112 Eatery — Restaurant in Minneapolis

I've been a 112 eatery fan for about 13 years, give or take. I only have two complaints. 1. The menu hasn't changed much in this long time span... then again, why fix it if isn't broken? 2. Parking (downtown street parking) is a bummer. It is what it is. Otherwise? 112 eatery remains one of my favorite steadfast and true fine dining restaurants in the twin cities.

Most recently, we went for my little brother's birthday. As always, the service was phenomenal. You barely have to wait at all before food starts appearing in front of you. The atmosphere is romantic, with dim lighting, candles, etc., well, it wasn't romantic for us but you get the idea!

My FAVORITE things to order:

-Sweet Burrata Toast w/Walnut Pesto ($19): Bear in mind this dish is true to it's name: it is a bit sweet, but I think the saltiness of the pesto works perfectly with it. There's almost a bit of an orange marmalad-y flavor. That might sound a bit weird, but it's actually super yummy. And it's easily big enough for four people to share.

-Lamb Scottadito w/Goat's Milk Yogurt ($19): We've been getting this one since the beginning! The meat is always cooked perfectly. I just wish they gave you more yogurt, haha. It comes with three pieces, but you can request a fourth.

-Tagliatelle w/Foie Gras Meatballs ($29): The meatballs in the dish are so good they should be illegal. We LOVE them. This is another dish that we order 100% of the time.

-Scallops w/Oyster Mushrooms ($31): We didn't get this last night since it only comes with two scallops (a bit of a crime), but it is definitely a winner and we often order it. The mushrooms are out of this world.

-Blue Prawns w/Rooster Mayo ($21): Very good and I never regret getting them. That being said, if you skip any dishes on this list, I'd recommend it be this one.

-Steak Tartare ($23): Got this for the first time last night and was surprised that I loved it. Definitely will order again!

-Tres Leches ($13): If you eat one thing at 112 eatery -- and I'm not kidding -- let it be this cake. It was the FIRST tres leaches I ever had, and even all these years later, it remains the BEST one I've ever had. Creamy, delicious, big enough to share, with the best whipped frosting (kind of like marshmallow fluff), and topped with a piece of white chocolate... divine.

I DO NOT ORDER: -Khinkali Dumpling ($12): I lived in the republic of Georgia for a month and LOVE khinkali... but these? They are not those. Not authentic at all... Sorry!

-Pasteis de nata: These weren't bad, but if you've had these tarts in Portugal, 112's attempt will disappoint you. Chewy when they should be flaky.

Bathrooms: through the kitchen, in the back of...

I am a little torn writing this review. 112 Eatery has been a staple of the MN food scene for almost 20 years. They obviously have a business model and menu that works for them and their fans. I , however, left underwhelmed and disappointed, mainly by the food.

The best I can describe it is Minnesota fancy. Meaning it is presented in a fancy way and setting, but so adjusted for mid-west tastes that the food feels compromised.

We usually book at Alma (our favorite), Spoon and Stable, or (previously) Burch Steak. But we decided to try a new-to-us option. When booking the reservation, we noted that we are celebrating and had a special request for seating. I understand that seating requests cannot always be honored, but I wonder if they even read the reservation, because they didn't acknowledge either.

We each ordered a cocktail, sampled many things on the menu, and had desert. We spent $250, which I don't consider overly expensive for downtown dining.

Starting with the good, the fried Blue Prawns were to die for, the prawns were both buttery, tender, and just the right amount of salty. The Stringozzi with Lamb Sugo was also good. Overall a well executed, elevated, spaghetti-style dish. Their pasta is made in-house. I would put the Khinkali Dumpling in the good category. The homemade thick rapper was amazing!

The Chocolate Mousse Cake is among the best I have ever had. Outstanding!

We should have stopped there.

And the disappointing: The Steak Tartare was(chef prepared, not the table-side version) was raved about by the waiter and others, but was made with a thick spicy aioli/mayo? The beef was nice and tender, but it felt like a MN salad with heavy sauce. Yuck.

You would think you couldn't go wrong with a Romaine salad with Parmigiano Reggiano. The dressing was delicious, but the greens were swimming in it. So much so that the leaves were wilted and soggy on arrival.

The Gnocchi with Lobster & Arrabbiata sauce. This wasn't terrible, but I also didn't like it. The Gnocchi was pillowy and soft, the lobster tender, but it was swimming in the sauce that was more like soup and very one note. We only ate a few bites.

The Roasted Broccoli with Duck Veloute Sauce. You would think that broccoli would be a hard thing to mess up and I love broccoli. However the dish was so overly seasoned with the sauce that it was not edible.

The dining room (upstairs) was incredibly cold.

To end on a good note our cocktails were executed well and the flavors were balanced. Nothing too innovative or trendy, but solid and satisfying.

Beyond my quibbles in the hosting, our table service...

I’m not usually one to write reviews but because someone else wrote a review mentioning the “unpretentious vibe” I feel the need to dispute that claim.

My friends and I were looking for something to eat for dinner and none of us knew anything about this restaurant, so we showed up in very casual street clothes. The second we walked in, we all just got the sense that we didn’t belong/weren’t wanted there. Several of the staff and even some of the customers shot us all like a a confused stare. And the host seemed genuinely taken aback that we didn’t have a reservation. We were seated quickly but at a table so close to the wall I could barely pull back the chair to sit down.

When we ordered, we all decided to skip the appetizer/salad and the waiter, while not necessarily being explicitly rude, had a condescending tone and explained to us that we’d have to wait 30-45 minutes for our entree. That was fine with us and we told the waiter as much, but his tone was as if we had like broken the rules or something.

Our food came much quicker than was warned and was pretty good! Although I felt like the price didn’t necessarily match the food, especially for the sides.

Pretty much the very second our food was cleared, they took our plates and brought the check, like I mean immediately. It just felt like they couldn’t get us out of there fast enough.

Like I said I’m usually not one to review places, and although none of the staff were explicitly rude, the atmosphere just felt inexplicably awkward & unwelcoming to us. I am new to town and my other friends were visiting, so I’m mainly writing this review to warn fellow newcomers/travelers that this place is indeed an upscale restaurant, and everyone was dressed in at least business casual except us. “Unpretentious” is absolutely not an adjective I’d use to describe this restaurant. Maybe I’m just being overly anxious but I can’t help but feel like the way we were dressed (all of us were just in t-shirts and shorts) & our lack of a reservation influenced the unwelcoming vibe. The other reviews sort of made this place seem pretty casual to me and it definitely is not that. I’d say the most “casual” aspect of this restaurant was the loud music. It was hard to hear any conversation I tried to have with my friends.

TLDR: all in all the food was good but the vibe just felt…off and unwelcoming. Dress code is probably at least business casual. Food was good but not mind blowing like the prices. If you’re new to MPLS/traveling and looking for something casual and “unpretentious” this is not the...