When it comes to pasta, you’ve got your basic red sauce joints, and you’ll find plenty of those in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with indulging in a little Italian-American comfort food. But there are other places that take the entire pasta experience – red sauce included – and elevate it to a level of cuisine that rivals anything else that’s out there.

That’s where the revered brainchild of James Beard Award-winning chef Isaac Becker and Nancy St. Pierre enters the picture. This upscale Minneapolis eatery serves some of the hands-down best pasta in Minnesota. I love it, and if you haven’t tried it, it needs to be on your must-visit list. Bar La Grassa has been a North Loop stalwart for almost two decades, attracting lovers of Italian cuisine, pasta in particular, from all over the Metro and the country.