Minhas Kitchen Wine + Spirits + Food in Monroe is as well-rounded as a restaurant can be, with the irony that it can’t serve beer, the beverage that made the Minhas family famous.
Across the street from the restaurant is Minhas Craft Brewery. Founded as Monroe Brewing Co. in 1845, three years before Wisconsin statehood, the brewery has gone by different names over the years, including Blumer and Huber.
The brewery claims to be the second-oldest in the country, and Smithsonian Magazine says many people may be less familiar with Minhas because the company produces beer brands for companies like Trader Joe’s and Costco.
The restaurant, which opened in 2017, is in a historic building not quite as old as the brewery.
My friend, daughter and I were happy to drive an hour southwest of Madison to discover Minhas’ spacious wine garden with its festive, colorful chairs. But the alcohol situation quickly confused and disappointed my beer-loving friend.
He wound up with a glass of sauvignon blanc ($3.95), one of seven selections from Minhas’ Dragon’s Tears wine label. I found it slightly dull, but drinkable — and you certainly couldn’t argue about the price. Only Minhas’ wines are served at the restaurant.
The peanut butter Old Fashioned is made with peanut butter whiskey and crushed ice.
More interesting was the peanut butter Old Fashioned ($5.95) made with peanut butter whiskey and crushed ice. It was a delightfully nutty twist on a Wisconsin favorite. I’ll leave it to others to try the PB&J cocktail made with the same whiskey, raspberry wine and raspberry jam.
The bigger surprise was that Minhas has a sushi menu with nigiri and 10 raw and specialty rolls.
The menu also has sandwiches, burgers, pizza, pasta, salads, entrées and plenty of starters, including a $13.95 giant Bavarian pretzel.
The whiskey poutine is highlighted by super-crisp, long, flat fries.
We started with the whiskey poutine ($14.95) highlighted by super-crisp, long, flat fries, topped with melted Muenster curds, shredded cheddar and green onion. We asked for the whiskey gravy on the side because my daughter is a vegetarian, and we were served an absurdly large cup.
The low country shrimp and grits with its red-eye gravy is a knockout.
The real knockout was the low-country shrimp and grits ($17.95) with sharp white cheddar grits, generous cubes of country ham, and five big tails-on grilled shrimp. The red-eye gravy underneath, made from the ham drippings, black coffee and a splash of Coke for sweetness, took it to another level.
My friend’s loaded chicken breast ($16.95) wasn’t dry or hard to chew, but it wasn’t easy to cut into, so the steak knife was helpful. The meat was topped with honey mustard, bacon, green onions, grilled mushrooms and cheddar.
The loaded chicken breast is topped with honey mustard, bacon, green onions, grilled mushrooms and cheddar.
The buttermilk mashed potatoes and asparagus on the plate were a nice complement.
Both dishes came with Minhas’ excellent side salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, red, yellow and green cherry tomatoes, croutons and cheddar cheese.
The wild mushroom with pesto cream has almost as many mushrooms and walnuts as pasta shells.
My daughter’s pasta, wild mushroom with pesto cream ($15.95), was extremely rich, with almost as many mushrooms and walnuts as pasta shells. Parmesan on top was welcome, and it came with a big, soft breadstick, but no dinner salad.
The beautifully decorated key lime tart ($5.95) was a great way to end the meal, its crust and filling both perfectly executed.
The beautifully decorated key lime tart is a great way to cap a meal at Minhas.
Early in the meal, we were enjoying the wine garden setting, when we were startled by music coming from a speaker mounted next to our table. The rest of the evening was accompanied by AC/DC, Aerosmith and other classic rock.
The music was suited for beer, and regarding the no-beer rule, Brett Heitzman, the restaurant’s assistant manager and mixologist, said when the restaurant opened, the city’s beer license quota was already capped.
“We can’t serve the beer because it’s not made in the same building as it’s being served,” he said. “It’s kind of a weird thing.”
Minhas Kitchen Wine + Spirits + Food in Monroe is across from Minhas Craft Brewery, founded in 1845 as Monroe Brewing Co.
Restaurant manager Trisha Coughlin said Minhas can run its tap house across the street because it’s attached to the brewery underground.
“I think Monroe just decided they didn’t want any more (beer licenses), to be honest,” Coughlin said.
Minhas Craft Brewery ranked 18th on the Brewers Association’s top 50 craft brewing companies in the United States in 2020, based on beer sales volume. Of the top 50, 40 were small and independent craft brewing companies.
Minhas' spacious wine garden has festive, colorful chairs.
Brother and sister Ravinder and Manjit Minhas, who are Canadian petroleum engineers, born and raised in Calgary, where they live, took over the brewery in 2006 and added a distillery the same year. The winery came about five years ago, Heitzman said.
The siblings already owned liquor and beer companies in Canada.
Coughlin, the manager, is also the restaurant’s executive chef. She went to tech school in Arkansas and did two years at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago, which closed in 2017, and came on board about eight months after Minhas Kitchen opened.
Her education and training helps explain the quality of the food and the caliber of the shrimp and grits.
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Lorraine's
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Everyday Kitchen
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Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant
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Kosharie
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Skal Public House
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FEAST Artisan Dumpling and Tea House
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Ragin Cajun Seafood
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Ahan
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Finca Coffee
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Settle Down Tavern
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Ru Yi Hand Pulled Noodle
Ru Yi Hand Pulled Noodle opened in mid-January on the 300 block of State Street to eager, high-energy crowds. Within two months, everything changed due to COVID-19. The noodle shop carried on with carryout and delivery. Dine-in is offered at a limited capacity, usually one or two tables, said Melody Lin, whose parents own the restaurant.
Sunny Pho
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Read restaurant news at go.madison.com/restaurantnews
June 18, 2021 at 06:55AM
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