What a difference a chef makes!
Patrick Atanalian is now in charge of the kitchen at Sanctuary, and the cuisine at the Washington Ave. hideaway is dramatically improved. It's a reunion for the talented Marseilles-born chef and Sanctuary's managing partner Michael Kutscheid, who first worked together back in the mid-90s, when Kutscheid owned Kapoochi's, one of the most innovative restaurants of its time. After a dishonest employee bankrupted the restaurant, Kutscheid went on to become a familiar face as a manager at Oceanaire, Martini Blu and Babalu, and Atanalian went on to work at the Loring Café, Vintage, A Rebours and Le Cordon Bleu's culinary school.
Atanalian became notorious for such cutting edge culinary pranks as beef tenderloin with plantains, pepperoncici, sweet mango rum sauce and a Coca-Cola crème fraiche, and halibut with a gummi bear crayfish broth. He plays it a bit straighter this time around, but there is no lack of invention in the current Sanctuary menu. Among the highlights of my most recent visit: starters of carpaccio enlivened with white anchovies, a candied lemon fennel salad ($8), and a Napoleon of crisp taro root, roast mushrooms, sundried tomato tapenade and a mascarpone mousse ($6). The lamb shank braised in coconut curry ($19) and the glazed salmon with sweet and sour potato wontons ($23) were both delightful, but there is a lot more on the menu that I would like to try - including the duck confit risotto croquettes, the salad of baby frisee, salmon gravlax and goat cheese, and a chateau of sirloin with lobster reduction and potato cakes ($25).
Kutscheid says he plans to start offering a prix-fixe $35 five course tasting menu Mondays through Thursdays, starting next week, with an optional flight of four selected wines for $12.
One little annoyance to mention: to park on either side of the building, you have to pre-pay an automat, which reportedly is fussy about accepting credit cards or paper money - so bring along $3 in quarters.
Sanctuary, 903 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis 612-203-5058.
I've been to Sanctuary twice for dinner and once for drinks now since the chef change ... each time was outstanding! We've tried most items on the menu ... and all were outstanding. The pork reads as a fairly standard dish, but the smoked bacon consumme brings the dish to a transcendental level. A sign of the quality of the kitchen is the nuances in each sauce. Can't wait to try the tasting menu!!!