The Inn

I’ve been trying to make it over to The Inn since it opened, and finally got there Friday night with my wife and another couple. I hadn’t heard much about it and the reviews here are a little mixed, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What it was, was very good.
I’m a beer guy and was a little disappointed to see three lonely tap handles behind the bar, but they make the most of them. The had the Fulton IPA on tap along with a Hoegaarden and one other solid option that sadly I can’t remember. A nice variety given the few lines they have to work with. They also have an outstanding bottle list to compliment the taps. On the liquor front they seem to know their stuff when it comes to cocktails and even make their own tonic — which was really good.
We were starving as we waited for our friends to arrive, so we started out with some chicken wings. Don’t bother with these, they are your run of the mill breaded and fried version… the sauces are nice, but the heavy breading ruined it for us. Luckily, it was all uphill from there. We followed that up with the appetizer special, which was gnocchi with braised rabbit — really tasty. The menu here is very simple and to the point, which I liked. They have a chicken, a pork, a lamb, a pasta, and a couple of steaks. My wife ordered the barbecue chicken (which has a chipotle molasses sauce… mmm) and I went with the lamb for our entrees. We were both very happy with our choices, but we switched halfway through to try as much as possible. My buddy ordered the pork, which is a thin sliced that is basically chicken-​fried, and that was very good as well. We also ordered the fries (which reminded me of McDonald’s fries… which isn’t a bad thing) and the house-​made potato salad as our sides, which we didn’t need but were good as well. The Inn also makes their own dinner rolls which are delicious. We didn’t order one, but our server wanted us to try one — and it was incredible — not quite worth the whopping $ 3 price tag (per roll!), but top-​notch as bar as bread goes. Which brings me to the reason I didn’t give this place five stars… the price.
The food is quite good, but really expensive for what you get. You can get a similar amount of grub and drinks at Bar LaGrasa and spend considerably less $$ — and in my mind that is the standard. We had a few drinks, a couple appetizers, a couple sides and our entrees and our bill was $ 170. That ‘s US Dollars. For dinner. That’s insane. I would go back, but I would stick to an entrée and one side dish to try and keep my bill under a C-​note.

I have not moaned over food nor cocktails in a while. Until tonight at The Inn. Wow.
I am a New Yorker, a foodie, and a professional in the wine & spirits biz. The food I ate and the cocktails I tasted are made with passion, love and tremendous creativity.
Stop reading this and go eat there. I wish this place was in NYC. It would be a winner anywhere.

Date Night at the Man Cave
My boyfriend and I decided to head to The Inn for a lovely evening together last week. The dark cozy bar in downtown Minneapolis has a lovely rustic esthetic and warm feeling for Cold Minnesota Nights.
However, females and dieters beware, the Inn is probably not the place for you.
When we sat down to review the menu there were very few salad options (my usual restaurant staple). I asked our waiter to suggest some healthy options and he was not very receptive. I ended up ordering the Sturgeon he suggested, which came in a thick cream sauce, not exactly my ideal light dinner.
However, for the men out there, I definitely suggest a trip to The Inn. My boyfriend fully enjoyed the Grass Fed Beef Burger, complete with fried egg on top. He was in food coma heaven for hours after his feast. Also, the bartender decided to make my boyfriend the evening’s guinea pig. He would regularly visit our table with a selection of three drinks and ask my boyfriend’s opinion on each. The two of them had a great time comparing drink recipe’s and concocting the perfect cocktail.
Overall I enjoyed the esthetic of The Inn, but next time I will send my boyfriend there with his buddies instead.

My weekend host and I (stupidly) wandered into The Local after walking back from Origami. Needless to say, we turned right back out and walked back to this cute little place we had seen across the corner.
The inn is a dark and cozy bar. I’m sure the food is tasty, but again, I just gorged myself at Origami. So, cocktails it was.
Our server, JJ was amusingly enthusiastic. I like waitstaff that knows how to be charming and awkward at the same time, although who knows how deliberate the awkwardness was…
The cocktail list is different than the one I had when I was there, but I can say I did have one cocktail winner. (It had something to do with Chartreuse… I like Chartreuse.) I apologize, boys and girls, but I did already have a fair amount of sake before meandering over.

