Tilia

Recently I met up with my friend Leslie Davis for lunch at Tilia in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis.  Not only was this my first visit to Tilia, it was my first time meeting Leslie.

Leslie and I chose seats at the bar where we were immediately greeted by Tony the bartender.  Not only was Tony not bad to look at, he made recommendations that were spot on!

We decided we would order two dishes and share them.  Leslie chose the Fish Taco Torta Sandwich ($10). Not only had my friend, and fellow food blogger Keane Amdahl recommended it to me the evening before; but Leslie had heard Adam Richmond (Best Sandwich of America, Man v Food) picked it as his sandwich to represent the Twin Cities. Tony also recommended it. My thought was "Uh oh- I am not a fish eater." I had to be game to try it. When the sandwich arrived Leslie cut it in half and said "Here you go."
I thought, "Oh I just want a little taste, not half the sandwich. I don't eat fish, what if it is fishy and ..." Leslie interrupted my thought with "Oh this is wonderful. It doesn't taste like fish at all."  Yeah I have heard that before in my dislike of fish.  Ok, I need to try it. Not only had my new friend Leslie said it was good, I trust Keane's pallet, Adam Richmond has good taste in food, and the handsome bartender Tony says it was excellent. I cautiously bit into my half of the sandwich. One word -AMAZING!! In that one bite I knew that I would willingly order the Fish Taco Torta Sandwich again.  The sandwich included a peppadew pepper slaw, cilantro, lime and tortilla chips on the Brioche bun.  Did I mention I loved the sandwich?  You know a fish sandwich is great when a non-fish eater loves it. (Even my mom can't get me to eat fish) When you go to Tilia order it!!




My choice was the Cavatelli Pasta ($12) with spring peas, pancetta, oyster mushrooms, and truffle sauce. The large portion was perfect for sharing. The creamy flavor was complimented by the smokiness of the pancetta and earthy touch of the mushrooms with a pop of freshness of the spring peas.  This dish would pair well with a nice white wine (ask Tony for a recommendation)

Sensing Leslie and I needed something else with our meal, the handsome  Tony also recommend the Brussels Spouts on the back of the menu.  The Brussels Sprouts were caramelized with toasted walnuts. Leslie and I agreed we both could have eaten the entire small plate ourselves.

Leslie and I are planning a trip back to try a few of the 21 beers they have on tap and enjoy more food.   When you go to this Linden Hills neighborhood gem know that parking is available on the street (free). 

I need to also give a shout out to my pal Isiah for his GREAT SERVICE!!

To find out more visit:
Tilia http://www.tiliampls.com/
Keane Amdahl  (http://foodstoned.com/ and http://www.abovetheburner.com/)