112 Eatery

Dinner at this restaurant was a mixed experience. The service was definitely a highlight, with attentive and friendly staff making the evening enjoyable. While the food was generally good, some flavors fell a bit short, and the gnocchi, unfortunately, lacked the punch I was hoping for.

The most disappointing birthday dinner I've ever experienced. Had a reservation, Seated upstairs, fine. Took 20 min for a glass of water and some olives. Ordered a non alcohol drink. Never got it. We saw at least 6 servers and not one came to take our order or check on us. Sat another 20 min and noticed the party behind us was clearly way more important. So we walked out.

Truly delicious food and drinks. Really enjoyed the fried bread, wilted kale salad, tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs, and the mocha chocolate cake (though wish the coffee flavor was more pronounced). Great waitstaff too. Even helped with a special request. But it does get a bit noisy when the place is full.

I am a little torn writing this review. 112 Eatery has been a staple of the MN food scene for almost 20 years. They obviously have a business model and menu that works for them and their fans. I , however, left underwhelmed and disappointed, mainly by the food. The best I can describe it is Minnesota fancy. Meaning it is presented in a fancy way and setting, but so adjusted for mid-west tastes that the food feels compromised. We usually book at Alma (our favorite), Spoon and Stable, or (previously) Burch Steak. But we decided to try a new-to-us option. When booking the reservation, we noted that we are celebrating and had a special request for seating. I understand that seating requests cannot always be honored, but I wonder if they even read the reservation, because they didn't acknowledge either. We each ordered a cocktail, sampled many things on the menu, and had desert. We spent $250, which I don't consider overly expensive for downtown dining. Starting with the good, the fried Blue Prawns were to die for, the prawns were both buttery, tender, and just the right amount of salty. The Stringozzi with Lamb Sugo was also good. Overall a well executed, elevated, spaghetti-style dish. Their pasta is made in-house. I would put the Khinkali Dumpling in the good category. The homemade thick rapper was amazing! The Chocolate Mousse Cake is among the best I have ever had. Outstanding! We should have stopped there. ________ And the disappointing: The Steak Tartare was(chef prepared, not the table-side version) was raved about by the waiter and others, but was made with a thick spicy aioli/mayo? The beef was nice and tender, but it felt like a MN salad with heavy sauce. Yuck. You would think you couldn't go wrong with a Romaine salad with Parmigiano Reggiano. The dressing was delicious, but the greens were swimming in it. So much so that the leaves were wilted and soggy on arrival. The Gnocchi with Lobster & Arrabbiata sauce. This wasn't terrible, but I also didn't like it. The Gnocchi was pillowy and soft, the lobster tender, but it was swimming in the sauce that was more like soup and very one note. We only ate a few bites. The Roasted Broccoli with Duck Veloute Sauce. You would think that broccoli would be a hard thing to mess up and I love broccoli. However the dish was so overly seasoned with the sauce that it was not edible. The dining room (upstairs) was incredibly cold. ____________ To end on a good note our cocktails were executed well and the flavors were balanced. Nothing too innovative or trendy, but solid and satisfying. Beyond my quibbles in the hosting, our table service was wonderful.

Been going to 112 for many years. We visited last night for our anniversary after non having been for probably 5 years. The food exceeded my memories and expectations. This is the best steak tartare in the twin cities. The octopus was cooked perfectly and the blue prawns are top. The newest thing we tried was a burratta toast and walnut pesto was Butterscotch Budino was as always! Wine list was good, not amazing. Cocktails were good but nothing memorable enough for a repeat visit. The one thing for me personally is the bourbon drinks are made with Makers Mark. I had been hoping for a better selection of premium spirits (Bourbon and Mezcal). The Amaro selection was pretty good. Will definitely go back and recommend to everyone to make 112 eatery your next Resy.

Enjoyed a dinner out at 112 Eatery. It has been a long while since we had dined there but it’s understandable how it lasted this long in the MN food scene. Great service from the beginning. We enjoyed starting with the burata toast and some fries. I got the tagliatelle with the fois gras meatballs and the others at the table got the Bavette, lamb, and canele with the mushrooms and broccoli sides. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their food. I’d say the meatballs were salty and I think overrated. We also shared the tres leche cake to finish. I forgot my phone so no pics to share.