Fugaise

Again, it would really be 4.5 stars, but that's not an option. The food is to die for. Ecstatic. I had the... more

Again, it would really be 4.5 stars, but that's not an option. The food is to die for. Ecstatic. I had the tasting menu and ate both salmon and kan... more

I have been ""following"" Fugaise since it first opened, reading all of the reviews and knowing that I needed to visit. Why did I wait so long? I visited Fugaise for dinner last week, and had more than just great food and great service - I had an experience. I have to start with the food. Every bite was exquisite. Everyone at our table started with a spring pea risotto that was beautiful and delicious, with a strong, nutty, parmesan taste. We had three different appetizers and all were good, but the scallops were exceptional. Perfectly done. We had two different entrees (2 of us had the Halibut dish) and all three plates went away totally clean - the Halibut was perfect and the Pork Tenderloin the most flavorful I have ever tasted. Finally, we had a wonderful Chocolate Truffle dessert. We shared, but I got most of it. Lucky me! The service was friendly and present, but not overbearing, and the chef even came out to check on us and our meals. As I mentioned above, I had read a great deal about Fugaise, so I was prepared for a window-less space. What I was not prepared for was how this space made me feel like I left the world behind and entered a perfect little respite of a space where I felt totally welcome and at-home. Fugaise is a lovely place, with lovely service, and some of the best food in the Twin Cities. Don't hesitate to go. And don't wait as long as I did. I will be back!! more

Every component of our meal was fabulous. The food, the service and the space. Having only been there once, we can only recommend what we've had: the wild mushroom tart for an appetizer (unbelievable), the beef tenderloin, the duck and the sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Can't wait to go back. more

My wife and I went to Fugaise thinking it would be a special place to celebrate our anniversary. We came away convinced that this place is much more than just a ""special occasion"" eatery. It is a very classy experience; they bring out every serving and explain exactly what you are eating. The server was very knowledgeable and helpful. She helped us decide between our choices, and recommended great wine pairings. Each food serving is a work of art. We shared the quail appetizer, then had the venison medallions and pheasant for our entries. The chef himself delivered our main entries and explained all of the ingredients and spices. Everything was exquisite, and the portions were just right. The entries are all $30 or less, so it was an affordable meal in light of what you get. I suspect you'd be waiting in line if this place was located in New York or Chicago, and paying about 3 times what we paid. To add to the fun of the experience, you have Surdyk's right across the street, so we hopped over there and had a great conversation with one of their wine specialists. Give this place a try; I can't imagine you would be disappointed. Pros: The food. It's quaint and in a great location. We parked on the street right in front of the restaurant. more

Our server/service was very attentive and knowledgeable with food and wine, he was very young and ambitious. The manager was witty and well presented, gave me a few good laughs. The food was excellent, great flavors well cooked and presented. Had kangaroo and frogs legs. Loved it, best flavors I have had in a while. Pros: Innovative, Service, Food, Menu Diversity, Wine Cons: Parking more

We've been to Fugaise many times, and after reading ""nothappy3""'s review, we had to go back. As usual, we had a wonderful meal with attentive and knowledgeable service, delicious and innovative food, and an overall a delightful experience. We were there on a Tuesday night, and several other tables were occupied. This is a great small chef driven restaurant and I've never had a bad experience there. My only complaint is that I would like some windows (this doesn't bother my wife), in the restaurant, but what can you do? Pros: The food! The service! Cons: Would like some windows more

I've lived in Chicago and traveled all over the world, this is a great find in the Northeast! I love to eat and consider myself a true foodie! We had a 4 course tasting dinner and it was unbelievable! The staff was very helpful with wine choices! The chef chose the 4 courses for us and it was very well prepared with diverse ingredients. \r This is a great place, pls go! more

On 8/3/07 after fighting traffic for an hour to get there, we arrived and were greeted by the host. The place was dead for a Saturday night. After about 6 minutes with no water or drink menu, my wife and I began to get irritated. When the server finally arrived, I politely asked if they were short staffed. He insolently said ?No? then proceeded to tell us about their tasting menu, which he knew very little about or didn?t care. \r \r After he walked away, we were irritated enough that we whispered about going elsewhere. The host came over and asked if something was wrong, and my wife respectfully started to assert that our wait was quite long, about 8 minutes, and no one had even come over to get our drinks ordered. And like a bullet the host ripped the menus out of our hands and told us maybe WE SHOULD COME BACK ANOTHER TIME AND WALKED AWAY! It was the rudest thing anyone had done to us. Especially since we were loyal customers and he admitted to seeing us there before. On the way out he followed us and said he wouldn?t TOLERATE my wife exaggerating how long we had to wait? ?after all, it was only TWO MINUTES?? he said. We know for a fact it was 8 because we quietly kept track on our cell phones. He followed us into the street and he and I were arguing as we walked back to our car. \r \r The length of time we had to wait is a moot point by now. He was way out of line by losing his temper with us. He could have said ?sorry about the wait? what would you guys like?? but he blew his top. We?ve heard the rumors they're suffering, so we?ve tried to support them whenever possible. We were told to expect a call from Don (the chef) personally, but no call ever came. I left a civil message with Don the following Monday 8/6/07 letting him know we had a nightmarish experience there, and he never called back. We?ve referred tons of people there, and we?ve stood up for the place when people bashed it. The word on the street is their service is horrible, and now I?d agree. more

