Small Business Spotlight: Tavola Italian Kitchen and Bar
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 12:45AMArticle by Becky Fillinger, photos provided
A discussion with Executive Chef, Peter Ellsworth
Looking for delicious comfort food in the Elliot Park neighborhood? Check out the Tavola Italian Kitchen and Bar at 823 Fifth Avenue S. We talked to Executive Chef Peter Smith about his approach to Italian cuisine and why it is a perfect spot to visit on Vikings Game Day or on any day of the week. One sniff of the Bolognaise sauce wafting through the air will let you know you’ve come to the right place.
Q: Can you please tell us about your culinary background and how you came to be an executive chef?
A: I have been in the hospitality industry for 25 years - the majority of that time has been in the kitchen. My passion for food started at a wild game steak house in Montana, there I learned a lot about butchery and preparing meat-forward dishes. Italian was the next and last cuisine I moved into. I immediately fell in love with its simplicity and vibrancy and to me it’s more a way of life than just a cuisine.
Q: How would you describe the culinary philosophy at Tavola?
A: At Tavola we don’t stick to one region of Italy, and are intent of creating artful adaptations of classic dishes. We are located in Elliot Park Hotel, which has a Scandinavian “hygge” feel. Bridging those two styles, our culinary philosophy is to offer inspiring dishes that create warmth and comfort.
Q: How do you approach creating new dishes for the menu?
A: Locality and sustainability are at the forefront of every dish that I create. Italian Cuisine at its simplest is using the best local and seasonal ingredients. Here in Minnesota, we have amazing agricultural products at our fingertips and it’s my mission to highlight that as much as possible.
Q: What’s the most popular item on the Tavola menu? What’s one item that you wish more people would try?
A: Our Rigatoni Bolognaise consistently out performs all our dishes. It is composed of house made pancetta and veal, and if you venture into our prep kitchen you will likely smell a batch of it stewing. The 5+ hours that it spends on the stove wafts comforting smells up and down our halls.
We have a well-balanced menu that I feel our guests enjoy from top to bottom, so I always suggest that tables share items to sample as much as possible. One thing that I wish people would try more is our wine selections. We have an artfully curated wine list with some unique paring opportunities.
Q: Do you offer happy hours or daily specials?
A: We have daily lunch specials, and rotating nightly specials. These are always based on seasonality and locally available ingredients.
Q: What is Vikings Game Day like at Tavola?
A: Events at U.S. Bank Stadium are always busy days for us, so we highly recommend reservations. Vikings games bring a lot of energy downtown and we are a great option for celebrations. We typically offer a unique menu that allows our guests to enjoy a meal and make it to kick-off in time, post-game our bar and dining room fill up and the atmosphere is hard to describe - you just have to come witness it!
Q: Sounds fun! How may we follow Tavola news?
A: Stop in and chat with our bartender is my favorite option!
Any major update will be posted on social media so be sure to follow us @tavolaitaliankitchen.
