Hyacinth — Restaurant in Saint Paul

Forgot how I saved this place to Google but I was at a crossroad between here and another saved spot. Choice was quiet clear no?

Tiny hole in the wall spot that seats about 40 if memory serves. Was greeted when I pulled back the drapes and truly entered. Easily sat at the bar which gives an eagle eye view of the whole place. Also gives direct line of sight down the whole open kitchen. It took a little long for the bartender to drop off water or even say hello to me. Then when he did for the rest of the evening he had an air of bored or lackadaisical feel.

Got right away the old fashioned #7, fat washed rum, angostura and Creole bitters, toasted cobanero chili and black lime. Doesn't that sound amazing?! The Creole bitters/black lime sold it for me. Overall well made OF, could taste the layered spice flavors though they could've used a bit more black lime. Felt that was the only low point. The glass itself I've seen in many a hotel room, don't know if it just makes me chuckle or question that buy.

Corned beef tongue. Tongue, you got to try it because it is still unique and wildly good if done correctly. Which this was. Could've cut this with a butter knife. Though it was buttery tender the flavor was quiet low. Could say for myself just a bit more salt and it would be amazing. The horseradish with pickled garlic scapes (would love a triple helping of these) gave it the flavor it needed. The consistency of horseradish heat was odd though, first nibble cleaned out my nose senses, then the not till the end again. A weird lul in that, wanted a constant burn with it.

Fusilli with pork shank. Standard plating of good hearty food. Noodles were underdone. Pork was moist and packed with flavor. Then the salt layer of the pecorino was delicious. Did I feel I could get this just as good with a bigger helping somewhere else. Probably.

I did have a confusing conversation with the bartender about the arancini. Wanted to know if they pulled it in house. Maybe it was loud or I worded it differently but he just stared at me before fumbling out, no we buy it. To which I followed with how is it smoked/what chips do you use. Once again maybe some confusion, but he just repeated we buy it. The prices are a bit high but that's because of the hospitality pricing so tipping isn't required. Overall could say I'm a bit underwhelmed? Not so much that I wouldn't go back, but there's a lot more to explore in the...

UPDATE 05/30/2023 Still a fantastic experience. This visit I sat at the bar, be aware there can be a short wait even if you book ahead as there are only 6 bar seats. Bartenders were very friendly and attentive. For drinks I had a Negroni and Manhatten, $13 each. I shared a full size green garlic linguine ($28) and ordered a half size cacio e pepe ($18), both fantastic, perfectly seasoned and cooked al dente.

Highly reccomend this restaurant for higher end Italian food, my final bill was $140 for 4 drinks, 2 apps, 1 full Pasta, 1 half Pasta and 1 desert.

An astonishing meal and wonderful experience. The restaurant is a small and busy with a fantastic atmosphere, it did get loud but that is no problem for me personally. The service was perfect, all staff were attentive and highly knowledgeable about the menu.

The food was mind-blowing. We ordered the Brussels sprouts and chicken liver crostini to start and both were fantastic, I would say one appetizer is enough for two people. Our mains were the cacio e pepe, the beef cheek ragu and the Mezze Maniche. All were fantastic, the $24 portion size was more than enough for one person, when I go back I will be ordering the $16 portion. All three of our orders were flawless in their presentation and preparation, some of the best Italian food I have ever eaten. For dessert we ordered the chocolate semifreddo which was almost comically delicious.

For drinks I ordered their $14 Negroni and my wife ordered their $12 Old Fashioned. The Negroni was the best I have had in the twin cities and totally worth the price, there is also a $12 Negroni that I did not try. The old fashioned is definitely worth the price, a quality cocktail.

Overall this meal was fantastic, our bill topped out at just over $100 with the tip included; two appetizers, two mains and two drinks. One main and our dessert was free, our waitress saw it was my wife's birthday and offered us a main and a dessert on the house! The quality of drinks, food and service absolutely is worth the price of a visit to...

This cute little restaurant has been on my list to try for awhile, and we finally dined there Saturday. We had a rather late reservation, but we called, and they were able to move us an hour earlier. That is really nice!

The food is essentially new Northern Italian. We started with cocktails and small plates. They have a small selection of house designed cocktails, or you can get one of the 4 most common cocktails. I ordered a drink they called the Haselhoff, made with hazelnut gin, serpoul thyme liqueur, and something called besk, which a Swedish liqueur made with wormwood. It was basically a martini. It was way too nut-forward for my taste, but my husband loved it. He had a Manhattan, which was good. Our two antipasti were good. The arancini were delicious, and served with a spicy tomato sauce. I loved the chicken liver crostini, which was topped basically with a chopped salad. Quite unusual, and maybe a bit vinegary for the liver, but still tasty.

We shared a delicious pasta, mezze maniche, which was a carbonara, with pancetta and pecorino romano.

We shared an order of hangar steak with a cognac peppercorn sauce and a really unusual risotto dish, called risotto salto. It was essentially a risotto pancake, with a crispy top, and sitting on a bed of mushrooms, walnuts, and cheese. Surprising and yummy.

They have a limited but nice wine list. The most interesting, and unusual thing, is their very extensive list of amaros and vermouths. They offer flights. We did not have one, but the majority of the tables had ordered a flight.

My one complaint is that it is very noisy. With the high ceilings, it is very, very loud.

The service is very personable and attentive. Dinner here is...