This year, we made a reservation at the Nicollet Island Inn, which boasts having "The best brunch in the city." We wanted to see for ourselves, and yesterday, we did just that! The Nicollet Island Inn is a quaint bed and breakfast located on its own little piece of land on the Mississippi River, near Northeast Minneapolis. It offers a 5-course plated brunch every Sunday with unlimited champagne, coffee, orange juice, or mimosas for $36/person. Below is the menu showcasing a wide variety of items to choose from:
We were quickly seated in a cozy L-shaped booth that was perfect for two people and offered a nice view of the outdoors through the windows directly in front of us.
We were greeted by our server, Thomas, who brought a basket of assorted pastries (Course 1) and took our drink orders... champagne, of course!
Jeff snagged the pecan pastry before I was able to take this picture... it was the best one in the basket!
The champagne (which is technically sparkling wine), was a bit too sweet for our taste on its own, but it did pair well with the food.
Jeff and I agreed to choose different dishes for each course so that we could try more items from the menu, which is usually what we do no matter where we eat... just one of the perks of being in a relationship ;-)
Anyway, here is what we ordered for Course #2:
Chef's Eggs Benedict - I adore eggs benedict, and the flavor combination of the ham and leeks was very tasty, but unfortunately, the egg was not cooked to my liking. Having the white of the egg runny is not my idea of a perfectly poached egg, but I ate it anyway.
Crème Brûlée French Toast - This was by far the BEST french toast I have EVER tasted!!! I was disappointed that I didn't order this dish myself, but it was a very large portion and would have been more than I could have handled as a 2nd course (Jeff had no problem :-) The raspberry syrup combined with the mascarpone and chocolate shavings was divine... I would return just to eat this dish again!
On to Course #3:
Eggplant Caprese - Oh my goodness! This dish made me stop, put my fork down, and smile! It was such a deliciously unique take on the classic Eggplant Parmesan... an incredibly crunchy coating surrounded the perfectly cooked eggplant, which served on a bed of spicy arugula and topped with a slice of fresh mozzarella and a deliciously concentrated tomato puree with freshly grated Parmesan on top. Wonderful :-)
Cold Smoked Salmon Lax - This wasn't anything spectacular, but they did provide Jeff with a generous portion of smoked Salmon, which he enjoyed. He was a bit jealous of my eggplant in the way that I was jealous of his french toast!
Course #4:
Corn-Crusted Walleye - This was another outstanding dish in many ways, as the walleye was perfectly flaky with a delicious crunchy corn coating. The whipped sweet potatoes were excellent. Nevertheless, the asparagus left much to be desired. The chef (or line chef) did not trim off the tough, stalky ends of the vegetable, which rendered my knife useless. This seemed odd for a high-end restaurant, since I believe that, like poaching an egg, blanching/roasting asparagus should be mastered in culinary school!
New York Strip Frites - Although the presentation was nice, this was another disappointing dish for us. Although New York Strip isn't know to be a great cut of beef, the server recommended it to us, so Jeff decided to go along with the suggestion. He regretted that decision, as the steak was undercooked (he asked for medium-rare and it looked rather rare in the center), and had very little flavor to speak of. On the contrary, the side of roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts was the star of the meal! These were dressed in a delicious red wine-blue cheese demi glace and were roasted perfectly. Had they been paired with a better steak or a different protein altogether, this would have been another winner.
Course #5: Last, but not least... Dessert!
Mocha Cake - Jeff and I both wanted chocolate (of course!), so we both ordered the Mocha Cake... a flourless cake with espresso, chocolate ganache, and a scoop of coffee ice cream. Yum! We were so full, that neither of us finished the cake, but definitely wanted to eat every crumb! Loved it!
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All in all, the Nicollet Island Inn provided a very enjoyable brunch experience with impeccable service throughout the meal. Unfortunately, the under-cooked eggs benedict, flavorless steak, and tough asparagus had a great impact on our overall opinion of the quality of the food. Was it worth $36.00 per person? Probably not. Then again, I would consider Jeff and I to be pretty harsh critics when it comes to evaluating any food we eat, whether it is prepared at home, or ordered from a restaurant menu.
Overall, I think the Nicollet Island Inn is worth visiting at least once. If you love it, by all means go back! We, however, will be looking forward to a new experience come next Easter Sunday :-)
On second thought...I just might have to convince Jeff to go back for an order of that french toast ;-)
Happy Eating!
Librarian turned Foodie
WOWWW my tummy got full just reading this. You two certainly did get a brunch! The french toast looked amazing... that probably would have been my choice of meal. I was surprised by all the fish dishes you had... I probably would have not ventured into any of them since I seem to be unable to consume fishy things when not having a dinner meal.
ReplyDeleteWhat did the Inn itself look like? Sounds like it would be a bit historic, romantic, and cozy.
Yes, we left extremely stuffed! I know what you mean about having fish so early in the day, but the way it was prepared made it less "fishy" tasting, which was nice. Here is their website, where you can see pics of the inn/restaurant: http://www.nicolletislandinn.com/. It's a really charming place, and the building has been there since 1893!
DeleteWould love to try that eggplant!!
ReplyDelete