the beer menu (this is Minnesota, after all!). They had a number of good beers on the menu and we each had several of the ales. So very good! For an appetizer, we started off with the Pork Rillettes. Pork had been slowly cooked in fat, then shreeded and cooled to room temperature, much like a pate. It was served with sone crostini and apples and mustard. I will point out that, whatever the mustard, it was superior, I loved it. The rillettes were very good as well. 

I ordered a side salad to go with my meal, and it was properly served before the meal as I'd requested. It was a salad of mixed micro greens, dressed with a delicious mustard viniagrette and a splash of pea oil. It was delicious. The spicy bite of the greens was complimented well by the mustard and vinegar flavors. I loved it!  

In due time, our main courses arrived. And boy, did they arrive! My sister Jean ordered the Leg of Duck Confit. Wow, it was outstanding! The duck was amazingly tender and flavorful. It fell right off the bone. It was extremely flavorful. The duck confit was served with a Potato Onion Gratin. This too was very good. you could taste the potato, the onion, and the cheese/cream that bound it all together. The dish was fininshed with some more of the aforementioned pea oil and a bit of the duck jus. It was very good and I'm happy to report that Jean cleaned her plate!

For my entree, I had the Grilled Pork Chop. When it first arrived, I suspected it may have been overcooked, because it seemed a bit difficult to cut. But as soon as I took a bite, I knew I was mistaken. The pork was wonderfully cooked, tender and flavorful and not at all overcooked. It was served with some buttermilk pureed potato--that could have used a bit of salt, it was a bit bland. And served with some horseradish creamed greens. Though they had a good flavor, the creamed greens were just a bit on the tough side--somewhat normal for greens but still just a bit tough. 

Overall, we had a great dining experience here at Craftsman. We sat outside right at dusk on a pleasant summer evening. Our service was attentive and fast, and the food and atmosphere were both excellent. If I lived closer, I think I'd be here a lot, it was that good. Definitely good eats!