If the Paris Olympics has you craving crêpes, cassoulets, crème brûlées and all things French fare, you're in luck. The Twin Cities has no shortage of restaurants specializing in food from the City of Love and Light. Here are places to go to grab a bite in between cheering on Suni Lee, Regan Smith and others from Team Minnesota. In addition to sit-down, full-service restaurants, we've included a list of pâtisseries and crêpe-centric spots. Bon appétit.
Barbette
You never forget the first time you fell in love with pommes frites, and for many it was at this longstanding French bistro. It's become a tradition to get an order of these thin, crispy fries with saffron aioli for the table while noshing on other shareables such as the steamed mussels in a white wine garlic broth or the charcuterie-cheese platter. But the fries also work great for starters or as a side to entrees that include grain bowls, pastas, fish, steaks and chops.
1600 W. Lake St., Mpls.; barbette.com
Chloe by Vincent
Vincent Francoul has long set the standard for how to execute traditional dishes from his native France. The chef/restaurateur is doing the same with his latest restaurant, connected to Canopy by Hilton in downtown Minneapolis. Easy shareables such as pâté, escargot and steak tartare share menu space with knife-and-fork entrees. And great news: his Vincent burger, made famous at his former namesake restaurant, has traveled to this location too.
700 S. 3rd St., Mpls.; chloebyvincent.com
La Voya Brasserie
This spot in the InterContinental Hotel connected to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport via skyway is a destination within itself for anyone wanting a full-service setting away from the airport's hustle and bustle. Traditional French dishes infused with Minnesota influences show up on breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. During dinner hours, the lunch menu expands to fancier fare such as steak au poivre, duck breast in a cassoulet and scallops with cauliflower and potato au gratin.
5005 Glumack Drive, Mpls.; intercontinentalmsp.com/dine/la-voya
Maison Margaux
Maison Margaux is all about rolling out the red carpet and giving diners the royal treatment. It starts with gorgeous rooms donning marble, velvet and wood accents. It then rolls into menu items with pretty plating, from the ceviche and wagyu tartare to the burger and bone marrow duck confit. Head to the casual bar or bistro-style dining room on the main floor or the red, velvety Salon Rouge on the lower level at this North Loop hangout.
224 N. 1st St., Mpls., maisonmargauxmpls.com
Meritage
This spot in St. Paul's Historic Hamm Building, with double-height ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and dark woodwork, makes a classic, charming bistro setting. Belly up to the raw bar for oysters or one of the best baskets of fries in the Twin Cities. Or, there's the dining room and a menu of more formal entrees that include fish, steak and chops that are exquisitely executed at this gem of a restaurant.
410 St. Peter St., St. Paul; meritage-stpaul.com
Saint Genevieve
Whether you're dressed to impress or have on jeans and a T-shirt, you'll feel comfortable at this south Minneapolis neighborhood spot with rock-star vibes. The fare is just as unpretentious, yet executed at a high level. The menu is constantly evolving and adding new notes. Spotted on the current menu: escargot croquettes, Parisian gnocchi with brie, duck with confit and caramel crème brûlée.
5003 Bryant Av. S., Mpls.; stgmpls.com
Salut Bar Americain
Offering perhaps the largest menu of any of the restaurants on this list, the 50th and France restaurant resident has you covered. Among the wide range of choices are French onion soup, Niçoise salad, a prime rib French dip, croque monsieur, seafood bouillabaisse and steak frites, to name a few. Its casual nature and pre-fixe specials also keep regulars coming back.
5034 France Av. S., Edina; salutbaramericain.com
The French Hen Cafe
The breakfast, brunch and lunch hot spot on St. Paul's charming Cathedral Hill has classics like quiche Lorraine. But those looking for adventure can also find it here with untraditional menu items such as coffee cake muffins and coconut lime French toast.
518 Selby Av., St. Paul; frenchhencafe.com
Tria
The North Oaks restaurant on the former farm of railroad magnate James J. Hill features French-American cuisine in honor of the owner's French-Canadian roots. Escargot represents the French classics, and American fare with a European spin — a croque madame burger and a walleye dish in a French beurre noisette brown butter sauce among them — emphasizes seasonal ingredients.
5959 Centerville Road, North Oaks; triarestaurant.com
Baguettes, croissants and dessert
Of course, we can't talk about favorite French foods without mentioning airy, crisp baguettes and artful, decadent desserts. The Twin Cities has its fair share of places specializing in these culinary art forms, including award-winning pastry chefs at Pâtisserie 46, Rose Street Pâtisserie and Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris. Here's a sampling of pâtisseries, bakeries and dessert places:
- La Delicious Bread, 2158 Rice St., Maplewood; ladeliciousbread.com
- Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris, 156 N. Dale St., St Paul; marcheuparis.com
- Nicolette's Macarons, two locations: 3425 Highway 169N, Plymouth; 919 Dale St. N., St Paul
- Paris Baguette, 7855 Elm Creek Blvd. N., Maple Grove, parisbaguette.com
- Pâtisserie 46, 4552 Grand Av. S., Mpls.; patisserie46.com
- Rose Street Pâtisserie, 171 N. Snelling Av., St. Paul; patisserie46.com/rose-street-patisserie
- Tous les Jours, 6601 Nicollet Av. S., Richfield; tljus.com
Where to get your crêpe on
And let's not forget the French classic that is crêpes, those delicately thin pancakes with a wide range of filling options savory enough for a meal and sweet enough for dessert. In addition to restaurants where crêpes share a spot on the menu, crêpe-centric eateries abound. Some even take it a festive step further, such as at Oh Crepe!, where a crêpe cake with towering layers is one of the offerings. And at Paris Crêpes, a cute French flag is on top of each crêpe order. Here are a few places to get your crêpe on:
- Bean Co Cafe, two locations: 2490 County Road E, White Bear Lake; 7951 Elm Creek Blvd. N., Maple Grove; beancousa.com
- Breizh Crêperie (inside Minneapolis Cider Co.), 701 SE. 9th St., Mpls.; minneapoliscider.com
- Crêpe Avenue, Six Quebec Building skyway level, 601 S. Marquette Av., #210, Mpls.; crepeavenuemn.com
- Oh Crêpe! 4408 France Av. S., Mpls.; ohcrepemn.com
- Paris Crêpes, 1554 Selby Av., St Paul; pariscrepesmn.com
- Sweet Paris Crêperie and Cafe, two locations, 265 Radio Drive, Woodbury and Mall of America; sweetparis.com
- Twin Cities Crêpes & Waffles, Maplewood Mall, 3001 N. White Bear Av.; Maplewood; facebook.com/maycrepes
- Vitali's, two locations: Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., and Mall of America; vitalisbistro.com
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