Not long before the opening of In Bloom, his new hearth-cooking-based restaurant in Keg and Case West 7th Market in St. Paul, Thomas Boemer took a deep breath and asked himself, “What did I get myself into?”

The chef/restaurateur and his business partner, Nick Rancone, had had a busy few years. The pair opened a Revival on Selby Avenue in St. Paul and were in the midst of renovating the original Revival in South Minneapolis. They still operated their original venture together, Corner Table. They also launched a Revival stand at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Revival Smoked Meats, also in Keg and Case, came into play later, when there were still open stalls in the market.)

Still, the pair couldn’t say no to the opportunity to build, from the ground up, a restaurant they had long dreamed of, one that would revolve around cooking an entire menu with nothing but wood for fuel. So they committed to joining the Keg and Case development as its anchor restaurant. The restaurant would feature a 20-foot hearth upon which all cooking would take place. No stoves, no ovens, only wood fire.

A dream is one thing — making it happen is another.

Cooking on a wood fire takes skill, precision, focus. Not to mention commitment. Those fires have to be started early every morning to have the right embers ready to cook each dish.

So as the finishing touches were being added to In Bloom, Boemer wondered if he’d be able to find the right staff to make it all work. He’s just one guy, after all.

“You can’t just build this big raging fire and cook on it,” he said. “It takes a great deal of focus. You really have to commit to cooking this way. There’s no shortcuts, no oven to put things in, none of that exists. It’s just you and the fire.”

As it turns out, cooks weren’t just interested, they were practically lining up to work at In Bloom.

“We had so many cooks interested,” Boemer said. “Chefs and cooks — ‘we want to learn, we want to be challenged.’ There’s nowhere else that you can cook like this, to this degree. And people are not only really excited to do it, but they’re really good at it. They’re getting better with each service, and they’re really hooked on it.”

Though fire is a big part of what In Bloom is all about, the restaurant is much more than that. More than any restaurant that’s existed in the Twin Cities since Heartland closed, In Bloom’s menu really embodies the phrase “sense of place.”

Sure, your husband, dad or other relatives shoot a deer every few years. But do they know — as in, really know — how to cook it?

Take them to In Bloom, let them order off the entire section of the menu dedicated to venison, and let them learn a few things.

The most stunning dish in that section is probably the backstrap, the most tender, lean part of the animal, which is kissed by the fire, but left nearly rare and nestled on a deep, rich mole sauce, in which every ingredient — nuts, seeds, dried fruits, fresh and dried peppers, garlic and onions — is roasted over an open fire before being pureed into silky deliciousness. If you try that dish and still say you don’t like venison, I believe you.

Part of the reason the venison at In Bloom might taste better than what the hunters in your family bring home is that the deer is farmed and fed grain instead of eating a diet of pine and juniper, which is what Boemer said contributes to a “gamy” flavor. The meat is instead buttery and rich, but still lean and very unlike your typical cut of beef. In order to secure a steady source for the venison he wanted, Boemer had to commit to using five to seven animals a week, which accounts for the number of dishes using the meat.

There’s a satisfying tartare, made rich with an egg yolk, but also brightened by a preserved lemon aioli, and a rich, perfect-for-the-dead-of-winter cavatelli with venison ragu. If you are dining with a group, you can order an entire leg of venison, which hangs over the flames like caveman cartoon character Fred Flintstone’s dinner, but is plated with fire-roasted vegetables and topped with lingonberries, all of which gives it a very Dickensian feel.

This is not just a venison restaurant, though. The seafood section of the menu also shines. From delicate langoustines — made even more langoustine-y with the cooking method, which involves shooting langoustine butter through a cast-iron cone heated in the embers — to a perfectly smoked trout paired with pea puree, fried shallots and capers, each had us licking the plate.

A uni (sea urchin) dish with kabocha squash gelee utterly perplexed us, in a delightful way. No wonder, after Boemer described how it’s made.

“We take the squash, bury it in the embers and the coals at the end of the night. Then we seal it in a big stainless steel ash box, and the residual heat cooks the squash through while leaving the most subtle flavor of the fire behind.”

But that’s not all. Then the cooks simmer the squash for about four hours, strain it through four strainers “to get that pure flavor, until it’s crystal clear.” Then they add gelatin. When it’s set, they cut it into the cubes on which the buttery uni rests. And it is good. Really good.

Pheasant is also represented, with a tender, wonderfully spiced boudin blanc, or French sausage, nestled upon a mushroomy veloute and topped with crisp, puffed wild rice. It is one of many menu items that uses French technique to create a dish that’s as Minnesotan as it possibly could be.

Fire also elevates vegetables here, but the most interesting of those dishes uses cattails — yes, those tall, reedy plants that occupy most Minnesota swampland. The edible part is the stem.

“I love them,” Boemer said. “They’re something we see every day, and I wanted people to know they are edible. They have a similar flavor and texture to artichokes.”

Because, like so much on the In Bloom menu, the plants are hard to source, Boemer has had to ration the amount of cattail he puts on each plate, pairing them with locally sourced sunchokes and baby artichokes to make a very French barigoule, or artichoke dish. Knowing the reason for the shortage of cattails on the plate doesn’t take away my wish that there were more in the dish. They truly are lovely and tender and take up the acid in the dish in an irresistible way.

There are quite a few larger meat options, besides the venison leg, for eating with a group, including a knee-weakening porterhouse that you can order topped with foie gras and truffles, a dish that a friend called, with very good reason, his “death-row steak.” Or order the poussin for two, which is frankly the best whole roasted bird I’ve ever eaten.

There were only a few things we didn’t quite love on the menu. The dumplings in the roasted mushroom dish were a little gummy, and it could have used some acid to brighten things up. And there was simply too much sabayon atop the grilled oysters, which masked the briny, fresh flavor we love about oysters.

If you’re a wine person, trust the staff here to pair some fantastic rare and biodynamic options with your meal. Even if you think you don’t like a varietal, I can pretty much guarantee that Rancone, a wonderfully knowledgeable wine geek, has one you will enjoy.

And even if you’re not a dessert person, it’s worth entering the fray here, if only for Boemer’s upscale take on a s’more, called burnt marshmallow. Its flavors and textures aside, it just feels right to eat a toasted marshmallow when you’re basking in the restaurant’s pointedly smoky atmosphere. (To that end, we don’t recommend wearing dry-clean only clothing to In Bloom, because you will likely come home smelling like a campfire.)

“People are drawn in by the fire,” Boemer said. “When there’s a big bonfire, you want to poke it with a stick. This is the tendency we all have.”

And now, Twin Citians can sit around Boemer’s fire anytime, and eat every delicious thing he can dream up.

IN BLOOM

Details: 928 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-237-9630; inbloomstp.com

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The original Mai Tai recipe pays tribute to a friend Prices: Vary widely, from $10 roasted carrots to $95 for a bone-in aged ribeye in the “for the table” section. We shared everything on every visit, and recommend eating that way.

Good to know: The restaurant can be hot and smoky, depending on how close you are to the fire. It’s best to dress in washable layers. There is a parking lot behind Keg and Case and plenty of street parking, but on the weekends, it still can be hard to find a spot. Public transportation and carpooling is recommended.