• Savory Caramelized Onion Tartlets Two Ways - Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives and Sautéed Apples and Hungarian Smoked Bacon $7 (shared)
• Seared Sea Scallops - Yukon Gold Potato Puree, Creamy Leek and Truffle Ragout $19
• Chocolate Terrine and Tart Crostini $6

Emma's was one of those places you love to discover...not that we have discovered it, clearly they have gotten some recognition in the past year or so, but not nearly enough.

The food we had was creative and prepared perfectly. The tartlets were two little completely different worlds of flavors, but yet both complementing each other perfectly. My sea scallops were done to the perfect texture and the sauce that surrounded it was rich, without going overboard. My dessert was perhaps a bit too rich, but when you are talking about chocolate terrine, it is hard to be really too rich.

I would highly recommend going here if you have not already been, especially if you live anywhere within the area.

• Australian Lamb Shank - Saffron Israeli Cous Cous, Roasted Tomato, Chick Pea and Golden Raisin Sofritto $19
• Sonny’s Ice Cream Sundae - w/ homemade butterscotch sauce $6

Emma's is the type of place that you go to once, and want to return to again and again to try all of the starters and entrees. But then again, if we were professionals, we would have that luxury (and that budget). Emma's is the epitome of a chef-driven restaurant, and it's easy to know why we sat next to a regular.

I was very impressed with the onion tartlets two ways. It takes some chutzpah to caramelize onions and place them on pastry in Minnesota, not known as an early adopter of innovative dishes. It's the equivalent of French Onion soup, and could be one of those love-it-or-hate-it foods. I loved it.

I also loved the Australian lamb shank that was so tender it fell off the bone and still juicy and flavorful. The wait staff promised a steak knife that never came but was never needed. The saffron Israeli cous cous was a larger than normal cous cous, and it clumped together. There was not a strong saffron flavor, but all in all, it still provided a good starch to accompany the lamb. The other side dish was the roasted tomato, chick pea and golden raisin sofritto, which was more complex and flavorful.

It's hard to go wrong with Sonny's ice cream for dessert. With butterscotch as one of my favorite sauces, this was a natural choice.

In final notes, the space is the former Three Muses, which is essentially unchanged from their renovation. It's cozy and quaint. The service was outstanding when we visited. The server was confident and competent, making a great dining experience even better.