Counter Intelligence: Mill Valley Kitchen

In today's Star Tribune (have you checked out the Strib's new on-line version yet?) Rick Nelson shares some of the dishes chef Mike Rakun is working on for the upcoming Mill Valley Kitchen. At Shea, we're cranking out final designs so that construction can begin soon for a summer opening. We can't wait!

COUNTER INTELLIGENCE
by Rick Nelson, Star Tribune

Healthy eating, California-style


When the Mill Valley Kitchen (3920 Excelsior Blvd.. St. Louis Park) opens early this summer in the new Ellipse on Excelsior apartment complex, chef Mike Rakun will feature "Northern California-inspired cuisine that's good for you but first and foremost tastes great."

That means, among other things, a commitment to locally and sustainably raised ingredients and full nutrition disclosure -- fats, calories, carbs and other data -- on the menu. The full-service restaurant, owned by former banker Craig Bentdahl, will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Rakun, a veteran of Mission American Kitchen and Trulucks, a Florida-based seafood chain, is promising items such as a daily breakfast toast -- a grilled fruit-and-nut bread topped with mascarpone and fruit -- a lengthy array of salads, flatbreads built on a 10-grain dough, season-specific seafood and a heavy emphasis on California wines.