Welcome back to Five Things, Racket’s recurring rundown of new, new-to-us, or otherwise notable Twin Cities restaurants.
Today we’re taking you to Little Bird Delicatessen, a new Kingfield sandwich shop and gelateria from restaurant industry lifers Alison and Steve McMullen. Located in the itty-bitty space at 38th and Nicollet that most recently housed Abang Yoli, Little Bird is serving up massive sammies, pints of gelato, and even some snacks for canine visitors. Here are five things to know before you go.
1. Meet Miles, Roman, Charlie, and George
At Little Bird, you’ll find hot sandwiches like the Johnny ($18), with pork and ricotta meatballs, and cold sandwiches like the Charlie ($19), with three kinds of Lowry Hill salami. All of ‘em—George, Finn, Brooke—are named for kids in the McMullens’ lives.
“And then we tried as best we can to pair the sandwich—the older kids we gave a choice, but the younger kids we sort of went, ‘What’s the vibe of the kid and the vibe of the sandwich?’” Alison McMullen laughs. The kids love it, unsurprisingly; her friends’ little guys, Charlie and George, come in and “act like they own the place: ‘I’m Charlie of the Charlie.’” (Hey: A triple salami sandwich makes sense for a kid with a big personality.)
For our part, we enjoyed the Eddie ($16), which is like a classic club with avocado, crispy bacon, and tomatoes so fresh and juicy you’ll wonder where they’re getting them in the winter. And I’ll be back soon to reorder the Wesley ($17), a flavor bomb with garlic-porcini roast beef and a series of spreads: horseradish, whole grain mustard, chimichurri.
2. Let’s Talk About the Patisserie 46 Dutch Crunch Roll
All of Little Bird’s sandwiches are served on a Dutch Crunch roll, which, visually, my partner compared to the Italian herb and cheese bread from Subway. But that crackly texture on top isn’t cheese—Dutch Crunch bread, a popular sandwich vessel in the Bay Area, gets its stripes from a special paste that’s applied as the dough rises. And it's not something you’ll see in Minnesota, like, anywhere. Alison and Steve wanted bread with a little crust that was still soft inside, and they worked with Patisserie 46 to develop this recipe. (Little Bird also sells the bread, if you want to take some home.)
They’re working with lots of local purveyors here: Cured meats come from Lowry Hill Provisions, the chicken is from Wild Acres, the honey is sourced from a woman in Brainerd who makes small batches with her grandkids. And yes, that sourcing is reflected in the prices, but these are also huge sandwiches. You could comfortably split one with a friend—or, speaking from experience, eat half, play 90 minutes of intense pickup broomball, and then eat the other half.
3. Oh Right: Gelato!
“Yeah, yeah,” you’re saying, “but what about the sweets?” Little Bird was a gelato brand first, and its cute little cartons have been available on a wholesale basis for a while now. But rather than going bigger (more wholesale, less personal), the couple wanted to stay small (more guest-facing, less anonymous) which is how they decided on opening a small neighborhood sandwich shop.
Little Bird’s gelato case sadly arrived busted—and hey, it’s a little cold out there for frozen desserts at the moment—so it’s pints only for now while they work on getting that replaced. Once the summer rolls around, the plan is to stay open a little later so folks can take an after-dinner or post-tee-ball stroll over for a scoop. (The black and white cookies also looked divine.)
4. There Are Treats for Non-Human Visitors, Too
“Little Bird” is the nickname the McMullens use for one of their dogs, and they knew they wanted four-legged guests to feel welcome at their deli—hence the big glass jar of complimentary dog treats that sits out on the counter by the register. “We just love dogs,” McMullen says. “And, honestly, we have so many chicken livers from the Wild Acres chickens … It's a good way to use chicken livers.”
My pup Knox’s English is limited, but he seemed to enthusiastically enjoy one of the crunchy, liver-y dog treats I grabbed for him during our visit.
5. It’s Counter Service, Emphasis on Service
The McMullens have worked in some of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities and beyond, Steve in the kitchen—most recently helming Porzana in the North Loop—and Alison as a front-of-house leader. They want Little Bird to reflect that high-end hospitality, bringing surprise and delight and warmth to every short interaction in their sliver of a space.
How do they do that? Well, if they overhear that there’s a birthday, maybe they’ll slip in a cookie and a note. When a guest recently mentioned that her cat had died, she left with an extra pint of gelato. “Anything we can do to bring that type of hospitality—that sort of ‘plus-one hospitality’—into this very small, quick-service space, is, I think, important,” Alison says.
Little Bird Delicatessen
Address: 3749 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
