After some delay, the Lowry is finally ready to open in Uptown. The seventh bar in the Blue Plate restaurant group became a casualty of the state shutdown in July. The bar was awaiting its state buyers card, a $20 piece of paperwork that allows bars to purchase liquor. Without it, the Lowry's owners couldn't start training and had to back up the opening date several times.
The bar is set to open Monday. Blue Plate's locations (Groveland Tap, Longfellow Grill, 3 Squares, etc.) are typically well-designed, but nothing fancy. They've kicked it up a notch at the Lowry, which is located in the old Hollywood Video space at 2112 Hennepin Av. The design has a hint of retro -- art deco windows, old-school seating -- and the attitude is a little bit edgy (servers will wear fishnet stockings).
I'm most excited for the drinks program, which looks to be heavy duty. The craft beer list is spread across 36 taps. The bar will have 16 wines in the Winekeeper (that high-tech refrigeration unit they use at Scusi). There also will be six wines on tap. And lastly, mixologist Jeff Rogers has designed a respectable cocktail list.
As for food, the menu is similar to Blue Plate's Maple Grove outpost, Three Squares, a gastropub that does burgers and meatloaf better than most bars. The big difference here is the addition of fresh oysters. Why oysters? Why not, I say.
