September 2005

Goodfellow's: A Real Restaurant

by martina Priadka

All restaurants have a lifespan, some longer than others, but most have an average life expectancy of two years. In order to be successful a restaurant must have at least two elements. These are good food and good service consistently. But when it comes to great restaurants the requirements are a little more intangible. These are the things the guest does not see but they can feel. This element is very difficult to come by. That is why it is worth noting when a restaurant of almost eighteen years with this element closes its doors. Goodfellow’s was one of the great restaurants in the Twin Cities.

Having started life on the 4th floor of the conservatory with floor to ceiling windows that looked over Nicollet mall and a view that dropped four floors down the center of the restaurant, the level of elegance was set from the start. A kitchen larger than the dining room allowed for a stellar hot and cold line, an in-house bakery and plenty of storage and service space keeping the lines of the restaurant free from clutter. The fireplace added romance, the delicately placed orchid petals on each bread plate added style and the menu was unsurpassed in the cities.

The team was solid from the Chef and Manager on down to the dishwashers and wait assistants. By the time Goodfellow’s had passed its fifth anniversary the sous chef had taken over the helm in the kitchen but all other staff remained the same. The amount of staff that could say they had been there 10 years or more was higher than any other restaurant in the cities.

That team had the intangible element that is an energy coming from a staff that lives and breathes together. It comes from a group of people who love what they are producing together so much that each bite and each sip that passes the lips of every guest is taken personally. A team like this can anticipate each other’s actions and inspire one another to create and excel. They are so invested that the dedication is limitless. Each individual personality adds to the recipe creating a unique energy to that particular restaurant. The excitement of a dozen eyes on one piece of foie gras, all of them closed with delight as they taste the special of the evening, the heat of an argument over how long it will take for the next course or a fallen tower of jicama. All of these things course a passion through the veins of everyone working. That electrical current jumping between them can be felt in the air of the dining room. So much so that this is the thing that can drive boyfriends to be unfaithful or girlfriends to become insanely jealous. But this energy is the secret ingredient behind a successful restaurant.

Hitting its peak in the mid ‘90’s the zagat number one rating was solid, the wine spectator awards were plentiful and the best service staff awards were regular. Menu items were inventive, stretching the imagination of guests with things such as grilled scallops on rosemary skewer with parsnip puree or pork medallion with chipotle bbq demi and whipped yam.

As the years passed other restaurants opened and began adding to the culinary creativity that Goodfellow’s and Chef Kevin Cullen had introduced. The Twin Cities was becoming a real dining town. Cullen had to take it up a notch with the competition getting stronger and the move of the restaurant causing a big stir.

Soon Cullen had to run his team in a kitchen the size of the dry storage room of the previous restaurant. A staff of twelve cooks, several prep cooks and over 15 wait staff were now sharing a space that comfortably fit about 20 people total. This set back only made the team try harder. Dishes such as Truffled and Sherry Consomme with Rabbit Wellington or the Hoisin Barbeque Pork Ribs with Blood Orange Sauce, Tempura Shrimp and Braised Baby Bok Choy put Goodfellow’s over the top on the palate charts. The Grilled Lamb with Lamb Strudel, Sundried Tomatoes and Eggplant and the Beef Tenderloin with Tomatillo Salsa and Chili Demi were staples in the Goodfellow’s regulars diet. Minneapolitans could not get enough.

And then the big changes hit. One by one the players in this hit performance were removed, each one causing an absence as serious as the removal of a vital organ. Soon there was not anything left to breath life into the dying body and life support began. The health of the restaurant was placed in the hands of people who did not understand the intangible element. The energy was lost. There was no longer a reason to step through the doors. And sadly, a great restaurant closed.

The team dispersed throughout the world, each to their own individual successes. All of them proud of what they created and each of them holding the poignant memories of what will never be duplicated.

...Now That's Theskini!::permalink


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