Mr. Rain's Fun House

When you hear the name Mr. Rain's Fun House are you not intrigued? And on top of having an awesome name isn't it cool that they are part of the American Visionary Art Museum. So many cool things about this place and then I hear that they are known for putting together some charismatic cocktails. Add that all together and Mr. Rain's Fun House was one of the most anticipated restaurant visits I've made since starting this blog. 

Mr. Rain's Fun House greeted us with complimentary pretzels and mustard and I've got to tell you they were incredible. It feels silly to get so worked up over something so simple but it really was that good. I could have snacked on them all night and would have been happy sipping a few cocktails alongside them. As good as the pretzels were, though, we decided we still wanted an appetizer and ordered the pickle dish. The dish included 5 different types of pickled veggies including carrots, beets, cucumbers, and if memory serves me correct daikon and cabbage. I wouldn't say this was my favorite appetizer of all time, but  it's not something you find on many menus and it was a lot of fun to try the veggies in a way that was slightly out of my typical wheelhouse. 

For dinner, I ordered the Hanger Steak with whisky sauce, brussel sprouts, and a fancy little potato au gratin. The steak was prepared quite simply. It was tender, but the seasoning was underplayed allowing the meat to shine through with only the whisky sauce adding a touch of sweetness. I loved the sprouts as well. In addition to tasting great half the fun of eating them was knowing how rare it is to find them on a typical menu. I was really excited about the potatos when they came out, but they ended up being in dire need of salt and pepper and a bit undercooked . The dish had a few missteps, but overall I really enjoyed the plate of food put before me.

Deana definitely won the battle of "who can order the better dinner". She ordered a roasted chicken topped with gravy and stuffing and served with a side of carrots. As a homecook I always have trouble getting my skin to crisp up so I really appreciated how much crunch they were able to achieve with the chicken. The skin was perfect and the meat itself was juicy and tender. We both really loved the simple presentation of the carrots with the little bits of green left on top. Their sweetness and the added sweetness from the stuffing played really well with the more savory chicken.

And now here is where my dinner notes get bad.....at cocktail time. Neither of us are much on cocktails, but after hearing good things about their cocktail program we decided we had to try them out. And so we did, but we didn't stop at just one round. That's quite impressive when you consider that it might be the first time in our dining history either of us ordered more than one cocktail. As I mentioned earlier, the details of the particular drinks we had are wanting, but I can happily attest to their deliciousness. I remember being quite impressed with how approachable they were able to make drinks where whisky was the main star. 

So, did Mr. Rain's Fun House live up to the big expectations I set for them prior to my visit? Despite some parts of the meal that didn't wow us, I think Deana and I both left content and would be more than happy to dine their again. The cocktails were great and the menu was really fun to look through just because it was so different than what we're used to looking at after so many restaurant visits. 

Price: A little pricey

Recommendation: Great choice for a quiet date night with unique food and drinks

What to Order: With an ever changing menu it's a little hard to make a recommendation. Go with your instincts.