Bar La Grassa è molto delizioso!

Bar La Grassa, Minneapolis, MN

I try my best to get out and try a lot of new fine dining restaurants here in the Twin Cities, but in between making an effort to take it easy on my pocket book and to sustain my affliction for concocting my own gourmet dishes at home -- a girl certainly needs a break now and again to indulge in someone else's 4-star cooking.

Last Thursday, my very old and good friend Joe Gagne invited me out to a long overdue catch up session while having dinner at a place we've both been dying to get to for some time: Bar La Grassa, a restaurant in  North Loop neighborhood that sits in the downtown Minneapolis' warehouse district. The restaurant,  a collaboration between 112 Eatery's two-time James Beard Award nominee Isaac Becker and front-of-house go-to man Josh Thoma (of La Belle Vie, Solera, and Barrio), is as they promised, "fine dining without the formality". It serves freshly made-to-order Italian fare from an expertly executed menu with excellent service to boot -- not to mention some of the best cocktails and wine list I've seen in awhile, I believe most definitely on par with La Belle Vie.

Soft Eggs and Lobster Bruschetta

The polished tables and dark wood paneling provide classic appeal, which is complemented by arguably the best seating in the restaurant: the modern-style “kitchen table” pasta bar (which is where we sat). Perched upon one of the high bar stools, we were afforded the perfect vantage point from which to watch the many kitchen staff grill sliced eggplant, orchestrate food delivery and timing, and occasionally chat with  the diners seated next to us as we all looked on with hungry and curious appetites. 

Charcuterie Plate

Silk Hankerchiefs with Basil Pesto.

I started the evening off with their jalepeño-infused rum margarita rimmed with salt -- quite possibly the best cocktail I've had in quite some time. We ordered their charcuterie plate to start things off and moved onto a Spanish Cabernet to complement the many pasta dishes we had coming our way. The best thing about Bar La Grassa, is that they offer 1/2 plates on most of their dishes so you can order an array of small plates and get to taste and share many items with your table. 


Here's what we ordered to share: Soft Eggs and Lobster Bruschetta, Gnocchi with Cauliflower and Orange fresh pasta, Silk Hankerchiefs with Basil Pesto fresh pasta, Stuffed Crab Ravioli and a side of Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta. There wasn't ONE dish we didn't thoroughly enjoy and the best part was the background music - super hip playlist that featured a lot of local and national artists like The Kills and Solid Gold.


Freshly made pasta is on my Top 3 Favorite Foods lists, so I can't wait to go back and try some more dishes and most definitely give this restaurant 4 out of 4 stars! After our meal, we headed up the street to the Zombie Den where we had Old Fashions to end the evening. It's really nice to return to a city that's continually winning and competing pretty fairly in terms of great food, culture and night life.