From the Star Tribune - 10/21/04
by Rick Nelson

Hybrids Are Blooming

...

Where northeast and southeast Minneapolis meet, Dean Schlaak and Tom DeGree, partners at home and at work, wanted to create the kind of gathering place that they were drawn to when visiting other cities. At their Wilde Roast Cafe , the couple has somehow transcended the worn-out cliché of "creating community" by actually doing just that; the place buzzes with discussion groups, speed-dating nights, book-club confabs (having the delightful Query Bookstore next door is a major asset) and a flurry of other salon-style events. The demographically diverse customer base reflects how the welcoming Wilde Roast -- named for gay literary icon Oscar Wilde -- is not a gay establishment but one that happens to be gay.

A big lure is the warm atmosphere, which acknowledges Wilde's Victorian roots without retreating into kitsch. The cozy aura is the result of a well-balanced blend of dark mahogany woodwork -- an ornate fireplace mantle, eye-catching pillars, a stained-glass skylight, all century-old salvage -- and deep colors, overstuffed furniture and period light fixtures. A full house doesn't generate a conversation-stopping noise level.

The intelligent and affordable wine list (two-thirds of the bottles are $22 or less) is another plus, with 22 pours by the glass (average price: $6.50). If the counter-service menu doesn't share Zeno's self-assured sense of style, it still saunters beyond the ambition zone of most coffeehouses. Golden raisins, apples and a zingy ginger barbecue sauce put a tasty twist on a pulled-pork sandwich. Tender, lumpy crab cakes are paired with a punchy harissa-cilantro sauce. A hearty mac-and-cheese makes for an ideal rainy-day meal.

The Caesar format gets tweaked with smoky bacon and a pungent Gorgonzola. A beaut of a pizza, one of 11, is topped with brie, candied pecans and roasted apples. The popular breakfasts include a crispy buttermilk waffle, an artichoke-red pepper frittata and French toast so deliriously decadent it approaches Enron-like levels of overindulgence. Most items are under $7.

Sweets are where the kitchen really sparkles. There's a tart Key lime pie, marvelous fruit crisps, towering layer cakes and dense cheesecakes, sour-cream coffee cakes that rival my grandmother Gay's and a fudgy brownie so cravenly dark that it should be served with a recording of Darth Vader's labored breathing. That's me, buying one -- OK, two -- for the road whenever I'm in the neighborhood, because, like Wilde himself, I can resist everything except temptation.