Russell’s, a classy, fun new neighborhood spot

RESTAURANT NEWS

The restaurant serves elevated American food and a better-than-average mocktail menu (plus full bar).

Pork spare ribs are served with an apple slaw and barbecue sauce.

Art lines the dark brick walls at Russell’s. Formerly Tavern on Grand, the space has been given a makeover from its former cabin-like feel.

Spicy tuna tartare with avocado is composed as a one-bite sample during a preview event.

A SMASHBURGER IS TOPPED WITH WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE AND BACON JAM.

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By Jared Kaufman

jkaufman@pioneerpress.com

Russell’s, a new Grand Avenue restaurant taking the spot of the longtime Tavern on Grand, is set to open Nov. 15.

Owner Todd Russell, head chef Antonio Murry and bar manager and self-proclaimed “tavern keeper” Joshua James showed off the space and menu during a small media preview a week before the restaurant’s opening.

Highlights of the entree menu include a smashburger with bacon jam, a roasted half-chicken, pork ribs and smoked prime rib on Fridays and Saturdays. The menu also includes “small plates” such as delightful chicken Swedish meatballs, massive onion rings, dry-rub chicken wings and salads including a well-executed beet and goat cheese number.

And fish fans and Tavern on Grand regulars will be well cared-for here. Additional entrees include Ritz cracker-crusted walleye and salmon with German potato salad. And among the “small plates” section of the menu: smoked shrimp cocktail, walleye nachos and a spicy tuna tartare with a whipped avocado mousse.

As for the space itself, the old cabin-like interior has given way to a classy lounge vibe with 112 seats: Think leather, wood, dark brick, and eclectic wall art depicting mostly birds dressed in formal menswear. There’s also a 36-seat private dining room with its own bar.

The well-stocked main bar is the centerpiece, and the cocktails run from classics (old fashioned, espresso martini) to twists on classics (rosemary paloma, bourbon basil sidecar). Russell’s features strong starting lineup of wine and beer, too, including an exclusive golden ale collab with Pryes Brewing in Minneapolis.

Probably the most interesting part of the drink menu, though, is the “I’m Driving!” section, consisting of nearly a dozen non-alcoholic cocktails, wines and beers. Whereas some restaurants’ mocktails can devolve into overpriced sparkling juice, those at Russell’s — a paloma riff with a well-defined rosemary backbone, a spicy and tart blackberry-adobo situation and a cranberry spritz, among others — are clearly done with respect for the folks drinking them.

This is the first restaurant project for Russell, who has owned the building for several years and grew up frequenting O’Connell’s, the Irish pub that was located at the address for decades till the mid-1980s. As for Murry, the chef, his previous stops include The Lexington in St. Paul, where he worked under the late local legend Jack Riebel, Camden Social in North Minneapolis and most recently a stint at 801 Fish in downtown Minneapolis.

“I think it’s telling that, before us, there were really only two or three restaurants in this space,” Russell said. (O’Connell’s was rebranded as Scanlon’s for a short time in the late ‘80s before Dave Wildmo started Tavern on Grand in 1990.) “There’s staying power here. I’m a big believer in the future of Grand Avenue.”

Russell’s >> Opens Nov. 15 at 656 Grand Ave; 651-313-5839; russellsstpaul.com