Area Dining: A change might do you good

Craig Venske wanted to be different.

Mission accomplished for the head chef and owner of Chameleon Cafe, north of Baxter on Highway 371 near Brainerd International Raceway.

Like the reptile it's named after, the restaurant is about change. Unlike a change in appearance, Venske wanted to change the lakes area's dining experience. With healthy food items and a minimalist approach to service and decor, Chameleon Cafe isn't your normal quick food stop. It's quick, but the menu and atmosphere provide more than what you might expect.

"It was quite an evolution all together," Venske said. "About eight years ago, I started looking at food trucks. I was going to music festivals and it drove me nuts that everybody had the same sort of thing. This was about the time everything was exploding in Portland with the food trucks. It finally materialized last year at Gull Dam Brewing.

"What I was looking for as far as a brick and mortar, with the space we had and the concept kind of evolving from the food truck, is doing what is called a fast casual."

There's no table service. Customers order at the counter as they enter. The food will be brought to them, but for the most part, the dining experience is uninterrupted. The benefit is less staff and less cost to the patron.

"It's meant to run really smooth when you get a lot of people in the door," Venske said. "It is a small space here. We still get a little bit of where people just walk past the sign and sit down and are waiting. I have a small, great staff, but part of the affordability is not having a waitstaff. It's a little bit of a struggle and not everybody wants that when they go out to eat, but again it's just part of the concept."

Venske said he hoped for a coffee shop feel. The decor matches that feeling with local artists' work displayed and for sale on the walls. There's a section of booth seating, as well as family-style tables near the windows. There's a casual flow throughout.

"I kind of feel like small, locally owned business should really be part of the community as far as charity work," Venske said. "So rather than filling the walls with goofy stuff, I'm good friends with (local artist) Tony Powers, so I knew I wanted to get some of his stuff on the wall. I just reached out to local artists and people who just wanted a home for their work to hang."

Where Venske will hope to grab repeat customers is with the menu.

Again, different is the key. There are no deep fryers at Chameleon Cafe so don't expect to get french fries or onion rings. Instead, pretzels or fresh fruit accompany the assortment of sandwiches and tacos. Seasonal vegetables, salads, multiple varieties of soups and desserts are also available.

"There's a saturated market for burgers and fries," Venske said. "In less than a mile from me, there's two locations you can get that."

Venske does use smokers, however. One offering from the smoker on his most recent menu is the Texas brisket. The brisket comes with bacon, cheddar and house barbecue sauce on French bread. Another is the "French Inhaler." Topped with drunken mushrooms, bourbon onions and Swiss cheese, it comes with ale-au jus for dipping.

There's pulled pork, chicken and an array of grilled cheeses.

Six types of tacos are available. Each order comes with three tacos, including a Jamaican, classic street and even a New Delhi taco. The Buckeye taco is back by popular demand and features a bacon-corn compote, pickled peppers, sauce and cilantro. There's even a brisket taco.

"I've been cooking for about 20 years," Venske said. "I've got experience from fast food and short order all the way to fine dining. I was on the ground floor in 2003 when Prairie Bay opened under Tim Anderson. I followed him to Iven's on the Bay and was a sous chef at Hawk on Bay when they relaunched."

Venske also traveled west for a number of years with stops in Fargo and Washington state. He's worked for Grand View Lodge on and off for eight years under head chef Mike Manders.

"Healthy food is my core business right now," Venske said. "Most of my customers have heard about me on Facebook or from a friend and they are so excited to get something healthy. My market is health. That's my core. Everybody that shows up here is just happy to have something that is different and unique.

"What I'm doing isn't for everybody, but I feel people are looking for what I'm doing."

Chameleon Cafe offers a smoked meat flatbread, smoked chicken nachos, a cheese and fruit plate and chicken avocado sliders for even more options.

Because of a smaller serving staff, wine, beer and multiple non-alcoholic beverages are available. Venske calls Chameleon Cafe a "gastro pub," and he enjoys pairing his food with the beer and wine selection.

"It's a hybrid between a gastro pub and a coffee shop," Venske said.

It's different, and Venske is happy with that.

A pullout if needed

Chameleon Cafe is closed Mondays. A brunch buffet is offered Friday through Sunday.