We kept seeing all these recommendations for The Rabbit Hole, a restaurant connected to the Midtown Global Market on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. However, every time we’ve made it to the Midtown Global Market, it just happens to be a Sunday.

The Rabbit Hole is closed on Sundays. 😦

While one review was for their underrated burger, that’s not what drew us to this establishment. About a month ago, I saw this post about Rabbit Hole’s poutine {what’s that?}.

I swear I saw another article echoing that sentiment, along with listing the Kimchi Fried Rice as a must-do. I can’t tell you where I saw the review, nor can I find it now. Perhaps it was even on Yelp or TripAdvisor. Yet, it must have been very convincing because the next Saturday available that was still a little chilly in these Minnesota climes meant I was driving us to The Rabbit Hole!

Unlike the rest of the market, The Rabbit Hole has a dark interior. There was a nice selection of taps…

I ended up getting a taste of soju, “the world’s” most popular spirit, which was described to me by the bartender as a bit like vodka and a bit like wine. Sounded like sake to me! And I like sake. But I was so glad he gave me a taste because it was so strong that there is now way I could have had a whole drink of it.

I went for the Seattle Dry Cider on tap instead. {Which, btw, was rather boring; but served as a great palate cleanser!} Rob found a beer to his liking, but I can’t remember it now because the food totally overshadowed it!

So what kind of restaurant is it? 

~

Well, Korean.. kind-of. Fusion? Maybe. I think it’s best described on their website:

The Rabbit Hole gastropub is our nod to Korean Pogjangmachas, but our food is Korean by way of Los Angeles. It’s not your Halmeoni’s, Omma’s or Imo’s Korean cuisine, nor is it the kind you had while you were in Korea. It’s also not “Americanized” Korean as we are not “Americanized” Koreans. We are Korean-Americans and The Rabbit Hole is who we are.

So let’s get right to the menu, shall we?

Believe it or not, Rob did not go with the burger, but the Harold & Kumar Poutine. I was so glad he ordered it, because I wouldn’t; but I wanted to try it! That review I read made me curious, as did that playful description above. His order came out first…

Of course, poutine-purists would say that this is not poutine, nor are any of the other gourmet riffs on this Canadian dish. But who cares? This was a flavor bomb!!!

Who would even think to put these flavors together?! {Totally get the 1 bowl, 3 cultures!} They absolutely work, though. The Rabbit Hole’s fries have also been raved as being some of the best in the Twin Cities. While you can’t get quite an accurate idea of one’s fries when it comes to poutine {the gravy soggifies them – yes, I just made up that word!}, I still could tell that these fries would have potential. That same article I can’t find said something about them being cooked one way, followed by a second cooking process, giving them a crispy exterior and a potato-y goodness inside. Oh yeah.

Rob said this one can go up to the top of best poutines in the Twin Cities.

{But probably tied with Muddy Waters – they are so different!}

But before that arrived, I was debating on what to order because at first, the Rapscallion was calling my name. It sounds like me, but it also sounds a bit… boring, considering all the flavors on this menu.

And I was told by some obscure article that I should not skip the Kimchi Fried Rice, also known as Rice Rice Baby.

It was the bacon that was throwing me off. I like bacon alone, but never in dishes because it tends to overpower them. If I want bacon, I’ll just eat bacon. But against my better anti-bacon garnish judgement, I ordered it anyway. The bartender told me that I couldn’t go wrong.

Okay, so I thought Rob’s dish was flavorful? This is the bowl of all bowls! This is the fried rice of all fried rices! This is the flavor of all flavors. This is some of the best food I’ve ever had! It’s flavor I’ve never known. MSP Magazine describes it best in this article.

There was not one flavor that stood out or overpowered the dish. {I barely noticed the bacon, except for by sight.} The kimchi was mixed a little throughout, though not the star; such that it is appropriate that it is not really called Kimchi Fried Rice. 

I am so glad that I listened to that random review!

In the summer, on Saturdays, we like to go for a walk around a lake and get a bite wherever we happen to be. It’s going to be hard for us to venture over to the East Lake Street neighborhood on a Saturday night. But maybe we’ll end up at The Rabbit Hole if it happens to be raining… This food cannot be missed.

What new flavors have sung to you recently?

Cheers~
Carrie