Sean Henderson Dot Com

 

La Belle Vie is an upscale French Mediterranean restaurant in Minneapolis.  It is rated a "2008 America’s Top Restaurant" by Zagat survey and is winner of the 2009 "Best Chef Midwest" James Beard Award.  Dining here was a wonderful experience.  Though valet parking is available, we were easily able to find free street parking nearby.  We arrived a half hour early for our reservation, yet we were seated shortly after arrival.  Most people dressed in suits, but dress code here is not enforced.  I told them that I drove all the way from Chicago and with a bit of luck, the let me in with jeans and a collared shirt.  The dining room felt like something from a 19th century mansion ballroom.  Complete with marvelous chandeliers, cathedral ceilings, art sculptures, and dim lighting, this was a romantic dream.  The atmosphere was relaxed and subdued.  Our dinner spanned two hours.

They usually have a tasting for the table where everyone orders the tasting menu, but they made an exception by allowing me to do the 8-course tasting, while Robin ordered a’la carte.  We began our dinner with drinks, bread, and gougeres.  I had a cocktail while Robin had salad and wine.  The tasting began with some of the tastiest tomatoes ever.  Many of the dishes were garnished with frothed sauces.  Normally I would not eat mussels as I do not like their fishy taste, but this was masked very well by the pasta it was wrapped in.  The sea bass crumbled like high-end salmon and the sweet sweet corn puree surrounding it was phenomenal.  I remember thinking how how awesome it would be to dip broccoli in this corn puree.  A tender small chicken (poussin) was served in a middle eastern sauce (Ras el hanout) that tasted similar to pumpkin.  A lamb ribeye was served with a Moroccan twist that had a hint of spicy flavor;  the meat was severely tender.  The cheese tasting consisted of Abbaye De Belloc with jelly.  This is some fine cheese!  And for dessert… make that two desserts… grape sorbet followed by Armagnac ice cream and honey spice cake!  As a thank you, they brought out a tray of pastries compliments of the house.  I wondered if perhaps I should have gotten the wine flight?  Alas, I opted not to because I had to drive and was ill prepared for this fine dining experience.

At one point, I spilled a little on the table.  One of the waiters quickly came out and put a white cloth over the stain in a joking way of hiding it.  Robin told him that I am clumsy.  He looked at me and said something like, "she said it.  I didn’t tell anyone!"  It was pretty funny.

Complimentary Bread

 

Complimentary Gougeres

choux pastry with cheese in the center

 

White Lotus

Citrus Vodka, Gin, St. Germain, Lavendar, Cava sparkling wine

 

Warm Goat Cheese Tart with Tomato Confit and Tapenade Vinaigrette

 

 

King Crab and Artichoke Fazzoletti with Saffron and Dried Tomato

 

 

Tasting of Tomatoes with Compressed Watermelon, Burrata, Basil and Radish

 

 

Tomato and Black Olive Tortellini with Shellfish Emulsion and Mussels

 

 

Sauteed Sea Bass with Sweet Corn, Slow Poached Artichokes and Lemon Agrumato

corn puree was superb!

 

Roasted Poussin with Baby Turnips, Ras El Hanout and Medjool Dates

ras el hanout tasted like pumpkin

 

Grilled Lamb Ribeye with Toasted Garlic, Charmoula and Yogurt

very tender lamb with a spicy Moroccan twist

 

Abbaye De Belloc with Black Mission Figs and Brioche

cheese tasting

 

Concord Grape Sorbet with Orange Gelee

 

 

Honey Spice Cake with Italian Prune Plums and Armagnac Ice Cream

 

 

Compliments

 

 

Check

 

We stumbled upon La Belle Vie in a 2006 issue of Bon Appetit magazine while driving through Wisconsin.  We decided to make it our dinner destination upon arriving in Minneapolis later that day.  We were very satisfied with the service we received and the quality of food exceeded our expectations.  Aside from seeing Mall of America, Spoonbridge and cherry, and various other artworks, La Belle Vie was the highlight of our Labor Day weekend stay in Minneapolis. 

La Belle Vie
510 Groveland Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 874-6440
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