DeRusha Eats: Workshop
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Twin Cities-based Kaskaid Hospitality is in the middle of some major changes.
The company behind Crave is expanding to Las Vegas in the next couple weeks, and thus is remaking menus at all of its restaurants.
To do it, they've hired a well-known chef, and Saturday Jason DeRusha Eats in his "Workshop."
It is a very busy kitchen at 8th Street and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.
Even on one of the four days that Workshop isn't even open.
"My job is to come up with ideas and work on ideas for the company, and this is my home base," chef Stewart Woodman said.
Workshop is Chef Stewart Woodman's restaurant, but it's also the test kitchen in his job as the new Culinary Director for Kaskaid Hospitality.
One of their dishes is dehydrated golden and red beets. Fried and puffed like it's a pork rind.
It's $3.
"It's one thing to have an idea, and to kind of flesh it out. But when you really get the guest interaction, guest experience, you're really figuring out if it's as good of an idea that you think it is," Woodman said.
Kaskaid Hospitality is the company behind several Crave restaurants, Boneyard in Uptown and whatever Figlio becomes in St. Louis Park.
In this kitchen, Chef Woodman and Chef De Cuisine Josh Hedquist work with flavors that may show up in those other spots.
Another one of their dishes uses an artichoke leaf. Guests scrape the meat of the vegetable with their teeth and then eat a gorgeous piece of pasta.
Almost everything on the menu is priced in between $10 and $15!
"So, we're able to do something here because we have the nightclub. Because the rooftop is so popular and so busy, we're able to offer this price point here and invest in it because it's an investment in the whole company," Woodman said.
For $4 you can have a grilled scallop in a blueberry glaze and coated in Rice Krispies!
"What makes your mind say, 'I'm going to put Rice Krispies on a scallop?' It seems kind of ridiculous," DeRusha asked.
"A lot of whiskey," Woodman laughed.
Seared Foie gras on top of pickled vegetables for$9.
A warm lobster salad topped with fennel and lobster sauce.
Enjoy it at Workshop - the nation may soon see it at Crave.
"We think we're coming up with great ideas," Woodman said.
Workshop is unlike any other restaurant you've been to.
It's only open three nights- Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.