"Gavin Kaysen's 20-seat counter in the North Loop — the only Relais & Châteaux table in Minneapolis. Book the Whitney menu for closing a deal."
Twenty seats. Two menus. One chef who came back to Minneapolis from a Daniel pastry station and a Café Boulud chef de cuisine title to cook for the city he was born in. Gavin Kaysen opened Demi at 212 North Second Street in the North Loop in October 2019, won the James Beard Best New Restaurant finalist nod in 2020, was admitted to Relais & Châteaux in 2022 — the only Twin Cities address with that membership — and has kept the counter sold-out within ninety seconds of monthly release ever since. The space sits on the ground floor of the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company building, two blocks from Kaysen's other room, Spoon and Stable.
The Kitchen
Kaysen trained at L'Espérance in Vézelay and at the original El Bulli in Roses, won the Bocuse d'Or USA selection in 2007, and ran the kitchen at Café Boulud in New York from 2008 to 2014 — a tenure that earned him the James Beard Best Chef Northeast in 2008. He returned to Minneapolis in 2014 to open Spoon and Stable, then Bellecour, then Demi. The kitchen brigade at Demi is small — six cooks, three sous chefs — and the menu rewrites in full every six weeks.
The menus are named, not numbered. The seven-course "Barrington" runs Wednesday and Sunday at $185 across two hours. The eleven-course "WC Whitney" runs Friday and Saturday at $235 across 2.5 hours. Recurring anchors: a milk-bread opener with cultured butter and Wisconsin sea salt (Kaysen's mother's recipe, on every menu the kitchen has shipped); a Minnesota walleye course with brown butter and dill; a koji-aged Minnesota Wagyu sliced tableside on a heated salt block. Wine pairings run $115 standard, $175 reserve, $55 non-alcoholic. The cellar leans Champagne and Burgundy, with a Minnesota cool-climate flight as a closing pour.
The Room
The counter is the architecture. A single 20-seat horseshoe oriented around the open kitchen pass, with the brigade running the cooking line within four feet of every guest. Sound level is conversation-easy with the rhythm of the kitchen as soundtrack — no music, the call-and-response of the line stands in. Lighting is low-pin overhead with warmer accents along the counter rail. Dress is smart-casual. The bar at Demi, separated by a glass partition, holds six walk-in seats that take the shorter Barrington menu for guests without a reservation. The kitchen runs five nights a week, Wednesday through Sunday, single seating from 17:00.
Best for Closing a Deal in Minneapolis
Three reasons it lands. First, the counter seating puts you and your guest on the same side of the table — psychologically aligned, both watching the kitchen rather than each other — which has the same effect as a walking meeting without the walking. Second, the menu's pace is built around 2.5 hours flat, which is the natural length of a productive business dinner; Demi will not let you overstay, which protects the close. Third, the building's North Loop location is a five-minute walk from the W Minneapolis and the Hewing Hotel, where most visiting executives are housed. Book the Friday WC Whitney at 17:30, request adjacent counter seats.
Not for
Skip Demi if your guest finds counter seating performative — the brigade is genuinely close, the cooks engage with diners between courses, and a guest who wants to disappear into the room will be visible all evening. Skip too if you booked it expecting a Spoon and Stable–style full-service brasserie; Demi is fixed tasting menu only, no off-menu compromise.
Frequently Asked
Is Demi worth it?
Yes — Demi is the most ambitious tasting room between Chicago and Denver, and the only one in the Twin Cities to win Relais & Châteaux admission (2022). Gavin Kaysen is a James Beard Best Chef Midwest winner who coached the U.S. Bocuse d'Or team to a 2017 gold medal, and the cooking here is the personal statement his other rooms are not. See also the Minneapolis dining guide.
How hard is it to book Demi?
The hardest reservation in Minneapolis. Demi releases the entire month's bookings on the first of the prior month at 10:00 Central via Tock, and Saturday-night seats are gone within the first ninety seconds. Wednesday and Sunday seatings clear later in the day. The "Bar at Demi" counter offers six walk-in seats for the shorter Barrington menu — arrive at 17:00.
What is the dress code at Demi?
Smart-casual. Collared shirts and dresses are the norm; jackets are common in winter but not required. No flip-flops or athletic wear. The counter setting puts every guest within four feet of the kitchen brigade, so register your dress against the kitchen — they wear chef whites, you don't need a suit.
What is the average meal price at Demi?
$185 for the seven-course "Barrington" menu (about two hours), $235 for the eleven-course "WC Whitney" (2.5 hours) on Friday and Saturday. Wine pairings run $115 standard and $175 reserve; the non-alcoholic pairing is $55. A couple at Saturday dinner with the WC Whitney menu and a standard pairing lands around $700 inclusive of tax and service.
Is Demi good for an anniversary?
Yes — the 20-seat counter format seats couples adjacently, and Kaysen's kitchen is unusually generous with milestone touches. Flag the occasion in the Tock note field; the kitchen will plate a course with the date or a personalised inscription on the dessert tile. Book the WC Whitney menu on a Friday — the pace lands at two and a half hours, which leaves room for a drink at Bar Brava upstairs afterwards.
What is the signature dish at Demi?
The menu rewrites every six weeks, so signature dishes rotate, but the recurring anchors are the chef's mother's milk-bread course (an opening bread service with cultured butter and Wisconsin sea salt), the Minnesota walleye course with brown butter and dill, and the koji-aged Minnesota Wagyu finished tableside on a salt block. Kaysen worked at Daniel and Café Boulud — the technique sits French; the larder is Upper Midwest.