The Rake Magazine

If Alex Roberts opened Rotisserie Brasa to prove a point, he has definitely succeeded. Everybody likes the idea of eating locally and sustainably, but the rap against organic-sustainable local restaurants like Roberts' Restaurant Alma is, we are not going to save the planet by eating that way if most people can't afford $25 entrees.

At Rotisserie Brasa, in a former gas station remodeled (with help from Shea Architects) to look like a Caribbean chicken shack, Roberts applies the same planet-friendly approach at a much lower price point. Only two meats are offered: marinated rotisserie chicken, and a slow-roasted glazed pork shoulder. The chicken (from Kadejan Farms in Glenwood) is moist and juicy, but the real star is the fork-tender and succulent roast pork (from Six Point Berkshire Pork Cooperative in Cottonwood). Individual dinners cost $11 for a smaller portion of roast pork or a quarter chicken, or $13.50 for a half chicken or a larger portion of pork. (larger portions for sharing are also available.)

Roberts has Louisiana roots, and the basic menu structure is a variation on the Southern tradition of meat-and-three: the price includes a choice of two side dishes from a list that includes collard greens, sweet plantains, yellow corn grits with cheddar, rice and pigeon peas with locally smoked ham, and several more. I grew up on a lot of this kind of cooking in Little Rock and New Orleans, and Roberts' rendition of the sides is about as good as it gets: the corn grits with sharp cheddar is creamy and rich, and the sweet potatoes with andouille sausage are the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

A limited list of wines and beers are available.

Brasa Premium Rotisserie, 600 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis.

Alex Roberts' much-awaited new restaurant, Brasa Rotisserie, opened today at 11 o'clock in the former Betty's Bikes and Buns location, at 600 E. Hennepin in northeast Minneapolis. The food is locally sourced and organic, as it is at Brasa's high-class sister restaurant Alma. But here you will find a mix of Latin American, Peruvian, and Creole cuisines, served cafeteria-style and priced accordingly. And while fans of Betty's may flock to taste the slow-roasted pork, rotisserie chicken, grits, rice, beans, and sweet potatoes, even old regulars won't recognized the space. Roberts worked with perennial restaurant design company Shea, Inc., to convert the former service station into a faux-Caribbean shanty with a large, shaded patio. Roberts must have called in powers even greater than David Shea to order today's weather. Dinner service begins at 5.

Somebody famous once said, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. The city inspectors took one look at the kitchen of this cozy little wine bar and cafe in the warehouse district and said, if you can't vent out the heat, don't put in a fryer, or grill. So chef-owner Scott Davis has had to create a menu that can be prepared with a minimal kitchen. They do offer a few hot items, including thin crust pizzas, and a white bean vegetable soup, but most of the menu is no-heat or low-heat, and perfect for summer: an antipasti plate of cheese, cured meats, olives and nuts; a spinach and arugela salad with marinated tomatoes and feta cheese; a grilled portabello sandwich with red peppers and provolone. The crostini, open-faced sandwiches with toppings that range from black olive and Italian tuna to avocado, tomato and Serrano ham, are a great deal at $1.50 each. The wine list offers some interesting choices by the glass, including a Prazo De Roriz Douro ($7.50 / $30) from Portugal, and a Sollner Danubio Gruener Veltliner ($6.50/ $27) from Austria.
Open Tuesday to Thursday 5-11, Friday and Saturday 5 to midnight, Sunday 5 to 11 p.m. Closed Monday.
415 N. 1st. St., Minneapolis,612-333-4305.

Partners in the Sample Room announced today that they have promoted Peter Macaroni to executive chef. Macaroni worked at La Bec Fin in Philadelphia and Barlays in Atlanta, before coming west to serve as executive chef at Tiburon. He's been sous chef at the Sample Room for a few months now -- which, so far as I'm concerned, is the most important squib on Macaroni's CV. I happen to have taken a group of people there on Father's Day: bottles of wine were half-price (as they are every Sunday and Monday night), the service was spot-on, and our food was fantastic. I had a roasted vegetable salad with Stickney Hill goat cheese that managed to be simultaneously light, earthy, and filling. And I recall that night commmenting to my friends that the Sample Room -- long one of my favorite spots in the Twin Cities -- just keeps getting better. Maybe that's Macaroni's influence and the upswing will only continue. . . .Boaters should know that the restaurant is opening the Rockway Docks in mid-July. Forget Highway 94. Soon, you'll be able to ride the Mississippi directly to the Sample Room, walk up the bluff, and claim your table.

La Belle Vie is hosting its first Bring Your Own Bottle dinner next Monday night, June 25, and it's almost completely sold out: just one table for two is still available. Chef Tim McKee is creating a special $95 five-course menu for the event, and the restaurant will waive its usual $30 corkage fee. To grab that last spot, call the restaurant at 612-874-6440; to be notified of future BYOB dinners, send an email to lbvreserves@labellevie.us.