Two-syllable hot spots: Keep it short in the age of ‘tweet’


Are you ready for some February fun food? We’ve got lots of great spots that fit the bill for any occasion during this eventful month, but there are three more reasons to get out this month that are well worth a “tweet” to your friends. Subo, Gatto and Grassa fit the Twitter and texting era with short, two syllable names. Short and sweet, I’d say. Shortcuts in language are everywhere. Seems to me we’re slipping into tweets and texts instead of talking—but nothing is really new under the sun, right? I just keep recalling the old KISS standard from some decades ago—Keep It Simple Stupid. Looks like we are.

I peeked into all three restaurants, and was pleased they are already busy—even in this cold weather—but following another new trend: No lunch, just a focus on late afternoon cocktails and the dinner hour.


THE NEW SUBO…which means “to feed” in the Philippine language, is a Southeast Asian restaurant, headed up by New York City Chef/Owner Neil Guillen, at 89 S. Tenth St. in Minneapolis, the old Hell’s Kitchen spot (HK Relocated to the old Rossi’s spot on South Ninth Street). Subo looks great and cozy with low lighting, rustic wood and stacked wooden window display boxes with browns, neutrals and the old exposed brick walls. Plus, they added an inviting bar near the entrance with sofa seating upfront. In back they have focused the dining room seating along the window wall facing an open prep kitchen with a few bar stools—for fun foodie watching. Chef Guillen, raised in Michigan, is a CIA graduate and past chef at Bradley Ogden’s Arterra restaurant in San Diego. He brings 20 years of experience and his Filipino heritage to the plate with our first Filipino fine-dining restaurant in the Twin Cities. He left his most recent NYC post at the Kuma Inn (known as the leader in Filipino small plates cuisine) with a little arm twisting by a local investor and fan, to open this new dream spot where he has focused on family-style dining: sharing small plates with choices from meat to seafood to veggies.

He’s joined by a local team including the familiar face of Manager Johann Galera, previously with the Marquette Hotel and Northcoast, and in the kitchen sous chef Geoffrey King. Guillen reminds us his food style takes the tapas concept and adds big flavors and big ideas on how to combine them. Only the plates—and the prices—are small, great for this time in the economy. From $2 rice plates to $9, and some fancier seafood up to $10 or $12. Tops is one plate with a whole, grilled striped bass at $17 that could feed a table of four.

Guillen has also added flavors from China, Thailand and Vietnam, and brings in Spanish and French influences, too. We sampled oodles of plates and found each treatment refreshing, like the deep-fried pork belly and roasted “pork candy” (crispy Chinese sausage), to their signature adobo chicken wings prepared with rice vinegar, garlic, soy sauce and coconut milk. Flashy cocktails are made by the mixologists at the bar, whacking real coconuts for the Bounty Bar Cocktail. I’ve never seen this done anywhere in town since Trader Vic’s. Made with Stoli vodka, white chocolate liqueur and buko (fresh coconut) juice served in the coconut shell, it’s a real showstopper, too. It will take more visits to sample it all- but that will be a pleasure.


A CAT PURRS IN CALHOUN SQUARE…with the arrival of Il Gatto (the cat), which took over the Figlio space after in a very smooth transition in just a matter of weeks. Since both operations were under the Parasole Restaurant Holdings umbrella, it no doubt made it easier. It also gave the new cat a pool of talent to call on for support to bring Il Gatto to life. Restaurateur/raconteur and the original wildcat himself, Phil Roberts, is the mastermind behind Parasole and it runs like a well-oiled machine—now inspired with a little catnip, I suspect. He and his hardworking team has kept us happy and well-fed with many concepts, and each one concept is given loving attention to detail—and, according to their VP of business development, Kip Clayton, each restaurant is given more autonomy in day-to-day decision making to build a more entrepreneurial spirit.

It may be a new sparkling space, with a new bar down the middle of the room, and firewood stacked floor to ceiling for the grill and pizza oven in the open kitchen and a wall of fresh baked bread stacked to the ceiling in the dining room, but a familiar face will greet you: Manager Danielle Muetz. She has been under the umbrella as a Figlio manager in the past and during the transition, plus headed up other company spots from Pittsburgh Blue to Chino Latino. Executive Chef Matt Kempf, who helped build the new menu with “hands-on Phil” and Corporate Chef Todd Bolton, was previously Chef at Salute in Edina. He had a six-year stint at Goodfellows, and worked with Roger Johnson of Aquavit fame at A Rebours (now Meritage) in St. Paul a few years back. In fact, I learned the creative pastry whiz who made Aquavit desserts famous —Adrienne Odom—joined the Parasole bakery team this past year too.

I love that Il Gatto also has lots of little plates (from $4 to $8) for fun noshing, hand-tossed pizza from their wood fired oven, about 10 pastas and over a dozen meat and seafood entrees—all priced from $14 to $26. Plus you’ll find a very friendly wine list with nearly two dozen choices by the glass, plus super martinis and cocktail choices. I’m hooked! Happy Hour is even better with $3 drinks and $3 small plates beginning at 3 p.m. daily. On my recent visits I could not get past two or three small plates and their hand-cut fries with grated pecorino and pimento aioli. They’re a steal at $4 stacked high, enough for four people to share. Next time I’ll start with dessert.


‘GRASSA’ MEANS ‘FAT’…and one would think too daring a word to hook your restaurant name on, as in the new Bar La Grassa (located in the old Babalu, at 800 N. Washington Ave. N.), right? Wrong! It may be a daring moniker for a new eatery with all the waistline watchers, but you can see by the crowds new Owner/Chef Isaac Becker and his wife and 112 Eatery partner Nancy St. Pierre (the couple coupled with La Belle Vie and Solera co-owner Josh Thoma for Bar La Grassa) have tapped the tastes of one and all with a large and versatile Italian-inspired menu. So far so good—I loved everything I tried on a cold winter’s night visit. They have also wowed Twin Cities diners by the looks of the crowds, and are ready to go at 5 p.m. when they open their doors seven days a week. It didn’t hurt that Star Tribune food critic Rick Nelson named them his choice for “Restaurant of the Year.” Bravo Grassa!

To me it looks like a very friendly, woodsy American bar with a French bistro feel, complete with classic marble-top tables. A modern, open bar greets you as you enter and a shiny open kitchen (complete with a counter seating) gives an “upscale diner” feel along the back wall, with great showmanship as well. The menu is modern, yet classic Italian, very fresh and uniquely presented with the Becker touch and served on old-fashioned floral plates that made me think we were in a German gasthaus. This hands-on chef even has a huge meat slicer on the counter, where he slices up his hunk of aged, cured pork into paper thin slices whenever needed for the antipasti offering (served with apple, gorgonzola and parmesan dressing at just $6.) Again we are faced with a tempting and creative menu for sharing small plate choices for antipasti and bruschetta where you choose the toppings ($6 to $13). Two more columns offer dry or fresh pasta options, with choice of half or whole portions for sharing ($7 to $32 for lobster linguine). Secondi options ($15 to $35) of protein from fish to pork tenderloin or a bistecca for 4 ($80) round out other options. Text message: Go back soon!

See the FSN blog for fun food photos from these new creative hot spots.