I have a semi-regular monthly dinner date with a friend of mine and she picked one I hadn’t heard of – Hyacinth off Grand Avenue in St. Paul so I was pretty excited to see what it was about.

Food:

Fried Castelvetrano Olives: Stuffed with mozzarella

We ordered a bunch of shareables so we could try more things and that was 100% the right way to go. They have you order all your food together and the kitchen staggers it out, which also really helps your table not be overwhelmed with plates.

I love an olive. Basically I loved all pickled things so these cheese stuffed olives were a need. They were SO good and the perfect little food to pop in your mouth.

Tagliere di Salumi: Chef’s selection of cured meats

We also got the meat plate and while I couldn’t tell you which was which (our server did tell us, but of course I didn’t take notes lol) this was a great addition.

Heirloom Tomato Crostini: Sourdough, smoked tomato aioli, basil, anchovy

The hirloom tomato crostini was my favorite thing which surprised me since you can actually taste the anchovy. Either my palate has progressed or this combo was just too killer not to love.

Castelfranco Caesar: Waxwing radicchio, grana padano, breadcrumbs

The Caesar was suggested by our server and we were both very glad we took her recommendation. Full of flavor and I loved the crunch.

Bucatini: Cacio e pepe

We decided to get the large bucatini and share instead of getting two separate pastas and I’m very happy with our choice. It was the best pasta I’ve had in recent history.

Drinks:

Final Say: Dhos “gin free,” housemade “not chartreuse,” pomegranate molasses, lime

I opted for one of their NA beverages, which I really enjoyed, but you can see their full selection at the drink menu link below.

Atmosphere/Service:

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know this place existed and if I didn’t have the address in my phone I wouldn’t have seen it, either. It’s a little tucked away without a neon sign outfront, which in this strip of Grand Ave is rare haha. The parking is not good so give yourself a little buffer of time as you’ll likely be parking a couple blocks away.

The inside was very cute and we got seated in the window which made me joke that we were the money beets (a reference from the office). Our server was great and very knowledgeable of the menu and the food was fantastic. Definitely recommend.

Hyacinth
790 Grand Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105
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