ASI is a museum, cultural center and historic mansion located just south of downtown Minneapolis.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
FIKA (“fee - kuh”), the café at the American Swedish Institute, opened July 10 inside the new Nelson Cultural Center. On the changing lunch menu are a variety of salads, open-face sandwiches, soups and sides… and they’re as delicious as they are pretty!
With the Turnblad Mansion in full view, guests dining at FIKA can choose from an ever-changing seasonal lunch menu dedicated to regional ingredients and Nordic traditions. From espresso and pastries to salads and open-face sandwiches, FIKA features traditional Swedish delicacies alongside modern interpretations of the New Nordic Cuisine.
Guests at FIKA will choose from a menu featuring regionally sourced ingredients, guided by Chef Michael Fitzgerald, who joins FIKA from restaurants like Tilia, Sea Change, Solera and Barrio. Fitzgerald started his decade-long career at Auriga working with celebrated chef Doug Flicker.
In Sweden, fika is a daily break, traditionally involving coffee and treats… but it’s about much more than caffeine and carbohydrates. It’s a Swedish social institution, where friends, family and colleagues take time to sit down and chat about life and current events.
FIKA opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays (9 a.m. on Saturdays and noon on Sundays) and stays open until 2 p.m. Mondays, 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 5 p.m. all other days of the week.
FIKA is on Facebook and Twitter.
Oh, and the food? Three of the sides and one salad are pictured. 1) White asparagus, gravlax (lox/marinated salmon), smoked almonds, pine syrup. 2) Fingerling potatoes, pickled onions, smoked salmon roe, herb aioli. 3) Pine needle smoked pork belly, watermelon radishes, fennel salad, green pea puree. 4) Beet salad.
