I don't need all the things I have but I do like to get what I want.
I have been wanting to go to 112 Eatery for so long, it has probably been over a year since I first glanced the menu. The restaurant reached way past my expectations and was absolutely amazing. When asked where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner, there was no other option then this. Located on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, considered the warehouse district, this quaint restaurant sits among a busy street and overpriced parking lots. When going to a new restaurant I always read the entire menu before arriving. The reason I love restaurants such as this one is because although I thought I knew what I wanted, I let the waiter pick everything that we ate. That was an amazing idea.
The great thing about the menu at 112 Eatery is that you can order multiple small plates to share. I love being able to try many things instead of each order a single entree. The restaurant was pretty dark so my pictures are not great but I was able to snap everything we ate.
They put a candle in our dessert. It was perfect.
When we arrived, the table was set with almonds and green olives to sample. The almonds had a sweet and spicy taste with a crunchy consistency.
We started with the Duck and Radicchio Salad. The picture above is a half portion, they split the dish so we wouldn't have to share a plate. The duck was perfectly cooked and the salad was lightly dressed with a touch of bitterness.
Next we shared the Duck Pate Bun Mi. It was served with a side of spicy pickles. The traditional sandwich paired with pate was out of this world. The pate was nice and crisp on the edges and smooth and creamy inside.
We moved onto cauliflower fritters. I will admit, cauliflower is one of my least favorite vegetables. I don't think there is a way to dislike this dish. The cauliflower is flash fried with pockets of parmesan cheese. It is then topped with additional shredded parmesan cheese. After the suggestion of a lemon squeeze, the citrus paired perfect with the light fritter batter. It seriously melted in my mouth.
I was a big advocate of this next dish, tagliatelle with foie gras meatballs. The meatballs were made with a mixture of foie gras and chicken. They were smooth, tender, and just thinking about them I want more.
The last dish we ordered was fried bread topped with prosciutto. The dough was similar to a croissant-like flaky pastry. The prosciutto was warmed and slightly melted on top. Delicious.
We ended with the Nancy Silverton's Butterscotch Budino for dessert. A budino is similar to a custard or a pudding texture and is pretty sweet. It was topped with a Makers Mark butterscotch topping that was rich and thick. Lastly, it was topped with Hawaiian sea salt. The saltiness paired with the sweet custard was heavenly.
If you still are not full, this homemade carmel corn is brought over with the check. It was rich in cinnamon and nutmeg to help cleanse the palette. It also contained almonds which was a great way to wrap up the meal from beginning to end.
I now have a new favorite restaurant in Minneapolis and I would highly recommend anyone to try it. I am also so grateful to have Damian take me to such a wonderful place :)
Happy Early Birthday to me.
