by G. Sax
I like to get my "out" on, but Mondays aren't the typical draw. Nevertheless, the wife and I did some bar hopping, taking in small drinky and eaty treats along the way. The Happy Gnome was our final stop, and the middle child was The Bulldog in Lowertown. But the reason I'm writing this week is the first stop of our trio, the Barrio in Lowertown, right next door to The Bulldog.
We sat by the window, looking south across Mears Park. We've dined upon Mears before from LoTo on the ground floor of Galtier Plaza, but that was an inferior eastward view—at least in terms of the current hipness barometer. LoTo is certainly a clean and modern (and delicious) eat-a-drinkery, but it lacks that Minneapolisness that is raving through downtown St. Paul these days.
My pass through Barrio got me to thinking that living and touristing in cities are entirely different beasts, Chicago's Navy Pier, New York's Times Square, San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, Los Angeles's Hollywood and Highland. These are national points of interest. But for the locals, not so much.
I think it's okay to go where you're supposed to go. Cities spend millions to get tourists to spend billions on their most obvious charms.
In Minneapolis, Block E was designed to be the epicenter of downtown life, and though the entertainment complex has had its troubles, it sits so squarely in the middle of downtown that it can't help but be relevant to a tourist's Minneapolis experience. Hooters and Hard Rock are where they are for a reason.
What does St. Paul have? The Capitol building? What's good eats near there? White Castle, McDonald's, the Sweetwater Bar and Grill inside the Kelly Inn? St. Paul is capable of exciting, urban gastro flair on Grand Avenue, but Grand lacks a first-tier obviousness that a city should have. West 7th, especially near the Xcel Energy Center, is arguably the center of downtown nightlife, but what happens when hockey season's over? We could use another obvious core for the casual traveler and someplace to park the car once for the casual Minneapolis resident.
While at Barrio, we read recent reviews of the place on Yelp:
"This is the exact same bar as on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. It makes a nice 1–2 punch with The Bulldog next door. Finally some real life in downtown St. Paul." – Dan S., Minneapolis, MN
Barrio's food was passable if not overpriced, but the vibe was something so far from the Gopher Bar, Savoy, or Alary's that it may ruffle the standard St. Paulite. Maybe Barrio won't compete with my established saintly city favorites, but it shouldn't have to. I'm not the intended audience. And that's perfect.
Have to disagree on your take on Barrio’s food. I went there and thought everything about it was fantastic–food, drink outstanding. We even went there during the Jazz festival, much greater potential for screw-ups. We are in agreement, however, on this is great for downtown St. Paul–things are really picking up!
I’ll be fair about the food. I didn’t really go outside the usual for my first visit. Chips/salsa/guacamole, skirt steak taco. The chips and taco were slick with a light grease, which was a bit of turn-off, but the salsa was interesting and the guac was delicious.
I just thought for the price (which was a smidge above typical), it should be more memorable. I’m sure I’ll return with a more adventurous order.
Oh, my margarita was pretty good, too. If you’re into sipping tequila as opposed to get-drunk tequila, this is a very worthy Friday night starter.