When in the Twin Cities for business or to visit local attractions such as Guthrie Theatre or Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner at one of the area's many French restaurants and cafes. Numerous upscale and casual restaurants in St. Paul and Minneapolis offer authentic French appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Maison Darras, near the Hilton Garden Hotel in St. Paul, offers quick French- and American-style lunches for dine-in or take-out. As of August 2010, the restaurant offers such menu items as Parisian-style paninis filled with tomato, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese; eggplant, pepper jack cheese and roasted red peppers; goat cheese, tomato and turkey, and baked chicken, provolone and sun-dried tomatoes. Additional menu items include freshly baked fruit tarts, croissants, scones, brownies and cookies; and quiches such as spinach and goat cheese quiche or bacon, ham and Swiss cheese quiche served with a side salad.
Maison Darras
401 Robert Street North
Suite 205
St. Paul, MN 55101
651-379-2770
maisondarras.com
The upscale, elegantly decorated La Belle Vie restaurant in Minneapolis, near Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, offers both a tasting menu and a la carte menu. As of August 2010, the restaurant's tasting menu included such entrees as sautéed soft-shelled crab, grilled lamb rib-eye steaks, pan-roasted chicken and such desserts as almond soufflé with strawberries and canary melon sorbet. The a la carte entree menu offers pan-seared foie gras, warm goat cheese tart, grilled beef tenderloin and pan-seared duck. A la carte dessert menu items include warm caramel-banana soup, white chocolate cake and hazelnut crepes served with ice cream. La Belle Vie also features French, Austrian, Italian, American and German wines.
La Belle Vie
510 Groveland Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-874-6440
labellevie.us
Salut Bar Americain, near Planet Beach Contempo Spa, offers upscale French cuisine in a refined yet relaxed dining atmosphere. The restaurant's lunch and dinner menu includes appetizers such as jumbo shrimp cocktail, and steak dishes such as steak Bearnaise, steak au poivre and horseradish gratin-encrusted filet mignon, as of August 2010. Additional menu items include Pacific ahi tuna, Alaskan halibut, French onion soup, truffled deviled eggs, strawberry spinach salad and herb-roasted chicken. Salut Bar Americain also offers happy hour evening and late night specials.
Salut Bar Americain
917 Grand Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55101
651-917-2345
salutbaramericain.com
