Charlie’s Cafe Exceptionale Potato Salad

This popular potato salad has been the most requested recipe from any Twin Cities restaurant. Although the original recipe remains a secret, owner Louise Saunders claimed this version was as close as anyone can get to the secret recipe.

Servings: 8

Print Recipe

Ingredients

5 medium potatoes, freshly cooked and peeled
1 tsp. salt
Dash white pepper
2 Tbsp. green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. pimiento, chopped
¼ c. celery, diced
3 hard-cooked eggs, diced
1¼ c. homemade mayonnaise

Homemade Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
Dash cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar, divided
1 c. salad oil

Instructions

Dice peeled potatoes into a large bowl; they should equal about 5 cups. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add onion, pimiento, celery, eggs, and homemade mayonnaise; mix gently.
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Homemade Mayonnaise

In small mixer bowl, beat egg yolk, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice or vinegar on medium speed until blended.
Continue beating, adding oil drop by drop. As mixture thickens, increase rate of addition. Slowly stir in remaining lemon juice or vinegar. Makes 1¾ cup.

Notes

Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

About Charlie’s Cafe Exceptionale

Location:
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Status:
Permanently closed

Dates active:
1933-1982

Charlie’s Cafe Exceptionale operated out of a two-story Tudor-style building at 701 4th Avenue S in Minneapolis. The restaurant was more than just a place to eat downtown, it was, in fact, a place where locals and celebrities alike gathered to enjoy good food and great company. Its owner, a gregarious up-and-comer, transformed it into an award-winning Minneapolis institution.

Two Charlies

The original restaurant opened in December 1933 by business partners Charles W. Saunders and Charlie “The Finn” Herlin. Their partnership led to the creation of a dining establishment that would become woven into the very fabric of the city. At that time, the name was either Charles’ Cafe (as stated in a 1982 profile of the restaurant), 2 Charlies (taken from an interview with Louise in 1972), or Cafe Exceptionale (found in several 1930s news articles, including Charles Herlin’s obituary). As you can see from the menu in the gallery below, it was in fact a combination of these: Cafe Exceptionale 2 Charlie’s.

No matter the name, the reputation for delicious food and a really good time was already making the rounds among well-connected Minneapolitans and beyond. The restaurant took over a large old home at the edge of downtown whose interior was often compared to a funeral home.

After Charlie Herlin suffered a heart attack and died just months after the restaurant opened, Charlie Saunders took over full ownership and he changed the name to Charlie’s Cafe Exceptionale. A short time later, he purchased a lot across the street, and in 1947, designed a larger, two-story building for his restaurant there.

Charlie’s Cafe Exceptionale

Charlie wanted the new restaurant to have an old English style, so he designed the exterior to resemble a Tudor mansion. Near the front door was a six-foot bronze statue of a nude water nymph called Scherzo. The statue was originally part of the Foshay Tower but found its way to a more prominent position at Charlie’s, much to the dismay of many “moral citizens” of the city. They objected to the statue’s placement and publicly petitioned Charlie to relocate it to a less conspicuous spot at the restaurant. Charlie refused.

When customers entered the restaurant, they were ushered into the past by way of the two-and-a-half-story entrance hall, complete with a curved wooden and wrought-iron staircase and a mural of hunters emerging from the forest.

The oak-paneled main dining room featured wall-to-wall red carpet, a large fireplace, wrought iron chandeliers, and heavy wood dining tables, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Seven private dining rooms were also available, each with a unique look and feel, offering a more intimate dining experience. A cocktail lounge with plenty of leafy plants and a unique fireplace made a cozy place to unwind with a drink. A lively padded piano bar was nearby, providing entertainment for diners. The restaurant could accommodate up to 358 diners, and in its hey-day, it often did.

Charlie’s connections within the city and with national politicians and celebrities were unparalleled. The restaurant was a regular haunt for everyone from Bob Hope to Richard Nixon. When Look Magazine came to feature Charlie, it became a star-studded affair with Bob Hope, Arthur Godfrey, and local legend Cedric Adams all making their way into the photo spread.

Louise Saunders Takes Over

After Charlie died in 1964, his wife Louise took over the restaurant. Although she attempted to sell the business that year, the deal fell through, and Louise continued to run the restaurant for another 19 years. Before adding Restaurateur to her resume, Louise had been a prominent attorney in town, the first woman to serve as president of the downtown council, Commissioner of the White House Conference on Small Business in 1979, and a renowned businesswoman, among many other accomplishments.

Downtown Minneapolis underwent significant changes throughout the 1960s and 1970s, as did the local restaurant scene. The rise of more and more skyscrapers in the area made parking near Charlie’s difficult, and the evolving culinary landscape led to a few less-than-complimentary reviews of the food, which deterred a new generation from giving Charlie’s a try. As a result, fewer people were coming downtown for dinner or staying for dinner after work, contributing to the decline of the restaurant.

In 1982, Louise made the decision to close Charlie’s Cafe Exceptionale and sell the property to a developer. The restaurant closed at 11:59 on July 21, 1982, after 48 years of being the go-to watering hole for the famous and infamous locals and visitors alike.

Charlie’s potato salad was by far the most popular dish on the menu, and its recipe was a well-guarded secret that Charlie, Louise, and longtime head chef Al Mahlke all took to the grave. However, Louise said this version is as close as anyone could get to the real thing without giving away the secret.