Review: The Kenwood in Minneapolis is a home for comfort — and so much more

Restaurants come and go. The ones that stay the course often find ways to veer off them. So for a restaurant to court a loyal clientele while attracting a new one over the past decade(ish) of its tenure, there's a whole lot of restraint at play.

For years at the Kenwood Restaurant, the eponymous burger has remained one of the best in the Twin Cities. The brioche bun still comes from the uncontested Patisserie 46, for good reason; the glorious slab of pork belly bequeaths another dimension of fat onto a burly-enough beef patty; and a polished sunny egg crowns it all. It's an intensely pleasurable eating experience.

When Joel DeBilzan took over the Kenwood five years ago from Don Saunders, the original chef/owner, he made the right plays. Keep the hits (burger, for one) alive, pivot from all that precocious tweezering, and gently push an easygoing brand of Italian fare. There's not much by way of seasonality, and there's no sermon about some phantom philosophy.

Just good food, really. And surely why DeBilzan purchased the restaurant in early 2021 and scaled the restaurant down to more user-friendly cooking. The bones are French but the best dishes lean rustic Italian, done well.

The Bolognese may not sate Nonna because it's a lighter, spicier take without the acidic tinge of wine — but it's flavorful in its own way, with a thin but toothsome pappardelle. The pillowy gnudi is an equally simple revelation; as are the meatballs, which are loosely packed with ricotta, as airy as cotton candy. I could eat it with a side of their exquisite, rosemary-studded housemade focaccia and dine happily.

It's (now) what you should expect from a neighborhood restaurant serving brunch, lunch and dinner, even though the dining room can feel a little dichotomous. See: walls with the type of tartan and clubby mirrors that recall your rich uncle's Scottish abode Up North vs. dining tables and chairs that belong in an all-day bistro.

Does the décor play tricks on the kitchen, too? They give undue credit to legacy dishes, no matter how lofty. For one, the promised Robuchon potatoes taste nothing like the smooth, butter-rich purée that defined the late chef; instead, it's loose, gritty and butter-averse, though good enough not to foil an otherwise lusty and tender short rib, which is generously showered with black truffle.

For another, the Perigord sauce that gilds a serviceably cooked Wild Acres duck breast isn't really a sauce at all — it's more of a reduced syrup in place of something meant to be deeply savory.

And on occasion they experiment with ideas that don't coalesce on the plate as well as they do on paper. A strangely floral panisse — best described as a kind of baked polenta — felt out of place in a pork chop dish; the sunchoke purée is fine on its own, though not with the duck; and the al dente carrots were burdened by coriander and cumin. An entire dish, the uni spaghetti, added little to the pasta offerings. On both occasions, the sauce had a puckering sourness, while the pasta was undercooked.

On the flip side are dishes that could dial up the seasoning, like an austerely dressed little gem salad — a little rich for $15 — and a wanly seasoned and dry smoked-fish bruschetta.

Yes, there are transgressions. But DeBilzan's food generally punches above its weight across all classes.

He proves this with moist, butter-soft and justly seasoned salmon — crisp skin intact — sitting on a pool of bouillabaisse you could drink by the spoonfuls. With the juicy, well-brined pork chop, cooked with a blush of pink and paired with a bright cabbage slaw. And with his populist brunch.

This is, for good reason, the biggest draw for the Kenwood. Because other than the dry hubcap-sized pancakes and the over-cheesed Florentine omelet, the weekend dishes are all reminders for why we pay dearly for morning staples.

My favorite among them is the warm $3 banana bread, but there's enough food here to plot regular visits — if not for the creative focaccia benedict with Calabrian chili hollandaise (genius), the grain bowl that tastes far more indulgent than it sounds, the rancheros that look and eat far fussier than it reads, then for the textbook scramble, which trumpets the kitchen's patience with dishes as simple as eggs amid a full brunch service.

The memo may be clear for brunch, but the way Kenwood is progressing should inspire other occasions, too — whether you're in for just the burger, tucking into something a little more plated, or something in between.

⋆⋆½ Highly recommended

Location: 2115 W. 21st St., Mpls., 612-377-3695, thekenwoodrestaurant.com

Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wed.-Fri., dinner 5-9 p.m. Tue.-Sat., full brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Take it to go: The Kenwood does a robust takeout service, too. Hours are noon-8 p.m. Tue.-Thu., noon-8 p.m. Fri., 4-8 p.m. Sat.

Prices: Something for all tastes and budgets, from soups, salad and starters ($7-$15) to sandwiches ($16-$20) and pastas ($23-$27) to main courses ($38-$44).

Check, please: There's a 5% surcharge, but the standard tipping model applies.

What the stars mean:

⋆⋆⋆⋆ Exceptional

⋆⋆⋆ Highly recommended

⋆⋆ Recommended

⋆ Satisfactory

Jon Cheng is the Star Tribune's restaurant critic. Reach him at jon.cheng@startribune.com or follow him at @intrepid_glutton.