Friday, November 8, 2013

Bloody Mary Review: Ike's


Place: Ike’s Food and Cocktails
Location: 50 S 6th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402

Day: Friday, November 1, 2013
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Temperature: 48 degrees
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

While enjoying the cusp of ‘Fall to Winter’ in Minneapolis some friends and I decided to stop in at Ike’s.   I’ve heard inspiring stories about Ike’s Bloody Mary’s, so my feet were more than willing to journey inside.   Ike’s is nestled just down from Lyon’s Pub (Bloody Mary Review April 8, 2012) and Murray’s steakhouse.   There’s a limited amount of street parking if you are lucky enough to capture a meter and ramps close enough nearby where the walk wouldn’t be too far.







Inside is very much the style of a pub that has been around for years.   This being a lunchtime visit, we stood a while in the doorway elbow to elbow waiting for a table to open but not an exhaustive amount of time.    The service was exceptional, from start to finish.   The greeter was courteous, the wait staff pleasant, and this while in the midst of a lunch rush.

Bloody Mary time!


The lunchtime Bloody Mary isn’t as extensively loaded down as the large version I’ve heard of which appears to have everything from the pyramid of nutrition in it.  This, the lunchtime version came with 2 ‘dilly beans’, a lime wedge, a celery stalk, an olive and a spicy banana pepper.   No pickle?   The beer chaser in the picture was assumed and arrived with the drink.  It was a light beer, which is really to say, it was almost water with a beer flavor.  Perfect.   And the Bloody Mary verdict ... Spicy Goodness!   The flavor of this mix seemed a bit watery at first, but as always, a little bit of a stir and the blend was most excellent.   This may not be a drink for the bland at heart.   Don’t get me wrong, the spice level wasn’t at DEFCON 5, ( for those of you who remember a time when DEFCON 5 meant something ) but it did have a kick to it.   Just the right amount to keep the flavor level right where it should be, yet just possibly enough to require an antacid chaser.   On the rim of the glass I noticed an oddity I hadn’t seen before —or at least don’t remember seeing— two types of salt, each lining it’s own side of the glass.  I asked.   One was celery salt and the other being just plain salt.  Interesting option.  Celery salt being the more preferred of the two.



With the drink I ordered a side of fries.    They weren’t the crispy crunch you may find at most restaurants or fast food diners, however, the flavor was absolutely worth the order.   They are a bit on the greasier side, but recommended just the same.  ( Those who know me well though, know that fries are just my gateway item to get to my blessed ketchup )

The meal was toped off with a gift of Dum Dums and cookies.   Not wishing to disturb the delicious aftertaste of ketchup I was euphorically enjoying, I refrained from these.



As we prepped to leave, the waitress pointed out a sign on the wall relating to the Wizard of Oz. The quote is from Rick Polito of the Marin Independent Journal printed in Northern California. He wrote this single-sentence summation for the Wizard of Oz,

"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again."

It may be hard to read in the photo, but it's the one right above the "fist to nose" quote.


End results:
Location : B
Parking: Street metered
Bar/Restaurant Appearance: A
Staff: A
Bloody Mary Appearance: A
Bloody Mary Extras: B
Bloody Mary Itself: A
Price: $8.00