Via

The Scene
The interior of the former Pizzeria Uno has been stripped to the studs and stylishly reconstructed. Three wood-beam–framed and beaded-chandelier–lit dining rooms offer comfortable throne-width chairs, hefty wooden tables, a glass-enclosed view of the busy activity in the gleaming exhibition kitchen, and a soon-to-come technology-enabled salon for private functions. At the cocktail lounge’s large rectangular bar, those on the prowl sit and check each other out. Come spring, the spacious outdoor patio bar replete with gas-fueled fireplaces, a gushing waterfall, heat lamps, and an earthen berm to screen the traffic will return. Patrons run the gamut from young professionals and hen-party attendees to sartorially resplendent suburban couples to grandparents taking the grandkids out for a meal.

Our Take
Executive chef James Foley’s menu reflects a welcome departure from the suburban-mentality formula. His won tons contain a crab mixture (more, please) rather than the ubiquitous cream cheese. Thick walleye fillets are jacketed in a spicy “Buffalo” breading (less, please). And you can snack on homemade paper-thin potato chips served with dips of chive sour cream and roasted corn pico de gallo. I particularly enjoyed an awesome pepper-spiked ahi tuna tartare, plated with a Sriracha–wasabi cream, and a terrific flatbread pizza topped with fresh arugula, prosciutto, and shallots. My quibbles: a starter of tasty, fried coconut rock shrimp unceremoniously dumped into a soup plate lined with a grease-stained paper towel; a cellophane noodle jumble supporting four skewers threaded with bland chicken satay. These are small problems—indeed many people might not even notice them—but considering what I sense Via is aspiring to be and the prices charged, things should be a bit less rough around the edges. The same goes for the earnest, but mechanical service staff. I never got the feeling they wanted to engage in my experience.

Up and Coming
Via is just the latest venture from local restaurateurs Anoush Ansari, Hadi Anbar, and the team at Hemisphere Restaurant Partners. Their growing empire of converted failures also includes Atlas Grill (the former Seagull) and Mission American Kitchen (the former Aquavit, now helmed by acclaimed former Auriga chef Doug Flicker), plus quick-serve Good to Go downtown and Kabobi in Eden Prairie. Next up is their first east metro venture, Flame (at Rosedale), a casual, rotisserie-cooking restaurant that will open by spring. Theirs is the most ambitious restaurant operation in the Twin Cities right now.