What a kook. With his Minneapolis and Duluth Hell's Kitchen restaurants, Mitch Omer has created an eating experience that transcends the norm. Hellish décor. Weirdly dressed servers. Awe-inspiring cuisine that can't meet demand: Long lines are common outside the gates of Hell.

Welcome to Mitch's world, populated by his favorite people and favorite obsessions: great food and a cheeky, irreverent attitude that attracts the wild crowd and church conventioneers alike. A real gospel choir performs during Sunday brunch. Grumblers who carp about the wait may be tossed on the sidewalk. A chandelier dangles long kitchen knives instead of crystals. Tattoos, body piercings, stuffed bats and dark corners are everywhere. People love it.

Omer is a self-confessed bipolar substance-abuse refugee with a long string of indiscretions and failed jobs and interesting side trips in life. His tales are legendary and not for the faint of heart. He gave up the wild life just in time to survive it, married the love of his life and opened his signature restaurant. Things only went up from there, quickly moving to a prime Minneapolis location and opening a Duluth version near the waterfront.

I strongly suggest A) visiting the actual restaurant, and B) trying one of his wickedly good recipes below, taken from "Damn Good Food: 157 Recipes From Hell's Kitchen" by Omer and Ann Bauer. Both experiences will be heavenly.

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Honey-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce caught my eye immediately - our son's graduation party involves grilling, and a multipurpose dipping sauce would be a nice touch. We whipped up a batch of it in the food processor to try it out first - a wise idea, as the three cups the recipe makes won't be enough of this smoky, adobo-and-chipotle concoction from Hell (in this case, that's a good thing). Four out of four "yums" from the Johnson crowd, along with another piece of the party puzzle solved.

Honey-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 (7-ounce) can chipotle peppers, with adobo sauce
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup Rose's lime juice
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons coarse-ground mustard
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced (2 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Pour peanut oil into a 1/3 cup measure, and pour into a food processor fitted with a steel chopping blade. Measure honey into the same 1/3 cup measure (oil residue will keep honey from sticking). Add honey, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce and balsamic vinegar. Process until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, and process until well blended.

Place sauce in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. Makes about 3 cups.

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I don't think any explanation for the following recipe is necessary. Beer. Margarita. Figure it out. Enjoy.

Beer Margarita

• 3/4 cup frozen limeade
• 3/4 cup Summit Extra Pale Ale
• 3/4 cup tequila
• Fresh lime wedges

Place limeade, ale and tequila in a blender and top with ice cubes. Blend the s*** out of it, and pour margarita into four margarita glasses (or one small vase, in the case of me during my drinking days). Garnish with lime wedges.

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Omer's French Dip recipe with prime rib is over the top, so if you really want to make the king of sandwiches, here's the recipe from Satan himself. It's not difficult nor does it require many ingredients: The quality of the beef speaks for itself.

French Dip

• 1 (2 1/2-pound) prime rib roast
• 2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet
• 2 tablespoons steak seasoning
• 2 cups beef broth
• 4 ciabatta rolls, cut in half
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 550 F. Place roast on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet, and let warm to room temperature, about two hours. Rub Kitchen Bouquet over the top of the meat, and sprinkle with steak seasoning. Gently press seasoning into meat.

Place roast on the oven's center rack and immediately reduce heat to 350 F. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers no more than 110 F. Remove from the oven, and let cool to room temperature. Remove meat to a plate and cover. Pour pan juices into a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. Refrigerate meat eight hours or overnight. Shave cold meat into paper-thin slices with a serrated knife.

When ready to serve, heat reserved pan juices and beef broth in a medium saucepan over medium high heat to make au jus. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of the butter on each of the eight roll halves. Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium high and cook rolls about three to five minutes. Place shaved prime rib into hot au jus and heat thoroughly, about one minute. Remove meat from au jus and place about 1/2 pound on the bottom half of each roll. Cover with top and cut in half.

Ladle 1/3 cup of the au jus into four saucers and serve immediately with sandwiches.

"Damn Good Food" is available from Borealis Books, an imprint of the Minnesota Historical Society Press.