Stop complaining about there not being enough good Italian places in the Twin Cities. You now have D’Amico’s newest restaurant: Parma 8200 in Bloomington.
The worst thing about it: It’s in Bloomington. And it’s in the horrible Normandale Towers. My GPS directed me to the wrong spot, so just head toward the building with Kincaid’s in it, park, and you’ll figure it out.
The best thing about it? Well, just about everything I tasted was out of this world. (Disclosure: I was at the restaurant as part of a media tour—and didn’t pay for my food.)
I started with Fried Sicilian rice balls—which is just plain fun to say. The rice balls are stuffed with mozzarella and marinara, and they’re delicious ($9.50).
I’ve had a lot of watermelon salads lately, but this one was just fantastic. Sweet basil, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese make this the ideal summer plate ($9).
Two of the salads on the lunch menu are also noteworthy: The shrimp are enormous in the chilled shrimp salad with fregola and corno, with a lovely tarragon vinaigrette ($11), and I also really liked the chicken salad with apple, candied hazelnuts, and a gorgonzola dressing ($13).
The Fried chicken sandwich Milanese was good, but it didn’t knock my socks off. For $11.50, there are better options on this menu—like the Cavatelli with Pugliese Country pork rib ragu. Absolutely incredible. The chef claimed it was his mother’s recipe. I called out his BS and he admitted he “tweaked” it a little. Regardless, the tweaks worked. Rich flavor, tender ribs, perfect ($12.50 for a “primi” plate, $16.50 for main course).
They’re building a patio there right now (it should be ready in a week; there are two huge fireplaces) and the interior is very elegant. There’s built-in clientele with the office towers, and I suspect the Edina/Bloomington power corridor will love driving over to Parma for dinner.
Parma 8200
5600 West 83rd St.
Suite 100, Bloomington
952-896-8888
parma8200.com
