Demi
Minnesota
Demi is a restaurant in Minneapolis’s North Loop, on North Second Street, and its official site identifies it as a reservation-only dinner service. The restaurant opens for dinner from Wednesday through Sunday, and valet parking is arranged through Bellecour around the corner rather than on the premises. That places Demi in a busy urban setting while keeping the experience closely managed from arrival through seating, with bookings required in advance. The restaurant serves a nine-course tasting menu called the WC Whitney menu, presented at a kitchen counter. Beverage pairings are also offered, including a wine pairing and a spirit-free temperance pairing, so the meal is designed as a coordinated sequence of food and drink. Demi says most allergies and dietary restrictions can be accommodated with advance notice, which helps shape how the menu is delivered for each table. Demi describes its cooking as seasonal and ingredient-led, with dishes changing as produce changes through the year. The kitchen highlights ingredients grown in its corner of the country alongside special and rare ingredients sourced from around the world, giving the tasting menu a regional base with broader influences. The restaurant’s own language frames the meal around curiosity and comfort, and presents the dining experience as one intended to restore. The team named on the official site includes chef-owner Gavin Kaysen, chef de cuisine Alan Hlebaen and service director Annie Lind. Biographical details for Hlebaen point to experience at The French Laundry and The Catbird Seat, and describe a style that brings together classic French technique, global ingredients and the wild foods of his Minnesota upbringing. That combination suggests a restaurant built around refined cooking, personal history and a tightly edited sense of place.