date: 6/7/11
location: minneapolis
grade: almost a+ but not quite

ok, you can now indoctrinate me into the cult of steven brown. i've had doubts and reservations with some of his work in the past- there've been flashes of brilliance but except at levain, where i assume he had more freedom to do what he wanted to do, i was never happy with the overall package (porter and frye the first time most notably, but also there again and also at five).

here, tilia's managed to pretty much dominate restaurant praise since day one, which is very difficult to do- most places have some sort of growing pains. but less than three months after open, they feel like they've been here for years and pretty much at the top of their game.

well, they could use a larger space (ahem... a lobby) though the patio they're thinking of may help for a bit. and apparently some people think a few more servers for the floor for the brimming floor. we were at the counter, so we had better service (and perhaps colder water) i think, but also the 'floor show' of the kitchen, which was pretty awesome. nut we were probably in the hottest part of the restaurant there also on the hottest day of the year so far (over 100), so i will say they need either better fans or a better a/c. but really that's pretty much splitting hairs.

and the kitchen is very smartly planned. from what i can see everything was conceived to make the maximum use of the not so large space in the most intelligent way possible, like having a tap near the stove so pots can be filled without moving. and yes, said kitchen does turn out some brilliant, mostly comfort-style food with some unusual flavor combinations and lovely plating.

i did taste some of the beet salad ('baby tot soi, pickled carrots, red onion, toasted sesame, yuzu vinaigrette,' $9). because though i dislike beets, i did find one beet dish i liked so perhaps, maybe, there's others. this wasn't it, but they're good with the pickling. and it was a very refreshing dish. i also tasted the cod ('miso soy glazed turnips and carrots, black trumpet mushrooms, white truffle fonduta,' $18), which was ordered to see how it compared with someone's favorite miso cod dish at lurcat. it turned out to be a dish that used a lot of the same ingredients, and both were excellent in completely different ways.

we ended up using some of the sauce with the code with the fries that came with a mayo-ancho sort of 'fry sauce' ($6)- the fry sauce was good and i am a friend o'mayo, but the leftover miso and fonduta? were even more awesome. there were enough fries for two people. they were salty enough for me, but not too salty for others, which is a difficult line to walk. though i would say with an extra 30 seconds-1 minute in the fryer, they would've been a contender for 'top fry.'

today's potted meat was duck rillettes, comes with shallots, mustard and grilled bread ($7). i am a sucker for mr. quack, and it seemed a smart pick on a freaking hot day. the bread was done is very long, grilled slices, and there was just enough for the pot of meat- i hate running out of bread before you run out of what is supposed to be going on the bread. the rillettes were flavored with fresh herbs, which gave the dish some contrast. i'd like to have pots of that in my pantry.

and to get back to the beginning, i started with the gravalax ('shallot, flying fish roe butter, black rye,' $7) which was a very nice note to start with. the fish roe butter gave it the dish a unique texture. the gravlax was silky and flavorful even solo. if the bread bits were toasted, i think it would hang together even better. and i would've loved pickles with the dish (so much so i poached some of the pickled carrots from the beets).

the cod dish kind of represents what they're doing here- taking some familiar flavors and dishes you have had elsewhere and coming up with some interpretations that you haven't and seen anywhere else. that's playing to brown's strengths, and now since it's his restaurant (instead of him cooking at someone else's) and he can do what he wants, we all benefit from that.

we did skip dessert here and ended up at sebestian joe's down the block, we both ended up with the roasted garlic almond chip. the garlic, present in the taste we had, seemed just like a mellowness, making the cone not overly sweet. enjoyable, i thought. but then again i'm savory food, hideously sweet beverage person... ($3.50 cup or cone)

the space is comfortable and familiar without being all 'shea' designed. (i know i seem to hate on shea a lot but that's really kind of a stand in for people who kind of rip them off and then everything ends up looking the same, all blond wood and metal and such.) it's kind of plain yet homey, if that makes sense.

like blackbird, the menu isn't huge, but it is well curated. and when i had first seen the menu i had other dishes picked out, but they seemed too 'warm' for this visit, and i still really want to try them. and like heidi's, the price points vary so you may think twice before ordering but here it seems worth paying that much, perhaps due to the intangibles. but unlike either place, i'd go out of my way to get back here- it's a place that made me want to come back both soon and often (though that being said, i like reservation policies).

i've heard good things about their brunch... is it worth testing my notorious off-the charts ultra-bad restaurant karma for said meal for it? so soon after a bunch of reviews for that meal in local publications? hmm....