Ward 6 (re-do) – St. Paul, MN

I always give restaurants a second (sometimes third) chance. Especially when I feel like it’s an ordering error on my part that jinxed the whole operation. I’m glad I gave Ward 6 another chance – they fully redeemed themselves from my last visit, and assured me it was completely my own fault for ordering wrong.

This go around, I met EnyaFace! at the restaurant and we got caught up over some beers. We split an order of meatball appetizers which were fantastic hand-made Italian meatballs. They came in a small pile sitting on top of some delicious marinara sauce. Unfortunately, there were five, which doesn’t split easily. But fortunately, I’m NOT from Minnesota – this means I’m not afraid to take the last one on the plate. Haha, sucker! I’m kidding. EnyaFace! totally told me I could take the last one. These non-dense meatballs were filled with garlic and oregano and other seasonings and I wondered how many of these I could eat in one sitting. I REALLY need to stop challenging myself like that.

This visit, I decided to get the Cicero Stew. It’s a vegetarian-for-sure stew, and maybe even vegan, with a distinctly Moroccan seasoning to it. I was skeptical if this could stand up to some of the more meaty dishes Ward 6 had on the menu, but I was feeling lucky.

This dish was excellent. Great amount of seasoning without it being overwhelming. I could still taste all of the individual items like broccoli and sweet potatoes, and there was a hint of Minnesotan heat to it. Nothing spicy, of course, but there was a little warmth there. Which was nice since it had snowed just days before – yes, in May. It was served on a bed of basmati rice that simply soaked up even more delicious juice than I even expected. This is what you need to order here.

EnyaFace! ordered the Grilled Camembert Sandwich, which is a grilled cheese with pears, walnut butter, and arugula on sourdough. She raved about this almost as much as I raved about the Cicero Stew.

You should probably check this place out, people. It’s got a great Minnesota beer list with very thorough descriptions and categories. It’s got adult milk shakes. It’s got fine and friendly people working. And it’s not off the charts expensive. Definitely worth a visit, especially if you like charcuterie. They take it very seriously at Ward 6.

Ward 6