The importance of being Wilde
Wilde Roast keeps Oscar’s spirit alive in Northeast
They came, they saw, they conquered: It worked for Julius Caesar, and it’s also the business plan of Tom DeGree and Dean Schlaak, partners in life and enterprise, who opened Wilde Roast Cafe close to four years ago. But it’s a quote from namesake Oscar Wilde, that notorious gay blade who turned Dublin on its ear, that explains their marketing niche: “I can resist anything except temptation,” Wilde professed, a saying that’s not only front-and-center on the menu, but highlights the cafe’s ambience. This eatery is the (ahem) wild card on this stretch of East Hennepin where the blue collars of Nordeast meet Southeast’s hipsters.
DeGree and Schlaak both were new to the restaurant business (Schlaak, full-time general manager, came from the construction industry, while DeGree is a teacher), but they saw a niche and determined to serve it. The gay community had few venues other than bars in which to meet and greet, and Boom! had recently pioneered across the street. Oddfellow’s and a GLBT bookstore adjoining the cafe were soon to follow (both are now closed), so the welcome mat was out. Yet, says Schlaak, Wilde Roast draws “lots of straight allies—fairly progressive people, who want us to survive.”
Never mind progressive, let’s talk coffee: Commuters of every stripe peel in for their daily fix starting at 7 a.m. Then come the office meetings and the business lunches, followed by a progression of real-estate agents and their clients scoping out the condo scene. Later, hungry patrons eat dinner in the company of social groups grabbing a sofa to sip wine and chat. Artists drift in to hang their photographs and paintings, dates of all persuasions are drawn by the comfy atmosphere and modest prices, and seemingly every laptop in the zip code has staked a table during off-peak hours.
In other words, the sweat equity has been paid off. DeGree and Schlaak laid the tile floor, affixed the handmade woodwork and wine cabinet, and scoured nearby antique shop City Salvage to complete what they tag as an “updated Victorian” look with chandeliers, an iconic fireplace, a piano that once held pride of place in the parlor of Schlaak’s grandparents, and the exposed brick wall of what used to be a turn-of-the-century hotel next door.
The counterful of baked goods is made from scratch in a kitchen the size of an apartment sofa—but are they good! In fact, influential foodie mag Bon Appetit asked for the recipe for the Bete Noire chocolate cake, and featured it smack on the cover of the September 2006 issue.
These days, the menu is in the able hands of Chef Jeff Robinson, whose resume includes The Birchwood and The Modem—so it’s no surprise that he’s adding meatloaf to the menu of what Schlaak calls “creative comfort food.” Not to worry: The town’s best crab cake (more crab than cake) and the cafe’s original tuna melt, hold the mayo, aren’t going anywhere.—Carlo Waldemar
Come see Heather O’Neil at sing her blues at the cafe on December 6th.
We asked you to fill out a survey on the cafe several months ago and more than 70 people did. THANKS!
We have listened to what you said, we no longer have scheduled weekly music (people asked for a more of a meeting space) and our NEW MENU is ready. Jeff looked over the survey and revamped the menu to meet your requests. You will find the return of our PIZZAS, additional vegetarian dishes (you need to try his VEGE BURGER) and some bigger dinner style dishes like POT ROAST and PORK LOIN. Come in and taste away.
