Just like the Ringo project (opening soon in the Shops at West End), Shea's second collaboration with up-and-coming restaurateur Jim Ringo is becoming the subject of talk well before it opens. This piece in particular, by Rick Nelson of the Star Tribune, talks about the preservation of the art deco style from the original 1930's-era Forum Cafeteria at City Center, as it makes its transformation into the new Forum, just one of many things that Ringo wants to share with the city of Minneapolis.Forum will bring art deco back
photo by Joel Koyama
First-time restaurateur Jim Ringo never intended to take on the glorious art deco space formerly known as Goodfellow's. He was scouting sites for Ringo, the restaurant he and his spouse, Stefanie, are launching this spring in St. Louis Park, when he took a tour of the exuberant downtown Minneapolis landmark.
"It absolutely took my breath away," he said. "It just captured my heart."
The space wasn't right for Ringo, but that unforgettable room kept luring him back. Enough for the couple to sign a lease and, if all goes as planned, open Forum in early April. The name harks back to the space's original tenant, the Forum Cafeteria, and to the word's meaning as a public gathering place.
"We want to really celebrate the style of this place," said Ringo, gesturing toward the room's priceless cast glass chandeliers, mirrors etched with Minnesota-themed scenery and zigzag walnut woodwork. "We're going to embrace every aspect of its history and its architecture."
And how. The Ringos are making changes, and they sound like improvements, from adding booths and a lively main-floor bar to installing balcony seating to maximize the stupendous views. Beige fabric panels -- used during the Goodfellow's era to mitigate noise and preserve the green Vitrolite panels behind them -- will be removed, dialing the room's giddy quotient even higher. A kitchen table -- a popular Goodfellow's feature -- will return, and a sidewalk patio will carry the room's colors and patterns outside to City Center's dreary, blink-and-you'll-miss-it exterior.
"It'll scream, 'We're here -- come in,'" he said. "Goodfellow's was discreet and exclusive. That was their business model, and it worked for them. We're serious about the restaurant side, but we also want to be playful. Goodfellow's had a lot of good things going for it, but 'playful' probably wasn't one of them. We want people to feel they can enjoy this one-of-a-kind atmosphere without pretension."
Not a bad idea, since the place was a cafeteria for nearly half a century. A little history: The art deco fantasia known as the Forum Cafeteria dates to 1930 and was itself a remake of a theater. It closed in 1976, briefly came back to life as a nightclub -- Scottie's on Seventh -- before its interior and facade were carefully removed from their original location to make way for City Center. In 1983 the interior was reinstalled (its ornate terra cotta facade ended up as landfill fodder) down the block in its present location (40 S. 7th St), which has since played host to a re-opened Scottie's, Paramount Cafe, Mick's and finally Goodfellow's, which moved in during October 1996 for its nine-year run.
The Ringos have partnered with chef Christian Ticarro, an eight-year vet of the former Canyon Grille in Coon Rapids. Ticarro said Forum will take its cues from its past and feature American food. Mirroring Ringo's rotating emphasis on global flavors, a third of Forum's menu will celebrate a different regional cuisine each month -- starting with New Orleans -- a third will honor timeless, all-American comfort foods (Cincinnati-style chili, Southern fried chicken) and a third will focus on classic American grill items, including dry-aged steaks and lamb chops.
"We're looking forward to putting our mark on downtown Minneapolis dining," Ticarro said.
There are other parallels between Forum 1.0 (1930) and Forum 2.0 (2010).
"We're opening almost 80 years apart, to the day," said Ringo. "They opened during the Depression; we're opening during a recession. They didn't just open a cafeteria; they built a monumental cafeteria. I'm humbled to be a part of it, because it has such an emotional resonance with people. It really belongs to all of us. This isn't my restaurant, it's Minneapolis' restaurant."
Gene Rebeck, Senior Editor with Twin Cities Business magazine, recently stopped by the Shea offices to speak with Shea principals David Shea and Tanya Spaulding. For his blog, which covers the topics of "business, trends and whatever," he wanted to talk to Shea about "design thinking" and our process when it comes to designing with clients.
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