Kings Wine Bar: Comfort food gone fancy
Photos: Stacy Schwartz
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Southwest Minneapolis needs another neo-bourgeois neighborhood café like 35W needs another lane closure. Between ultra-civilized spots such as Blackbird, Grand Café, Café Maude, Cave Vin, La Chaya, et al, Lake Harriet huggers seem to have more than enough places to get their craft ales, bistro-fied apps, and locally sourced brunch specials throughout the week. Fortunately, the recent addition of Kings Café, located on a not-so-hopping stretch of West 46th Street, puts a worthy new pushpin on the South Side’s expanding corner-café grid, skirting redundancy with an earnest, instantly approachable lineup of dishes and drinks.
The name: Beloved as they may be, neither Jesus Christ nor Elvis Presley provided the inspiration for Kings’ moniker. Rather, it’s a nod to the Kingfield neighborhood itself, and to 19th-century big shot William S. King, for whom the area was named back in the day.
Eat this: In its brunch, dinner, and “small bites” sections alike, Kings’ menu puts forth an array of familiar standbys smarted up with high-end ingredients and attentive flourishes. Some, like the oven-baked macaroni and cheese or the tater tots with a bacon and gruyere sauce, fall into the perennially conflicted comfort-food-gone-fancy category. Midday or after dark, the fried-egg BLT is a reliably scrumptious option. The combination of super-savory Fischer Farms bacon, gently tangy tomato preserves, fresh greens, and luscious egg innards make for an expertly balanced take on a classic sandwich, laid between slices of pleasingly spongy focaccia from nearby bakery Rustica. Other notable offerings include a cheese plate featuring the prize-winning Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a decadent lineup of Euro-style crêpes, and a light, piquant house-made catsup that rescues Kings’ fries from the American corn syrup menace.
Drink up: Increasingly easy to find all over town, Bell’s triumphantly hoppy Two Hearted Ale is one of Kings’ standard taps. For a creamier draft delight, there’s Colorado’s Left Hand Milk Stout. In bottles, you’ll find a broad but not-too-overwhelming selection that connects the dots between PBR tallboys and fine Trappist ales. Avery’s Hog Heaven Barleywine-Style Ale is a particularly welcome fall offering, and at 9 percent alcohol by volume, each 22-ounce bottle is suitable for sharing. The wine list, meanwhile, covers a diverse range of varietals, origins, and price points, including a handful of Japanese sakes.
Mom, date, or pal? With its darkly neutral color palette and sparse decor, nothing about Kings’ ambience is likely to freak out your parents. A would-be steady might be impressed by your willingness to throw down 12 bucks for macaroni and cheese, while strictly platonic posses will appreciate the ability to sample a downtown-caliber beer and wine list without the shitty parking.
Economic impact: For dinner, costs can vary greatly according to size of appetite and booze lust. Most entrées are priced between $10 and $20, with starters and sides skewing closer to $6. Brunch items go for less than $10 apiece. Tap beers start at five bucks; a bottle of wine will set you back anywhere from $18 to $80. Deal seekers will be most compelled by Kings’ happy hour, which runs daily from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday through Wednesday evenings from 10 p.m. to midnight. During those periods, tap beers and house wines go for three bucks each, complemented by a selection of cheaper small plates.
Vital stats: Open daily 8 a.m.-midnight (brunch is served 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner is served 4-10 p.m.), 4555 Grand Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-354-7928, kingsmpls.com.
