Wild about Wilde Roast

Saturday night. Hungry. Really don't want to cook.

Aha! The Bulldog. I think I'll get that turkey and avocado sand...Crap. No parking nearby.

I know. How about Brasa? Well, their parking lot is full also, but it only fits 8 or so cars on a good day, and there are no meters on the streets around it. There's one! I think I'll get the braised pork and...Whoa! There are more people standing in line waiting for a table than there are actually seated.

OK - new plan. Wander the street until I find someplace that will feed me. As I headed down Central towards University, I passed Wilde Roast coffee shop. Thinking nothing of it, I just kept going until I passed the window and looked in to see that people were actually using silverware. And drinking wine. I may have found a coffee shop that I could frequent. I think I'll give it a try.

The first thing I notice when I walk in is the heavy curtain protecting the patrons from the outside air. While I have seen that done before, I haven't seen it done in a coffee shop before. Then, there was the large portrait of Oscar Wilde, the inspiration for the shop, above the bar. That, coupled with the nice fireplace and comfy-looking chairs made me really want to like this place.

The dinner that I ate there fell quite short of amazing. Actually, it was only a little bit above mediocre. Initially, I ordered the Pot Roast, only to find out that it had been removed from the menu a long time ago, they just haven't updated it in a while. So, I moved on to the turkey meatloaf ($12). It was a very moist meatloaf, and every couple of bites exploded with flavor. Unfortunately, every couple of bites is just not good enough. The garlic mashed potatoes really didn't have any flavor, and couple that with the bland mushroom gravy and it was a recipe for disaster. The plate did come with vegetables, which were cooked correctly. The best move of the night on my part was to get a slice of carrot cake to go. The cake was moist, and the frosting was delicious. It was worth the $6 that it cost.

As I mentioned, I really wanted to like the place, so I felt that I had to give it one more shot. Just maybe not at dinner time. So, when Jennifer mentioned that she had a class assignment to spend a couple of hours in a coffee shop and observe the atmosphere, I knew just where to go.

I got the Breakfast Burro with sausage ($8.50). Basically, as you may have guessed, a breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, and sausage. It was quite tasty. However, I was not a huge fan of the salsa that they tried to serve with it. All of the components tasted good, but they were way too heavy-handed on the garlic. Raw garlic first thing in the morning is not something that I am a huge fan of. Jennifer ordered the waffle with blueberries ($5.00) and a hot chocolate. Both of which were top of the line. The waffle came with real maple syrup, not something straight out of squeeze bottle.

The crowd in Wilde Roast is quite diverse. They do seem to be quite popular in the GLBT community, with what looked like many write-ups in Lavender magazine. There were artists, business people, students, and many other random people, many of them working away on their laptops or catching up with old friends. It is a great place to go and just hang out. It did get a little bit noisy during the lunch rush.

In the end, Wilde Roast is a great place to hang out or study, or even drink coffee. If I were to go back during the evening, I would probably stick to the sandwich or pizza. But I can definitely recommend the breakfasts.

Overall: 2.5 out of 5

Ambience: 4 out of 5 (Did I mention the fireplace? And dark wood paneling.)

Noise: 3 out of 5 (5 being the loudest)

Service: 2 out of 5 (Order at the counter, like any coffee shop. Food is delivered tableside. Drinks can be picked up at the bar)

Website: www.wilderoastcafe.com

Address: 518 Hennepin Avenue East, Minneapolis, MN