Loto

On Friday, Mark and I decided to have a fun date night out. We planned on going to dinner at Eli’s, a neighborhood bar & grill sort of place across the street from our apartment. I have wanted to visit Eli’s since Mark moved in to this apartment almost a year ago. After some deliberation, plans changed and we ventured out to Loto in St. Paul. Eli’s will just have to wait a few more weeks.

Here’s some background on Loto:
Loto is located in Galtier Plaza in St. Paul’s Lowertown area, overlooking Mears Park. David Fhima, chef/owner of a few restaurants in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, opened Loto with the apparent attempt to cater to various needs. Loto is many things – bakery, deli, coffee house, bar & wine bar, wine store and restaurant. Contemporary American dishes make up the menu at both the deli and the restaurant – from soups and salads to fish, pasta, chicken and steak. The laid-back atmosphere and interesting décor allow for a casual feel. The layout consists of a sunny atrium area surrounded by the trendy bar, small dining area and self-serve deli.

I wanted to wait a few days before blogging about Loto because I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. We encountered a fair amount of disappointments while dining, but both Mark and I were pleased and still smiling at the end of the meal. This was a tough one to call right away because we enjoyed our night out so much.

While being seated at a table in the small dining area, I noticed the odd layout of the place. You first walk in to the deli and wine store, which was closed yet dimly lit. To the right stood the hostess stand, and just beyond that was the open dining area, followed by the bar. An entire wall of the place was windowed and looked out onto the well-lit Mears Park. I was quite impressed with the view. The rest of the place was on the trendier side, but nothing spectacular. All of the areas seemed to be pushed too closely together – the deli ran into the dining room which ran into the bar which ran into the atrium – you get the point. But to be honest, I was so hungry by this point that I dove right into the menu.

I had checked out the menu online prior to visiting, and was disappointed to find that some menu items – and prices – were different online than in the restaurant. The same was true about the wine list – the website listed a nice assortment of wines from around the country. After being seated, the hostess handed us a printed out wine list half the size of that online. I was able to find a dish that I wanted and wine that I’d like to try, so I pushed that small disappointment out of my mind and prepared to order. I landed on the 6oz New York and a glass of Sauv Blanc (yes, I know that you’re supposed to have red wine with red meat, but I didn’t want red wine.) Mark decided on a Rolling Rock to start and the Ahi Tuna.

After ordering, I took a quick glance around and noticed the emptiness of the dining area. At about 7:30 on a Friday night, half of the dining room was empty. My thoughts were interrupted about three minutes after ordering because the waitress let us know that they were out of the Rolling Rock. No big deal, Mark ordered a Heineken instead. I received my glass of wine, and we continued our conversation. I had started to look around and get a feel for the décor of the restaurant when the waitress returned to announce that they had also run out of the Ahi Tuna. Mark decided on a Vegetarian Rigatoni instead. Now, that’s two strikes with the food and drink experience so far. Three, if you count the inconsistent online to in-store menu…

With dinner, we had choice of soup or salad. Mark ordered the beef stew, and I decided on the lobster bisque. I enjoyed my bisque, although it tasted an awful lot like the chicken tortilla soup on the menu. Because I don’t eat chicken, I tried real hard to push that thought out of my mind… The service was a bit slow for how many people were in the restaurant. We waited quite awhile between our soup and entrée courses. But we were having such a good time talking and being on a date that it didn’t bother us as much as it might have other nights.

When dinner came out, it looked and smelled delicious. Mark’s rigatoni had a fantastically rich flavor – robust roasted red pepper sauce with grilled vegetables. My meal was just ok. I had ordered the steak medium, and it was at the least medium well. The flavor was good, but it was over done for my taste. My mashed potatoes would have been delicious, but they were lukewarm at best by the time they reached me. I did have a side of grilled vegetables, and those were quite good. We topped the meal off with the Snickers cheesecake. No problems with that at all – it was scrumptious!

While waiting for the bill, Mark and I began discussing and rating the restaurant. A large group of men had been seated about 45 minutes earlier, and their food was starting to come out. As Mark and I talked and finished our drinks, I couldn’t help but notice that the man behind me had ordered – and received – the Ahi Tuna. Now, how does this work? Over an hour earlier, there was no Ahi Tuna. Suddenly, some tuna found it’s way into the kitchen and onto this man’s plate? I was so confused. I wanted to badly to ask the waitress how it was accomplished – not to yell or even be mad, but just to ask how that was possible. Unfortunately, when she brought over the check, she laid it down and scurried away again too quickly for me to ask. So, if any one out there is reading this, and might know how the heck that happens, please let me know. It’s just very confusing.

Overall, I would have to say that I don’t recommend this place. We had a great time there, but I think that it was the atmosphere and the company much more so than the food and service. We were pleasantly surprised when the bill came, however. For our food, drink, tax and tip, it was just over $50. Still, the low price and ambience doesn’t quite make up for the disappointments we encountered.

Mark has a theory that he’d like me to include. David Fhima has been a restaurateur in the Twin Cities for some time now. He owns Fhima’s in St. Paul and Louis XIII in Edina. He’s also had at least one failed restaurant, the Minneapolis Café. Mark and I have both heard talk that Fhima plans to open a three-story tapas restaurant in Minneapolis. I’ve never been to Fhima’s, but Louis XIII was extremely good when Mark and I visited a year ago. Fhima’s is well known enough in the area, but as we passed by it on Friday night, it was empty. This is where Mark’s theory comes in - maybe David Fhima spends so much time on his next project that he doesn’t ensure his current projects are a success. I’m not sure about that, as I don’t know a lot about the restaurant industry, but it seems a good enough theory to me!


Up Next: The Depot