date: 5/2/06
location: minneapolis
grade: a

short review: everything la belle vie should've been but wasn't.

what everyone had:

• i had the crostini with smoked anchovy and avocado and cauliflower fritters. the crositini, despite what you are thinking, was not fishy at all, though the anchovies were sizable. so there. the dish was creamy with a hint of smokiness enhanced by the crunchy bread and a bit of greenery on the top gave it some texture. the only quibble i had about it was the price- $8 for three smallish pieces. yeah, i'm cheap. the fritters were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, but i would've liked to see them smaller, so though would be easier to eat as a whole. cutting them makes the crust fall off.
• duck and radicchio salad topped with hard boiled egg slices, followed by sea scallops with oyster mushrooms. the salad was pretty kick ass, and served in a bowl instead of a plate, which worked quite well for this dish. i've had the scallops on mushrooms before. the wine was corbieres (comment- "while spendy, was worth every penny").
• starter- sea scallops with oyster mushrooms followed by stringozzi with lamb sugo, the small version, good for an app or as part of a larger dinner. if it's all you get,just go with the large. the stringozzi was all good. it was accompanied by a rosenblum zinfandel (comment- "and yes, it was yummy.")
• gnocchi with asparagus and cauliflower fritters. the gnocchi was an interesting blend of flavors, brought together with just a hint of lime, which is not what you would think of using here, and the asparagus was cut into thin, oval slices and still crisp and the dish was surprisingly good. it was the large plate, and they ended up bringing half home. it was the only vegetarian entree on the menu, fyi.
• dessert- we all split the rich, wonderful chocolate pot de crème (had before, and coming from someone who's generally not a chocolate freak a high compliment) and a cheese plate with some of the best french roquefort we've had, a goat's milk cheese, and brie de mieux. the plate was tasty, but a bit bare, just three cheeses and four slices of crostini. some quince or fruit or something would not have been amiss. someone had a fruity, not too dry for my palate (it's all about me!) moscato d'asti with it.

what they do well:

• most service: water glasses were filled without asking when they were about a quarter to a third empty. crumbs were wiped from the table before dessert, and we all got fresh plates and silverware for dessert. they were generous with their lovely bread and butter. well trained staff.
• menu knowledge: the server knew the menu, and when we asked the source of one item (the roquefort) they were willing to ask about it
• food: while we were wondering how it would go on the chef's night off (last we read), everything functioned well.

small quibbles (or why they're not getting the a+):

• the room is a bit loud for conversation... not the loudest we've been in, but it's still hard to hear the person across the table from you.
• the small space means that things like getting dripped on (guess who that happened to) is a danger, and you will probably have to wait for your table even if you made a reservation. fyi- as of right now, if you make a reservation for more than four people, do so 2 months in advance for all nights, for 4 or fewer you may be able to do it in a month if it's a weeknight.
• while most of the service was impeccable, during a reach over my plate to serve someone else, a person who was not our main server got their sleeve in my dinner.
• some of the price points seem high, and a few lower price wines by the glass would not be amiss.

to sum up: like la belle vie of old, you can go in jeans or dressed up and still get great service and food.