Raspberry's only on one side of the river

“Part of the arrangement when we moved into the Badgerow Building was to leave South Sioux,” explained chef and co-owner Calvin Byrd. “So, now we only have the one restaurant.”

Byrd and his co-owner wife Paula – who is also a chef – moved from 1512 Dakota Ave. into their new location at 333 Jackson St. in the historic Badgerow Building in downtown Sioux City in late October 2010 and opened Nov. 1.

“We wanted to be closer to the heart of the city,” Calvin Byrd explained when the announcement was made last year at the bistro on the main level of the 12-story building.

At that press conference, Mayor Mike Hobart called the Byrds “culinary entrepreneurs,” predicting their move to the Badgerow would help spur a continued Renaissance in the central business district.

Since October 2008, Raspberry’s had operated out of a storefront on Dakota Avenue, with a modest look inside, but extravagant tastes for the people’s palates on the inside.

“It’s all about perception,” Byrd pointed out. “We went from seating 50 in South Sioux to seating 80 in Sioux City. But our kitchen space doubled, which was great for us, and about 20 percent of the area is for a bar, which we didn’t have in South Sioux. So, that leaves people to believe we are much larger, but we really aren’t.”

Fans of Raspberry’s food often point to its success with its French dishes. But with the concept of “French” comes some misunderstanding.

“The restaurant is propagated as French cuisine, but people tend to think French is snooty,” Byrd said. “But we’ve had a number of convertees since we opened, because once they take their first bite of food, they realize it’s not snooty French food. So, I think a better way to describe us is a French approach to American food.”

For example, Byrd whips up a dish called Tennessee Hot Brown for Sunday brunch.

“It’s originally something I worked up called a Kentucky Hot Brown, because it came from Kentucky and Hot Brown was a horse in the derby,” he said. “It’s French toast topped with thick crusts of smokehouse bacon, onion-roasted tomatoes, two poached eggs, and we coat the entire thing with a Gruyere cheese sauce.”

Tasty as that might sound, for those who balk at poached eggs Byrd was quick to point out this is not a corporate approach to creating food.

“If you want your eggs sunny side up or scrambled, we can do them that way,” he said. “We’re chefs here. We can do anything the customer wants.”

Since moving into the Badgerow, Byrd pointed to three things that surprised him. “I thought we had everything paid off in South Sioux and then we moved to Sioux City and we’re back in debt,” he quipped for the first thing.

“Secondly, I can set my watch on what’s going on downtown, because if things are happening at the Orpheum or at the Tyson, we’re going to be packed and busy,” he continued. “And we are really looking forward to the (Sioux City Public) museum opening up. There is such cool stuff going on downtown!”

The last surprise is a Midwestern eye-opener, Byrd mused.

“People are always wanting to see what I can do with steak,” he said, chuckling. “And I can do a lot. I’ve adapted my menu around this request.”

In addition to lunch and dinner – where each entree is, in essence, a four-course meal that includes an amuse-bauche (an appetizer to “excite” the taste buds), freshly-made breads and an intermezzo (a palette cleanser).

“It takes around 45 minutes, from sitting down to finishing the food, to eat here,” Byrd estimated. “But I like to include that extra five minutes between courses.”

Raspberry’s also sports an ala carte Sunday brunch.

“Everybody wants to do a Sunday buffet, but we prefer the option of a fresh brunch, just for the customer and not for the 15 people in front of them or behind them,” Byrd explained.

In the Raspberry’s will be the site of more local art on its walls, possibly booth seating, and maybe jazz in the evening.

“Tons of guests are asking for it,” Byrd said. “And it’s one of my loves so we are looking at that seriously.”