First Course: A Well-kept Secret

It wouldn’t be quite accurate to call First Course, at 56^th
and Chicago in south Minneapolis one of the most under-rated restaurants in the
Twin Cities – it’s more like, one of the most ignored. I haven’t seen a review
– or even a passing mention in a restaurant column – in years. That’s a shame,
because for culinary quality and creativity, this little neighborhood bistro
can hold its own against a lot of more celebrated establishments around town.
The level of décor might be a little minimal for some tastes – varnished
plywood takes the place of teak and mahogany veneers, but I actually find the
place quite charming, fake fireplace and all. And prices are certainly
reasonable: most entrees are under $20, with most pastas in the $10-16 range.

You can get a good overview of the eclectic tapas menu by
ordering the antipasti plate ($13.95) –
a mostly Mediterranean medley of cured
pork loin, chorizo, wine salami, Spanish sheep’s milk cheese with
banana-ginger-curry chutney, Humboldt Fog goat’s cheese with boozy cherries,
spiced pecans, marinated artichoke, oven cured tomato, Mojave raisins, and
Arbequina olives. About 10 different pastas are also featured, ranging from a
simple preparation of angel hair pasta with tomato basil sauce ($10.25) to linguini with clams, mussels and shrimp in saffron, white wine and tomato
sauce ($19.95).

The night we visited, chef/owner Travis Metzger was doubling
as waiter, and listening to him describe the nightly specials made it clear
that this was a guy who really knows and cares a lot about food. We started
with a couple of those nightly specials – field greens and roasted beets with
chopped walnuts, dressed in walnut oil with a pumpkin-infused goat cheese
($7.95), and a small tapas plate of grilled polenta, topped with a savory duck confit
($4.)

I was a little skeptical about ordering the seafood
stew ($19.50) – with no lobster on the menu, it stood to reason that the
promised lobster broth was probably the kind of soup base that comes from the
factory in a big plastic tub, loaded with salt and MSG. I still have no idea
where the soup stock comes from, but this stew was delicious: shrimp, mussels,
clams and calamari in a light but intensely flavorful broth, spiked with just
enough chipotle pepper to command your attention.

Carol opted for the Butternut squash ravioli with a brandy-gorgonzola cream sauce ($14.95), which was rich, but not as heavy as the
usual Alfredo, and served with a colorful topping of julienned vegetables.
There wasn’t really much room for dessert, but we ordered the tapas plate of
Humboldt Fog and boozy cherries for dessert, followed by a plate of homemade
truffles spiked with kirsch

There are lots of other dishes I would like to try, ranging
from the pappardelle with lamb ragu made from leg of lamb braised in red wine with
rosemary ($15.50), to the tilapia in a cornmeal crust, served over mixed greens
with roasted shiitakes, oven-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and crispy shoestring
potato ($19.95).

I’ll be back soon – most likely on a Tuesday, when every
bottle and every glass of wine are half price. That knocks the price of a
bottle of Rondel Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine, down to $9 a bottle, and a
glass of Avalon Cabernet goes for $4.25 instead of $8.50. “The idea behind
that,” says Metzger,”was to get people to drink the Stag’s Leap Cabernet, by
knocking the price down to $60 from $120, but what has ended up happening is that
people order the $20 bottle of wine for $10 – but that’s fine too.”

On Friday nights, First Course features live music, ranging
from flamenco guitar to jazz sax,
starting around 7:30 p.m. On other nights, the soundtrack is a
mellow blend of mostly jazz and blues.

Open 5 to 9 p.m.
weeknights, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5607 S Chicago Ave.
S., Minneapolis; 612-825-6900.