A trusted, fellow food aficionado (and Target TM) recently dined at two very different restaurants and agreed to let me post his reviews on Fast, Fun & Foodies.
First, my own introduction, of what I know of this place without ever having eaten there:
La Belle Vie is a swanky, French restaurant deemed by many to be one of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities. It is located just on the perimeter of Loring Park in the historic building at 510 Groveland. I love that they employ young, fresh-faced high school boys to valet park your car. The lounge is very sumptuous with lots of cozy, but decadent seating to enjoy pre-dinner cocktails. They even employ their own expert drink mixologist.
Now on to the dining room review:
La Belle Vie: http://www.labellevie.us/index.html
"La Belle Vie" translates to "The Beautiful Life" and indeed, eating there makes life beautiful. Many people have talked about this restaurant, calling it the best in Minneapolis, and we may agree with them!
Walking into the restaurant is a little intimidating, because you feel you are in an art deco hotel. There is a very plush lounge, but we were taken back to a smaller dining room in back. There weren’t too many tables, but we were seated on the same side of a 4 person table. In many dinners that my wife and I have had, this was the first time we sat next to each other when it was just the two of us!
Before I get to the meal, I must say, the service was absolutely fantastic! Everyone from the waitress to the busboy were extremely attentive. We particularly liked our waitress, who did a great job explaining the menu, drinks, and wines.
We had a wonderful five course meal from the chef's tasting menu. Each course was a small portion, but together, it was a wonderful combination of flavors and a very satisfying meal. We began with a Tasting of Tomatoes with Compressed Watermelon, Burrata, Basil, and Radish. When the plate arrived, we were presented with essentially three cherry size tomatoes cooked in different styles. One of the most unique was a poached tomato that was both delicate yet flavorful. We followed that with a Roasted Poisson (chicken), which was my favorite dish of the night. But the main course was also amazing….grilled lamb ribeye, which did not taste like lamb at all, and was fantastically cooked!
Obviously, La Belle Vie isn’t a weekly destination unless you happen to make as much money as Brett Favre…but it is a fabulous restaurant, and we highly recommend it! It’s a great spot for a big night out. We enjoyed it so much that we have already put it on the list for my birthday!
Spoonriver: http://www.spoonriverrestaurant.com/
Located next to the Guthrie Theater, this is the perfect place to have dinner before enjoying a show. I actually had read about it in the Delta magazine when I came back from NY. It is known for only using local produce and meats, and only serving sustainably raised food.
One of our favorite parts about it was a beautiful night, and we sat outside right across from the Guthrie.
We began our meal with the Spoon Dips - Preserved Lemon Hummus - Roasted Red Pepper - Walnut Paté, Vegetables, Olives, Foccacia. All the vegetables were very fresh, and the walnut paté was particularly tasty.
For our meals, we both had the specials – the vegetable stack (fresh, grilled and sautéed vegetables with pesto and other goodies in between, with a side bean salad) and the grilled char (a very fresh, and delightfully seasoned fish, with nice vegetable sides).
We obviously saved room for dessert…the wife had chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries, flourless chocolate cake with mango sorbet for me. Both were delicious, but the kicker for me was the mango sorbet, which was fantastic, and really lightened a otherwise heavy cake.
Overall, we’d give it 4 stars if you are particularly fond of organic and sustainable foods. It’s a good spot for vegetarians also. But for most people, we’d say it’s 3 stars. Some reviews state that it is overpriced, and the service can lack. Our opinion is that you have to expect higher prices due to the organic food, plus location (it’s literally right next to the Guthrie). And regarding service, we were pleased. Coming an hour and a half before the show was very smart, and it’s clear they get busy before shows. But our waitress was very aware of the time, and prompt in allowing us to make it to the show in time.
Friday night I went to check out the new "Thai-Fusion" place in Northeast called Ginger Snap. It is located where the former "Times" restaurant stood, across the street from Nye's Polonaise Bar.
We started off with some of their signature cocktails. I ordered the "Dirty Kimono", which was essentially a dirty martini with a shot of sake. One of my friends ordered the Ginger Snap version of a bloody mary...except it came with a quail egg. My drink was decent, but not necessarily worth the $7. 
We shared several appetizers including: chicken lettuce wraps, duck pot stickers, shrimp spring rolls, and cream cheese and carmelized onion fried won tons. I don't think any of them blew me away, but they were all tasty and satisfying. 