Food: I had the chicken entrée. Served lukewarm. Essentially a lifeless undercooked chicken breast swimming in broth. Yuck.
Service: Our waitress was friendly and nice, but is in the wrong industry. It took one hour to get our entrees and there was nary a word from her explaining. Once we got our entrees, it took me over 10 minutes to get utensils. And it was not that busy.

I tasted some of the best cocktails I’ve ever had here the other night. Many of them were on the spot creations of the bartender, but one of them from the menu got me a nickname for the night: Captain Wentworth or C-​Dubs for short.
We had some apps as well and the mussels were fantastic. Usually I am indifferent towards mussels, I’ll eat them but usually won’t order them, but I would order these any time.
I can’t wait to go back and eat dinner the next time

This place needs a lot of work. The menu presents itself well with a nice variety of choices. However among the six different entrees and a few appetizers our group ordered only the burger and brussel sprouts were a hit. We were as group of six who went on a Thursday night at 6:00. Reviews had been positive so expectations were high. We expected great flavors from locally sourced meats. The pork was bland the wings were greasy and soggy. The flavors across the board were un-​original and easily produced at home. The open faced pork sandwich was on a soggy bun with flavorless dry pork. But for the gobs of greens on top, I am not sure where the flavor was to come from. The cauliflower and mushroom side was drenched in cheap balsamic vinegar.
Service was inadequate. Iced teas re-​filled only twice in 1 hour 45 minutes. Waiter never asked, «How does everything taste?» Maybe he didn’t want to know. They need to work on how they present the dishes. The wings were served in a small bowl with two dipping sauces in smaller bowls in the bowl with the wings. No discard bowl for the wing bones was provided and the wings could not fit in the dipping bowls. A wholly unsatisfying experience. The flavorless mussels, mush like the wings were served in a small bowl with no discard bowl.
I hope they have not signed a long term lease. I would not return to this spot. There are so many better choices.

I decided to throw a happy hour for friends after work at The Inn on a Thursday night. We first arrived at 4:30 (pretty standard HH start time DT I think), and the doors were locked. LOCKED at 4:30. We were shocked that a bar/​restaurant smack in the middle of DT was not open by then. So we ventured across the street to the Local for ½ hour of drinks (money lost by The Inn).
Once we returned at 5 we were given an option to sit in the back of the restaurant which we quickly said No to, they did however adjust a table around to fit our group of 6.
The menu was at first questionable, but our server was extremely helpful in expalining each preparation, etc. We ordered the mussels, potato dumplings and the dinner roll (singular) multiple times, along with the roasted peppers and chicken wings. Everything tasted fantastic.
The bartender made a great specialty cocktail off their menu called the Polish Delight-​The cocktail was tasty and different made with bisson grass vodka, apple/​scallion syrup, ginger and sparkling wine.
When it came time for the group to disperse some going home, others staying, those who decided to prolong the evening decided to head elsewhere. The Inn was a great spot to try out, but it’s not easy on the wallet. Per person was about $ 40. When we asked for any Happy Hour specials, the response was «our menu is very nicely priced». Uh…
Will I go again, probably, but not for a happy hour. Probably for dinner.

I LOVE this place. Anywhere that can make me want to go back for a mouthwatering bowl of brussel sprouts has my approval.
What to do… sit at the bar… ask for Jesse and let him create you a drink with your liquor of choice. He will put a smile on your face and warmth in your belly with the amazing creations he comes up with. Plus, he is fun to talk to.
After that just sit back and enjoy the atmosphere. I would recommend the risotto, brussel sprouts, foie burger, vinegar fries, wings… have I listed everything on the menu yet?
If you had to chose from any of the restaurants in this area to dine at I would recommend The Inn. Do it…

