Fine dining in Minneapolis?

The beauty of Minneapolis fine dining is that the bars/lounges of most of the best restaurants are just as lovely, yet less stuffy, than the dining rooms. Also -La Belle Vie is lovely; as previously stated, the lounge serves the full menu as well as a smaller lounge menu. Go with any of the tasting menus - you will not be days appointed! 

Spoon and Stable is the new darling on the scene and deservedly so. Tables are hard to come by but if you stop in without a reservation, you'll be happy in the bar area (but you'll also be very likely to get a table within a reasonable amount of time). 

Across the street from Spoon & Stable is The Bachelor Farmer; the Governor's sons own and operate it and it's a very well-crafted space with a fun Scandinavian menu.  

Haute Dish is a local favorite; you'll always see some senator or representative eating here. Sometimes that's good. Sometimes not.  

112 Eatery is great; dark and cozy. Go upstairs to eat if there's not a table on the main floor. 

Have fun! Smack Shack is great for a casual business lunch; so is The Freehouse.

I recommend Cafe & Bar Lurcat for dinner and for brunch, you can't go wrong with the cost effective but highly delicious Brasa Premium Rotisserie

There are TONS of options :)  Certainly La Belle Vie is the grand dame of fine dinner in Minneapolis, but as mentioned below a few others too.  Butcher & the Boaris an amazing gastropub, but that's the vibe there. A few other nicer "fine" dining places would be Piccolo, Heartland Restaurant (in a cool area of St. Paul), Corner Table, Jax Cafe(very retro old school), Meritage Oyster Bar(my favorite all time bistro outside of Paris!), Restaurant Alma.  

BTW, if going to La Belle Vie, you can have an amazing time/meal in the bar area for much less $$$. :) 

If you are in Miineapolis area, you MUST (well, obviously you don't HAVE to but you'd be missing out of something special) go to one of the local vietnamese houses.  They don't serve just the standard fare, but many here have Hmong country influences and have some cool variations that I have never found outside of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  One of the better ones (and quite famous) is Quang Restaurant.  Try their Imperial Egg Rolls (as far as I'm concerned the only way to make them) -- and my favorite all-time dish, "Hot and Spicy Chicken" .  This is a deep flavorful stir fry of onions (ask for them well caramelized) and chicken and lemon grass something mixed in with an amazing spicy sweet (caramel?) sauce!  OMG. Can't get enough. 

Lots of nice restaurants in Minneapolis. Check out Bar La Grassa, 112 Eatery and The Bachelor Farmer all in downtown Minneapolis for great drinks and food.

I love The Capital Grille myself but there are several classics in and near Downtown Minneapolis.  Murray's has been around forever and is famous for their "silver butter knife" steak.  The Skyroom at Macy's is nice as well.

The new hot spot in town is Spoon and Stable. Other great options are The Bachelor Farmer and La Belle Vie!

Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse

If it's a relatively casual dinner, I'd go for Butcher & the Boar or, if you want something a little more refined, check La Belle Vie. Both are good, just different vibes.