La Belle Vie: A Guest Review

510 Groveland Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-874-6440
http://www.labellevie.us/

We have always deliberated about asking one of our close Foodie friends to write a guest review for our blog. Alex’s recent visit to Le Belle Vie gave us a perfect opportunity, and he conceded. Although this isn’t an official review, we’re confident you’ll find it very useful and entertaining. So here goes…

It is always easier sitting on the sidelines playing the role of peanut gallery even when the show in question is simply a humble food blog. So when the MSP Foodies asked me to do a guest blog on my recent visit to La Belle Vie, I agreed with a certain amount of trepidation in my heart. It wasn’t the fear of being teased (my friends are merciless in that department), nor was it the fear of being labeled (god forbid) a “foodie” or anything else for that matter. Rather it was the fear that with my limited vocabulary, I would run out of adjectives for “yummy.” So with a thesaurus in hand, I will attempt to share my experience at this well known establishment.

(As a means of disclaimer, this is not an official MSP Foodies review and no ratings will be given. Rather it is simply a shameless self-aggrandizing editorial.)

In booking a reservation at La Belle Vie for a 6-month anniversary date, I made a pretty significant tactical error. Apparently that is an unbearably romantic thing to do and as someone who prides himself on having the emotional range of a toaster, “romantic” wasn’t an adjective that I was prepared to have associated with me. Any thoughts of potentially backing out of this meal however were quickly dispelled when I discovered that La Belle Vie charges a $25 per person reservation cancellation fee. Whoops.

As I drove my car to the restaurant that night, I had the sickening realization that I was just about to drop some serious money for food that couldn’t possibly live up to the hype. James Beard Award Nominee, Zagat rated #1 in the Twin Cities, “Best Restaurant in Minneapolis”, blah, blah, blah. I silently choked back the tears as I counted in my head the number of mind numbing hours I would have to sit in my cubicle to pay off this meal.

Located nearly in the shadow of the Walker Art Center at 510 Groveland, I accidentally drove by the restaurant without realizing that La Belle Vie was actually located in that beautiful building reminiscent of those elegant hotels prominently featured in classic films of my parents’ era. Although I know nothing of the history of 510 Groveland, apparently besides La Belle Vie, the rest of the building is filled with people who work and live in various office spaces and private residences. Lucky bastards.

I guess if you’re the best restaurant in town, you don’t even need a sign as the only indication that I was at the right location was an ugly little valet placard featuring the La Belle Vie logo. After giving my car to the valet, my date and I walked into a beautiful lobby with the La Belle Vie bar and lounge being located just off to the side. We were quickly greeted by the hostess who took our coats and led us off to the dining area where we were met by a small number of tables set up in an intimate room. I was immediately impressed by the simple yet classic look of the space. The tall windows were draped with white chiffon, the walls were a neutral beige, and a simple painting of clouds hung on the far wall. The whole room was an exercise in subdued elegance. I was immediately glad that I had decided to wear a suit that night forgoing my preferred attire of jeans and a t-shirt.

My lovely date and I were seated next to each other at our table with our backs to the wall. From that vantage point, I was happy to note that although most of our fellow diners were of the older variety, there were a few other young couples there as well. Our waiter greeted us with an enormous wine list and gave us the heads up that if we decided to go with a tasting menu, the chef would prefer if we did so together. That made sense to me as preparing five distinct dishes to order for a table is hard enough without potentially doubling that number if we did the tasting menu as well as ordered ala carte. Not being heavy drinkers, we decided not to order a bottle but instead we each had a glass of excellent Spanish wine which the restaurant offered by the glass for a very reasonable price.

Prior to arriving at the restaurant, we had scanned the La Belle Vie menu via their website and we both had really wanted to try their bouillabaisse. The 5 course tasting menu also sounded excellent so I asked our waiter if it would be possible for us to share a special 6 course tasting menu which included the bouillabaisse. As tasting menus are designed by chefs to take a diner through a very specific culinary journey, I hoped that my request was not out of line. The waiter said that he would ask the chef for us and immediately made a beeline for the kitchen. He quickly returned with a broad smile on his face and informed us that the chef was intrigued by the idea and would love to incorporate a bouillabaisse as the third course in our now six course tasting menu.

Our stomachs rumbling in anticipation of what was to come, we were served several varieties of fresh baked breads which I couldn’t help devouring despite the fact that I should know better. With the subsequent arrival of the tasting menu courses, we realized that we were not being served by simply a single waiter, but rather a team of knowledgeable waiters who each brought us a different course along with an explanation of what that particular course was. Assisted by efficient busboys that instantly cleared dishes, replaced silverware following each course, and filled water glasses promptly, the service as a whole was impeccable.

Following the bread service, amuses-bouche was brought out to us in tiny porcelain cups slightly bigger than a shot glass. Within the cups were a creamy rose colored soup and a small piece of razor clam. It reminded me of a more complex lobster bisque. I asked my dining companion what her opinion on the soup’s flavor was and her response was that it “tastes like soup… but really good soup.” She’s a keeper.

The first course that we were served was Seared Nantucket Bay Scallops with Apple, Brussels Sprouts and Foie Gras Sabayon. The scallops were much smaller than normal scallops with a firm texture and sweet flavor. I normally hate Brussels sprouts but the bitterness of the sprouts nicely countered the sweetness of the other ingredients. The foie gras bits in this course were difficult visually to immediately distinguish from the other ingredients resulting in a fun eating experience. At times I was expecting to be putting a scallop or piece of apple in my mouth only to be rewarded by the luscious richness of a perfect piece of foie gras that almost instantly melted in my mouth.

