nom nom: Tilia

Restaurant:  Tilia
Location:  Linden Hills
Wink?  YES


yea, it does

 I'm not usually the type of person that just has to go to a new restaurant right after it opens to see what all the buzz and hype are about, but after seeing so much Twitter love for the newest hotspot in Linden Hills, I was curious to try it out.

Now I'm sure we all know how I feel about resto's who don't accept reservations or call-ahead seating, so after reading an article by Andrew Zimmern, I was curious to see how long my friend Cadence and I would have to wait before getting a table.

We arrived at Tilia around 7:30pm (primo dinner time) and were greeted outside with a crowd of people sitting at their picnic table style benches and standing on the sidewalk, all waiting for a table.  Once inside the restaurant, the bar was full and there was barely any room to gather around without getting in the way of a hard-working server or 2.  Our estimated wait time?  45 minutes.  To the bar, we went.  A lone man at the bar was nice enough to let me squeeze through to get a drink menu and provide us with some distracting conversation and just about 10 minutes later, the lovely host approached us at the bar and told us our table was ready.  Score!

Even though I think the statuesque and beautiful Cadence was the real reason why we were seated so soon (umm, if you have ever met her in real life, you would think she was a supermodel) I was all too giddy from the fact I wasn't going to have to wait an eternity to finally be fed because I was starving.  The lone man at the bar had pointed out that Steven Brown, partner and Executive Culinary Director was in the house and it just so happens he was delivering food to patrons all night.  Even though the resto was beyond packed and extremely busy, he took the time to greet us and go over portions of the menu.  Our server was delightful and gave us good recommendations in wine and appetizers (all of which was shockingly well priced) and even convinced us that we needed to share an entire bottle of Norton between us.  She was right.



vino for everyone

Between Steven Brown and our server (I really wish I had written her name down), we decided on the beet salad, grilled bread with prosciutto and mozzarella for app's and the slow roasted pork tenderloin and squash caramelle pasta for dinner.  Let me tell you, I still daydream about that beet salad.  TDF.  My pork tenderloin was served with caramelized brussel sprouts who's fragrance had filled the entire resto and had my tummy craving for more. 

nom nom!  the slow roasted pork tenderloin

Aside from being delighted about not having to wait a ridiculous amount of time to be seated, and despite the fact that we received personalized service from Steven Brown, the icing on top of this culinary cake was the prices.  Apps start from $3 and the dinner prices were very reasonable.  Tilia is financially within reach for many food-lovers and the fact that I can eat at a fabulous establishment, receive outstanding service and still have some dollah dollah bills left in my wallet makes it a complete winner in my book.

{oxox}

winkMSP