Pat's Tap: Get the cheese curds

Photo by Pat's Tap

A lively scene, Pat's Tap is the latest place to be.

Pat's Tap, which opened in late September, is the latest to enter the community of gastropubs in the Twin Cities. Supporting local, organic and sustainable agriculture, chef Charlie Schwandt showcases his ingredients with an expansive menu, containing items like buffalo chicken terrine and lamb meatballs, to bangers and mash, to a Rachel with house made corned turkey. This week City Pages offers a full review of Pat's Tap here, but we wanted to add a plug for one dish in particular: the cheese curds.

Lisa Nguyen

Minnesotans do not fret - Pat's Tap is the place to get your cheese curd fix when it's not the end of August and state fair time. In fact, we'd say these deep-fried bits of cheesy goodness are even better than your standard fair fare. Even though it seems like in impossibility, the cheese curds were not too salty, even after devouring the whole bowl. That really says something about the quality of Wisconsin's Castle Rock Creamery cheese. Each order ($8) comes with a side of ranch for dipping, but we recommend you skip it and enjoy the cheese curds in their purest, deep-fried form.

Other good bets: The zucchini cakes ($7) and duck burger ($14).

Pat's Tap
3510 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis
612.822.8216; Pat's Tap website

Previous coverage:

Pat's Tap intersects pub food and high-end gastrofare

Pat's Tap: The Tour