Description
For the second time in as many years, our very own D'Amico restaurant group has played David to an international cheflebrity's Goliath, and bumped another imported toque out of a Twin Cities kitchen. First, D'Amico Kitchen ousted Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Chambers Kitchen from downtown Minneapolis. Then, the Walker Art Center decided not to renew its food service contract with Wolfgang Puck and awarded the business to D'Amico, which replaced the former 20.21 with a new concept called Gather. The new restaurant's name seems a little folksy for its space-age dining room, which still focuses on the building's dramatic Hennepin Avenue overlook and underwent only a few subtle changes in furnishings and color palette. Gather is a lunch-focused operation and serves dinner only on Thursday nights, when the museum offers free admission from 5 to 9 p.m. On the first Thursday of each month, D'Amico has arranged to bring in a local guest chef-the Walker likens it to an "artist in residence"-to prepare two unique small plates that showcase his or her style and offer free samples of each to the restaurant's diners. Chef Josh Brown works many locally grown and seasonal foods into an American contemporary, globally inspired menu. Although most diners might need to Google the names of some menu ingredients, the offerings still feel accessible-and nothing costs more than $20. In warm weather, there might be tuna crudo or seared halibut with morel mushrooms and fresh fava beans. With its emphasis on lunch, Gather has a strong selection of salads, especially the assembly of arugula, feta, and watermelon with Serrano vinaigrette, which is truly a work of art.