The Inn is, overall, the best place to have a night out in Minneapolis.
The food is delicious. I have been here too many times to count, so I have tried a decent amount of the menu. But then I tried the foie burger, and I substitute the regular fries with the malt vinegar fries, and I have finally found something worthy of being called my last meal on earth. There is not a better meal that combines richness and gourmet-​ness with approachability and everyday-​eatability anywhere. Also, the charcuterie plate is delectable. And the house-​sauce hot wings are a party in your mouth. Bourbon, maple syrup, bitters, did they literally put every one of my favorite things into one amazing wing sauce? Yes.
But the cocktails. Oh the cocktails. Amazing. Don’t necessarily order off the menu, but rather ask the bartender with longish dark hair and a beard to make you something. And just order anything. He will concoct something amazing for you. When said bartender was at town talk diner, a friend that I was with placed the following order with him:
«I want something like a white russian, but not a white russian.»
He served her something that appeared to not have any cream in it, it was sort of a dark colored drink that looked more like something with lots of whiskey in it. Needless to say, she was skeptical of the look. She tried it, and then she had all of us try it, and the vote was unanimous: it tasted like the best sort of white russian any of us had ever had. I asked him what was in it, and he probably listed off nine ingredients. It was crazy stupid how good this drink was, and he did this with a vodka drink. Any other sort of base liquor drink you order from him off the cuff, and you are going to wonder why you ever went anywhere else.
Also, the bartender is one of those rare breeds that is a genuinely nice and welcoming person. He knows exactly how to interact with patrons in order to make them feel right at home. And to make them feel special. I know that sounds a bit gushy, but its true. Judging only his character and personality, we all have something to learn from this bartender.
So, the Inn has amazing food and amazing cocktails. Go here. You will never regret it. Sit at the bar, and your life will be changed forever.

So… we walked in and were initially ignored by the hostess as she was on the phone. And yes, she gave us that «what do you want» snobby look. But we waited as we did have reservations and I wanted to try the food.
Then she walked us back to the far dining room, where we were the only ones there. Come on, I showered — what the heck. But the table was actually really fun as we were able to watch the kitchen and guess what some items were.
We shared 4 different items:
— Roasted peppers — oh my — the flavor combination is wonderful. Wish I had some right now as I write this.
— Chocolate crêpe stuffed with chipotle chicken — good combination of flavor
— Risotto — good, could have been a bit cheesier — but had a nice flavor
— Cod — the garlicy aioli was a nice touch, but the beans… I don’t know what they were made with, but my goodness — they were a hit.

The Inn is as such:
It is not cheap. It does however offer a quite excellent rate of return on your money, should you choose to spend said money.
I’m tempted to click that fifth star because the current pale 3.5 is unjust, but it’s very much solidly really good but not a beautiful destroyer of gustatory worlds.
Notable points:
My Lucky Charms: Old Rasputin + Red Breast for $ 9.50, and that’s a pint of Old Rasputin with what seems to be a double shot of Red Breast. Delicious and nutritious.
Desserts: Designed by The Salty Tart, no shortage of flavor whatsoever. Split one four ways after tonight’s meal and there was no shortage of enjoyment for any of us.
Captain Wentworth: Bourbon Manhattan with Barenjaeger. Fun stuff; the Barenjaeger follows up the bourbon very nicely.
Beef entrée: The minimal menu description doesn’t tell the slightest of it. Pretty excellent short rib in a red wine reduction.
Flavor combinations lean toward simple but effective. The Inn’s offerings are safe enough for conservative Minnesotan diners to try but still flavorful enough to please those looking for something other than pure church basement cuisine.
Very useful when one needs to have a decent place to take people for drinks and dinner without worry about spooking more conservative diners.
Caveats:
There is nothing cheap about this menu. There are some things that give good return for money invested, e.g. the above-​mentioned Lucky Charms, but in general there’s a more than reasonable return of flavor for dollars down. It’s thoroughly moderately priced, which may offend some looking for Great Bargains of Dining.

