Public Domain — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Conceptually, the promise that someone will provide you with a cocktail just to your taste is provocative. I have a very clear understanding of the type of cocktails I like and what I really don't like. Thus, I thought if Public Domain has no drink menu, then the "perfect" drink was in my future. However, the truth of that depends 100% on your bartender. This is long, so feel free to jump to the end for my summary.

We sat at the bar. We got there right at five, when they just opened. The bartender explained how the place works and asked us what we liked. I said I like gin and I like cocktails with a sour and bitter profile. I said I do NOT like a sweet cocktail. I was given a Fitzgerald, which is gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and angostura bitters. Very simple drink. It was okay, but too sweet. He could have easily halved the simple syrup. He did not. My husband got a whiskey drink that was also straight-forward. Nice but not particularly interesting.

We ordered some food. We got the fritters, which were delicious. We also got the albondigas, meatballs in a tomato based sauce. These were also good. Then, we ordered another round of cocktails. I reiterated that I didn't want a sweet cocktail. He asked if I liked campari. I said yes, I love it. He asked if I liked Cynar, and I said, not really. What did I get? Basically a Chin Up: Gin, Cynar!!!, vermouth, salt, cucumber, and again simple syrup. Too sweet!!! So he really didn't listen. I told him it was too sweet, but he just sort of looked at me. My husband was okay with his second cocktail.

So we are eating, my husband is drinking his cocktail, and mine is sitting there.

A man comes and cleans the bar to my right. He asks me how I liked the cocktail. I said, it is too sweet. He asked if I had told that to the bartender. I said I had. He asked, "what did the bartender do?". And I said, nothing. So, this man went back behind the bar, started juicing citrus, (I am thinking, is he the bar back?), made a drink, and brought it over to me. He said it was called a Bicycle Thief. It was fantastic! Perfect! Wonderful! So we asked the bartender who the man was. It turned out he was the owner, Stefan Van Vorst. He listened to what I said. So in a single drink he changed my entire experience at this bar. When we got the bill, I was surprised to see that my drink wasn't on the bill. They certainly didn't have to do that, because I would have paid for the drink that I wasn't going to drink. And of course I did get a drink that I did drink and liked a lot. However, it was a generous gesture.

It was clear that the bartender waiting on us knew hundreds and hundreds of cocktail recipes. It was impressive. However, he didn't seem either to want to or have the ability to alter the recipes just a bit to meet the taste profile that he was given. Maybe most people don't care that much. They'll drink just about anything. However, there are plenty of people who are paying the prices of a upscale cocktail bar who expect to get a really good, or at least super interesting, cocktail.

So, in summary: The food is delicious. For cocktails, you need to be specific if there's something you don't like. Maybe I should have told the bartender that I love a corpse reviver # two, and I would have gotten something more like what I had in mind. I thought what I told him - sour, bitter, and not sweet - was sufficient. It usually is, but it was not. I certainly will return. I would like to try some of the other food items. And now I know that to get the cocktail that I want, I need to try a different bartender. But also I need to give an example of a cocktail I really like, rather than describing its flavor profile.

As Public Domain in Minneapolis on Washington Avenue, you have to find a parking meter or use a parking lot.

I read a number of the other reviews, and their main complaint was wait time. I actually understand why it's so hard for the hostess or host to predict how long the wait will be. We sat for quite a while, others left...

Wanted to check this place out and only found sexism, insult, rudeness, impatience and idiocy.

I tried public domain recently and was left with a less than fortunate impression. I like the concept of a menu free cocktail bar and how that can invite fun experiences and discussions, so long as the server asking you the questions holds the same air.

Our server was immediately very short with us (a table of myself, a 25 year old woman, and four of my friends, also women.) He did not maintain eye contact, was rude, cold, short condescending, and after giving a very unenthusiastic breakdown of how the bar works simply said “Rum, gin or tequila?” He asked this to everyone else, even when they said they like vodka, he simply said “rum, gin or tequila?” Finally clarifying they don’t use vodka even though I drank an espresso martini in the back bar before we got sat.

I’m a bartender myself and was surprised that a menu free bar that is supposed to cater toward the taste of anyone that walks in doesn’t provide vodka or whiskey. I looked over at their shelves and saw Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, Michters and more. When he returned to give us our drinks I asked why he didn’t offer us the option of whiskey when I see it on the shelves. He then said that most women don’t drink that so he doesn’t offer it in the initial meeting. All of us were shocked obviously cause how could you be so rude and tone deaf. He then repeated himself when my friend asked. I told him to offer whiskey to women. He ran away and a manager came over and gave a very polished apology that did not satisfy to be honest.

My friend, after describing how she was looking for some form a savory gin martini, was given some iteration of a Negroni. So, missed the mark on that one, clearly wasn’t listening. Due to this all the manager did was remake her drink, thinking that is why we were upset not cause we were insulted on the basis of our gender, and gave us a free shot.

That behavior from a new bar is baffling. And I get the sense that that server did not come up with that way of service in a vacuum but perhaps was told that was the more expedient and proper way to approach a table. Particularly considering that everyone who worked in the main front bar was a man aside from the host. I’m not sure what kind of training they are providing and encouraging at public domain but that trip...

Okay if you have read any of my other reviews then you know that this is going to be a good one too haha! If you have never visited public domain better yet, if you have never been to a place that specializes in drinks made to you then I'm going to need you to grab a friend grab your significant other and head on down and go check my boy Miles out! Now the drinks that are pictured please don't ask me what they were because he came up with some stuff that all I know is they tasted good they were good and if he were to be able to duplicate whatever he did that would be amazing because every last one of them will come out something different. A friend and I wanted to go out have a glass of wine or a cocktail and we decided well let's just try this out something new and different and the video got cut short so hopefully whatever you guys get will suffice, but it was all very very good very good!!!

We did share the appetizer platter and it was just enough for two people where each person got about two of each of every item on the platter and then to top it off with the drinks was just enough. The atmosphere was definitely on point the later it got we didn't notice that the music went up more so it didn't make for talking to one another a little bit more difficult and that was maybe about an hour and from when we got there around about 6:00 7:00.

The coconut shrimp was so good though honestly everything was just surprisingly good The chicken they try to do I guess they'll take on the Korean barbecue chicken it wasn't bad but it was a little bit of a miss. But nevertheless You just got to try it!

Now of course you're reading this and all I'm doing is just boasting but how it works is the bartender will ask you what are your typical drinks your go to when you go out if it's wine if it's a spirit if it's a cognac and from there he may ask you some other questions about yourself and from there he concocts a drink specifically to you. So as vague as it may seem sometimes simple is what works, don't overthink it just go with an open mind go with fun and a good time and trying something new.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and again hear the pictures and the little video of what...