The meditation of Om

November 8, 11:22 AMMinneapolis Restaurant ExaminerTobie Nidetz

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Nightclub or restauarant?
Om logo

Saturday night, downtown Minneapolis. The weather is not the typical November night. Up and down 1st. Avenue, patrons walk around in sweaters and shirtsleeves. There's not a snowbank in sight. So it was already a moment to ponder even before I walked into Om.

Housed in the corner spot once home to the iconic Nate's Clothing at the corner of 4th. Street and 1st Ave. The entrepreneurs behind Om have created a space as mystifying as its name.  Om is the Hindu symbol for the absolute, a oneness with the universe. Omnipotent and ever present. Wow the hubris of these guys is stunning. What they ended up with was a space that confuse and confounds the guest as much as it invites them in to take part and bask in the warm light of Om.

There are some very interesting and pretty pieces of decor, but the first floor is dominated by a huge whole that is the beautiful staircase leading to the basement dining room. And then the basement dining room looks like a basement. Unfortunate because it also has some nice looking elements, but their hidden away in dark corners.

The bar, on the first level, feels and looks like an after thought. It's tucked in a corner of the room away from the rest of the "lounge"

Let's talk about the food. I have enormous respect for Raghavan Iyer, the cook book author and teacher who guided the creation of the menu. His work in the arena of Indian cuisine has garnered awards and due praise. And the food demonstrated the complex layers of flavors indicative of Indian food. But the menu itself lacked the excitement I thought it would have. In fact it reminded me of a hotel menu pretending to be South Asian. Each plate we tried displayed a level of sophistication most kitchens can't achieve without the effort and experience of someone like Mr. Iyer behind the scene. Unfortunately in today's market, none of that is enough. A menu has to have one if not several items that are done so well and resonate so deep in the psyche of the attending market that they become the "crave" items people will talk about when they speak of their experience at the restaurant. Om is missing that element.  In short the food is good, but there's nothing here that is calling me back to try  it again. I missed the warming and comforting foods that lesser Indian restaurants can sometimes do very well. Foods that I crave when I'm in the mood.

Couple the experience of the food with the confusing decor and that can only add up to a restaurant with many challenges ahead of it. It wants to be hip and cutting edge, it wants to be a nightclub, it wants to be the experience everyone is talking about. I hope they get their wish, I think everyone should try it once. It's just not going to be a regular stopping off place for me.