I had a wonderful, friendly experience at the Inn for a big weekend dinner. I had reserved a table for 15 people, and that meant putting us in this really adorable corner in the back of the restaurant that has a library feel to it and sliding wooden doors for privacy. It’s one of the remnants of the old Subo restaurant, which was a fusion Filipino restaurant that I raved about a few months ago that, sadly, didn’t survive.
But, if there’s any eatery that deserves to take over this ground, it would be The Inn. I chose this as the dinner venue for my bday bash because I’ve read good reviews on Unilocal!and, of course, I trust my Unilocal!comrades. First of all, their water goblets are super medieval and awesome; just gotta put it out there. I ordered the Polish Delight cocktail, which was served in this sexy cocktail glass with a strip of lemon peel. It smelled strongly of apple, which I loved, and had a really unique taste quite hard to define: a little sweet, a little tangy, a whole lot yummy.
The Inn’s menu is limited to basic meats and fish dishes. I’m not sure how I feel about that yet, since every restaurant has its own menu strategy (obviously for me the perfect scenario would be a larger selection that is consistently good). That said, I’m assuming the Inn’s food philosophy is «A Few Good Dishes» (yes, I imagine a movie poster in the works now). I went for the Beef, which came highly recommended by our lovely server, and other people got the burger, risotto, Pork, and a couple of appetizer-​sized dishes. The Beef wasn’t phenomenal, but it just passed the hype. The farina was so creamy and cheesy, so really that was what I wanted to bathe in. The brussel sprouts were perfectly cooked, with a few little charred bits for good measure. The braised rib itself reminded me of Haute Dish’s Tater Tot Hot Dish (even down to the price, I believe: $ 20). It was fork tender, although I did find myself using my knife for some bites of it. The size is very European (that is to say, I found myself hungry again after 3 hours of dancing later), but the quality is superb. I had a bit of the risotto, which was delicate and had strong squash flavors.
Lastly, I gotta make a special shout-​out to our server. She was EXCELLENT; fantastic service and always with a smile on her face. She paid special attention to everyone and took the time to explain the menu and was a great cheerleader for her restaurant. Really bumped up my experience from a 3 to a 4. :)

Absolutely fantastic! Visited last night for a beer (great selection!) and a few apps. On the next dinner visit I assume this will be bumped to 5 stars.
The atmosphere was cozy and professional at the same time. For a Wednesday night most of the tables and the bar were filled. Nice change of pace from the Nicollet after work scene @ Brits and the Local. We had the Brendade — delicious and light and french fries. They dont compare to Barbette’s, but wonderful as a HH snack.
Were greeted by the owner — you can tell he has a lot of pride in the menu and the location — I am really looking forward to going back for dinner!

Get ready for this place to explode. Minneapolis is graced with another beautiful neighborhood restaurant that gets the whole package: a kitchen and menu that’s interesting without being self-​conscious, comfortable atmosphere, craft cocktails, a nicely curated wine and beer list, and servers who know their way through the menu and are proud of everything on it.
The old Subo space comes alive and is as welcoming and inviting as it is spectacularly delicious.

Stopped in on a Thursday night and found a great little gem in downtown. While not everyone will appreciate it, the drink menu is far, far more extensive than the food menu. For me, that’s great. I’d rather have a choice of a few dishes done really well than pages and pages of mediocre options.
I started with one of their signature cocktails: the Polish Delight. This is a drink you will either love or hate – no in between. Personally, I loved it. It balanced sweet and savory and tasted unlike anything else I’ve ever sipped.
We went on to order the Brandade, which the very friendly (almost too friendly, actually) waiter helpfully described to us as a sort of updated version of a crab cake. Delicious.
I had the chicken entrée, which had the potential to be completely boring and forgettable, but instead was elevated by an exceptionally flavorful broth and a wonderful creamy mustard sauce. I actually enjoyed the broth like a soup once the chicken was gone.
The desserts are from Salty Tart, which is reason enough to save room for them. The apple pie was great, and the perfect size to share.

Great chef driven, service driven eatery. Great drinks in the tradition of Strip Club and Town Talk (back in the day). Simply wonderful craft drink selection.
We came in at around 5 pm for a drink and were warmly welcomed. I had the Lucky Charms under the Beer and a Bump section of the menu. I later had another from this section when we came back around 8.
Great burger, great fries, and I wouldn’t hesitate to try anything on the menu. I wish I were there right now!

