112 Eatery, Minneapolis
Oh, lovely food, we said. Then we gobbled it down. (With a nod to Mrs. Wishy-Washy.)
Last night a friend watched our son Drake so my husband G. Grod and I could go to dinner. We tried again at 112 Eatery, which was fully committed on our anniversary last month. Last night we got there early and were seated immediately. 112 is a small space with only a few reservations to be had. One must either take a reservation at an off time (5 pm and 10 pm were available when I called), book far in advance, or take one’s luck on walk-in seating. Yesterday’s early arrival was key to our success, because by 6:15 every seat was taken.
I have eaten at 112 several times already, but G. Grod had never been. Based on portions, I suggested we share an appetizer, each get an entree, and split a dessert. The appetizer I’ve gotten before and enjoyed was the romaine salad with roquefort dressing garnished with breadcrumbs. Because there’s some disagreement on the safety of blue cheeses during pregnancy, I decided to try something different, so we got the lardon/foie gras salad, which was just as unhealthily oxymoronic as it sounds. Lardons, like thick chunks of bacon, are fried, then tossed with frisee greens and rice wine vinegar and served next to sauteed foie gras. G. Grod defied me to remind him of anything we’d eaten that had ever tasted better. I thought of two things (one, “duck three ways” from a tasting menu at Cosmos restaurant in Minneapolis, and another from a tasting menu at a restaurant in the Black Forest in Germany). Both also involved foie gras, so I think I see a trend in what we favor.
As per my usual, I ordered the small portion of the stringozzi pasta with lamb sugo sauce. This is a red sauce with lamb simmered until it’s soft, then shredded, served over thick, squiggly, house-made noodles. Each time I’ve ordered it, I think, “Oh, the bowl’s too small” until I can barely finish it, and then I’m amazed that I’ve just consumed something that’s so delicious, so savory, so filling, and that only cost $8.
G. Grod got the deceptively plain sounding “French cheeseburger”, which is a half pound of ground beef and onions topped with a slab of soft brie on an English muffin. He also got the french fries, served in a cone, perfectly done, and accompanied by a lovely aioli that caused us to completely ignore the ketchup. He couldn’t finish the burger, though he tried, which left me on my own for dessert.
In the past I’ve ordered the chocolate pot de creme, which has been rich, smooth and with a satisfying punch of chocolate. I wavered between the new version on the menu which is “spicy”, and the pumpkin flan. Our server, who had an enthusiastic knowledge of the menu that he communicated very well, swayed me to the new version of the pot de creme. As he’d promised, the heat of the spices was subtle, but built, and was an especially good complement to the chocolate now that the weather is cooler and autumnal. The texture, though, was no longer smooth like a pudding, but thick and more like a ganache than a custard. I preferred the new flavor but the old texture, which lent a heaviness to the end of an already quite rich meal. I could finish barely half of it.
I’ve gone back to 112 Eatery because it has excellent quality food and menu choices, as well as friendly and knowledgeable staff. While it’s possible to spend a lot there, it’s also possible to eat grandly and spend little. My only quibble is how difficult it can be to get in, yet I don’t blame the owners, who are a husband and wife. They’ve got a small, excellent restaurant, with a small menu that they execute nearly flawlessly. It deserves all the accolades and crowds that it draws. I hope it’s around for a long, long time, so I can keep going when I have the chance.