It was 33 years ago when I was first exposed to Rudolph’s. Opened by Jimmy Theros, back then, there was the main restaurant on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis just south of the downtown, and a smaller joint on Randolph Avenue in the Highland Park area of St. Paul. This little stand, positioned on a busy street corner in what used to be a gas station, was my favorite place to splurge on ribs. There wasn’t much for seating, so we took our meals home to go.
Rudolph’s later opened locations in downtown St. Paul and northeast Minneapolis, to name a few. I even heard of one in Ohio. I could always find one, and that was fine by me. It’s a fun restaurant, and back in the day they named their dishes after early film stars. (Rudolph’s = Rudy Valentino?) There were John Wayne’s and Greta Garbo’s and Marilyn Monroe’s. Of course, now the names of the menu items aren’t attached to famous people, probably a wise legal move. The beef ribs were huge and meaty and looked like something Fred Flintstone would eat. The baby back pork ribs were to die for, and the chicken was always moist. The cole slaw was excellent, and there were huge fries.
In addition, the Lyndale location was quite the hot spot. Prince would frequent the restaurant, as would local newscasters. One evening we were seated in an area adjacent to a room full of Minnesota Vikings.
When Rudolph’s decided to bottle and sell the sauce, I was in heaven. It was the mid-‘80s and my husband and I moved to the Detroit area. When I was pregnant with my first child, I had a Rudolph’s craving of such epic proportions that I wrote a fan letter to the restaurant. In response, they sent me a case of sauce, gratis. I never considered it before, but it’s no wonder my son is also a huge fan of Rudolph’s sauce. He puts it on everything, including tuna salad.
With grandkids to take back to Minnesota for regular visits, I was able to procure my own sauce from Rainbow or Cub Foods. Then the in-laws passed away, and there went our excuse to go back to Minnesota. My husband’s old college friends weren’t about to do us any favors. The sauce supply was drying up quickly.
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