Dinner at the Herkimer

This weekend actually marked my first dining experience at The Herkimer Pub & Brewery, a Minneapolis staple on the corner of Lake and Lyndale. It's best known for its hand-crafted beers and a pretty fantastic happy hour menu. Oh, and pretty city art (photo snapped above with a little Instagram TLC).

Given its prime location on the bustling intersection, it's also a great spot for people-watching if you snag a spot at one of the few tables out front. Which is where Friday night found us with 68-degree temps. It may have felt more like 48 but as far as our fellow Minnesotans were concerned, shorts season was in full swing. :) 

In a rare move for me, I selected both of the appetizers for the group to share. First up: deep-fried pickles. I absolutely love fried pickles (as you may remember from my Pat's Tap excursion). Something about the combination of salty pickles fried in batter and creamy Ranch dressing just gets me every time. The Herkimer's were very good, though budding fried pickle connoisseur that I am, I would rank a couple of other local options slightly higher. 

For our second starter, we had the sweet potato fries. One of my friends loves all things sweet potato so this seemed like another easy crowd-pleaser. Served with a tasty chipotle ketchup, these were pipin' hot, salty and addicting.

For my entree, I was impressed to see quite a few meatless/seafood menu options that all sounded quite good. I was quickly swayed by the crab melt special, which came served open-faced in a creamy artichoke sauce on ciabatta, along with tater tots (in place of fries, with an upcharge). The sandwich itself was pretty good, though I poked around from time to time to make sure it actually came with some crab. And the tots? Well, the tots were get-in-my-belly awesome.

I think I might set my sights on a return visit for the happy hour in the very near future. And, my intrigue with several of the menu items will likely bring me back for dinner/lunch again soon.