Demi: Minneapolis
DEMI, 212 N 2nd St, North Loop, Minneapolis MN
The Place: An intimate, tasting menu restaurant that manages to feel both upscale and relaxed at the same time–a tough balancing act that, most importantly, is supremely delicious.
The Time: Sunday August 30, 8pm. I’m in Minneapolis again! I basically come here every other year to see my friend Sterling. I timed my visit so we could go to the Minnesota State Fair (which could be a whole other post!), but for tonight, I’m getting dinner at Demi, the restaurant where Sterling works. What better way to kick off my trip?
Sterling the Bar Steward!
The Vibe: Dimly lit and lovely, like walking into the home of your most sophisticated friend. I check in with Skyler at the host stand before stepping a few feet to where Sterling is at the bar. It feels less like a restaurant bar and more like a home bar, with a sink, shelves of lined-up bottles, and a mini fridge. Sterling has already constructed an unofficial cocktail pairing for me, so I’m handed a beverage before being led into the dining room, which is a U-shaped counter around the open kitchen. It’s a strikingly beautiful space, minimal but homey, a combination of textures like wood and steel and marble, with a giant floral arrangement smack in the middle of the kitchen island. The bar stools are big and comfy, as if they know my ass will be sitting in it for three hours. It has all the trappings of a fine-dining chef’s-counter restaurant, but somehow still feels cozy and warm. I guess that’s the Midwest sensibility shining through.
Demi has two seatings every night, at 5pm and 8pm, but they’re staggered within those windows, keeping a regular rhythm to service without feeling stiff and rehearsed. The 19 other seats while I’m here are mainly occupied by couples, with one group of three. Everyone is celebrating something; an anniversary, a birthday. I’m celebrating getting to hang with one of my dearest friends and see him in his element. It’s very cool.
The Bartender / The Service: The food and drink at Demi are sublime, and I’ll get into that, but what really makes it special is the service. The staff is incredible, and I’d say that even if I didn’t know anyone. Annie, Skyler, George, Merrina; all front of house are amicable and knowledgeable. Jack, Jake, Rodolfo, Jeffery; each member of the kitchen team introduces themselves when they first drop a dish. It really feels like you’re being taken care of by a family. Oh god, has the Midwest gotten to me??
Sterling’s technical title is Bar Steward, which, I’ll be honest, when he first told me, I thought was a little pretentious. But it’s true, he’s not tending a bar; he’s making drinks and facilitating beverage service. He’s the Bar Steward! I totally get it now. Oh, and humble brag, all the concoctions on the cocktail menu are his.
Trouble in Paradise
The Drank / The Dish: The first cocktail I start with is the Margarita, which looks nothing like a traditional marg. Sterling’s clarified it with coconut milk, so it’s silky and rich with all the flavors of the classic. It takes everything I have not to chug it. Demi offers two beverage pairings to go with the ten-course tasting menu: a wine pairing or a temperance pairing, which is a thoughtful, nonalcoholic selection of bottlings and housemade libations. But like I said, Sterling has come up with a drink progression for me. I see most guests go for a pairing, but there’s a woman seated close to me who really takes Sterling to task on inventing cocktails for her (we get it, lady, no cucumber, not too sweet!).
When I made my reservation online about a month prior, I noted that I’m pescatarian, and Demi seems incredibly accommodating for allergies and dietary restrictions. The meal starts with a warming mushroom dashi, followed by three amuse-bouche (bouches? bouchi?), into one of my favorite courses of the night, a hamachi crudo. I’ve only been eating fish for a few years now but this might be the best crudo I’ve ever had–tomato, cucamelons, shiso, holy basil. To pair with it, Sterling made me the Trouble in Paradise, a daiquiri variation with melon, mango, and Campari that is so yummy and goes perfectly with the hamachi.
Instead of a foie gras terrine, I’m served Hidden Falls Shepherd’s Way cheese, which hits the same creamy, rich notes as I imagine the foie does. (I also love cheese so much that when Sterling places it in front of me, I do say “cheeeeeeessssseeeeee!!!!” pretty loudly.) That dish is followed by a salmon with crayfish and saffron, an eggplant agnolotti, and for me, instead of poultry and meat, two more fish courses, the last of which is a halibut with fava bean and swiss chard that’s so delicious, I push through how full I am because I can’t stop eating it. Sterling gives me a third cocktail somewhere in here, a silky bourbon sipper that I do, indeed, sip on. (I also ask for a soda with bitters as some point because, believe it or not, I don’t often eat ten courses for dinner and my stomach needs some help!)
Me crying-laughing with my bevvy of beverages
Pre-dessert is a sheep’s milk sorbet with compressed cantaloupe and chamomile (genius flavor combo), and the dessert-dessert is an elegant version of a Black Forest cake, but it’s my dessert cocktail that sends me over the edge. Sterling surprises me with a recreation of one of my cocktails from my first book: the Velour Tracksuit. It is so overwhelmingly special that I burst into tears (understand that I am also pretty tipsy by this point). Though I do have to ask him what’s in it because I can’t even remember my own drink. “I made it to spec, even though there’s three-quarters of an ounce of cassis in that thing!” True friendship.
Was I Hit On? / Did I Make Friends?: It’s only natural that someone would ask me why I’m weeping at the sight of a cocktail, and he’s a perfectly nice man who’s here with his wife for their anniversary. Sterling has me sign a copy of Cocktails in Color for the restaurant, and this man thinks that I’m giving him the book when I slide it over for him to look at. When I tell him it’s not exactly for HIM, his wife says: “Mike, give that back, I’ll just order a copy online.” Then she shows me proof of purchase on her phone. I love women.
Should You Drink Here Alone?: Does this novel-long review not make it obvious? Of course you should! If you’re in Minneapolis, any special occasion should be celebrated at Demi, whether that’s by yourself or with loved ones. It’s not cheap, but I think it’s worth every penny. Bonus points if you highbrow-lowbrow this shindig by pairing it with the Minnesota State Fair. 10/10 life experience.
