I strolled across Loring Park last night and popped into Nick and Eddie simply because I saw activity through the windows there. Turns out it’s not technically open to the public yet. They were having a “friends and family” night, and I’m neither. But the practicing staff were nice enough to let me have a look around. It’s a stark black & white space with weird bulbs on stems that protrude from the walls and poke out every which way. The tables are pressed against the walls, so there’s a wide open area in the middle — big enough for people to dance. And what luck. . .I can’t speak for the food just yet, but the sound system in this place is incredible!
It’s called High Emotion Audio, it’s sound science engineered by a couple of Nashville, TN, audiophiles, and Nick and Eddie non-owner Doug Anderson (his wife, Jessica, along with chef Steve Vranian, are the official principals) explained that the music at their restaurant offers “sound that travels at a different rate” from any other place in town. All that black décor? It’s really yards and yards of speakers: 120 mid-range, 120, tweeters, and 24 sub-woofers. This means the music has a rich, ribbony quality; it travels above and below the buzz of conversation. But it never, somehow, interferes with the frequency our voices occupy.
To me, a meal is about so much more than food. I’m auditory and olfactory: sounds and smells affect my restaurant experiences, perhaps as much as the taste of what’s on my plate. Give me a crisp fall night and a woodfire grill, an open kitchen issuing plumes of garlic, olive oil, and white wine. Give me the high emotion sound of 24 sub-woofers putting out music you can hear in your blood and your chest, along with easy, intimate conversation in a crowded room. Give me that any day.
Nick and Eddie, 1614 Harmon Place in Minneapolis, will be open to the public October 19.
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