From mini Cokes to mini cakes, it's a small world after all. First there were mini desserts. Then came mini burgers. Now, it's a mini mania.
Restaurants of all types are downsizing minis to the max. The chef-driven Piccolo in Minneapolis serves an entire mini-entree menu. In St. Paul, mini ahi tuna sliders are on the menu at the St. Paul Grill, El Burrito Mercado serves mini quesadillas, Shamrocks has mini corn dogs, Salut offers a trio of mini salads, Faces has mini pizzas and W.A. Frost changes its mini sandwich daily.
For restaurant owners, the mini-plate craziness is a way of meeting demand for lower prices, healthier fare and more choices. For diners, it's a way to have their cake and eat it, too.
"My first reaction was that mini portions were going to take away from the more expensive items on the menu," says W.A. Frost manager Robert Crew. "But it became clear right away that it wasn't true. They are sales we wouldn't have had.
David Fhima, chef owner of Faces in downtown St. Paul says much the same thing. "People think ordering bite-size portions is a fun way to eat. They can taste five or six dishes and still control what they eat. They don't want a plate they have to share."
Fhima's new spring menu, due out soon, will include a 2-ounce filet mignon. The chef thinks diners won't be able to resist a teeny steak, plus they'll order more dishes.
"The check average will be the same," he says. "But they'll feel like they've experienced more."
W.A.
Frost started out with a mini trio dessert plate as a way to sell to an entire table."The funny thing is many individuals order it even though it's more expensive than the other desserts," says Crew. "They get it because they want a lot of flavors. I wouldn't take it off the menu for the world."
Last year, micro entrees - scaled-down meals - were added to the bar menu at Frost. "It's a category we felt was missing," says Crew. "Diners may not want a sandwich or an appetizer, but they don't want to spend $30 for an entree, either. Now, they can get a scaled-down version with the same flavor profiles for $10 to $16. It's hard to know what the public will get excited about, but with this one, they're all over it."
That doesn't surprise Jeff Sommers, owner of Izzy's ice cream in St. Paul. When he created the Izzy, he never imagined the free mini scoop on top of a regular cone eventually would spawn other mini hits, such as mini banana splits and Izzy Pops, a 3/4-ounce scoop of ice cream dipped in housemade chocolate and served on a stick.
"The Izzy Pops are extremely popular," says Sommers. "We sell thousands of them. Just yesterday, I had an order for 300 for a graduation party."
Bars Bakery co-owner Sandi Younkin never heard of mignardises - sweet small bites served at the end of a meal - until her chef daughter from San Francisco clued her in. Now, she offers sweet and savory mignardises platters on Bars catering menu.
"It's a nice option, and it has been popular for us," says Younkin. "But I do tell people the more types you offer, the more people are going to eat because they want to try more."
"It's all about size," says Phil Roberts who heads Parasole Restaurant Holdings (Manny's Steakhouse, Cafeteria, Chino Latino in Minneapolis; Muffuletta in St. Paul; Salut, St. Paul and Edina, etc.).
"People love scale, whether it's big or small. What I don't think they like is anything that's in between - too ordinary," he says. "They're fond of the big steaks at Manny's but also little cute things like duet of fish and the mini trio salad at Salut."
Parasole always has been about size. But gradually, the company's restaurants have been downsizing dishes and lowering prices. "Six years ago, it was all about big food," says Roberts. "Then, we started watching the garbage cans and seeing how much food goes in." But Manny's will never serve a mini steak, says Roberts. "Our steaks are big and expensive, but they also represent a value. You eat half and take half home for the next day. You go to Manny's for wretched excess."
MINIS ON MENUS
Bars (612 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-224-8300): Sweet and savory mignardises platters
Cocoa Fig (Gaviidae Common, 651 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-333-1485): Desserts and cake pops.
Dairy Queen: Blizzards
El Burrito Mercado (175 Concord St., St. Paul; 651-227-2192): Quesadillas
Faces (Cray Plaza, 380 Jackson St., St. Paul; 651-209-7776): Pizza, sliders, chocolate truffles
Izzy's Ice Cream Cafe (2034 Marshall Ave., St. Paul; 651-603-1458): Izzy Pops, mini banana splits
Mama's Pizza (961 Rice St., St. Paul; 651-489-2005): Pizza, Italian fries
Meritage (410 St. Peter St., St. Paul; 651-222-5670): Salted-caramel Izzy Pops
Muffuletta (2260 Como Ave., St. Paul; 651-644-9116): Muffuletta
O'Gara's Bar Grill (164 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul; 651-644-3333): Reubens, tacos
Piccolo (4300 Bryant Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-827-8111): All entrees
Shamrocks (Irish Nook, 995 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-228-9925): Corn dogs, tacos
St. Paul Grill (350 Market St., St. Paul; 651-224-7455): Ahi tuna Charlie's
Starbucks: Petite desserts, cake pops
Sweets Bakeshop (2042 Marshall Ave., St. Paul; 651-340-7138): Cupcakes
Vincent (1100 Nicollet Mall, Minneappolis; 612-630-1189): Pekin duck breast burgers
W.A. Frost (374 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-224-5715): Desserts, sandwich of the day, micro entrees
