North Coop Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Chanhassen

We were excited about this place based on reviews, so we stopped by yesterday for happy hour. Food came out timely, though the shrimp and grits were sitting on the hot shelf a few minutes before the po’boy sandwich was ready which resulted in not-so-hot grits and over-cooked shrimp. My boyfriend loved his po’boy sandwich. Later that night, my grits “came up” if you will. My boyfriend and I had eaten the same food earlier that day and the prior few days, so it’s a disappointing thought that it was likely the grits or shrimp. We didn’t like our server (average height, blond, blue eyes) either.

She greeted us without a smile and asked if we wanted anything to drink. We ordered a couple of waters and 7&7s. The server did not seem to want to be there. We assumed it was because this was during a football game and there were nearby people at the bar who were a bit loud in the small-ish building. Nothing crazy.

The server gave us our 7&7s and asked if we wanted any food. We ordered the fried mac and cheese balls to start and our entrees. The appetizer came much sooner than expected and the young food runner had a smile on her face, asking if we wanted plates to share. We said no thank you, then she nodded and walked away. This was the best customer service we received within these few seconds.

The server then comes up to us with a couple of small plates and sets them on our table saying it was for us to share. She did not ask how everything is tasting and if we needed anything else, to which I would have again asked for our waters. She walks away and comes back while we’re eating. In an awkward slow tone she asks if we want “real food”. We were thrown off and looked at each other with confused expressions. My boyfriend said we were pretty sure we gave her our order of entrees. She had a questionable look on her face and looked at her tablet. She said “oh, okay” then walked to a pos system.

We were finished with our drinks after eating our appetizers, waiting with nothing to drink while we watched the server stand by the hot shelf talking with coworkers. Once our entrees were ready, she brought them over and asked if we wanted another round of drinks. I said yes, and asked if we could get some water. She said yes, then nearly immediately brought the water. About a minute later she dropped off our second round of drinks.

Maybe a few more minutes later we were finished eating, then she immediately grabbed our plates. She asked if we were ready for the check. I was again thrown off because we had a bit left on our plates that we would have boxed up and taken home, she didn’t ask if we wanted dessert, and we barely started sipping our drinks so she had an opportunity to ask about another round of drinks if she waited a couple of minutes.

I said “actually, I’d like a third drink once I’ve finished this one.” She said okay, and walked away with two plates in her hands while our empty small appetizer plates were still sitting in front of us. She waited nearby watching me, so I felt pressured to finish my drink right away. When I was a couple of sips away from finishing my drink, she asked if I was ready to order another drink. I said yes, and she turned away to submit the order.

Another minute later, I received my drink and she dropped off the check. I noticed our 7&7s did not qualify as a “well” drink ($7ea. vs. $4) for happy hour. When she grabbed the check I asked if the price was accurate, and she said yes because we did not order a rail alcohol. Totally makes sense since 7&7s typically involve Seagrams. I said with a smile “okay, thank you” and she turned away.

She processed our payment, then dropped off the check saying thanks for coming and have a great night. I said thank you, you too but she was already turning away.

Overall, she gave off a mean-girl attitude. While most servers look like her and are also young, I noticed they put more effort into slapping a smile on their face, acknowledging the politeness of their customers, and remaining attentive towards their needs without rushing or...

I really want to love the North Coop restaurant. My husband and I have visited four or five times, beginning the first week they opened. While there are many things the North Coop gets right, there are some important things that are off for a restaurant offering Southern cooking.

First, what's great about North Coop?

ATMOSPHERE The atmosphere is fun, casual & friendly. If you enjoy a relaxed sports bar vibe, you'll love the main room with its high-top tables and large screens above the bar and comfy booths with smaller screens around the perimeter.

If you'd prefer skipping the rah-rah energy, there's a quieter room off that shields you from the hubbub but still feels connected to the fun overall atmosphere of the main room.

A bonus in warmer months are two outdoor seating areas -- a patio on one side of the main seating area, and large sliding doors that open off the quiter room to a small outdoor seating area that the North Coop has used both as a lounge for guests waiting for a table and for additional seating during high traffic times.

ATTENTIVE WAIT STAFF At all of our visits, the wait staff has been pleasant, helpful and attentive to our questions and requests.

INTERESTING MENU CHOICES Up here in the Bold North, we aren't often offered such Southern food staples as catfish, cornbread, cajun shrimp po' boys, pork cracklin's, fried green tomatoes, collared greens, and Southern fried chicken, of course -- at least not all on the same restaurant menu! On the dessert menu is a cobbler, featuring a different fruit each month, and that has never once disappointed!

So Northern folks wanting to try Southern dishes they've only ever heard of, or Southern transplants wanting to get a taste of the foods they miss from their old Kentucky (or insert Southern state here) home, will immediately find the North Coop's menu calling their name.

