Minnesota Palate, November 2004

A Drink Menu to Drool Over

By Kelly Westhoff

Is traffic getting you hot under the collar? Ditch the stop-and-go and relax at Shelly's Restaurant off of I-394 and Louisiana. The smoke-free bar is airy and woodsy—in fact wood predominates the atmosphere. Bar stools and chairs stand on hand-crafted log legs, exposed beams cross the ceiling, plank board walls emit warmth and the wood floor looks smooth and weathered.

If the cabin décor isn't enough to help you forget your rush hour woes, the bar windows will make you glad you're inside: a view of the jam on 394 will cause you to order another round. Share that round with a gang of family or friends. Three enormous, worn, tanned leather booths hold up to ten patrons each.

Shelly's beer list is long in small, local brews, including nine from Minnesota. One favorite, Schell Caramel Bock from New Ulm, is a darker draft that actually tastes like caramel—and Shelly's is the only restaurant in the Cities that carries it. Other locals include Schell's Pilsner, Lake Superior Kaya Kolsch and Sir Duluth Oatmeal Stout.

But one beer is a guaranteed conversation starter: Moose Drool. Moose Drool is from Montana. The label shows a moose with impressive antlers standing in a lake up to his armpits, a steady rush of drool streaming from this mouth.

If the thought of moose drool is too much for you, order from Shelly's Hand Warmer menu. Once the outdoor temperature hits 50 degrees or colder for a straight week, Shelly's hot drinks emerge. The menu of steamy coffee concoctions is a perfect way to beat off the chills.

Wrap your hands about a mug of Lake Turtle Mocha and let its chocolatey, caffeinated heat warm your fingers. Lift the mug and inhale its butterscotch trails. Take a sip and feel the mocha warm everything from your throat to your heart to your belly. Traffic is no longer the source of your heat. Chocolate espresso is.

Perhaps an evening espresso is too much caffeine for you. Try the Lodge Cider—apple cider heated with raspberry Schnapps and cinnamon sticks. Linger over your cider. The longer it sits, the better it smells as the cinnamon soaks through the cider and into the air.

Other scents waft in temptingly from the main dining room. There, a wall-length fireplace pumps out bonfire smells and holiday memories. True outdoorsy types will want to show up on a Friday or Saturday night for Shelly's Big Game menu—taste wild boar, buffalo or caribou.

And of course a hot cup of coffee is exactly what you'll want to top off an evening of good food and company. You'll know just where to find it on the menu.

If you go

Where:

Shelly's Restaurant
6501 Wayzata Blvd., St. Louis Park
South frontage road of 394, exit Louisiana
952-541-9900

Smoking:

Smoke free

Parking:

Spacious, free lot

Drinks to Try:

Lake Turtle Mocha
Northern Lights Chocolate Cappuccino
Lodge Cider
Moose Drool beer

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