211 N 1st St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 224-9850
https://www.spoonandstable.com/
Neighborhood: Northloop, Minneapolis
Cuisine: New American, Bar
$$$ = $50 and less – Higher priced
Four Forks = Defines excellence in local dining. Worth the investment
Hours:
Monday through Thursday 4:00PM – 12:00AM
Friday and Saturday 4:00PM – 1:00AM
Sunday 10:30AM – 2:00PM 5:00PM – 12:00AM
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Handicap accessible: Yes
Parking: Valet, street
Vegetarian options: Yes
Kid friendly: No
Liquor served: Full bar
Wine List: Decent options, expensive, cork fee $30
Outdoor seating: No
Reservations: Yes
Unique: The decor and the ambiance are lovely. It’s a happening place with a good mix of rustic and modern decor that includes thoughtful details like the tall ceilings. There is plenty of natural light over a beautiful wine cellar in the center of the dining room, as well as a unique bar. They have included additional unique focal points throughout the establishment that give it a combination of both a classy and an industrial look.
I always love an open kitchen where you can observe the crew hard at work and there were some additional neat features including a rustic hanging door on the wall visible on the way to the pristine washrooms.
This restaurant is located in what was once a horse stable, dating back to 1906, in the heart of the North Loop Neighborhood. It is the dream of Chef/Owner Gavin Kaysen, a James Beard award-winning chef to bring his talents back home to Minneapolis, where he grew up. The cuisine is focused on the seasonality of the Midwest, the roots of the local culture and technically inspired by the French cuisine. The food was beautiful to look at, as well as flavorful! They use quality ingredients, with unique dishes. Items on the menu are predominantly ala-carte. We often share items, which is fun for variety, but can be a downfall as each selection adds to the tab and the overall experience was pretty expensive in my opinion.
Complementary: Wood fired bread and whipped butter.
The bread was tasty, but a bit hard with the crusty outside. The whipped butter presentation was simple but elegant and good!
Shared plates: Crab Tartine, $17 each
A Tartine is a fancy French open-faced sandwich topped with spreadable ingredients. I usually call these a Crustini, but none the less, it was delicious. It was also very colorful!
Wild Mushroom Soup, $11
This was a generous portion of soup that also had barley, leeks, vermouth, and watercress. It was topped with a beautiful oil that gave it color.
Day Boat Scallop Crudo, $17
In Italian, Crudo means “raw” and refers to the preparation of slicing the scallops thinly, then drizzling it with oil, acid, and seasonings. This preparation included green apple, shiso, chilies, scallions, and a flavorful vinaigrette.
Sweet Potato Agnolotti, $21
This was absolutely delicious stuffed, fresh pasta made by folding small, thinly rolled rounds of pasta dough over fillings into a half-moon (or rectangular), and crimping the edges to seal. The pasta included smoked sheep’s milk cheese, walnuts, cippolini, onion, and balsamic vinegar.
We also shared a Creamy Spinach, $8
Lone Grazer cheese curds were the highlight of this dish. The spinach was delicious, but who doesn’t like a cheese curd?!
Entree’s: Lightly Smoked Steelhead Trout, $28
I
Maple glazed brussels sprouts, rutabaga, with a citrus vinaigrette. Our friend was very fond of his dish!
Grilled Millbrook venison, $32
It was cooked a perfect medium rare and was more tender than one could imagine venison could be.
Adobo Marinated Cod, $30
This was served with quinoa, an avocado purée, pepitas, a bit of crispy kale, and a hint of lime. It was good.
Madia Snapper, $27
This was a special I believe. I don’t recall was all in the dish, but it was all eaten!
Dessert’s: Manjari Chocolate Panna Cotta, $10
Toasted brioche ice cream, milk espuma (foam or froth). This was good, but not to die for, which is what I look for in a dessert. I liked the ice cream the best. Overall it is what I would say was “odd”, but some people are into that sort of thing!
Honey and Cream Cake, $10
Our friends enjoyed this very much and the presentation with the sweetened condensed milk was great along with the flavorful ice cream, and pear.
The wine list was pretty high when we looked in advance, but so was the Corkage fee. 2 @ $30.
Our server was Paula S. She was knowledgeable and did an outstanding job of taking care of our table.
The complimentary Petits Fours were a nice treat, but we sure didn’t need them as a second dessert!
We took them home for a snack the following day!
The reservations were made at least a month in advance. I like to try new places, but the affluent menu prices are hard to swallow. The portions are hard to justify to the prices charged and although we felt that it was a pleasurable experience, it was very much an indulgence and it’s probably not going to be one of our “go to’s” in the near future. Including a tip, the meal was around $250 a couple – and that was bringing our own wine!
Bon appetit!
~Chris