Our experience at Fugaise was unexpectedly charming and high class. The entrance felt like we were\r walking into someones apartment. However after walking down the hall we entered the dining area\r which was relaxing, smooth, and cozy. \r \r The waiter did not have any airs about him but gave excellent service and knew the menu and recommendations extremely well. The highlight was the Lamb. The waiter stated it came from U.S. Iowa Lamb producers and was the most delicious Lamb offered in 20 years.\r \r Great place to go before play at the Guthrie!!! Pros: Lamb, Ambience, Service Cons: May pass by entrance more

Went there recently, and the food was great!\r Heard about it thou chef friends of mine. A bit pricy but great food and service!\r more

My husband and I had a fantastic dinner. At initial glance this is one of those menues where you think, 'nothing is jumping out at me', but with descriptions from our server, everything sounded very tempting. We ended up having a fantastic bottle of red wine, the salmon tartare - incredible flavors, unique and you didn't want to leave a speck on the plate. One of us had the skate, also very unique with wonderful flavors. And one of us had the pork tenderloin. I was thinking, I am sure it will be good, but how great can pork tenderloing be. It was out of this world! It had the most amazing potato-like risoto and the pork was the most tender I have ever had. My only complaints would be the pace was a bit too quick on the meal and the desert wine pours were pretty skimpy for the price. The ambiance of the resaraunt is very romantic and chic, but the shared hallway out to the bathroom with the loudly chlanking door is a bit of damper. Pros: Highly knowledgable server, fantastic food preparation, romantic ambience Cons: Expensive, parking more

All around a great experience. The server was prompt and knowledgeable. Wild Boar ravioli and foie gras appetizers were excellent. The skate and duck were cooked perfectly. Not a single complaint. Pros: Food more

The menu was short, but very inventive. Caused me to try something new, which is always a good thing. Service was a little slow, but quite professional, and I don't think you'd want to come here for a ""quick"" meal - the food is the whole experience. I had the lamb with braised lamb strudel. It was fantastic. The wine list is great. We had a very nice time - I'll go here again. Pros: Food, food, food more

I heard so many raves about this restaurant and I was sorely disappointed. There were only 2 other small tables the night I was there and still it was the worst service ever. I asked for recommendations and the waiter had nothing to say. We waited forever for the food, it was very mediocre, overpriced for what we got and then waited another eternity for the final check. Needless to say, I will never return or recommend this place to anyone. Pros: Food is slightly better than Arby's Cons: Horrible Service more

Not typical ""downtown"" restaurant, (across river from Guthrie). Subdued atmosphere. Had the scallops/risotto starter, and it's my new all-time favorite, I could eat it as an entree. Will return again. Pros: intimate, food-focused more

Really relaxing atmosphere and GREAT fine dining experience. Staff very knowledgable and obviously take great pride in the product. The seafood is their best, IMO - we had both the halibut and salmon, and they were among the best in the Cities.\r \r (Bonus - The chef sent out an extra course for no charge, this was a really nice surprise!) Pros: service, seafood, wine list more

I had high hopes for this restaurant based on other reviews. It was a huge disappointment. Service was awful, food was ""ok"" but very overpriced for quality. Presentation was good. Probably won't go back. Pros: wine list Cons: bad service, expensive more

We had a great meal here. The menu is very inventive, without being desperate, and the dinner was accompanied with highly skilled service. The wine list is well thought out. It seems all too often Twin City restaurants are lacking vision with their Wine Lists. There are a lot of followers out there, to be sure! I found the room to be urbane and hip. You feel like you might be in Seattle or New York. I'll go back! more

My husband nad I just ate here about a week ago to celebrate an early Valentine's day. The food was fabulous! We started out with the poached oysters with trout roe and squid on squid ink risotto. Never have I had such great squid - it melted in the mouth. Not an easy think to do with squid. The oysters were awesome too. For dinner we had the veal scallopine and short tribs over poltena. We were not disappointed, all were great. The service was very attentive, and not overbearing. We would definetly eat here again for a special occasion. It is a little too pricey for just a regular night out. We made our reservations with opentable.com, and it went smoothly. more