transplanted.chicagoan: Tilia, Minneapolis, MN (Linden Hills)

October 1, 2014

Tilia, Minneapolis, MN (Linden Hills)

I've written posts about Tilia before and you'll find another "mini" one below, and that's because I love this place. It's easily one of my Top 3 restaurants in the Twin Cities, maybe the US. Why?

Well, it's pretty simple, they hit on my personal 4 P's for Companies - product, people, process, and passion.

They have great product alright. Nothing I have put in my mouth here has ever been bad. Once, while I sat at the bar area with a kitchen view, we watched them send our orders back because they weren't cooked to order, though I have no doubt I would have loved it anyway. This last trip was no exception - I had a great turkey burger and awesome Brussel sprouts (yes, I love anything from the cabbage family)... washed down with Pumpking beer, perfect for fall.

Though we know people can have bad days, I don't recall anyone here being in a bad mood when I've visited. This last time was no exception. My waitress was always helpful with a smile and could answer any question I had, some quite nerdy.

If you've ever been to Tilia on a busy Friday or Saturday night, you might think their process is broken (I know I have), but having had the chance to sit at the bar with kitchen view a couple times now, I don't think that's the case. The kitchen staff is working as hard as they can possibly go. They also crank out amazingly tasteful dishes with insightful inspirations. If you think the process is broken before your food arrives, ask yourself if you still think so once you're done with dessert.

Finally, it is my belief that this place and the people that work there have a passion for serving the local Linden Hills neighborhood and surrounding clientele. I know because of how well they consistently do the three above.

In a nutshell, and though I've said it before in one way or another, if you're in this neighborhood around any mealtime, go in and have some great food and drink.