Lent is here, and we all know that in Minnesota, that means it’s fish fry time.
But what if you’re looking for seafood that isn’t deep-fried or doesn’t come with the usual French fries and coleslaw?
I’m here to tell you there are some really great options out there.
Here are five east metro places to eat seafood that doesn’t involve beer batter (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
Yumi
This new spot on Selby Avenue has quickly become a favorite sushi destination, but there’s much more than that to the menu. Let’s start with the sushi, though: We are huge fans of their spectacular platters, which feature ultra-fresh sashimi or sushi in a rainbow of colors. If you’re a roll person, the whimsical house rolls are the way to go — if you like things a little spicy, the Hot Knight, with spicy tuna, dynamite mix and spicy mayo is a fun choice. Don’t sleep on the super umami shrimp shumai (dumplings) for an appetizer. We ordered some salmon teriyaki for our picky eater, who gobbled it right up.
Two locations: St. Paul (400 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-207-6810) and (217 Water St., Excelsior; 952-474-1720); yumisushibar.com
Smack Shack
Lobster rolls are the ultimate in high-end comfort food, and Smack Shack does them best. Go for either the classic cold version or the Connecticut warm, in which the lobster is bathed in butter, lemon and chives. There’s also a fried walleye or shrimp basket, or if you’re looking for something really decadent, get the rich, creamy lobster mac and cheese, which is studded with corn and topped with buttery breadcrumbs. The Rosedale Center location’s pared-down menu includes all of these, but if you’re really looking for options, the original Minneapolis restaurant is the place to go. Indulge your love of all things from the sea with oysters, mussels, salmon, a lobster cobb salad and much, much more. They also have an infrared heating system on their patio to keep you toasty and safe, so it’s very much worth the drive.
If you’re looking for takeout, the Rosedale Center spot brings your takeout to your car. No need to venture into the mall.
Two locations: Rosedale Center, 1595 Minnesota 36, suite 1030; 651-348-2632 and 603 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-259-7288; smack-shack.com
Grand Catch
If you’re a fan of the seafood boil, this Grand Avenue restaurant is the pinnacle of the genre.
You can get anything from mussels to four different kinds of shrimp to snow or Dungeness crab to the ultra meaty Alaskan king crab.
Each boil comes with red potatoes and corn on the cob, so it’s really a full meal. And we’ve found that the $55 medium catch, which includes mussels, snow crab, head-on and jumbo shrimp, is easily enough to feed three to four people. There’s also a lobster roll, a fried swordfish sandwich, lobster and grits and a few shrimp appetizers if you’re not a fan of the messy, glorious experience that is a seafood boil.
Right now, they’re running it as a counter-service operation if you eat in: Order, pick up and enjoy at one of their tables. Takeout is also available.
1672 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-348-8541; grandcatchmn.com
Mallard’s
This seafood-centric, casual restaurant now has three locations in the east metro (if you count western Wisconsin) and it’s easy to see why.
There’s sort of a fun, retro vibe to the food here (think 1995), with some standards mixed in.
You can order a battered fish fry, but also a lobster roll, seafood cannelloni, blackened fish tacos and more. My boys loved the pecan-crusted walleye with (very sweet) sweet potatoes, but I was more inclined toward the blackened New Orleans salmon topped with lump crab and served with garlic mashed potatoes.
Any way you slice it, there are a lot of affordable alternatives to fried fish here.
Dine in or take out.
Three locations: 5681 Blaine Ave., Inver Grove Heights; 651-330-1893 or 220 N. Lake St., Forest Lake; 651-272-5152 or 230 S. Knowles Ave., New Richmond, Wis., 715-246-0154; mallardsmn.com
Kyatchi
If you’re concerned about the sustainability of seafood, this Japanese restaurant with a Lowertown location is the place to go.
Sushi, yes, but also noodles and rice dishes, and plenty for the non-seafood-lover in your party, too. (We love the little chicken meatball skewers best.) As far as a non-sushi seafood dish goes, definitely try the Kaisen Yakisoba, which consists of springy noodles studded with scallops, shrimp, cabbage and tossed in a sticky-sweet-umami sauce.
Kyatchi is also the only place we know of in the Twin Cities to get pressed sushi, in which fish and other ingredients are placed in a mold and pressed into pretty patterns before being placed on sushi rice.
There’s a great Japanese whisky program, too. The dining room is currently open for limited service, or you can take your order to go.
Two locations: 308 E. Prince St., St. Paul; 651-340-5796 and 3758 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-236-4429; kyatchi.com
The Link LonkMarch 04, 2021 at 02:25AM
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Beyond the fish fry: Five great seafood spots in the east metro - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
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