Grotto Dining

One of my favorite restaurants in the world is a vegetarian place called The Red Avocado in Iowa City, Iowa, that occupies the bottom half of a duplex facing Washington Ave. It’s dim and mostly windowless inside. The food is hot and very spicy. It’s definitely an acquired taste: not only do you have to go prepared for cumin, black beans, and miso, you also have to be in a cave-dwelling mood.

The same goes for 128 Cafe, the little sub-ground restaurant on Cleveland Avenue in St. Paul that reopened in November after closing for five months and being acquired by a new owner. To be honest, when it first shut down I assumed 128 was being renovated, because the interior is pretty dated with its primary color painting and wood-paneled walls. But in fact, new proprietor Jill Wilson believes that’s part of the restaurant’s charm. And it seems the staff and neighborhood regulars — both of whom came back — thought so, too.

Wilson, a former employee who went on to become manager of Cesare’s Wine Bar for a time, agreed to buy 128 from original owners Brock and Natalie Obee after they had a dispute with the building’s owner last year. She closed the place to get all the paperwork in order and "freshen it up" with new carpet and paint. But she left the Ice Storm-era grotto mostly intact.

She also managed to woo back chef Ian Pierce, with a promise that he could experiment more than during the previous reign. Today’s 128 menu includes old favorites, such as BBQ ribs and roasted garlic bulbs, but Pierce has added several upscale items — pan roasted duck, grilled flank steak, and egg nog creme brulee — as well.

A couple of my fellow faculty members from Macalester dined at 128 recently and gave it a hearty endorsement. "Of course, it has the wood-paneled decor of someone’s basement," said writer Don Lee. "But the
service was great, and the food was tasty. I had the braised pork,
which was moist and tender, and my friend had the duck, which hit the
spot for her."

My favorite part of this place, though, is the miniature 4-seat bar, where you can get a glass of the J. Vidal Fleury Cotes du Rhone or a Renwood Viognier for $7. And there’s nothing cozier on a cold winter night than warm meat, good wine, and a little cave hulled out under the snow. Even better if it reminds you of your childhood basement, circa 1974.

Call 651-645-4128 for reservations.