Which brings me to why I can only give the North Coop 3 out of 5 stars.

Some of the tastes that bring back the down home feeling of Southern cooking are those special side dishes that accompany the ribs, fried chicken, brisket or whatever other amazing main dish has been prepared to tantalize your taste buds. And for some reason -- whether lack of knowledge or to put some kind of a signature spin on their food, or some other reason? -- the folks at Northern Coop have messed with the flavor profiles of some of the most important side items to any traditional plate of Southern food. For brevity's sake, here are two examples.

Biscuits. A biscuit served with a plate of savory Southern food should be tender, moist and fluffy, with a nice buttery crust on top. Its flavor profile should be slightly salty to let you know the cook did indeed slather real butter on top of those heavenly pillows of goodness as they emerged fresh from the oven.

Yet, the biscuits at North Coop have a sweet profile. It appears that they are topped with white or light brown sugar near the end of their time in the oven and then returned the oven or bruléd with a torch to create a caramelized effect.

As much as I would love this effect on biscuits as the base of a strawberry shortcake dessert or perhaps a creative twist on French toast for breakfast, using a sweet biscuit to top a savory dish like chicken pot pie just doesn't work for me.

Cole Slaw. The North Coop's approach to cole slaw, another classic side to a traditional plate of Southern food, takes the opposite approach. Instead of a slightly sweet mayonnaise dressing bringing together shredded cabbage, carrots, celery seed, etc., North Coop's cole slaw uses a super salty mayonnaise to coat large shreds of cabbage only. Very odd.

Now, if the North Coop didn't bill itself as a place known for "Southern inspired passion" where you can find "Southern comfort food," I could let it go. And if you can look beyond side dishes, if atmosphere and competent service are more important than the authenticity of the menu, you'll find lots to like...

Went to the North Coop on Friday 28 June 2019 with six adults and a well-behaved wee tot; five of us have lived in the south, and the sixth has spent road warrior travel time in the south. The restaurant touts "southern inspired," and for purists, that is a critical part. Our group had a variety of former residents of the south at the table, South Carolina, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas and plenty of south and deep south travelers. Be prepared that this is southern inspired with a Minnesota twist. Lots of variety on southern cooking styles and expectations. This particular group of folks are all excellent cooks and bakers in their own right too.

Let's talk about food!

APPETIZERS - Pimento Cheese Plate ($8.95) Toast Points, Pickled Green Tomatoes. This was good, and we all liked it, including the tot. Worth trying.

Fried Wickles Pickles ($9.95) Deep fried Bread and Butter pickles. These were an unusual combination of sweet Bread and Butter pickles. Worth trying.

Louisiana Hot Ranch Cracklins' ($6.95) Spicy House made Pork Rinds. A HUGE plate of these came to the table, and they were approved by all. If you like the bagged pork rinds, these will make you happy as a huge step up from mass produced.

MEALS - Southern BLT ($12.95) Bacon, Lettuce, Fried Green Tomato, Spicy Mayo, White Toast. Lots of bread, I ate one-half slice. The green tomato had a light breading and was not greasy. So much bacon... if you love bacon this is the right choice for you.

Wedge Salad ( $11.95) Iceberg Lettuce, Bacon, Bleu Cheese, Green Onion, Tomato, Cucumber, Corn Bread Croutons. Three GIANT wedges of iceberg lettuce. This will fill you up.

Brisket Bark ($10.95) Burnt Brisket Ends, Blueberry BBQ Sauce. The sauce is sweet and comes on the side - that's a plus for me.

Traditional Southern Fried Chicken Served with Cornbread and choice of Side 1/2 Chicken ($17.95) ¼ White ($10.95) ¼ Dark ($8.95) This was tasty enough, but a little on the greasy side. Some of the sauces are good, and we really liked the Habanero

Catfish po boy ($14.95) Louisiana Hot Ranch, Tomato, Shredded Lettuce, Hoagie. It was okay, probably not a reorder for any of us.

Catfish Nuggets ($11.95) cornmeal crusted, Louisiana Hot Ranch. Same catfish as in the Po Boy. Breading could be a bit lighter. Likely not a reorder.

SIDES - All $3.95 Beans (Brown beans and pork in pork stock and a minimal hint of Bourbon sauce, topped with 2 croutons) I handed these around for everyone to try and the consensus was not to order on subsequent visits.

Sweet Cornbread (Honey butter topper. Consistent pieces and a nice sponge texture.) This is a sweet cornbread, more than just the sweetness of the cornmeal.

Collard Greens (No vinegar/pepper vinegar available) These were "okay" None of us would order them again.

Cheese Grits (These had a distinct smoked flavor (reminded all of us of Liquid Smoke) that was not a hit with the adults at the table. That smoked flavor changed the orders of 3 people.) None of us would order...