The Lowry is the newest of the Blue Plate Restaurant Company venues and recently opened in Uptown Minneapolis. I dropped in around 7pm on a Wednesday a week after they’d first opened to have a beer and dinner. Parking is a bit of a pain in the area as it’s street parking only although they do provide free valet parking after 6pm (sorry but I don’t care who your drivers are, I’m not trusting them with my car). The parking lot alongside the restaurant was empty except for a single car but is owned by Scottish Rite Temple and not open for Lowry customers. They’re trying to work out something with them but as of now it’s off-limits.
Inside vibe is a bit of a classic diner with a modern touch. It was packed and there appeared to be at least 3-4 groups of people waiting for a seat. I was able to snag the only open seat at the bar and was quickly greeted one of several bartenders working the bar area (the bar isn’t very big but it was plenty busy behind the counter). With over 30 beers on tap there are plenty of great craft brews to choose from. Part of my reason for dropping in this night was that they had a cask of Summit 25th Silver Anniversary Ale. I was informed sadly that hops had plugged the hand-pump and it wasn’t available (of course by the time I’d gotten home their Facebook page reported that it was flowing again). I grabbed a glass of Surly Furious and took a look at the food menu.
The menu offers a nice spread of snacks (including oysters as their specialty), sandwiches, burgers, entrees, salads, and breakfast food (they’re open 6:30am until 2am daily). With a good number of choices in each category, I asked the bartender for 1 recommendation for each of the burger, sandwich, and entree categories. I settled on the Braised Beef sandwich which he recommended with a extra side of horseradish sauce. While the place was very busy my sandwich was out in a short bit of time and looked great. Braised beef, spicy peppers, fries, lettuce, horseradish, on ciabatta with coleslaw and some fries on it too. The beef was nice and juicy but overall the entire thing lacked flavor. The extra side of horseradish sauce really helped but you tasted it more than anything else there (had I closed my eyes, I could have been dipping just 2 pieces of ciabatta in sauce).
While my initial meal didn’t impress, the beer selection and the staff were great and I’ll be back again to try something else from their menu (maybe breakfast next time). If only we would convince them to get rid of all the 16oz cans of Bud Light, Miller Lite, and other macro stuff that fills the coolers below the beer taps (the Grain Belt Big Friendly can stay).
If you’re an iPhone user, be sure to grab Blue Plate’s app. It allows you to get points by eating at Blue Plate locations. Simply enter your check number in the app and get rewarded. I have a $10 discount on my next visit just from my first stop here. Not a bad deal just for eating somewhere you’re already eating at. Also be sure to checkout their website and sign up for their eClub (you might even get a coupon for your next visit). Also follow them on Facebook to get up-to-date info on whats on tap and other events.