Lenny Russo is Back! And Taking Over The Commodore
Eight months after shutting down his historically significant Heartland, Russo has another project.
Photo by Caitlin Abrams
The Commodore
Shocked! I am shocked. Eight months after shutting down Heartland (the restaurant that pushed the boundaries of locavore so relentlessly that it redefined local cooking in Minnesota) Chef Lenny Russo has popped up the last place anyone might expect: taking over the very pretty, but very tame and predictable The Commodore in St. Paul. You may recall that the Commodore's main claim to fame is that F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda lived there, and it's very fun to have a drink in the pretty bar. You may also recall that the food was very conventional, and unobjectionable. Which was nothing like Russo's signature boundary pushing dishes—like his sunfish ceviche, his sunflower ice creams, his smoked wild boar chops with chokecherry. I will never, ever forget Heartland's cassoulet, one of the best dishes of all time in Minnesota. But let us recall another bit of history—for four and a half years, Russo worked for John Rupp, owner of The Commodore and a great many other St. Paul properties under the umbrella of Commonwealth Properties, such as St. Paul's W.A. Frost.
Photo by Eliesa Johnson
"I can’t say enough good things about my experience at Frost," Russo told me. "That played heavily into my decision. They were always really respectful and kind, and they gave me a lot of room." In those years he transformed Frost, then dowdy and underperforming, into a big league player. Is that what he'll be doing at Commodore? Russo told me his main plan right now is to get in there, meet people, and see what systems can be tweaked on the road to getting private dining up to speed. Russo's wife, Mega Hoehn, a sommelier and former co-owner of Heartland, will also be joining up to run the bar program. If everyone plays well together, Russo told me, there are some very interesting long-term projects that Commonwealth is involved in that should be coming down the pike. "I can't say anything," Russo told me. "But they're big. They'll take ten to fifteen years to come to fruition. If they happen, it'll be an exciting opportunity long-term."
Well, that is certainly interesting. Look for Russo's stamp on The Commodore's fall menu, and let's all extend a hearty congrats to Russo, Rupp, and all of St. Paul: That's a whole lot of historic St. Paul restaurant mojo coming in under one roof.
