BAR LA GRASSA!!

The post title itself almost says it all. I finally made it to Bar La Grassa this weekend and was so excited, I actually bumped it ahead of a few other posts :) 

For those of you who don't know or have never been, Bar La Grassa is an Italian restaurant located in the Warehouse District/North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. Isaac Becker (of 112 Eatery fame) is the executive chef and co-owner. He was named 2011 Best Chef - Midwest by the James Beard Foundation if that helps to shed light on my excitement.

BLG has a rockin' ambiance - old renovated warehouse space, gorgeous dark, rounded booths, great woodwork and lovely lighting. Our reservations (yes, you absolutely need them) were right when the restaurant opened, so don't let the apparent lack of patrons confuse you - it filled up in mere minutes.

We had the Barbaresco red wine from the Piedmont region in Italy, which I can only assume means very good. I know next to nothing about red wine and am only starting to acquire a taste for it, so I let others do the ordering for me. It was very good and a nice complement to dinner.

We were also immediately provided a butter bean palate teaser and fresh bread to share. I was surprisingly delighted by the bean dish, since I'm normally quite indifferent to beans in general. But they did their job setting the stage for what was to come.

We went all family-style all the way, starting with a selection of three different types of bruschetta: ricotta and roasted tomato, soft eggs and lobster and marinated pork shoulder.

All three were ah-mazing, and it was hard to pick a favorite. The ricotta and tomato one was so rich and creamy. And I'm talking really creamy. None of that typical grocery-store-ricotta-graininess.

The soft eggs and lobster was also fantastically rich. The lobster was to-die-for and the eggs fluffy. The marinated pork was served cold and packed so much flavor. In the end, the lobster-lover in me won out, and I chose that as my favorite.

As a group, we then also shared three different pasta varieties and a vegetable (to ease our carb conscience) - the gnocchi with cauliflower and orange, the mushroom and taleggio agnolotti, the spaghetti carbonara and the broccolini in prosciutto brodo.

All together now...

Each of the pastas was absolutely magnificent and truly awesome in their own right. The gnocchi had a strong and delicious orange flavoring, the cream-stuffed agnolotti was perfectly paired with the mushrooms, and the carbonara...well, one word: bacon.

This seriously was one of the most ridiculously decadent and amazing meals I've had in a long time. Bar La Grassa has easily slipped in as one of my absolute favorites in all of MSP.

Oh, and let's not forget the service. Look no further than BLG for perfect service. Our wait staff was more attentive than we could have asked for (and not in that annoying way either). The kind that just fills your water glass when it needs to be, clears plates without interrupting conversation and always knows what's going on at every table even when they're busy.

Okay, enough La Grassa love fest :)

20 Day Holiday Workout Challenge
My thighs were killing me from yesterday's "perfect squat" tutorial, but I powered through some downward dogs and baby back bends like a champ tonight. Day 5 down.

1. Tuesday, Nov. 29: spinning and core classes at the gym
2. Thursday, Dec. 1: spinning and core classes at the gym
3. Sunday, Dec. 4: hot power fusion (yoga) at Corepower
4. Monday, Dec. 5: personal training session with my workout buddy at the gym
5. Tuesday, Dec. 6: hot power fusion at Corepower