Bar La Grassa

ADDRESS
800 Washington Ave. N., Mpls., 612-333-3837, barlagrassa.com

THE SCENE
La Grassa, the nickname for Bologna (the urban heart of Italian culinary culture), has struck our city’s lean, hungry nerve. Waiting for stools at the open kitchen’s pasta bar or the dining area’s plush leather booths, fashionistas and urbane elders (jeans, coat, and tie) swarm the front lounge under the amber glow of smoked glass chandeliers—“antiques picked up from a theater store years ago,” says Nancy St. Pierre, who joins husband Isaac Becker (112 Eatery) and partner Josh Thoma (La Belle Vie, Solera, Barrio) in this promising venture. Walls of rough wood were reclaimed from a factory in Florida once used by Thomas Edison. Acid-washed zinc-topped tables and antiqued mirrors reflect La Grassa’s sumptuous aura. And the wall-sized photo of a young Johnny Cash and (younger) Waylon Jennings frames its laid-back wit. Though packed, the place never feels crowded; though busy, it never feels rushed.

OUR TAKE
Reimagined classics are Isaac Becker’s unique talent, and the menu is rife with them. Pay attention, since the simpler offerings on the broad menu are easy to miss (though servers provide great advice in navigating the menu).

The list kicks off with a dozen or so antipasti. Pickled sungold and cherry tomatoes with cumin-spiked feta make a perky start. Prosciutto is paired with tart shredded apple, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan dressing for a powerful but muted plate. Assertive Taleggio-stuffed beignets are drizzled with braised apples in chili-spiced honey—pungent, hot, and sweet. Best, though, are the straightforward sea scallops, seared to plump perfection, as are the lightly charred shrimp. Next, count the ways La Grassa anoints griddled bread: Creamy house-made ricotta drapes intense roast tomato spread; truffle-scented raw mushrooms are peppered with arugula, the flavors stark and true; and marinated shreds of pork shoulder are substantial, rich, and silky, though they might have tasted even better if not served cold.

Sure as the pope is Catholic, dry and fresh pasta are not one and the same. The kitchen gives due attention to dry pasta’s rough texture. Shockingly simple, spaghetti simmered in red wine is a claret tangle; pine nuts add flavor and crunch (at $5, a steal). Try La Grassa’s bucatini, sturdy tubes clinging to creamy tomato sauce. The calamarata, however, in red pepper sauce with chunks of raw tuna, seems an odd match. The tender house-made fresh pasta is lush and refined. Try the braised rabbit, rich and dark with tiny orecchiette. In other dishes, fragrant basil paints wide silky ribbons, while soft, small ravioli showcase a crab’s sweet, briny claw. The pappardelle in light veal ragu translates to “gobble up.” Pastas, served in small or large portions, are fun to share. Secondi are high on the hog. Grilled pork ribs, finger-licking peppery, fall off the bone; flavorful pork tenderloin is lean and tender; and each of the three house-made sausages snaps with a different spice. Skate wing, dense and white, makes a succulent counterpoint to so much meat.

To finish, warm crepes come crowned with salted- caramel gelato; better yet, try the ethereal lemon and lavender mousse.

THREE GREAT PLATES
+ Bruschetta with Soft Eggs and Lobster. Tender, sweet chunks of lobster and creamy soft egg top sturdy grilled bread in an alluring trio of subtle flavors and textures.
+ Gnocchi with Cauliflower and Orange. Delicate tiny dumplings and cauliflower roasted to golden brown are tossed in nutty browned butter sparked with orange zest.
+ Porchetta. Traditional Italian pork roast (a favorite at farmers’ markets in Tuscan hillside towns), fragrant with fennel and garlic and spiked with ancho heat, is fork-tender and succulent.