At Krewe, New Orleans cooking gets a Minnesota accent

Krewe ★★★ (Excellent) Address: 24 College Av. N., St. Joseph, Minn. krewemn.com Recommended dishes: Gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalaya, NOLA shrimp, Louisiana fried cabbage, buttermilk fried chicken salad, muffuletta or shrimp po’boy, bread pudding. The gumbo at Krewe may not be what you expect. It’s lighter and brothier, without the brooding, almost bitter complexity that comes from a deeply browned Cajun roux, the flour-and-fat thickener of many gumbos. Still, it’s rich and aromatic, a savory jumble of chicken, smoked sausage, ham, seafood and, somewhat unexpectedly, sirloin. Chef-owner Mateo Mackbee isn’t taking liberties with a Louisiana classic. He’s following his New Orleans grandfather Reynard’s nearly century-old recipe, passed down through three generations without much tinkering. Along with jambalaya and red beans and rice, the gumbo forms the foundation of Krewe, the restaurant Mackbee and his wife Erin opened in St. Joseph in 2020. (The couple also owns and operates Flour & Flower, the bakery next door.) The name is a nod to the krewes that organize New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parades. But his New Orleans roots are only part of the story. Mackbee’s curiosity, wide-ranging culinary influences and Minnesota ingredients all shape the cooking at Krewe. Advertisement Expanded image view A shrimp po’boy, half muffuletta and buttermilk fried chicken salad are on the lunch menu at Krewe in St. Joseph, Minn. ( Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune ) Family recipes and classics Although Mackbee grew up in Bloomington, he spent childhood summers with his mother’s family in New Orleans. His grandfather worked as a cook aboard cargo ships, and his mother, Mary, regularly prepared the family recipes at home. Mackbee suspects the dried basil in the gumbo traces back to his grandfather’s childhood working in an Italian grocery store. Krewe’s jambalaya is also unconventional, a bright, tangy tomato-based stew served alongside rice rather than cooked together in one pot, like paella. Instead of the long-grain rice commonly associated with Louisiana cooking, Mackbee uses floral jasmine rice and a Puerto Rican technique he learned from Minneapolis chef Nettie Colón, toasting the grains in oil before cooking them. The result is fluffy, distinct grains that hold their own against the sauce. Red beans and rice start with smoked turkey legs from nearby St. Joseph Meat Market and Camellia red beans, a Louisiana staple that Mackbee buys in bulk. Ham, andouille sausage, onions and celery round out the dish, which is deeply smoky, earthy and savory, with a rich, velvety bean gravy. There are plenty of New Orleans classics, such as warm, crumbly hush puppies served in a paper bag. The NOLA shrimp comes closest to putting me in New Orleans, with plump shrimp, smoked sausage and corn in a buttery, garlicky sauce seasoned with Old Bay. Mackbee’s take on a shrimp boil comes with a toasted baguette from Flour & Flower to soak up the sauce.