It was a smoky Saturday night when my friend and I made our way to Matriarch, the new plant-forward bar and restaurant from former Fig + Farro owner Michelle Courtright. (She’s also the owner of low-dose THC company Jane, which just opened a posh-looking space next door.)
Of course we chose to sit on the roof.
If you’re familiar with Uptown, you’ll know why. The roof at 1601 West Lake Street may be one of the most underrated in town. You can spy on sidewalk diners at Barbette, watch cyclists zoom up and down the new bike path, observe foot traffic from above, and stare at a huge lawyer billboard, mere feet from your table. It’s a lot of fun.
The rooftop itself has seen better days, however, but with a little love it will get there. To reach this high summit, your host will guide you out the restaurant’s front door, take you around the building through the back parking lot, then up the kind of rickety wooden stairs all the old third-floor apartments in the area have in the back. Now that’s Uptown charm! But also: Don’t make your elders climb those stairs, choose inside if you bring them. They have A/C.
Once there, you’ll be treated to those Uptown views, as well as some ladders and a ream of fake grass hidden behind the bar shed. The table we were seated at was the only one with shade: a triangular tarp that our very helpful waiter had to slouch under whenever he wanted to talk to us or deliver food.
We kicked things off with cocktails, opting for the Ember ($12), a tequila-based concoction with grilled pineapple, soda, lemon, and a bit of chipotle. It was tart and refreshing, with just a tad of smokiness—a perfect drink to mark the end of the day’s air quality advisory.
Next up we ordered a few plates from the “Grazing” category. As you can see, the White Bean Hummus platter ($15) was highly photogenic, and was good as it looked. Somehow the veggies, especially the carrots and asparagus, tasted like they were infused with garlic, giving them a surprising depth and warmth. The hummus was creamy, light, and delicious, with the sumac, olive oil, and hazelnuts giving each bite a new variation.
The pita bread was great, too. Crisp outside, airy with just the right chew inside.
The Sweet Potato Planks ($13) came topped with a tahini lime butter, black sesame seeds, and herbs. These were good and carby, but definitely needed more of the tahini sauce—fortunately we used them to scoop up the rest of the hummus.
For round two of cocktails I tried the Heart Spark ($12), a watermelon black pepper shrub with Aquavit. Our waiter told me that I was in for a ride, warning it would “taste like Thanksgiving.” What arrived was as advertised on the menu: a vinegar-forward bevvy with refreshing watermelon notes and a hit of black pepper in the back of the throat on the way down. Tasty! (But now I wonder what holidays at his house taste like.)
Next up was the Forager Flatbread ($21), a rustic shareable with tons of ‘shrooms and spinach atop that banging pita bread. This thing was savory in the best way possible; the wild mushrooms were buttery and garlicky with sprigs of dill adding a fresh zing. There was also a vegan herbed ricotta ball that tasted like nothing and was unnecessary.
Matriarch’s offerings are a big departure from the gut-busting Italian dishes formerly found in the space, which once housed Pinoli, Giorgio’s, and Amore, Victoria. (And, to be fair, there is a tiny “Pasta” section of the menu here.) But Uptown is a neighborhood in flux, so it’s fluxing at 1601 Lake too. And the change is good; 20 years ago a plant-forward place would be a novelty (remember Ecopolitan on Lyndale?). At Matriarch, you can eat vegan or casually add a fried egg to any item you’d like. Or even go gluten-free. The dietary restrictions are blending and coexisting, peacefully.
Change is also ever-present. When I asked our gracious server how things were going he noted that staff changes meant that offerings could be tweaked soon, with new additions and some subtractions. That’s too bad; nothing we tried on Saturday night was a dud. But that’s sometimes how the flatbread crumbles. I just hope they at least keep that pita bread.
Matriarch
Address: 1601 W. Lake St., Minneapolis
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
