22Ten Kitchen Cocktails

When 605 found out WR Hospitality was working on a new restaurant, we were pumped.

These are the people behind The All Day Café by Minervas, TapHouse 41, and Phillips Avenue Diner, just to name a few.

My partner in crime, Yany Avelar, and I pulled up to 22TEN Kitchen Cocktails at the former Beef ‘O’ Brady’s on 69th Street just west of Western Avenue. It was a snowy afternoon, and we were ready to warm up, though we had no idea what to expect.

Would this be another sports bar like its predecessor?

Would this be another place to grab greasy food?

We opened the doors, and we couldn’t have been more wrong.

Right in front of us was a gorgeous mural of a woman holding her finger up as if to “shush” the restaurant. We were greeted by WR Hospitality marketing director Megan Schuver, who said it’s supposed to imply it’s a “local secret.”

The best way I could describe the place?

“This is a sexy vibe, I love it,” I said as we were seated in a green velvet booth.

The bar had blue chandeliers above it, and the bartender was wearing a retro-esque outfit that was reminiscent of a speakeasy.

Suddenly, Yany knew how she felt about the space.

She proclaimed, “It reminds me of Vanderpump Rules. Yas!” (A.k.a. an amazing reality show on Bravo.)

Yany then kept staring at the mural of the woman.

“Is that Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Rec[reation]?”

Probably not, but that’d be cool if it was.

Breaking our stare-down with faux Aubrey Plaza, our food began to show up. First up was the French Chicken. This consisted of fennel-asparagus salad, root vegetable mash, glace de poulet, and candied orange.

First and foremost, the presentation was very impressive, and we soon saw that went for all of their dishes.

“It’s so pretty it’s almost hard to want to ruin it by eating it,” said Yany.

Two seconds later we didn’t feel bad anymore and dug in. The chicken was very tender, and I always made sure to get some of the seasoned chicken skin with my bite.

This place legit was tricking me into eating better and liking it. The fennel-asparagus salad was fresh and delicious, and I mixed the chicken and salad with the mashed potatoes for the best of all worlds. It was then that I looked at the menu again and read it was a veggie mash.

::RecordScreech::

I like veggie mash? You done tricked me good, 22TEN!

Next up was the Pork Cheek. This had sweet potato fingerling, poached pear, swiss chard, and maple mustard sauce.

“Is it corny to say it almost melts in your mouth?” asked Yany. “It’s a different texture, but I like it.”

It was different, but not a weird texture. The fingerling sweet potatoes were so good, and were probably one of my favorite parts of the experience. What was super bizarre was I found myself dipping the pork cheek in the mustard sauce, and usually mustard freaks me out.

I liked it. I liked mustard. What is happening?!

After second-guessing my existence, we checked out a salad option. We tried the Ray-Fin, which has field greens, grilled salmon, poached pear, curried walnut, feta, heirloom tomato, and white balsamic vinaigrette.

Yany was obsessed.

She commented, “There’s not enough pears in salads, you know?”

I wanted to bottle the light vinaigrette. With all of the different elements, each fork-full seemed different, which kept it exciting (salad exciting?!).

“I want one of these to go, I’m serious,” said Yany. “The cheese and pear combo are so good together.”

We had to try one more main dish, so I pushed the salad to the side. She legit darted across the table for one more bite. Girl is not lying.

The Duck Soba came out and was almost made for Instagram. I mean, duck meatballs and noodles with chopsticks? Already posted it on my account.

Oh, what’s in it? Szechwan duck meatballs, napa cabbage, snap pea, bell pepper, carrot, soba noodle, soy caramel, sesame seed, and scallion.

After our first couple of nibbles, it seemed to have a lot of cumin flavor, which is not a bad thing. It also had a little kick. As we ate the meatballs, it didn’t even occur to us that we were eating duck. It was a yummy entrée that could easily be shared.

More, you say? There’s a super unique dessert menu, and we got to try the Chocolate Orange Crème Brûlée. This had dark chocolate couverture, orange zest, and burnt sugar crust.

I was full, and after one bite I exclaimed, “I will finish this.”

The orange and dark chocolate were a combo for the ages, and I had a food high, which is my favorite. I was essentially the Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Flailing Tube Man with each scoop and each crunch of the burnt crust.

BOTTOM LINE

Everything about this place is different, but is also very approachable. Only feeling a burger? Get a burger. Want something fresh and different, like Duck Soba? You’re in the right place. Not only that, but the ambiance is killer. While it’s sophisticated, you don’t have to dress up. Or, you could spice it up for a fun date night. Though this is meant to be a neighborhood establishment, I feel people will be coming from across town to give it a try and come back.

2210 W. 69th St., Sioux Falls // 605.271.1787 // 22tenkitchen.com

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LAMB SLIDERS
Harissa aioli, feta, mint, sweet potato fries, and curried yogurt.

BRIE
Puff pastry, blueberry-lemon compote, candied almond, arugula, and toast points.

MAINSTAYS

SQUASH PENNE
Butternut squash, cremini mushroom, sage, garlic, arugula, shallot, parmesan, and white wine sauce.

SMOKED GOUDA MAC
Pork belly lardons, garlic cream, fresno pepper, parmesan, penne, and breadcrumb.

WITCHCRAFT

POPPER BURGER
Jalapeño jelly-cream cheese, bacon, onion frites, and a house bun.

REUBEN
Braised corned beef, kraut, Russian dressing, swiss, and N.Y. rye.

FROM THE GARDEN

BIG EYE
Spinach, arugula, kale, ahi tuna, couscous, roasted red pepper, artichoke, feta, kalamata olive, and lemon-herb vinaigrette.

DESSERTS

CHOCOLATE SOUP
Dark chocolate ganache, white chocolate ganache, graham cracker, cherry reduction, and whipped cream.

CHURRO WAFFLE
Whipped cream, strawberry syrup, cinnamon sugar, and vanilla bean ice cream.