Saint Anthony Main is a lovely part of Minneapolis. It’s the oldest part, the brick streets and buildings surrounding the mills that first represented the city. There’s a small movie theater and a selection of restaurants, plus plenty of park area to explore along the river. If the weather is right and you are inclined to wander a bit, there’s a dramatic dam overlook and a couple of bridges to cross, all with good views. There are festivals in the summer, and decorative lights in the winter.
My first few times to the area, I ate at Pracna on Main. Famous to some degree for being the oldest restaurant in Minneapolis, the dark space was always frigid, and the food mediocre. Being well located and having a claim on history only gets you so far, and that restaurant recently closed. It was disorienting to eat subpar sweet potato fries in a place that opened in 1890.
Just down the street – and the hallway, actually – is the Aster Cafe, a gentleman’s tavern to Pracna’s medieval pub (or so I imagine). The brick walls and exposed beams must be just as old, but the temperature is warm and the dim light is charming. The bartender when I last visited was wearing a jaunty vest, and the servers were friendly. Assorted lampshades are scattered around the room, reminding me of evenings at my grandmother’s house. I chose a cocktail 
from their generous list of options, many of which have witty names and contain bitters or fernet. The Daylight Spender is a concoction of apple brandy and orange bitters and mint leaves, among other delights, and I would heartily recommend it. I was leaning towards the Beer Cheese Soup (a common enough offering in this part of the world, but theirs is served with Smoked Paprika Popcorn!), but I was won over by the soup of the day: the Steak Chipotle Chili was heavy on vegetables, while still true to its name.
Sometimes there’s live music, which is absolutely delightful if you like a venue that feels like a living room (it so happens that I do). There’s also a pleasant tree-filled patio, which is a truly lovely place to have lunch in warmer months. Not so many places provide equal parts cozy-fall-evening and leafy-summer-afternoon, with delicious food and clever drinks to match. Aster Cafe is one of them.
Photo Credits:
pajamasquidblog.com 