A spotlight from North Loop
Spoon and Stable
Gavin Kaysen's North Loop flagship — Upper Midwest seasonality through French technique, inside a 1906 horse stable
Home to the North Loop
Gavin Kaysen came up through Marco Pierre White's kitchen at L'Escargot in London and Domaine Chandon in California before spending nearly a decade in New York as Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Operations for Daniel Boulud. He represented the United States at the Bocuse d'Or in 2007 and coached Team USA to a silver medal in 2015.
In November 2014 he moved his family back to the Twin Cities, where he'd grown up, and opened Spoon and Stable in a former horse stable in the North Loop.
A French kitchen in a 1906 stable
The building at 211 North First Street was raised in 1906 as part of the International Design Building — for most of its life a horse stable serving the surrounding warehouse district. Kaysen wanted a flagship that belonged to Minneapolis rather than to Manhattan, and the old stable — timber-framed, brick-walled — could hold a French kitchen without pretending to be French.
Spoon and Stable applies Café Boulud technique to the seasonality of the Upper Midwest: bison tartare, pot roast, heritage-grain pastas, walleye when it runs.
The moment the neighborhood tipped
The North Loop was Minneapolis's warehouse quarter for a century — brick-and-timber blocks that emptied out as manufacturing moved on and refilled through the 2010s with lofts, galleries, a Target Field crowd, and restaurants.
Spoon and Stable's arrival in late 2014 is usually cited as the moment the neighborhood tipped from up-and-coming to arrived; it remains Kaysen's flagship alongside Demi, Bellecour, Mara, Socca, and the Merchant Room in Naples.
Order this
The dishes that made Spoon and Stable
Bison Tartare
Hand-cut bison with house pickles, egg yolk, and toasted rye — a menu staple since opening night and the clearest statement of the kitchen's Midwest-through-French thesis.
Ricotta Gnudi
Pillowy sheep's-milk ricotta dumplings pulled by the pasta station, sauced with browned butter and whatever herb or vegetable is peaking that week.
Honey & Cream Cake with Beeswax Ice Cream
The pastry team's calling card — layered honey sponge, cultured cream, and an ice cream infused with actual beeswax.
Good to know
Spoon and Stable, answered
How do I get a table?
Reservations open one to three months out on Tock and disappear fast, especially Friday and Saturday. Bar seats are held for walk-ins.
Tasting menu or à la carte?
Both run. If you want to see the range of the kitchen in one seating, the tasting is the move.
Is brunch worth it?
Sunday 10 AM–2 PM is the most relaxed way to see the room and one of the best brunches in the city.