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Food + Dining
First Impressions

Spasso

Spasso restaurant

April 15, 2008

By Adam Platt

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This big, high-energy trattoria from the folks who own The Wine Shop next door offers all things Italian in a loud, dim, industrial space with closely packed tables and lots of warm woods. The menu is broad and appealing, from pizza to pasta to meat entrées and a number of small plates. The restaurant’s challenge will be to execute such a large set of offerings with consistency and high-quality, something it wasn’t quite mastering in the early days after opening. More predictable will be the public’s embrace of a large wine list without the typical restaurant markup, an innovation that makes Spasso unique in the metro area to the best of our knowledge. The issue of wine markups is a controversial one, and restaurants that barely break even on their menu are often unfairly derided for exacting substantial margins on wine. What’s undisputable is wine prices such as Spasso’s mean a night out with a glass or bottle doesn’t end with the alcohol bill exceeding the cost of the meal. Salut!

17523 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka, 952-224-9555

Comments:

By Debe DeAngelo on June 1, 2008 at 5:45 pm:

My husband and I ate at Spasso's on Sat. May 31st and were very disappointed. The acoustics are bad, which makes for a loud and frustrating evening. The entrees - Chicken Parmigiana and a seafood pasta - were not very good. The Parmigiana was flat and flavorless. When I requested grated cheese, which should have been offered when serving pasta, I was brought pre-grated cheese in a plastic cup! My husband's pasta had a bit more flavor but was generally disappointing. Service was poor - the server came by to pick-up an empty glass after the meal was served but never asked how we liked the food (perhaps she already knows it's not good!?) When she finally asked after we were done - I responded that it's was just ok. She did not offer any further conversation after that. We were really hoping for a good, reasonable restaurant in Minnetonka/Hopkins to enjoy. We will not dine there again. Thank you.

By Disappointed! on June 1, 2008 at 8:56 pm:

Our party of four was excited to try the new Minnetonka restaurant. The attached wine shop was a great idea and fun to browse through while we waited...and waited...and waited. Perhaps when we finally were seated it would be better. No luck! Our food was plain and cold. The Chicken Parmigiana was like tasteless leather. The server frantically overworked with tables. May I suggest the restaurant begin taking reservations? It would eliminate a lot of frustration for everyone. I wish them the best of luck, but I will not be returned.

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