Phyllis Louise Harris
March 2017
There are more than
9,000 licensed restaurants in Minnesota. This month Mpls/StPaul magazine lists
50 as its “best” choices. That leaves more than 8950 restaurants that were not mentioned
and some of them are my favorites.
I have favorites for a
variety for reasons, but Murray’s has been on my “best” list for more than 57
years. It has been around even longer. Opened in 1933 in North
Minneapolis, the Red Feather was the first restaurant run by Art Murray and his
wife Marie. In 1939, they moved it to the Russell Hotel on 4th
Street in downtown Minneapolis then in 1946 to 6th street off
Nicollet Avenue and called it Murray’s Steakhouse. Here they took over a space
once occupied by the Chinese restaurant Hankow Café that touted itself as the
“finest and largest Oriental café in the Northwest.” That was interesting
because it was just two doors down from John’s Place, the first and one of the
most popular Chinese restaurants in the state.
Murray’s soon became a
favorite of businessmen, visiting notables, sports legends, judges and lawyers
for lunch and at night a place to eat, drink and dance to the music of the
Murray’s Orchestra. In the 1950s it was a favorite afternoon luncheon choice
for ladies who were also treated to fashion shows while dining. It was a time
when ladies wore fussy hats and kid gloves anytime they went downtown.
I started going to
Murray’s in 1960 when I was working in advertising and taking clients to lunch.
Marie understood the difficulties of a woman working in a man’s world
especially when the check came to the table. To eliminate the awkward situation
when most men felt obliged to pick up the check, Marie opened a house account
for me so I never had to deal with a check at the table again. It was simply added to my account along with
a decent tip and I paid the bill at the end of the month.
Over the years Murray’s
won numerous dining awards including the Silver Butter Knife award for its
outstanding steak. In the 1980s it was named as the source of America’s most
perfectly cooked steaks. When I moved to New York in 1974 friends would take me
to a variety of steakhouses and each one was simply not as good a Murray’s. Not
the Palm. Not Peter Luger’s. Not a single one! And while my husband (a native
New Yorker) publicly tolerated my allegiance to Murray’s quality, he privately
agreed it was the best.
So what makes Murray’s
so good? Quality food, outstanding cooking, consistent, friendly management,
and an atmosphere of caring about customers. But most of all it is the
delicious food year after year. Among my favorites are small steaks, au gratin
potatoes, Caeser salad with house dressing, fresh raspberry pie, and, of
course, Murray’s garlic toast. So many of the recipes date back decades and are
still secret. If you are not a particular Murray, you do not get to see the
recipe, and believe me I have tried.
Gone are the Murray’s
Orchestra and the dance floor in the center of the dining room. Gone are Art
and Marie and later their son Pat. Gone are the fashion show luncheons. But
still here, still thriving, still serving some of the best food in the country
are third generation Murrays who truly understand what “best” means in the
restaurant business. Thanks Tim, Jill
and James Murray for continuing a tradition your grandparents and father so
successfully carried on. We need restaurants like Murray’s to remind us what
exceptional dining is all about.
(For more of the
Murray’s story go to www.murraysrestaurant.com
. Also take a look at their menu. If you really want the “best” hamburger in
town, try Murray’s! And, so you don’t think I forgot this is a column about
Asian food, try their Crispy Asian Chicken salad – not really Asian, but it has
a few Asian ingredients and for a steak house that’s close enough.)
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Read more about Asian food in
Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors:
Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on
amazon.cm.
Buy online: Asian Flavors:
Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875
Watch the EMMY® award winning
“Asian Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt MN. Check
local TV listings for broadcast times or view the show
streaming online at:
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