What I am thankful for today: The Inn coming to Minneapolis! Finally, another place in my neighborhood that has a great vibe and good service that isn’t geared toward the meat-​heads that hang out in the clubs on the weekends. I still love the Strip Club, but it is nice to just pop down the street instead of making the trek to St Paul (not that I won’t keep making that trip!).
This is one of my favorite rooms in the city. Cozy, comfy, welcoming. What a perfect setting for Tim’s new place! The menu is not crazy extensive, but it is a nice mix of apps, entrees and sandwiches. We really enjoyed what we ordered: wings, risotto, Guinness chocolate cake. I love that they start with an amuse booze. Cheeky! :) Three beers on tap, also available as a beer and a bump. 33 beers in bottles, including some faves like Brother Thelonious, Lift Bridge Farm Girl and Chestnut Hill, Bubblejack, etc. I got one of the specialty cocktails — the Slim Shim: scotch, ginger, lemon. YUM!
I almost don’t want to share my new special place, but I know I have to so this place does as well as it deserves to.

My husband went and tried The Inn while I was visiting relatives in Iowa. Upon my return, he dragged me there to experience the place for myself. And it was good.
As for his experience, he had extensive conversation with the bartenders and waitstaff about their menu items and off-​menu capabilities. He was happy with his fois gras burger (even though organ meats aren’t really his thing) and his Lucky Charms (beer and shot of scotch). This was enough for him to go Twitter crazy, so I knew he was pleased.
Upon our visit, I had difficulties with the menu as there wasn’t anything that cried out to me as something I absolutely had to try. We ended up with the roasted pepper salad hors d’oeuvres and I had the fish of the day, an Atlantic char. The peppers were delicious and the fish was very tasty — I ate them each so slowly as I never wanted them to leave my mouth. I had the apple pie for dessert and that was also very good.
I also drank two Sazeracs (my favorite classic cocktail). THUMBS UP.
The service is fantastic. Yes, the place is new, so one should expect exemplary service. But even still, we had everyone from the bartender to the manager checking to make sure we were happy with what was on our table at any particular moment.
The only thing holding me back from five stars is the lack of things on the menu that scream, «ORDER ME, I AM EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT!» Perhaps after a few visits I’ll decide that I don’t need anything else on the menu, but for now, it’s a difficult decision when nothing in particular sounds appealing.
Hopefully, The Inn doesn’t die out in this space like the last two places that attempted to fill it. It has a lot of promise, and I’m happy to recommend it. Starting out on the right foot, here’s hoping they evolve into something even better over time.

Had my first of what I imagine will be many meals at The Inn last evening. Started off with an Elderflower cocktail (titled the «Has Been») which was so tasty that it was also the choice for my second. They have a handful of signature cocktails as well as beer and wine (Grain Belt on tap! In a cold mug!).
Our table of four decided to try a bunch of dishes and share. We started with the oysters, the mussels, the peppers and the cured meats. Wow. All of them were fantastic. My personal favorite were the mussels. I want to bathe in the broth it came in (I ended up dipping any kind of starch my fingers could get a hold of into it)!
We also ordered a pork sandwich. This was the only dish that was not raved about at our table. Tasted good just not great. It also was listed under a section titled «Open Faced Sandwiches» yet it was not open faced, just a regular sandwich. We were all expecting something completely different.
Then we had the grass fed beef burger with bacon and cheese. It came out prepared perfectly at rare, as requested, and on an English muffin with fries.
The star of our meal was the whitefish sandwich (also listed under «Open Faced Sandwiches»), which is their version of fish and chips. A perfectly coated and fried filet came on a piece of rye accompanied by a curry sauce. And the fries! They came with a malt vinegar seasoning! Sooooo good. Our server informed us after we were fighting over the last fry that we could ask for any order of fries to be seasoned like that. Yup, I’ll be doing that every time.
This place is gorgeous, welcoming and opened up just in time to spend many cozy winter evenings eating comfort food and drinking well-​crafted cocktails (I’ll be at the bar-that’s more my style).