The October Hit List: Chip’s Clubhouse, Owamni, Boludo, and More

If you need encouragement to head to Chip’s Clubhouse, just check out their Instagram feed. It’s a lookbook of comfort food: a giant Parmesan- and pecorino-dusted meatball sitting atop a mound of red-sauced spaghetti; a double-decker mushroom patty melt sandwich stuffed with caramelized onions and cheese; an open-faced prime rib sandwich paired with pepper jack and house-made giardiniera. Chip’s will be full-on celebrating Oktoberfest this month, with an-all-you-can-eat (pretzels, pork shanks, apple strudel, and more) and drink extravaganza on October 2 and 3 — get your tickets online.

Sean Sherman and Dana Thompson are committed to revitalizing Native American cuisine. With Owamni, Minnesota’s first Indigenous restaurant, they’re taking a huge step toward that goal. Ingredient lists are bare of colonial items (think wheat flour, dairy, cane sugar, beef, chicken, and pork), incorporating instead local and heirloom foods. Part of the menu (which is in English and Dakota) is devoted to fish and game — a bison grain bowl, pulled duck tacos, a trout and white bean spread — part to non-meat dishes, like the stuffed green chile with sweet potatoes or the cedar and maple baked beans. It’s been a race for reservations since day one, so if you can’t find an opening, you can try your luck as a walk-in and hope for a seat on the extra-large terrace.

The Travailians aren’t your typical restaurateurs, so why would a night out at their lower-level bar be anything but an experience? A ticket gains you entry to a two-hour, five-cocktail event that pushes the boundaries and revels in whimsy. Through October 9, the bar is channeling the Simpsons, with down-to-the-detail cocktails — including glassware — that riff on memorable characters and moments: a Bathtub Mint Julep, served in a mini-Beer Baron tub; a Flaming Moe!, finished with fire. Non-tipplers are covered with sips that skip the spirits, not the fun. The theme changes every month or so, and rumor has it that guests can expect a haunted basement later this month.

Call (763) 535-1131 for reservations.

At 6,000 or so square feet, the taproom at this brewpub provides ample space to accommodate large-group happy hours or those looking to social distance. The 10-barrel brewhouse produces laudable beers with amusing names such as Playboy Mansion (a hefeweizen), Rush Hour (a West Coast IPA), and Kinda Clever (a Belgian-style witbier). Not to be outdone, the pizzas — deep-dish, crispy-edged hybrids of three styles: Detroit, Chicago, and Wisconsin tavern pies — are cheeky as well, as evidenced by The Godfather Part II (chicken Alfredo) and The Happiest Meal (cheeseburger). There are also at least three types of wings, a small selection of sides, and Sebastian Joe’s ice cream for dessert.

According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, you haven’t lived until you’ve tried its Luxe Burger. With a base of Pat LaFrieda beef dripping with melted white American cheese, black truffle and foie gras butter, and a secret sauce — plus Duroc bacon, if you’d like — it seems like a fair enough claim. Other items on the brunch/lunch and dinner menus show off a range of global influences, taking diners from Hawaii to Japan to Korea to Mexico and back stateside for some Nashville hot dry-rubbed wings. For those who have missed it, trivia is back on Thursdays at 9 p.m.

It all started with empanadas. Made by the artful hands of Facundo DeFraia for his friend Daniel del Prado’s restaurant Martina, they became legendary. And DeFraia became the king of dough, eventually opening up his own teeny tiny pizzeria in South Minneapolis, followed by this newer spot downtown (both takeout only). Those empanadas are still around and still draw crowds, but they’re no longer the only stars. A half-dozen pizzas, many nontraditionally shaped (think flattened footballs), vie for attention, their char-blistered, chewy crusts a thing of dreams. With combos like pepperoni and cheese, pear and gorgonzola, or chorizo, mushroom, and onion, you can’t go wrong. The only mistake would be not tacking on an order of the churro donuts.

Spending an evening at this French-influenced bistro means more than just enjoying an excellent dinner. It means supporting an establishment that’s bent on supporting its employees — all of them, from the front of the house to the back. The base wage is $20 an hour, there’s no service fee or tipping (not even a line on the credit card slip), and everyone gets health insurance and paid time off, rarities in the restaurant world. Food choices are divided into small plates and large, perfect fall items like smoked salmon terrine, escargot Bourguignon, mussels, and grass-fed beef sirloin. And as befits any French resto worth its salt, a cheese board figures prominently among the post-dinner options.

Among all the ramen places to open in the Twin Cities in the past several years, Tori 44 (and its St. Paul sibling) has cornered the market on one thing: being the first (and perhaps still the only) to make their own noodles. Bonus: they sell those noodles at the restaurant, so you can feast at home. Another hook is that the menu calls out which of the many versions — 10 at last count — are vegan or gluten-free or can be made so upon request. (Note that the gluten-free noodles aren’t made in-house.) Proteins include chicken, duck, tofu, and even goat. What you won’t find? A traditional pork iteration. But with all the other spot-on options, you won’t even miss it.

No reservations.

This morning-to-night cafe/market/wine bar definitely wins points for looks. Whitewashed brick walls, white subway tiles, and scads of windows fill the open space with brightness and light, while wood floors and deli cases give it the feel of a small-town grocery — albeit one that serves top-notch Intelligentsia coffee and sells gourmet foodstuffs and merch. Browse through the wares, then settle in to nibble on a buttermilk biscuit, nosh on a wood-fired pizza, swirl some bucatini around your fork, or sip a glass of wine. If you arrive via boat, order ahead and they’ll deliver your goods to the nearby dock on Wayzata Bay.

 Call (952) 466-6100 for reservations.

Thoughtful food with a Northern California feel and a healthy bent has been drawing people to this corner of France Avenue and Excelsior Boulevard for the past decade. It’s a smart option when looking for someplace that can satisfy a range of dietary needs while keeping flavor front and center. The menu lists not only nutrition info for each dish but calls out which ones are gluten-free (many), dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, and/or vegan adaptable. During the daily happy hour (3-6 p.m.), take advantage of discounts on burgers and flatbreads plus beer and wine specials and $8 signature cocktails.