Scarlet Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Red Wing

Pleasantly surprised! I was looking for a date night venue while my wife and I were in town at a local B&B for our anniversary. The environment--relatively chic without being overly pretentious--was far from what I was expecting of a historic hotel. Lots of natural light, and I sure it's patio would be an excellent place in the summer and early fall.

The cuisine is almost American Gastopub. The menu elements are as diverse as classic pub fare (i.e., burgers and steak & potatoes) to Asian fusion (Crab rangoon dip and Green Curry Mussells) to Mediteranean to Nordic.

For appitizers, we did both the Crab Rangoon Dip and the Green Curry Mussells. Both of those appetizers work really well together--if you are thinking of doing more of a tapas format for dinner. The Dip cuts the heat of the curry. The Dip, itself, uses imitatation crab, rather than real crab (but still tastes just as good as a Chinese buffet's version of crab rangoon)! The Green Curry Mussels were a particular favorite. The heat on the curry is sensible without being overbearing. The only drawback to the mussells, however, was that we just wish there was additional items (i.e., side plate of rice, more bread, etc.) to sop up the extra curry--rather than just the two thin slices of bread that came with the dish.

We did the market Halibut and Mediteranean Bowl for entrees. The Halibut was a little salty but otherwise good--also there were a few small bones. The brussel sprouts, pureed beats, and pureed squash, paired well with the fish. The Mediteranean Bowl adroitly hits much of the variety of tastes that one seeks in Mediteranean food, though you will want to add a protein.

Special recognition should be noted regarding the wait staff service. My wife and I were regularly attended to without being smothered by the wait staff. Also, overhearing parties at other tables, I compliment the the wait staff, who does really well moving between small, intimate tables and boisterous, celebratory groups. That's a hard skill that deserves recognition.

Overall, price was a little high compared to other Red Wing options--but not outrageously so. If you are looking for something more intimate or lavish, I doubt there would be a much better place in the Red Wing area. The atmosphere, food, and service complemented our Red Wing excursion, and I imagine it would do the...

I was in the area over the weekend and went here for the first time in hopes to sit on the patio. It’s not yet open, which was not a big deal. The hotel building this restaurant was in was beautiful and the atmosphere of the restaurant itself was very nice and clean with big bright windows. The food was good and well priced. My group of three ordered cheese curds as an appetizer and they were nice and light/airy. They came with a raspberry ketchup which was absolutely delicious. I ordered a burger with a side salad. The side salad was pretty basic, but still fresh and tasty. I think another side salad option with dried cranberries & sunflower seeds would have been nice apart from the garden salad. As for the burger, it tasted pretty good flavor wise, but some of the fundamentals were lacking. It was not left to “sit” and drain before being brought out, which resulted in a huge mess of my wrist, my plate and ruining the nicely crisped bun by making it soggy. It was also assembled very awkwardly. The tomato and lettuce were placed below the meat instead of above it. I ended up taking them off completely because they wilted so much from the hot patty being on them. The flavors were definitely there though. My friends both ordered beers and I wish I had done the same. I ordered a cocktail which just tasted like straight juice. Seriously, the cocktail was worse than Applebee’s. I would have liked to check out the bar below the hotel lobby for a drink instead, but it was closed. I am docking a star for the sad, sad excuse of a cocktail. I am also docking a star for the service. It’s not that it was so bad, but it was definitely slow and inefficient. I could tell the place was both over staffed and also under trained at the same time. There were only 3, maybe 4 tables there, so it was not full house at all. At one point I saw 3-4 younger employees just standing behind the bar looking extremely lost, all while our server (a sweet older women) was hustling around checking up on the tables. I would have done 4-5 stars for the food alone, but due to the very sad cocktail and long wait times, I’ve decided on 3 stars. I also understand that these employees are doing their best to work the service industry during a pandemic, so I won’t blame them for the couple hiccups, but rather...

Scarlet Kitchen & Bar is located in the St. James Hotel in downtown Red Wing. There is some street parking, but as this was a sub-zero January night with snow on the ground, we drove into the attached parking garage. It is not a straightforward parking garage but labyrinthine, requiring low speeds and care; judging by the scrapes on the ceiling, more people should pay attention to their vehicle height, too! We found a spot and had a very short, cold walk to an elevator. Scarlet Kitchen is on the first floor.

My husband arranged this dinner date for the two of us on my birthday. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, making a point of saying "happy birthday." Our server was Anna. She took great care of us the whole time. We ordered some drinks and the cheese curds to start. These curds were fantastic with a perfect hot squeak. The Sturdiwheat batter was delicious. The housemade cranberry dip was a nice change from what other restaurants serve with curds.

My husband ordered the steak and fries. I snagged one of his fries--wow, was it good! Strip isn't my husband's favorite cut, but the meat was perfectly cooked and seasoned for his preference. I ordered the salmon, which was served on pearl barley with vegetables. Everything was delicious--a meal that felt indulgent yet healthy at the same time.

Because it was my birthday, the dessert was included for free. I had my choice of the chocolate cake, creme brulee, and hummingbird cake, and I went for the chocolate. While we were waiting for that, my husband requested a whisky listed in the menu, but he was soon informed that they were out.

So, the cake. Let me tell you, as a passionate home baker, this thing was GOOD. I could tell it was made fresh in-house. The chocolate and cherries were vibrant. Great frosting. Sweet but not overkill. Seriously, people should go here just for cake.

Just as I was reaching for my coat, our server Anna returned. The whisky had been found to be in stock after all, and she offered us a serving on the house. Wow. We sat and enjoyed that before braving the cold.

This ended up being the perfect birthday dinner. Excellent food and outright stellar customer service. We'll happily dine at...