Spasso

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

The Scene
At the crossroads of Highway 101 and Minnetonka Boulevard, not far from Gray’s Bay, Spasso is a busy port. Come Friday night, the bar is three deep in revelers starting their weekend while families circle the host stand, clutching winking pagers that buzz when a table or booth opens. Spasso, once home to Lakewinds Co-op (resettled a few storefronts away), is huge, anchored by an open kitchen and a wood-burning oven with a pizza bar. The high black ceiling, dark wood, and brick pillars are warmly lit with glass mosaics. In this brash, casual place, the staff sports T-shirts that say, “Come as You Are” (meaning khaki and golf shirts in this tony neck of the woods). Spasso reverberates with kitchen clatter and laughter; the servers are friendly, earnest, overextended, and young.

Our Take
Spasso’s freewheeling menu spans pastas, pizzas, entrées, and snacks. Appetizer prawns, served shell-on, are plenty garlicky and make fine finger food. But you’ll see them again if you order risotto, still in their shells. Who eats risotto with their hands? Portions are plentiful, some—such as the simple bread salad with grilled chicken, toasted focaccia, and lots of basil in a rich balsamic vinaigrette—are best shared. The panni were crisp carriers of artichoke spread, olives, cured meats, and melting cheese, nicely paired with homemade giardiniera and puckery pickled veggies. Pastas cover the lot from trendy roast tomatoes and preserved lemons to homey Midwestern mac ’n’ cheese (chocked with bacon, scallions, and a light white cheddar sauce). The Black and Blue salad of nicely charred rare skirt steak, Gorgonzola, and tomato vinaigrette makes a light summer meal. A risotto with roasted peppers and fresh spinach was tender and toothsome. Though this place hangs its hat on pizza, even our eleven-year-old experts couldn’t find one they liked—limp crusts and soggy toppings marred both the margherita and bianca pies. Turning to sweets, a lemon chiffon cheesecake was airy and tangy in a vanilla-wafer crust; a fresh strawberry pastry came warm enough to melt a scoop of vanilla gelato on top. Made daily, the gelatos are a lively finish, unless you choose Spasso’s remarkably reasonably priced Vin Santo or one of the wonderful ports.

Vino, Vini, Vici
It’s all about the wine. Spasso’s 140 bottles, 40 poured by the glass, are not marked up from the liquor store retail price, so savings are significant. Owner Chris Eriksson and Ryan Sadowski, who are partners in The Wine Shop next door, have culled its 1,600-bottle inventory for eclectic, reasonably priced picks. If you’d prefer to buy a bottle at the shop, Spasso will serve it sans corkage fee. The list covers the Italian regions—Alba, Montalcino, San Martino—along with selections from Austria, Spain, France, and California. Many are noted with ratings by Robert Parker, Wine Spectator. . . .