A Rebours

410 St Peter St
St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 665-0656
http://www.areboursrestaurant.com/

Category: French

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 8
Service: 8
Ambience: 7

Recommendation: Very good. A classic French bistro that serves delicious food in a cozy setting. Great for a pre-theater meal. (October 2007 update - this restaurant has sadly been closed).

A Rebours is a classic up-scale bistro style French restaurant located in the historic Hamm building in St Paul. The restaurant itself, with its high ceilings, tile floors and large French windows has a very open and inviting feel to it. Even though it is bistro style, the place isn’t too loud. The large windows have good views facing St Peter street. It is a perfect place for dinner before a show at the Ordway or a game/concert at the Xcel Energy center. They have a small dinner menu (6 entrees) but it includes all the different meat/seafood groups - steak, lamb, salmon, pork, trout, and chicken. They have a good variety of appetizers ranging from classics such as Mussels and Escargot to Baked Gnocchi and Pate.

They have a decent wine list. The complimentary bread they provide was great. For appetizers, the Mussels in Curry Sauce was really good. The sauce was very flavorful. We also tried the Escargot, which was great. It literally melted in your mouth. They were cooked with Garlic and Beurre Blanc (rich buttery sauce). The Salade Aux Noix, which had walnuts, kumquats, and sherry vinaigrette was also good. Both the entrees we tried were fabulous. The Lamb Shank was so tender, we didn’t need to use the knife provided, a fork was sufficient. The balsamic lamb jus that accompanied it was very delicious. It also came with minted couscous which was ok. The Steak Frites, which is a classic French bistro dish was also great. The steak was cooked just right and had the right amount of peppery flavor. The Meringue Nest with Strawberries for dessert was a perfect end to a great meal. It was a completely white dessert, topped with whipped cream, served with strawberries.. very pretty. The meringue itself was light, airy, and sweet. It had the texture of a brick but once in your mouth, it melted like cotton candy. They also have dessert wines, and other after dinner drinks.

Reservations recommended. You can make reservations online at Opentable. The Lawson Building ramp is a good place to park. They also have valet parking.

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