4601 Grand Street
Minneapolis, MN
612-824-4441
During a whirlwind weekend trip to visit family and friends in the Minneapolis area we stopped by Cafe Ena and enjoyed an exceptional meal.
Hotel Note: If visiting Minneapolis and in need of accommodations, the Hilton Garden Inn is a superb choice (many others to choose from too.)
This charming and eclectically designed restaurant owned by Chef Hector Ruiz and his wife, Erin Ungerman, describes itself as Latin Fusion, a result of their love of Latin American cuisine and Chef Hector's French technique and presentation.
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| Cafe Ena |
Great music, beautiful ambiance and knowledgeable servers. Perfect combo.
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| Lake Calhoun |
our first order up were pitchers of ice cold sangria.
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| Sangria |
A table of six, we decided to order aperitivos and entrees and share them family style.
CARNE A LA BRAVA
Pimento crusted beef medallions served with a duo bell pepper risotto, braised potatoes, asparagus, spicy andouille sausage served with a Rioja Demi glaze. This was an insanely, mouthwatering dish. The beef was a tender medium-rare and the Rioja really rounded out this sweet and spicy Demi glaze.
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| Carne a la Brava |
Calamares
Yellow cornmeal crusted calamari served with a serrano-cilantro aioli, drizzled with fresh chimichurri, garnished with micro greens. Crunchy on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth softness on the inside. The serrano-cilantro aioli had just the right herbiness with a touch of heat.
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| Calamares |
Camaron de Caribe
Beer Battered shrimp served over a curry corn-potato fritter, with a cilantro aioli, pickled red onion, and micro cilantro. The curry corn-potato fritter was had such a unique flavor combination. This was my favorite. I almost ordered another one.
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| Camaron de Caribe |
Guacamole
Fresh avocado, yellow and red tomatoes, red onion, roasted tomato salsa, micro cilantro, served with homemade tortilla chips. A humongous tower of creamy, spicy guacamole with the freshest chips.
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| Guacamole |
ENSALADA CON QUAIL EGG
Served on a bed of mixed herb greens with a lemon vinaigrette. A refreshing, palette cleansing dish to follow this plethora of taste treats. But the surprise underneath was a flavorful, fall off the bone, portion of spiced pork loin.
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| Ensalada con Quail Egg |
PESCADO
Pistachio crusted salmon served over french lentils, squash, zucchini, crimini broth, creme fraiche, fried shallots, truffle oil.
But it was so delicious, including the lentils, that I believe we ate the photo. I can't wait to go back to Cafe Ena when I'm back in the Twin City area.
Buen provecho!
What a great trip we had and Cafe Ena was a delight! I would love to experience this restaurant in the Fall to taste their seasonal dishes
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