Sundays in Minnesota tend to be reserved for religion and chores, except in Uptown, where residents used to trade Figlio’s for church and Menard’s, lured by its all-day $2 taps, wine, and appetizers. In 2009, Parasole closed the 25-year-old restaurant and replaced it with the ill-fated Il Gatto. Then, in a move that was either totally boneheaded or sheer genius, the company sold the Figlio brand to its rising competition, the Talebi brothers of Crave, who installed it in place of Soprano’s, their tony Italian concept in the Shops at West End. Soprano’s chef J.P. Samuelson made a few tweaks to the old Figlio faves and supplemented them with new dishes, such as J.P.’s Eggs, a Benedict with dried, salted cod, to join Figlio’s famous scramble, Joe’s Eggs. The cheese tortellini, pepperoni pizza, and banana cake are just as tasty as Figlio’s mulleted heyday, but the new dishes are mixed. Garganelli with braised pork is a winner, though the lackluster pickled pineapple and peanut chicken salad should go the way of shoulder pads.
Figlio
The 80’s are back!
