DISCLAIMER: Since I am writing this a few weeks after, my memory of each meal's ingredients may not be perfect.
Mpls. St. Paul Magazine had their Best of the Best Restaurant Week the last week of February this year. None of my friends or I really knew what it was, but upon further reading it seemed like a good idea.
Many of the best restaurants in the area offer tasting menus for the week. Dinners are three courses and USD 30. This gives people like myself an opportunity to sample some of the best food the area has to offer without spending the usual amount it would cost to eat at such places. Lunches are also available at some restaurants.
I made reservations for four people every evening at six restaurants. As the week neared, restaurants posted their menus. Our Sunday spot, Crave, was canceled because their menu did not look particularly compelling.
The response from people I invited to participate in Restaurant Week was much greater than expected and reservations had to be quickly altered to accommodate larger parties. Reservations had initially been made using OpenTable, but modifying reservations required phone calls. La Belle Vie was the only restaurant that did not use OpenTable for the week.
Saffron Restaurant & Lounge kicked off our week. Located in downtown Minneapolis, the space is casually decorated and inviting. The moderately dim restaurant encourages relaxed conversation. Our server explained the menu well and sold us on starting with a couple of mezze dishes. Mezze at Saffron are tapas style small servings. We went with what our server said was their signature mezze, an Artichoke Tagine which was flavorful, tender, and a nice teaser. We also ordered the lamb brain, which came out more battered and fried than any of us had expected, on top of a tomato confit. The lamb brain was not nearly the adventure we were expecting, as the dominant flavor was the breading.
The first course of our meal garnered mixed responses. While it was a nice soup, I thought there was simply too much broth and not enough substance. One of our party thought the broth was just too sweet, while the other two members of our party loved it. This may be because they had decided to go with the USD 12 wine pairing for the evening. I had sips as each course came out and the pairings were absolutely perfect for each course. The soup, for those who care to know was called the "Jerusalem Artichoke" soup. It came plated in a hugely over-sized bowl, with a sweet, creamy broth under a small centerpiece of smoked salmon and wisps of fried onion. I felt that if there had been more salmon and onion it would have balanced out the sweet broth better.
The second course was easily the highlight of the night. A perfectly seasoned and cooked duck breast over a bed of saffron couscous with apricots and pistachios. Every bite of that dish was mesmerizing. It was paired with a lovely Pinot Noir that I can still recall, the nose had a hint of ripe strawberry, the body started with strawberry, moved to darker fruits, and finished with a slight hint of mushroom-like earthiness.
The final course was a coconut and almond cake with blood orange and hibiscus sorbet. The cake was fine, but nothing special, and too dense for one of our party's taste. The sorbet was an experience in of itself, sweet, tangy, and delicious.
Overall, I thought it was a good experience, but going back next year would depend on the menu. Service was a touch on the slow side, but attentive enough for a relaxed meal. What was notable was the fact that the restaurant was about a third full. Granted, it's a new restaurant and it was a Monday, but I was still surprised.
Tuesday brought me to Vincent - A Restaurant for lunch with co-workers. Vincent was offering a simple two course lunch menu for USD 10. Choices were a salad, croque monsieur with Chef Vincent's signature Ezilda soup (named after his grandmother, I think), or what I chose, which was a grilled chicken breast on top of a pancetta and pea risotto. All choices came with his signature dessert as the second course, vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate sauce and Madeleine cookies. Everyone seemed quite pleased with their meals.
The lunch was definitely worth the cold walk, and Vincent being on the corner of Nicollet Mall and 11th Street in Minneapolis gave a fine view of the city, bright in the winter sun. Service was perfect for lunch, our server explained the menu artfully, if not a bit theatrically. I told him we were in a bit of a time crunch, as we were, and he and his team accommodated with such efficiency that we were able to relax a bit after our meal before heading back to the parking ramp. Another thing to note is their two-course lunch tasting menu is usually USD 12.50, making this an excellent place for lunch any day of the week, provided you don't mind also paying for parking. This day they seemed to be doing a brisk lunch business. If I worked downtown, I'd be there for lunch at least weekly.
Tuesday evening was the meal I had most been looking forward to, at La Belle Vie. La Belle Vie moved to Minneapolis fairly recently, having been in Stillwater for a few years. The Minneapolis location is simply stunning. Service was flawless from start to finish, the initial call checked through everything a restaurant should know before someone dines with them. I was a bit put-off by the fact they weren't allowing OpenTable, but it turned out not to be a hassle making reservations at all. A team of valets attended to our vehicle and everyone we met had a warm smile on their face. The lounge was ornately appointed, a mixture of near-baroque with modern seating and a reasonably sized bar. I was surprised at how young our order-taking server looked, however she took perfect care of us and explained the menu with skill.
The scene was simply casual, beautiful, and sexy. The lighting was warm, perfect, and the space encouraged light chatter. The food was perfect, however the portions were a bit undersized - more on that later. We started with some foie gras and grilled bread. The foie gras itself had a lovely flavor to it, and was complimented by a sweet and tangy orange marmalade.
After the foie gras was an amuse-bouche of a simple, delicious cheese pastry puff. One of my companions commented that it tasted like the best Cheez-It ever. The first course was a piece of poached turbot with tarragon on top of a small bed of greens, topped with lobster and trout roe. The fish itself was perfect, mild, with a lovely texture. The roe added a fine amount of flavor and salt. The second course was a fantastic Taleggio stuffed Agnolotti, plated with beets and a hazelnut emulsion. The highlight of the plate though was a line of fifteen year old balsamic vinegar. I can't quite describe what it tasted like, other than perfection.
The third and final course for the night was a medallion of grilled beef tendorloin on a celeryroot fondue, with beech mushrooms and a crispy veal sweetbread. Everything about it was perfect. No one in our party had ever had sweetbreads before, and it was an experience I'd gladly repeat. The server who brought each course explained each dish with great passion and enthusiasm that was at the same time amusing while piquing interest in each plate.
I was disappointed in La Belle Vie's treatment of restaurant week. While every plate was perfectly executed and wonderful, they had simply taken their five course restaurant menu and chopped two courses off. Every other restaurant we went to that week had well thought out menus and the meals were reasonably satisfying in size. I am not one that equates quality with portion size, but leaving La Belle Vie, I was not only not full, but still hungry. Going back next year will depend on the menu, and with the knowledge that extra courses may need to be tacked on. All of that said, the atmosphere and the unparalleled service will probably convince me to go back next year.
Websites:
http://www.mspmag.com//
http://www.saffronmpls.com/
http://www.vincentarestaurant.com/
http://www.labellevie.us/
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