Sarah and I spent nearly four hours in food heaven last night. The place is Travail Kitchen and Amusements in Robinsdale, just northwest of Minneapolis. We arrived at 5:45. We had a table at 7:15. We worked our way through a spectacular ten course tasting menu (plus numerous extras). We left, with goofy grins, at 9:35. It was long; it was expensive; we can’t wait to do it again.

They sing and dance; they shout and laugh; they cook unbelievable food; they explain everything; they chat with you and it’s all live — the kitchen is right in front of you. Their cocktails were outrageously good (and so fun to watch them make). The music was loud, eclectic, and perfectly enhanced the festive mood. They transform a weekday dinner into a celebration. This is where all the great chefs go to party, and we were invited along for the ride.

The bar, where we lived for our first hour and a half, was a lively, magical place. I didn’t take this amazing shot, but it captures the mood. The drink is a Ron Burgundy, complete with bourbon, cherries, and smoke.

The kitchen. Note the scrawled white board marker proclaiming, “MAKE GOOD FOOD!!”

High art.

Yes, a gerber spoon. (We also had one course served directly onto our hands with our eyes closed!)

This was one of the appetizers: crispy chicken skin, house-made honey mustard, and compressed watermelon.

This was the gerber spoon course. The bowl was an oyster custard. I don’t remember the rest in detail.

Delectable.

Tortellini flavor bomb.

This wasn’t last night, but it shows some of the magic in action.

Long shot of our board as it was created. This was a dramatic showpiece with the chefs twirling around the room, adding delicacies to the frenetic cadence of “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”

Closeup of our board.

Our final course. (Before dessert.) So, so good.

Dessert. Not including the house made “Twix” bar on a stick. It has forever ruined regular Twix.

The beer boot, making the rounds.

Appropriately absurd finale to a fabulous night out.

Update: Travail’s 2013  kickstarter page does a great job defining their vision for the dining experience. (They blew past their goal to the tune of an extra $180,000!)