Would it surprise you if I told you that my favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities only made it onto my list after I’d visited for the first time? Coming up on its one-year anniversary, Giulia in downtown Minneapolis has gotten plenty of well-deserved attention since its opening. Somehow, I just hadn’t heard of it until about a month after I’d already landed here. It took nothing more than a few steps inside - gazing at the tall marble ceilings, mesmerized by the glowing bar - for me to (mentally) add it to The List and make it a point to come back as many times as possible, as soon as possible. I hadn’t even taken a bite of anything yet!
My heels clicked on the white marble tiles as the hostess led us to our table, and I was thankful I chose to dress up (by my definition, at least). Without feeling at all bougie and intimidating, Giulia welcomes its guests into a bright, spacious, and gorgeous dining room. Yeah, it’s a little fancy. Dress up. Embrace it! As any foodie would, I glanced at the tables while walking to ours to sneak a peek at what co-head chefs Steven Brown and Josh Hedquist offer. With a delighted appetite, I knew from the plates of sophisticated pasta swirls and simple pizzas with smoky charred crusts that this place could be it. Giulia could very well be The One - my favorite restaurant. And after just the first visit, without a doubt in my mind, Giulia became just that - The One, my favorite restaurant (it’s that good) - so I accepted without hesitation an invitation for a second visit in exchange for a share here on the blog.
Drawing from my first visit, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to order this time. For assistance, and for some family fun because we’re never too old for that, I brought along Mom and Dad. If anyone was going to appreciate this place, this food, this experience half as much as me, they would. Two extra stomachs and two extra sets of taste buds can’t hurt, right?
It isn’t just the decor that provides that experience. It’s the service team and the cooks (which you can see hard at work in the open kitchen). The servers know the menu - like, they really know the menu - and they’re the best people to turn to for help in selecting a dish. Ours recommended the mozzarella speziato to start. It’s more than just a plate of mozzarella. It’s an entire show, a lesson from one of the cooks on how to make fresh mozzarella, and he’ll wheel a cart over beside your table equipped with a large steel bowl, jug of boiling hot salted water, various accompaniments, and the mozzarella-maker with 3 pairs of sturdy kitchen-grade gloves on. Pay attention - he’s teaching you how to make fresh mozzarella! If you can multitask, snap a picture as he performs the mozzarella pull. It’s mesmerizing and mouth-watering. Within seconds, he’s drizzling balsamic and olive oil over the mozzarella ball, and suddenly, you’re staring at a piece of mozzarella-artwork in the center of your table. Dig right in to the creamiest mozzarella you’ll experience outside of Italy. It doesn’t need a pizza crust and marinara sauce - it’s meant to be served solo, and you’ll understand why when you take that first bite. Fans of a little spicy kick will enjoy the speziato - pickled calabrian chiles, and those who love anything with a salty olive tapenade should get the nero. Next time, I’m ordering the speck and rucola.
We had no plan of attack for the incoming four dishes, so when our server asked what we’d like brought out first, I just knew I wanted to savor the Black Apple pizza last. Something about starting with the Trout Saltimbocca and Duck made sense to me, so those arrived next, followed by the creamy Carbonara, and lastly, the beloved pizza.
It was by far the meatiest duck breast I’ve eaten - tough with a subtle tenderness. A velvety butternut squash polenta lies beneath the duck, thankfully, and balances the tougher texture and gamey flavor. The whole dish is garnished with those little leaves that fall off the brussels sprouts and bake to a smoky, chip-like char, and an elegant sprinkle of parm.
I would have overlooked the Trout Saltimbocca completely, had it not been for my dad, who kindly and sweetly insisted we try it. Next to the duck, which could easily have been mistaken for skirt steak, the trout is unmistakably trout - the whole fish wrapped in speck, broiled in the Woodstone gas-fired ceramic oven for the same amount of time it took me to eagerly accept this dinner invite. I won’t lie - the head gave me a bit of the heebie-jeebies at first, but those left the second I took a bite of the buttery flesh dipped in the zippy, creamy lemon sauce. If you must, just close your eyes and take a bite. You have to just give it a try.
Whatever you do, do NOT close your eyes when the carbonara comes out. Give this dish your undivided attention. I finished every swirled forkful of house-made spaghetti (Chef Steven Brown’s own recipe, kept secret) enrobed in the classic creamy carbonara sauce with “Ohmyword, how have I never tried this before?”. Seriously. Dad, the carbonara connoisseur, knew there was something different about this one in particular. A subtle tanginess in the sauce, perhaps from an extra squeeze of lemon, sets Giulia’s carbonara apart from others. Whatever it was in this recipe, it had me in an instant. Only a few noodles lay in a couple puddles of remaining sauce, and I had to fight with all my lady-like manners the urge to pick the plate up and lick it clean. As if he could read my mind, a server politely came and swept up the almost-clean plate to make room for the pizza…
… the pizza! My favorite part (sorry, carbonara - I’m too loyal). For two main reasons, it’s fitting to save the pizza for last: 1) you know, “save the best for last” is kind a rule, and 2) the hints of sweetness from each ingredient give it an air of indulgence, almost like it’s a dessert. Chef Brown uses a high-quality Italian Caputo 00 flour to make the thin dough with a crisp chew and a distinct flavor only possible with a long fermentation process. It’s a one-of-a-kind crust, one you’ll want to eat every last bite of. The black apple, which raised eyebrows at our table, is similar to a fig, lightly marinated in vinegar to soften the texture and brighten the flavor. Casalingo salami, sweet sausage, and the bold gorgonzola cheese give this pie its umph - the reason it’s my favorite pie, in and beyond the Twin Cities. Don’t hate me for calling it sexy. It’s a sexy pizza.
Some restaurants are known for their food, others for their service. Giulia provides for its guests an experience rooted in undeniably good food, and extended into an alluring trio of genuine service and hospitality, and an irresistibly seductive atmosphere. I’ll be back soon, and I hope to see you there, too!