Brass Rail - Grande, MN

I’ve driven by this small restaurant and bar a bunch of times when headed up north to the lake. I wasn’t sure what it looked like inside (was it more bar-like or more restaurant-like?) but I knew they were known for their broasted chicken. I’m a fan of broasted chicken, but I haven’t had it in a long time. I finally convinced D that we needed to stop there recently, and it was a great decision.

 

The inside is decidedly more restaurant-like than we expected. It’s almost like a little country diner. Checkerboard patterns all around and lots of nick-nacks and history. All the servers are really friendly and the people eating there seem to be regulars, for the most part. Yet, we didn’t feel like outsiders when we walked in – sometimes, that’s a fear of these small-town establishments. 

 

The menu is really full of delicious sounding things. But we knew we wanted the chicken. I went with the ¼ chicken (dark meat) and D went with the ¼ chicken (light meat). Plus, we knew we needed some cheese curds. And because, I hadn’t seen it in liquor stores for a while, or on a restaurant menu ever, I got a lime-a-rita. Hahaha

 

The curds came out and were exactly what we expected. They came with some sort of dipping sauce – probably ranch or sour cream based, but we didn’t care. We were just shoveling them into our mouth holes. Super good.

All of the chicken dinners come with coleslaw, but I’ve never seen it served like they do at the Brass Rail. The server brings out a massive tray of coleslaw for what looks like the entire restaurant (as it turns out, everyone orders the chicken dinners here, so that makes sense). Everyone gets a cup (not a little cup, either) of coleslaw with a fork stuck in the top. Simple, but something you’ll remember – and apparently tell people about if you have a blog. Thankfully, the coleslaw is really good. I did think it was a little weird to have a coleslaw appetizer, but I’m guessing normal people wait for their dinners to arrive to eat theirs. 

 

The chicken is every bit as good as you’d expect it. Lots of people don’t even know what broasted chicken is, but it’s basically pressure-fried chicken. Pressure cookers are a dangerous kitchen contraption meat to seal in juices and then they fry it at the same time. I don’t understand the science behind it – I just eat it. The dark ¼ chicken dinner comes with a thigh and a drumstick, buttered toast and a side, which I got onion rings. It also comes with a bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy, like a cereal bowl sized situation. This is a seriously heavy meal, in case you were wondering. The chicken is superb. Super crunchy and juicy, which is a hard combination, I understand. It’s really the star of the show. The rest of the stuff is solid, but the chicken is where it’s at. 

 

It’s clear these cooks know their way around a fryer, which I respect. Generous portions and a broad menu also help push this place up the ladder of places we’ll hit on the way up north again. Looking forward to our next stop at the Brass Rail.

CrunCheesse Korean Hot Dog – Minneapolis, MN (Dinkytown)

 

A friend of mine recommended this place, but had described it in such a way that I thought I may have imagined it or made it up in some dream I had. But sure enough, this place actually exists (and it sounds like they’re trying to make a franchise go of it, since the original one is in Las Vegas – where other crazy dream-like scenarios happen). Note: I also just looked and have discovered that CrunCheese in Las Vegas is a block away from one of my favorite tiki bars – The Golden Tiki – so I’ll have to make that combo the next time I’m in Sin City.

 

What is a Korean hot dog, you might ask? Well, it’s actually a corn dog (known as a gamja hot dog), so it’s a standard-type hot dog in a batter. So, yes, Americans would call it a corn dog. The batter is dairy free – at least at CrunCheese – and you can get it with a variety of toppings and sauces. That’s the basic explanation, just so we’re all on the same page. You know how when you get Korean chicken wings at a restaurant, they’re like chicken wings you’re used to and then they’re fried like 30 seconds longer to make sure they’re EXTRA crispy? Yeah, these corndogs are like this. But the variations are pretty slick. 

 

You can get a plain corn dog, sure. But why would you when you can get one that’s got some pizzazz? You can get them half hot dog and half cheese stick (mozzarella or cheddar) – keep in mind this half and half version is like top-half cheese and bottom-half hot dog, so you won’t get both flavors in one bite. Or entirely cheese on the inside. Or you can get them with sausage. Or with a squid ink batter. Or with a premium hot dog – likely pandering to American’s refined palate hahaha. Or with a rice cake instead of a hot dog.

 

Once you get the insides figured out, then you have to determine what’s on the outside. You can get the entire thing rolled in cubed potatoes or cubed sweet potatoes (for an upcharge that’s totally worth it). Think of it like you’re at the state fair or some street market in Korea. You want the full experience, so get the add-on. Then, while they’re frying up your magical corn dog, you can stand and stare at the list of sauces they have available to slather your crispy corn dog in. I should have taken a photo of them, so you could see them all. It’s an impressive list. Yes, they do have ketchup and mustard and even honey mustard, but go right past those. Consider cheese mustard, hot sauce, sweet chili, or garlic parmesan. Then you can continue the adventure by adding different dry seasonings to that – parmesan cheese powder, cheddar cheese dust, or honey butter seasoning. Probably a few that I’m missing. 

 

I went with a mozzarella and sausage covered hot dog, rolled in potato cubes, and then covered with sweet chili sauce. And it was truly the right choice. And, like I assumed earlier, like a dream I had, but this was real life. Super crunchy potatoes and batter, cooked perfectly. The hot dog is pretty much a hot dog, so I’m not going to wax poetic on flavor profiles and nuances of textures. I’ve never had chili sauce on a corndog before but now I’m a convert. It’s just really amazingly good. I’m looking forward to going back and trying some of the other combinations. 

 

I wrote way too long about this corndog, but I really wanted you all to pick up what I’m throwing down on this one. You’re going to want to go to Dinkytown (or better yet, LAS VEGAS) and pick up a couple of these for your family. One was plenty for one person, even me, once you get all the attachments and accoutrements. So, keep that in mind. But, you won’t be sorry, no matter you get there. It’s a super small and efficient shop – order at the counter, go outside and wait until they call your number, go inside and tell the cashier how you want your corn dog finished off, and then pay the person. Easy.