MORE THAN GOLF
Tavern Nine owners Owen and Adam Schultz cheers as they sit on the patio at their newly renovated restaurant in Owatonna. The two brothers have updated the dining area, bar and menu, and are quickly creating one of Owatonna’s best dining experiences. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
Owatonna restaurant Tavern Nine has gone through a period of change over the course of the last year with remodels to its dining area, bar and patio, all as a part of a bigger vision for brothers and owners, Adam and Owen Schultz.
The restaurant, located on Owatonna's Brooktree Golf Course, has proven to be more than just a clubhouse restaurant for golfers and instead is becoming one of the town’s premier dining destinations.
“We’ve heard from people that come in and even our staff that our food is the best in town,” said Adam Schultz. “Obviously, as a chef, this is a compliment you love to hear, but you take it with a grain of salt. Owen and I have worked really hard to constantly improve our food, drink and venue, and I think we’re really showing what we can do.”
Upgrades to the venue include a new bar, where Owen Schultz has continued mastering the craft of mixology with a host of new drinks – including his famous “Bomba Juice” which the Minnesota Twins picked up as their official office drink a few years prior.
Highlighting the top of the drinks menu is also the bourbon old fashioned, made with Redemption bourbon, simple syrup, orange cream bitters, homemade bourbon cherries and an orange peel.
In the kitchen, Adam Schultz has made his mark by implementing a creative and sustainable menu that includes dishes that cater to both the soul and the dining experience.
“We have a menu that not only tastes good, but that our team can prepare in a timely manner during rushes. Two dishes that I’ve added that I’m really excited about are our mac bowls and our smoked stacked nachos,” said Schultz.
According to Schultz, the mac bowls were more of a passion project that saw him try relentlessly to find the perfect mixture of cheesiness and flavor while adding his own creative twists.
Variations of the mac bowls include crab and shrimp, Kraft Mac BBQ pork, bacon cheeseburger and buffalo chicken.
Starring alongside the mac bowls are the smoked stacked nachos, which quite literally bring the heat to the table.
The nachos include chicken tinga, Colby jack cheese, queso, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños and sour cream, but the real spectacle is the infused wood-chip smoke that comes served underneath the lid with the dish itself.
On top of the food and drink, Tavern Nine is known for its patio, which has been bustling thanks to the abundance of warm weather southern Minnesota has received recently.
The patio is available to be rented out during the summer months and will play host to events such as the Fairway Fest on Sept. 23, when local food and drink vendors will flood Brooktree Golf Course for a pop-up event.
For those looking to check out Tavern Nine, the restaurant is located at 1369 Cherry St. in Owatonna, and menus are available at the restaurant’s website at www.tavernnine.com.
