Jack Riebel, bringer of heat

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Butcher and the Boar

When we came out with Butcher & the Boar originally, the idea was to create a unique dining experience. We wanted to offer something you couldn’t get anywhere else.

Chef Jack explains “Not only in town, but, you know, ultimately the aspiration is that you want to be this national restaurant. You want to have recognition for a style, a voice, or a thing that you do and I think to me that was the inception [of Butcher & the Boar].”

At Butcher & the Boar, one thing that’s unique,especially for the Midwest, is that we definitely like to add some spice to our cuisine.

Chef tells us that growing up, he in fact ate very bland “Minnesota spice” food. “If you had cracked pepper that’s been on the table for a month that was considered spicy. It still is spicy for my dad.”

Through world travel and eating ethnic food, Chef developed a craving for these spices and big flavors. Why do we offer dishes that focus on bringing the heat? Chef says “Let’s give it to Minnesotans, let’s give them a chance, we don’t really have this here so I think it’s fun. Anti-Scandinavian cooking if you will.”

Bringing a taste of the delta to Minnesota

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Butcher and the Boar

If there’s an inspiration behind the food in our restaurant, it’s the concept of Americana cooking. We wanted to sit down with Chef Jack Riebel and get the good word about our cuisine from the Boar’s mouth itself.

“He tells us, “I love the cuisine of the United States. I’m a bourbon drinker, I love apple pie, and I want a hot dog.”

There’s a range of American influence in our menu from the Acadians, the Creole of Louisiana, and Memphis barbeque, right down to the heavy German influence in Minnesota.

“When we were just starting out, we thought why don’t we do all that?…

..Growing up in Minnesota, the river’s considered dirty , yet, at the same time it’s one of the greatest resources of our country… for me I think it’s really cool if we can bring some of that to Minnesota.”

Our menu will inevitably evolve, but we’ll keep some items true to our original influences and offer some authentically unique cuisine to the Twin Cities.

Brew corner: Our beer philosophy. Not quite a gastropub.

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Butcher and the Boar

What thought went into the beer program at our restaurant? We’re back with Ben Knutson, resident Cicerone, on our final day in our tour-de-beer at Butcher & the Boar.

The beer program in general was a very integral part of the restaurant, so we felt it was pretty obvious to have a reasonable selection of creative, interesting, American micro brews.

As Cicerone Ben Knutson puts it, “Beers are chosen seasonally based on the food that we’re serving, intermittent weather, and chances to highlight new and exciting ideas coming from the micro brewing world… pretty well rounded in our selection, but I like to focus on the ingenuity of modern American beers.”

Get ready for next week as we talk with restaurant owner Doug van Winkle about the inception of Butcher & the Boar.

Brew corner: A fall for sour and wild ales

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Butcher and the Boar

As we’re coming into the fall season (see our previous post about our fall beer intro,) we got to talking with our resident Cicerone Ben Knutson about the fall beer lineup.

One of the beauties of the fall season is a greater selection of sour and wild ales.

An important aspect with these blends is they require a dedicated line for serving as they will infect a line with the wild or sour component of the beer - -and yes, Butcher & the Boar has a dedicated line.

Make sure to stop in and talk to Ben about what he has in store, as well as some of the unique fall selections that are coming in – a delight for your palate is in your future.

Brew corner: Choosing the lineup

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Butcher and the Boar

It’s no secret at Butcher & the Boar that our beer taps are stocked with top of the line domestic brews. With 30 taps available, some serious decision making comes into play. How do we choose which beers make the cut? We decided to ask our resident Cicerone Ben Knutson a few questions for the curious about how he chooses which beers to keep in stock.

So Ben, how do you choose which beer makes the cut?

Ben: “First off, our craft list is entirely American craft beer. We put an emphasis on high end and rather established breweries, but at the same time will help support a lot of the local breweries that are popping into the market now. Really, my emphasis is not locality, but entirely quality. I focus on providing beers that are beers that I would not mind drinking every day of my life.”

With fall on the horizon Ben tells us to get excited for the rich and flavorful fall seasonal blends - a lineup that will perfectly match the food here at Butcher & the Boar.