Fat Lorenzo's

Supper tonight was at Fat Lorenzo's near Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis. The amazing murals inside and outside of this restaurant set the stage for the quality service and food we recieved at Fat's. See the photo gallery on the restaurant's website.

I ordered 2 slices of Pizza by the Slice: "Fat's - Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black and green olives." I had no idea that at $3.75/slice, just one slice would be enough to fill me up. The waiter set down my two slices in front of me on two dinner plates, each slice hanging over the edges of its oversized plate. He chuckled at my wide-eyed reaction to the enormous amount of food! Fat Lorenzo's is generous with the toppings, making the slice impossible to pick up. All of the veggies were thickly cut and the top of the pizza was covered in pepperoni. There were way too many olives, in my opinion - I ate as many as I picked off, and I had a good handful-sized pile of them on my plate at the end. The crust was crisp and brown, but it was soggy in the middle. I guess ordering by-the-slice means that it may have been sitting around a little longer than ordering a whole pizza fresh. My second slice got boxed up for lunch the next day.

I had a bottle of Ace Perry Cider. In spite of the pear on the label, it turned out to be pear-flavored apple cider and was much sweeter than regular apple cider.

My dining companion ordered "Lorenzo's Lasagna - Our scrumptious combination of meats, cheeses and vegetables sandwiched between layers of pasta and a zesty red sauce." The lasagna's meat combination included ham, pepperoni, and sausage - "the whole pig," he commented - which left a pool of flavorful oil in the bottom of the plate. The dish was really rich and had a nicely sweet sauce. His dinner was served with half a loaf of crusty Italian bread, slathered in butter and garlic, and toasted. It was quite enough food for him to take leftovers for next-day lunch as well.

He tried two beers tonight.
Pere Jacques 2009 Belgian Style Ale had a strong, crisp flavor. The beer contains active yeast, which results in a bit of sediment in the bottle. The bottle itself had a simple, sophisticated label, much like a wine bottle label.
New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale had an unusual flavor with a chocolate finish, making it a good dessert beer. The menu described the 1554 as having a "bright" flavor. I tasted it and declared it to be "awful." In my dining companion's words, the beer-makers must have been messing around with recipes one day and figured that since this beer didn't kill them, they might as well bottle it and see if anyone would buy it. I guarantee you I won't buy it.

On the way out, the gelato counter caught my eye. Their dozen or so flavors are all made fresh in-house. Since this was my first gelato, it was suggested that I try a fruit flavor and a cream flavor. The raspberry was rich and sweet, with seeds indicating that it was made with lots of real raspberries. The chocolate was thick and dark, not too sweet. I would have gotten chocolate had I not just eaten a big heavy meal, so the raspberry won out. Gelato is thicker than ice cream with a wonderfully smooth texture and a very, very rich flavor.

Fat Lorenzo's: Highly Recommended
5600 Cedar Avenue S.
Minneapolis, MN 55417