MSP Best: Wise Acre — Gas Up on Good Eats

Wise Acre

I was in Minneapolis last week for my Goddaughter Audrey’s 1st birthday. I left 70 degrees and sunny in NYC for 40 degrees and snowy in Minneapolis — in May — it’s been a long winter in the land of lakes. So when the  clouds cleared on Sunday and the mercury leapt to a warming 65, we did what any wise person would do — we left the party cleanup behind and headed to brunch.

Converted gas station

When you first pull up to Wise Acre you may think you’re stopping by to fill-up on gas. This charming farm to table destination resides in an old converted gas station where large garage doors provide a flood of natural light, and a wall of climbing plants softens the otherwise industrial space.

The menu features a few good reasons to get out of bed and promotes a wise philosophy of food sourcing: the shortest distance between the earth, the hand and the mouth.   Ingredients come from Tangletown Gardens’ 100 acre farm in rural Plato, MN where Scottish Highland Cattle, Berkshire and Large Black hogs, and free range chickens, ducks and turkeys live stress-free, hormone-free lives with plenty of room to roam. And the masters behind the stove spin these fine ingredients into memorable dishes like a Fried Egg, Ham & Cheddar Sandwich with stone ground mustard, homemade pickles, farm potatoes and homemade ketchup . Also a hit — the CSA Hash, with farm vegetables, egg & herb scramble, cottage bacon, herb aioli and toast.

Wise Acre Brunch

The service was true to midwestern reputation — if our waiter wasn’t working so hard, I’m confident he would have pulled up a chair and become a new friend. I wish I could transport Wise Acre back to New York with me — it would easily go head to head with any of my local favorites. So the next time you’re passing through MSP, make a pit stop at Wise Acre, brunch ’til the cows come home and thank me later.

Charlie Brunching