Bacio

Rick Webb recently sold his downtown Minneapolis (Zelo) and Minnetonka (Bacio) restaurants to his longtime operations manager, Bob Tinsley, but they endure, packed and popular, warm and stylish, boom time or crisis. Ciao Bella in Bloomington remains under Webb’s wing, though the menus will remain similar from one to another. These restaurants unlock all the mysteries of the local food game—you win with hospitality, comfort, style, and food that looks and tastes good but doesn’t violate a diner’s comfort zone.

Bacio is the newest—and most elaborately designed. Its vaulted stone ceiling is the signature element in the busily decorated bar/dining room. Consistency is the formula here, and it elicits loyalty. Menus change infrequently.

The signature Parmesan-crusted shrimp are addictive, especially with the winning duo of sauces alongside. Bruschetta arrive on thin, oven-toasted bread lightly dressed in simple tomato and basil with good olive oil or a more ambitious pairing of avocado, tomato, and roast jalapeño. Avocado joined ahi tuna to nice effect on thin sesame wafers, though the dish was not spicy as promised. Grilled beef tenderloin crostini with a wonderful horseradish sauce and craveable mini beef burgers should not be passed over.

Salads remain a strong point. “Chopped” salad of crisp prosciutto, chicken, tomato, onion, and blue cheese isn’t really chopped, but its “spicy-sweet” dressing is an offbeat treat. Bacio’s lemony caesar is one of the town’s best, mellow and crisp with delicious homemade croutons. The low-carb chopped salad is the world’s best Cobb salad in miniature.

I was let down by Bacio’s house lasagna with Molinari sausage—the sauce was robust and delightful, but the pasta was soft and gummy, as if it had been reheated four times. If there’s a better nonpizzeria pepperoni pizza in town, I haven’t tasted it. I didn’t regret a special of pan-seared walleye painted with a corn glaze and laid over unctuous creamed corn and roasted mushrooms.

Lemon is an underutilized treat, so Bacio’s lemon dessert plate rang my bell—a tart mousse over graham cracker crust, lemon shortbread, strawberry lemon sorbet, and a bit of candied zest.

Bacio sells wines in three- and six-ounce pours, a nice option if you want to match them to courses but have to arrive home conscious. The list is competent but unexciting. Service is friendly, professional, and the staff know the food—but they push the most expensive dishes on the menu.

1571 Plymouth Rd. S., Minnetonka, 952-544-7000