painting of a woman at the spoon bridge and cherry sculpture
When the wind is whipping and the snow starts clawing at your shoes, all you want is a door to a little sunshine. And so it was the other day, as that early snow fell, that I found myself happily tucked into Marna's Eatery in Robbinsdale.
cafe interior
Marna's inhabits the space where Travail started (moving in when Pig Ate My Pizza vacated). In fact, the booth that we sat in was from the original Travail, so were the stools and a few other things. In another fact, the person sitting across from me was Mike Brown, also a relic of Travail.
From the back of the room looking toward the street
From the back of the room looking toward the street.
Rolando Diaz is the Costa Rican chef who originally opened Marna's Cafe next door, but expanded it into this space as Marna's Eatery just about a month ago. Named for his mother, it's bright and friendly, with high-tops, booths, and tables, plus a full bar. Nathaniel Smith, who's team just won Iron Bartender for Travail last month, has worked on this drink menu. The vibe feels like Birdtown taking care of Birdtown.
the bar of a cafe
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus all flow together with some common items, but Diaz mentioned that they were working on launching a new dinner menu very soon. Still, it feels like a good flow between dishes that come from his hometown, and dishes meant to appeal to his new town.
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container of pickle trio
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Patacones
Patacones
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Yucca fries and guac
Yucca fries and guac
First of all, every table has a pot of house pickled things holding it down, and that's such a good treat to be welcomed by. There are plenty of plantains on this menu, but Diaz mentioned it was getting hard to get the really good green ones for patacones, which are mashed and fried green plantain cakes with poblano yogurt and black beans. I'm hoping he finds a fresh source, because I could eat those a lot. But also, the outerly crisp and innerly fluffy yucca fries with a perfect guacamole.
over easy egg on toast with a side of guacamole and hash browns
You can find some classic Costa Rican plates, like Arroz con Pollo and Casado, but we tucked into the Gallo Pinto, which felt like brunch. Seasoned black beans and rice are topped with a beautiful fried egg and nestled with avocado, sour cream, sweet fried plantains, and a tortilla aliñada (a little cheese stuffed tortilla, my friends). My fork was chasing perfect bites all over that plate. It's so simple, yet so satisfying to have a perfect assemblage of beautiful ingredients like this together.
But yes, there is a burger. And it has a story. Mike Brown egged him on to tell it, and it feels like not for the first time. Diaz was applying for a chef position at a place up north and was asked what he would do to remake the menu. He talked about a few ideas and generalities, and they mentioned there should be a burger. He agreed, and they asked him to do an audition menu. He would have to bring over everything he needed to make a few sample dishes for the management. That day, as he was furiously prepping his ingredients for some of his more dazzling dishes, one of the mangers came into the kitchen to see what he was making. When he detailed some of his dishes, the guy wondered, where was the burger? "I thought they meant that they wanted a burger at some point on the menu, not that they wanted me to make if for the audition. I didn't have anything for a burger. They had to run across the street to the market to get me some beef and buns." As Diaz looked around at his ingredients he just improvised as fast as he could. He grilled some of the pineapple, took a curry cream sauce from another dish, threw it together with some spice, some bacon and a few other things slapped together, then sent the burger out ... without even tasting it.
bacon cheeseburger with caramelized onions
"I realized after it went out that I had no idea what that was going to tase like. And then, of course, they loved it! They came back in and gave me the job, and they said I got it because of that burger." Of course, he's worked on it a bit since then, "I had to go back and try to reverse engineer it, because I wasn't totally sure I remembered everything I had put on it!" The perfected patty is on the menu as the Front Burger, and it's a mind-blower for sure. The beef is mixed with chipotle which obviously boosts the flavor, but it also gives it a softer texture. The burger is layered with caramelized onions, crisp bacon, that lucky grilled pineapple, bizarre but wonderfully placed Swiss cheese, and a drippy lashing of curry cream sauce. You'll need napkins. The play in your face rides from smoky to sweet, spicy to rich, careening all over the map. You can't quite get a handle on it, but you can't quit it either. I'd give him a job too.
shrimp bowl with rice and veggies
You know I love a good burger, but I'll be back to see what he's bringing out for his new dinner menu. We tried some coconut rice that was aromatic and light, and a shrimp and rice dish he's still working on: bits of diced pork in that fragrant rice with shrimp and spicy, fresh flavors.
slice of pie
And if you go, you have to get the cornbread, which is more like custard cake of corn than anything. Yowza.
So head up to Marna's in Robbinsdale for a bit of sunshine on your plate. I'm definitely going back to see what Costa Rican dishes show up on the new dinner menu, and maybe indulge in another panic burger, or two.
Marna's Eatery & Lounge, 4154 West Broadway Ave., Robbinsdale, marnaseatery.com
