Description
When Parasole replaced its longtime Hennepin-Lake mainstay, Figlio, with Il Gatto, the transition wasn't without its bumps: Mainly, the food was inconsistent. So Parasole brought in Figlio's alum Tim McKee, who had gone on to launch a family of restaurants that earned him the title Best Chef Midwest from the James Beard Foundation. McKee revamped the menu and installed one of his longtime protégés, Jim Christianson, to lead the kitchen and the change is remarkable. While diners can always order from the brief list of Figlio favorites, including the ravioli and calamari, tucked into the menu's corner, to do so seems like a missed opportunity when Il Gatto 2.0 offers, essentially, a Italian version of McKee's La Belle Vie crossed with a neighborhood bar. It's inventive, gourmet fare without the typical small portions, high price tag, and formal setting. Still hewing to Italian tradition, the menu now has energy and intrigue, with more seasonal, sophisticated, and unusual ingredients--barbequed octopus, prosciutto with mache, or rabbit Bolognese sauce, for example. The restaurant has Parasole's signature fun, welcoming vibe, but offers more ambitious cooking: slow-cooked, cured swordfish served with heirloom tomatoes, radishes, and tonatto sauce, for starters, or the triple-pork zampone di Milanese, or the roasted cauliflower tossed with golden raisins, chiles, and grana cheese. Pastry chef Adrienne Odom offers classics like tiramisu and chocolate budino, alongside more daring pairings of, say, chestnut cake and white chocolate semifreddo. All of which will leave you purring.
