Rabbit Hole (Poutine Crawl) – Minneapolis, MN

D.Rough and I had wanted to try the Rabbit Hole for some time. I had read about this amazing burger that was rated highly in the Twin Cities and she had heard equally good things about some of the other dishes they have there. It’s a bit of a Korean restaurant with some upscale flair, so that would likely flavor all of the meals there. Tonight, however was the next iteration of our little group’s Poutine Crawl. We go all over the Twin Cities eating poutine and comparing it like classy wine (not all in the same night – we space it out over months).

The restaurant is just outside the Midtown Global Market – it’s a sort of indoor world bazaar of international food and shops in Midtown Minneapolis. The inside of the restaurant is pretty dimly lit – that adds to the classiness of a place, as we all know. It’s sort of an Alice In Wonderland theme, so there are all sort of fun tidbits on the walls. Make sure you look around this place. The menu has some pretty unique sounding items on it. You’ll just have to see for yourself. It’s very creative, however, and I think you’re going to find something you’d like to eat, even if it’s out of curiosity. To get the server to come to your table, you have to push this buzzer thing that is sitting on your table. Just be ready for that or no one will show up and you’ll end up thinking the service is slow – it ISN’T slow.

Tonight, many of us got the H&K Poutine (which is Korean inspired) and I somehow managed to talk D.Rough into splitting that top-ranked burger with me – the Appa Burger. But of course we ordered a couple of adult beverages while we waited for the food to come out. They’ve got a great beer selection, both tap and bottles, so they know their way to Minneapolis’ heart.

The dishes came out within a reasonable time of ordering them so don’t expect to sit around forever waiting for food. The poutine looked pretty fantastic to me. Again, it’s Asian inspired, so the poutine purists at our table already had issues with it. But for those of us who enjoy a little creativity, we were in for a treat. It’s got crispy and thick-cut fries mixed with onions, kimchi, parmesan, and cheddar, covered with a pork curry gravy, and then topped with a soft poached egg and a drizzle of kimchi aioli. Ridiculous? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely! The parmesan got lost a little bit in the mix, but every once in a while, you’d get a nice salty bit of parmesan flavor that was awesome. The kimchi wasn’t the scary kind you’ve seen in documentaries; it is the kind that’s like a vinegary slaw, so it was great with the other flavors. The poached egg was a wonderful touch, as well. The pork curry gravy was amazing and I don’t think I ‘ve had anything like that before. I’ll for sure have it again. Even the purists gave it a thumbs up, but they gave it the caveat, “If I was looking for REAL poutine, this isn’t spot on. But if I was looking for an amazing dish of tasty unique food, THIS is what I’d order.” From these guys, that’s high praise, indeed. Well done, Rabbit Hole!

The Appa Burger was next on the chopping block. It’s kind of got a little of everything on it, and if there’s one thing I lie on my burger, it’s lots of stuff. This 6 oz patty has smoked bacon, bleu cheese, gruyere, bourbon onions, arugula, tomato jam, kimchi aioli, and topped with a fried egg. It’s really difficult to see in the picture and it doesn’t do it justice. It’s a monster of a burger. The meat is super flavorful – something I pay attention to wherever I get a burger from – and the cheese worked really well together. I’ll admit this burger was a mess to eat (egg yolk everywhere hahaha), but I didn’t mind it. All the flavors that I wanted were there and it held up most of the meal. This won a Twin Cities Burger Award for a reason. It was fantastic.

Great work on many unique dishes, Rabbit Hole. I’m looking forward to my next visit, without question.

Top 5 things at The Rabbit Hole

1. Appa Burger

2. H&K Poutine

3. Great beer selection

4. Alice in Wonderland theme

5. Really unique things on the menu

Bottom 5 Things

1. The poutine isn’t purely Canadian here – it’s too fancy for a purist’s palate

2. I want to try everything on the menu

3. The buzzer thing for the server was weird at first, but we got the hang of it

4. I’ll admit, I was hoping to see rabbit on the menu

5. N/A (I had to try really hard to find the above “bottom” items. This place rules.)

www.eatdrinkrabbit.com