Lat 14
Don't get me wrong, I love me some 2 a.m. pancakes, but if every closing Perkins could get such a makeover as this one, I would be a happy nosher. Lat 14 has completely overhauled the former Perkins off of Hwy 55 in Golden Valley (just across from Kare11), and the restaurant they have planned is going to fill a much needed hole in the area.
Chef/Owner Ann Ahmed in front of a mural in the restaurant.
Anne Ahmed is the owner and chef who grew up cooking in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother, which led her to open her first restaurant Lemon Grass Thai in Brooklyn Park. After 13 years of killing it there, she's branching out to GV. Lat 14 will take what she's perfected at Lemon Grass and boost it with new and thrilling dishes she's discovered on her travels. Ahmed and her team will be cooking across borders with dishes inspired by Thai, Laotian, Filipino, and neighboring cuisines. Obviously the bounty of food that lives along the 14th latitude of the globe is a good place to draw from.
"We'll do small plates, lots of things from the grill, shareable things so that everyone can explore and taste around the table. You can get around the world in 45 minutes," Ahmed laughed when we talked. "It's not fusion, not a mashup. Dishes will be distinctive to their cuisine, but we're not going to get stuck on authenticity either. You can find national dishes that vary from house to house in Thailand, we're just going to cook the best and most flavor packed food we know." Dishes that you'll find include grilled Khmer herb marinated steak satay, Khao Soi Luang Prabang (pork and tomato stew, with wide rice noodle, Thai herb salad, bean sprouts and lime), and catfish mok in banana leaf with lemongrass and dill. "One of our most important parts of opening has been training. It is so important to us that the guest feel comfortable exploring dishes they've never eaten, so we need to make sure our service team is armed with all the information."
And GV needs a bit of a flavor boost, in my opinion. "The city seemed too hectic for me," Ahmed commented, "And since Lemon Grass has done so well in the suburbs, we aren't afraid of opening out here. There's tons of parking, the local government has been great in helping us, and there's lots of people driving by every day!"
While the menu clearly comes from her heart and mind, Ahmed has brought on a pretty stellar team to help raise the level of the game. With Thai and Cambodian roots, Chef de Cuisine Josh Walbolt spent time working in NYC with Iron Chef Morimoto, before coming back to MN to work with both Alex Roberts and Gavin Kaysen. Hong Kong native Michael Yuen cooked alongside his own grandmother, though was lastly a sous chef at The Lexington. Tate McAllen opened Bellecour and cooked at Spoon and Stable before coming to Lat 14.
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Beverage guy Tommy Goetz
You can tell, they are not messing around. Lat 14 wants to be an upscale eating adventure with cocktails and all the trimmings. The bar program is being created by Tommy Goetz, who has just returned to the U.S. after spending three years in Norway, where he launched a brewery, a gastropub, and a coffee company. I popped by while they were testing cocktails, and he mentioned that all the drinks are going to be made to compliment the flavors of the food. He mixed up two to sample. One was a refreshing Beefeater and cucumber-ginger drink that you could imagine cooling down any after burn from a goodly spiced dish. And the second was a gorgeously purple drink called Anchan. It's a gin drink made with lemongrass syrup and the butterfly-pea flower (known as anchan in Thailand), which gives it the startling hue. Both were stunners and really drinkable with the dish that Ann threw together to support the drinkers. I'm truly hoping that's on the menu, too.
The obvious talents of chef Ann.
You'll see more about the dishes and drinks in coming days, but get ready for some global adventure in Golden Valley. Opening for dinner on September 18, with lunch coming on October 1st.
UPDATED WITH MORE PICS!!!
kitchen and communal table
private dining
bar area
delicious crab puff
pineapple bacon fried rice
Lat 14, 8815 7th Ave. N., Golden Valley, 763-400-7910, lat14.com
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