Don’t like beets? Michael Shaughnessy will try to convince you otherwise.
At his new restaurant Pink Ivy, the chef is making sure you get your recommended servings of vegetables. Fortunately, they’re prepared in such a way that reminds you of their thrilling versatility, eradicating all memories of sad, microwaveable bags of broccoli.
Shaughnessy was the opening executive chef at the similarly veg-forward Young Joni, then executive chef at Mill Valley Kitchen. He went on to launch his own omnivore stand at the Market at Malcolm Yards, Advellum Vegetable Eatery. Now, he and his wife, front-of-house veteran Viorica Shaughnessy, have made a yearslong dream come true in opening their own restaurant, on an increasingly foodie strip of Hopkins’ Mainstreet.
Where: 712 Mainstreet, Hopkins, 952-600-7290, pinkivymn.com. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. and Tue.-Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
The space: The former Cam Ranh Bay got a makeover, almost all of it the vision of Viorica Shaughnessy. Curvaceous booths have been reupholstered an emerald green, the bar and kitchen tiled in fishtails of splashy aqua that contrast with carnation pink stools and dining chairs, even glassware. Flowers appear in arrangements and in artwork throughout the brightly lit restaurant, including on a rich pink and green wall mural bursting with blooms.
The food: To be clear, vegetable-forward does not mean vegetarian — though you will find enough meatless dishes to make a well-rounded vegetarian dinner. The menu has three categories: small plates, or appetizers; large plates, or entrees; and “for the table,” or sides. Sharing a couple from each is the suggested format.
I began with tuna tataki ($19), its delicate, pale pink edges atop a bright green pureé of green curry-edamame hummus reflecting the color scheme of the restaurant. And the creamiest chicken liver mousse ($15), bánh mì style, served in a jar with pickled cucumber and raw radish, topped with a handful of diced carrots and cucumbers and a layer of apricot jam.
I ordered the grilled salmon ($28) for my entree, and though the fish was cooked perfectly, it was the carrot-tahini purée, smooth as mousse, that won me over. Michael Shaughnessy takes particular pride in his chicken-bacon meatballs in shawarma cream sauce ($23), their smoky edge calling up the flavors from a street cart’s grill. There is a burger ($18) I’ll be going back to try.
