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DeRusha Eats: Tilia in Linden Hills
It's hard not to love Steven Brown. Great chef, great guy, typically looks like a mess. (As a guy who professionally wears suits, ties, and high-def make-up, I'm jealous.) And after hearing so many of my friends raving about his new restaurant Tilia, I've been excited to check it out.
The verdict: The food is spot-on, the inside is so adorable I wish I could give it a big hug, and the price is incredible. My wife and two sons (5-year-old Seth and 3-year-old Sam) had a salad, three small plates, a side, a glass of wine, a 1/2 glass of beer, two kids meals, and a dessert for $50.
I loved the potted meat (shown lower right). On our visit it was an amazing duck rillette: salty without being overwhelming with grilled bread and a great spicy mustard. Only $5! The gravalax was nice—the kitchen takes fish roe and shallots and folds it into butter. Seth was inhaling that treat. $6 for this plate of prettiness. We did a spinach salad ($8) which was huge and satisfying with a soft boiled egg and a warm bacon dressing (with nice crunchy cubes of bacon).
And for dessert we ordered brussels sprouts ($5). They were carmelized with walnuts and ham, and they tasted like candy. Awesome.
In the spirit of Tilia being a neighborhood restaurant, the kids meals are wonderful. My boys loved the menus—little "cootie catchers."
Sam got a cheeseburger, Seth got stir fried shrimp with rice and peas. Each meal was $3, came with a drink and a cookie, and was perfectly sized for little kids. They have $7 kids meals for bigger kids.
We showed up at 5:15 p.m., and had no problem getting a seat, but this place is small and I've heard there are longer waits during dinner times. So what? Grab a drink, or pop into Cafe Twenty-Eight next door for a Surly. Walk down to Sebastian Joes or some of the other shops in the neighborhood. Enjoy yourself.
We certainly did.
Tilia
2726 West 43rd St., Mpls.
tiliampls.com
Posted on Thursday, May 5, 2011 in Permalink
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