Dinner @ Barbette... French cuisine in Uptown!

Our first dining experience at Barbette was very enjoyable!  Since Barbette was named the "Best French Restaurant" by popular vote in Mpls/St. Paul Magazine, we simply had go!  My husband had read about Barbette's 4-course Prix Fixe menu available for just $32/person on Monday nights, so we decided to give it a try!

The restaurant's ambiance is very casual, with a vintage hipster, artsy vibe, which is perfect for its location in the hipster, trendy, arty Uptown area of Minneapolis [1600 West Lake Street].

We really enjoyed 3 of the 4 courses in the Prix Fixe menu.  Overall, the courses we the perfect size and were beautifully presented on the plate.

Course #1:  Watermelon yogurt soup with crab and cucumber garnish

Course #2:  Fried Chicken Livers with mustard smear and rhubarb garnish

The fried chicken livers course seemed a little disconnected... it needed more of the mustard and rhubarb to pair with the amount of livers on the plate, which were a little bland.  The toasted bread seemed out of place, a little boring and unnecessary.  Not our favorite.

Course #3: Steak with a pickled corn, carrot, cauliflower, and lentil salad and A1 Sauce

This was my favorite savory course of the night... the steak was perfectly seasoned and cooked to a perfect medium-rare with a great crust on the outside.  The pickled salad offered a nice contrast to the rich beef, and the A1 Sauce was a surprisingly delicious condiment for the steak!

Course #4:  Rhubarb tartlets with a homemade pistachio ice cream, garnished with candied pistachios and a graham crumble.

*** Not the best photo - by this point, the restaurant switched over to "mood lighting" complete with candles at every table.

I enjoyed this dessert much more than I expected I would!  The rhubarb tarts added the perfect acidic tartness and crunch to the dish to cut through the rich creaminess and delicious sweetness of the pistachio ice cream (Note: this ice cream was made in house!  Loved it!).

At the end of the meal, my husband and I decided to order a second dessert to split.  All of Barbette's signature desserts sounded amazing, and we just couldn't pass up trying one of them.  Our server highly recommended the Bourbon Pecan Pie, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and butterscotch drizzle!  

Let me tell you, this was the best pecan pie I have ever tasted... it was outstanding!  I think next time we will forego the Prix Fixe and order entrees instead, because they all sounded delicious as well!  

Barbette is definitely a great place for couples as well as small groups.  Even on a Monday night, this place was busy, yet the kitchen had no problem turning out dish after dish without delay.   The presentation of each course (as you can see) was amazing, and the servers were very attentive.  

Price-wise, I would say this is on the high end of casual dining.  Portions were generous without being too large.  Most entrees were priced between $20 and $30, give or take a few dollars, but you definitely get what you pay for here.  Check out their regular menu items and prices on their website: http://www.barbette.com/ 

I highly recommend trying Barbette the next time you are in the mood for delicious French cuisine prepared in a creative way with locally sourced ingredients :-)

Bon Appetit,

Librarian turned Foodie