park café

this local bistro is located in downtown duluth. the entrance could be worked on somewhat. i was confused as to where to go because the front of the restaurant is a winery and attached to the side is yarn store. yeah i'm not so sure why it's there either, haha. anyway, the restaurant is housed in a century-old flat, and the interior is b-e-a-utiful. each room is furnished uniquely. the lighting could have been a little brighter or it could have been because it was cloudy that day. we wanted to dine outside, but it looked like it was going to rain so we got a window table. when i first looked at the one page menu, i thought, "that's it?" but even with the scant of choices, the decision was hard. everything on the menu sounds so good! the descriptions really made my mouth water. we started off with an appetizer. but we still couldn't make our decision so the chef had to come out and make some suggestions. the food is marvelous here. ingredients are choice, taste is immaculate, and the recipes are simple, yet very refined. the amount of food they give is good for your money's worth, taking into account the quality of the ingredients and impeccable preparation. park café is the perfect place for a light and fresh lunch. you will leave feeling satisfied and determined to come back! i am definitely going back to try the fried green tomatoes and the spicy she crab bisque.

the menu (if this picture is not obvious enough for you)

some hobo i picked up. he was hongry so i bought him food. teehee.

the view from our window of the outside patio

appetizer: trio tasting of dips

beer cheddar fondue, vidalia onion bake, spinach and artichoke dip

comes with these fried chips that you can dip with. beer cheddar fondue was okay, the onions in the vidalia onion bake were very sweet, and the spinach and artichoke dip was my fave. very creamy, yet the ingredients were distinguishable from each other so i knew it was freshly made and had not been sitting in a fridge all day and microwaved to order. a bit pricey but the serving size was huge. you can share this with 4+ people and be satisfied. we shared between 2, and it was wayyyy too much.

what i ordered: salmon BLT

grilled salmon, smoked bacon, spring greens, tomatoes, basil mayo, whole wheat bun

salmon was grilled to perfection. melts in your mouth but enough texture to feel like you're actually chewing and not drinking soup. bacon was prime and crispy. i don't really like regular mayonnaise not only because it's pure lard but because i had a bad experience with mayo a few years ago. so i wish they used another base for the basil mayo because the basil taste was very sharp and aromatic. i loved it. but the color of the mayo was pale green. i wonder how extracted all that flavor from the basil leaves. if they had used heavy cream, hummus, or a creamy tomato base, i would have used more of it. otherwise, this BLT is mad good.

seasoned steak fries, mmmmm.

what j ordered: crab cake sandwich

crab cake with country slaw, remoulade, and spring greens

this sandwich was kind of messy because the crab cake broke apart so easily but it was delish nonetheless. it was seasoned perfectly. i didn't think the crab cake would have enough flavor but this sandwich exceeded my expectations. the remoulade is creamy and is the perfect topping to this sandwich. YOU MUST TRY THIS.

the service is great, and the atmosphere is casual, yet classy. i definitely recommend this restuarant.