Minnesota Eats Out: An Illustrated History

By Linda Koutsky and Kathryn Koutsky

Book Overview

"Let's eat out "

Minnesotans have always loved to, in the opulent dining rooms of fancy hotels, in piney resort halls, or in standard around-the-corner caf s, where the food is hot and plentiful. And the best of these eateries inspire cherished memories of fabulous food and charming camaraderie.

Minnesota Eats Out is a virtual romp through the state's dining spots, from early health resorts to Prohibition-era speakeasies to A&W drive-ins, illustrated with nearly one thousand photographs, postcards, menus, matchbooks, and collectible dishes. Kathryn Strand Koutsky and Linda Koutsky narrate the history of dining in the North Star State, highlighting innovative foods, inspired restaurant architecture, and cutting-edge graphic design, along with anecdotes about beloved restaurants remembered through the decades.

Accompanying this rich history is a priceless collection of recipes for dishes made famous through the years, like the pioneers' Indian Pudding and old favorites from Eibner's Bakery in New Ulm or Ruttger's Resort in Brainerd. Eleanor Ostman revised these recipes for preparation in modern kitchens. Embellished with photographs of historic restaurants, collectible tableware, and restaurant ephemera, the recipes invite today's readers to re-create cherished food memories.

Minnesota Eats Out, a one-of-a-kind venture into the state's history, serves up over a century of fine and fun Minnesota dining.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0873514521
• ISBN13: 9780873514521
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 9.3" x 12.2"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful--If Sad--Reminder of When Restaurants Actually Served FOOD!

What a wonderful review of the restaurants I, as a child born in 1955 in Minneapolis, enjoyed with my parents! How I miss The Heidelburg (potato pancakes!); Harry's (lunches with my mother and her friends in their crinoline slip-lined dresses, white gloves, and hats); The Nankin (the egg foo yung and chop suey combo plate with egg roll); The Lincoln Del (incomparable puffy omlettes); and so many other fantastic restaurants. I was even able to finally see what The Covered Wagon in Minneapolis looked like (my parents held their engagement party there in 1941). How sad that the younger generation will largely remember eating at (forgettable) chains.

Great Pictures, Warm Memories

I'm not old enough to recognize all of the places featured here, but it is interesting to see all of the restaurants. Here you'll find everything from haute cuisine to roadside diners. A wonderful collection of memories that captures the spirit of eras gone by.

Wonderful and colorful nostalgia!

Fellow Minnesota oldsters and yuppies alike will have a ball browsing through this lovely coffee table book of the historic eateries in our home state. I was delighted to find a photo of the menu for my Dad's Minneapolis restaurant, the 620 Club, which he owned and operated with partners Max & Henry Winter from 1935 to 1965. (Max and Dad had been among the partners in the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team, and Max went on to found the Minnesota Vikings.) And then there was Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale. Ohhhh, how I miss Charlie's! Chuck Saunders' chef, Russian emigre Harry Walkowitz, also headed up the 620's kitchen for a number of years both before and after his stint at Charlie's. No wonder the food was so good at both places. Harry's secret: "I use lots of booouuter."