bluestem by James Beard Best Chef Mid-West Colby Garrelts

Bluestem is the first of two restaurants by husband and wife duo Colby and Megan Garrelts.  Both raised in the Midwest, they wanted to elevate the traditional comfort foods they grew up with.  Following the trend of locally sourced and grown, you see these items throughout the menu.  The bar and lounge area feature a separate menu of small plates and appetizers where the dining room features a monthly set menu where you select from a 3, 5, or 10 course meal with optional wine pairings by Sommelier and General Manager, Eric Willey.

On this evening we selected the five course dinner, on the menu you then have 2 items to choose from in each course section.  For my first course, the heirloom carrot salad with lemon, cous cous, yogurt, curry, and fennel.  The flavors came together to create a light and simple yet flavorful starter, this was a favorite of the table.  For my second course, la bella farms foie gras with caramel, green apple relish, and brioche crumbs.  This was a really unique approach and the green apple relish was delicious, but I found the whole thing to be entirely too rich and sweet for a starter course.

My third course was the duck breast with fennel, turnip, poached cherry, almond, and brown butter.  This was probably the best duck I've ever had; the skin was crisped perfectly with a nice layer of fat underneath and the meat was tender and moist.  The accompanying flavors complemented without over-powering the dish.  For the fourth or "main", I chose the herb roasted ribeye with potato, creamed spinach, and mushroom.  The ribeye was a perfect medium rare but this particular piece was grisly and tough but the herb crust was delicious.

For the final course, I selected the squash pot de crème, a custard served with goat's milk caramel and a pumpkin cruller.  Additionally, the chef's amuse between courses brought some fun and tasty bites.  Also, the cocktail list put interesting twists on classic cocktails and the wine list had some great finds and reasonable choices.  The remodeled dining room was cozy, intimate, and comfortable.