Finding Minnesota: Mancini's Char House
ST. PAUL (WCCO) -- Mancini's Char House is known for its steaks. It started out as just a bar on St. Paul's West 7th Street; a gathering place for the city's working-class Italians who lived nearby.
Today it's known as a meeting place for mayors, state lawmakers, sports stars ... and working-class families.
Nick Mancini opened this place in 1948.
Eventually, his mother starting serving up a little food and then in 1956 steaks were added to the menu.
Pat Mancini is one of Nick's son's. He described the cooking method they use on the steaks. It's one that is used in parts of Italy.
"We have big, open hearth grills in the dining rooms. It's the form of a lava rock, it's kind of a clean charcoal that sits on the bottom grates and the flames come up and as they sear the steak, the steak will drop juices, creates smoke, hence the flavor, the char," Pat said.
He and his brother John now run the place that his father left behind when he died in 2007.
At his funeral, thousands of people turned out to show their respect. His hospitality was his legacy.
"Some people can't believe it's been three years since he passed. For some people, it's like yesterday," said Pat.
It's not just the hospitality and the food that has kept families coming back year after year. It's the atmosphere.
Pat said his father loved taking trips to Las Vegas and wanted to recreate that vibe in his restaurant.
"He always wanted to create a lounge room that was reminiscent of the Rat Pack era with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin. The time he really loved, when Vegas had the show rooms. So he kind of created that with the lights and the tiers," Pat said.
Although the Mancinis were hoping Sinatra himself would come to open up the lounge room in 1987, they happily settled for singer Tony Bennett. He still stays in touch.
The restaurant has found a way to take their steaks on the road -- the family helped start the group Serving Our Troops.
Since 2004, they've made trips to Kosovo, Iraq as well as military bases here in the U.S. to grill steaks for Minnesota National Guard members, and even their spouses and kids here at home.
John has traveled overseas and nationwide with the group to oversee the grilling.
"The soldiers would come right up to us and say 'Can I have steak?' And we'd ask 'How'd you like it?' Then they would say 'What?' and I'd say 'You can get it any way you'd like it. So I would give them medium-rare. Rare.' They thought it was the greatest thing. We did all the Minnesota troops plus the other troops that were on the base," John said.
Although 62 years have passed and a lot has changed, the focus on hospitality is still strong.
"It is what we do and it's no big, complicated secret. You treat people like they were in your living room. That's kind of what we're about," said Pat.
You may not know that Mancini's has its own wine label. You'll find a red and a white on the menu from Cannon River Winery. You can also buy it at a few stores around town.
