Over the spring and summer, the Twin Cities were hit by a wave of new contemporary Italian restaurants. It was as if everyone simultaneously noticed a hole in the market and then rushed to fill it!
Il Foro is in the former home of the Forum Cafeteria in downtown Minneapolis; the food has been well-received, but perhaps overshadowed by the grandeur of the splashy, art deco space that's been carefully preserved and restored.
Monello, which replaced Porter and Frye in the Hotel Ivy, is the most elegant of the group, with a very contemporary décor and most refined presentation of food — no surprise there, since chef Mike DeCamp was previously at La Belle Vie for many years. Parella is in the old Figlio space in Calhoun Square, so it still has a comfortable vibe but a fancier, more modern menu than Figlio.
Just down the block from Parella, Scena Tavern is moving in, which is financed by a Green Mill pizza mogul who brought on fine-dining chefs Jamie Malone and Erik Anderson to do the menu.
Each of these spots offers fresh, seasonally-driven Italian cooking and lovely housemade pastas. But the odd common theme is that they all serve crudo — Italian-style raw dishes, frequently seafood. Time will tell if there's enough of an appetite for it from Twin Cities diners.
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