Hell's Kitchen

80 S. 9th Street
Minneapolis
http://www.hellskitcheninc.com/

Hell's Kitchen has been in business for 7 years and has recently moved into its new underground space which used to be Rossi's Steakhouse. You actually feel like you are stepping down into the depths of hell as the walk down the stairs into the red and black interior of the restaurant. The space is sprawling. Once you check in you have the choice of bellying up to the bar in the main part of the restaurant or you can head down a hall that leads into yet another bar and dining area. My feelings were that the space definitely fits the name of the restaurant.

Prior to the move, Hell's Kitchen had always been known for it's breakfast fare. Needless to say I was a bit concerned about going there for dinner. The dinner menu consisted of your typical bar food with a more spendy entree section. They also have a "breakfast all day" section which I should have stuck to for dinner. I chose the Bison Burger with white cheddar cheese and bacon served with sweet potato fries and chipotle mayo. Yes, all of Hell's Kitchen burgers are made with bison chuck. For the most part, I enjoyed the burger except for the fact they forgot to put bacon on it. My wife had the lobster tacos, which in no way shape or form were actually tacos, more like lobster enchiladas. They were good but not really worth the $25 price tag. Per the recommendation of our server my brother had the BBQ ribs which he though were less than adequate, dry and tough. His wife had the side Cesar salad which as enormous and the baked penne with vegetables. She was less than excited about her choices as well.

The service started out slow and improved only slightly after ordering our drinks. My sister-in-law's salad came out with her entree and the forgot to put bacon on my burger. Got to have my bacon. The food did come out quick after ordering it. The server expressed her concern for the arrival of the salad but not a word about my bacon, at least she didn't charge me for it.

My overall visit to Hell's Kitchen left me confused. They have a great name and venue but the food did not live up to the hype. Bare in mind most of the hype was in reference to their breakfast. Chef owners Mitch Omer and Steve Meyer really has a good thing going here with the name and the venue. My feelings are that a little more emphasis on the dinner menu could be a huge overall improvement. After looking at there breakfast menu on their website, I definitely have to go back and try it.

Ratings from 1-10:

Atmosphere 8

Food 5

Service 5

Noise 5

Price: Moderate, mixed drinks were expensive.