The second course was Sautéed Daurade with Borlotti Beans, King Crab and Pistou. Apparently daurade is the French name given to several varieties of fish. As La Belle Vie’s cuisine is French Mediterranean, I’m going to guess (with the help of wikipedia) that this ‘daurade’ was probably a gilt-head bream… whatever the hell that is. The daurade had a firm texture (for a white fish) and wonderful flavor. The skin was left on the fish and fried to a crispy consistency. Underneath the fish was a nice piece of king crab leg and while I don’t really remember the beans, the pistou appeared to be made out of peas which gave the dish a nice earthy green coloring. Collectively, the peas (and probably beans), the crab, and the fish were well matched with each other and I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.

Third course was the bouillabaisse that we had lusted after for so long. Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provence stew made of fish, shellfish, fennel, orange zest, and saffron along with a variety of other ingredients. It’s often served poured on slices of French bread which is what originally drew us to the dish. The bouillabaisse served to us at La Belle Vie more than met my expectations. Despite being loaded with mussels, razor clams, fish, and an amazing broth, we were instantly drawn to the piece of French bread in the bowl soaking up all these wonderful flavors. On top of the bread was a spread of aioli (sauce made of garlic and olive oil) which not surprisingly tasted a whole lot like garlic butter. The combination of the bread, aioli, seafood, and broth made a powerful statement. It was comfort food at its finest and the next time I return to La Belle Vie, I want a full bowl to myself with a few extra pieces of bread!

At this point in the meal, both my companion and I were feeling pretty satisfied and we could have happily ended our dinner there. However, with nary a doggie bag in sight, we mentally loosened our belts, and continued our meal with gritty determination. I felt in a way like a marathon runner who reaches the halfway point in the race. It’s exciting that you’ve run that far but at the same time it’s disheartening how far you still have left to run. (I assume eating a delicious meal is about as difficult as running a marathon, right?)

Next up on the menu for us was Pan-Roasted Poussin with Brown Beech Mushrooms, Smoked Pork Belly and Caramelized Salsify. There is something maddening in reading a dish name and not being able to comprehend a single word of it. I know this is a French restaurant but first “daurade” and now ”poussin”? I guess if you call a fish “daurade” and a chicken “poussin” it tastes better somehow. A rose by any other name may smell just as sweet but it would probably taste like crap. I digress. The cornish game hen in this dish was cooked well and I remember thinking that the pork belly was very bacon-y (did I just make up a word?) in consistency. I think it may have been my confusion as to what I was actually going to be served and the overwhelming impact of tasting so many distinct dishes in such a short span of time but this particular dish was the least memorable that night.

The fifth course of our tasting menu was Grilled Lamb Ribeye with Black Truffle, Crosnes and Red Wine Gastrique. Our waiter carefully placed our plates down in front of us and then proceeded to fan the aroma of the dish into our face with his hand while we stared at him like he was some sort of crazy person. I quickly realized that he was doing this so that we could appreciate the heady smell of freshly cut black truffles that was wafting from our dishes. After fully savoring the aroma of freshly grilled meat and truffles, I gingerly picked up a piece of truffle and nibbled on it. To paraphrase my companion, it tasted like mushrooms... but really good mushrooms. Next I cut a small portion of the lamb, dabbed it in a bit of the sauce, placed a few stray slices of crosnes on top, and took my first bite. Silence. I stared in shocked wonderment at my now naked fork and sat there in a sort of stupefied state. Without a shred of hyperbole, I had just had the single best bite of food in my entire life. (Sorry Mom.) What surprised me about that moment was how emotionless it was. I have in the past waxed incomprehensibly about how the stirring feelings of nostalgia, joy, and other emotions were at the root of my love of food. However in that singular moment as I sat there and chewed, I was savoring a taste and texture that felt utterly new to me (and thus the lack of emotional context)… in the very best way. I was quickly brought to reality by the giggling of my companion who looked at me strangely and said, “You’re an idiot.” She then happily (and nearly sacrilegiously) dug into her portion of ribeye without batting an eye. I ignored the unbeliever sitting next to me and continued my quiet veneration of this most perfect dish.

What’s especially noteworthy was that we were both quite full at this point and food theoretically should have been less appealing. To those who are fortunate enough to experience this dish in the near future, I truly am sorry. This dish is now impossibly over hyped and cannot possibly live up to the expectations that I have placed on it. But please apply Shakespeare’s wisdom to this writing, as this is undoubtedly “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

In preparation for an upcoming trip to Spain with the MSP Foodies, I had watched several travel shows on Barcelona and one of the key food favorites always featured were churros dipped in luscious cups of melted chocolate. Salivating at the simple thought of that combination, it was a collective understanding in our group that upon arriving in Barcelona, we would immediately locate the nearest chocolate shop to partake in this dessert. I was eagerly looking forward to that moment and with that in mind, we arrive at the final course of the evening which was Chocolate Chestnut Beignets with Chestnut Brulee Pot de Crème. This marvelous dessert featured several French donuts sprinkled with powdered sugar sitting next to a cup of melted chocolate. This dessert looked superficially fairly simple, yet there was a secret hidden underneath the deep fried exterior of the beignets. Inside was a warm filling of chestnut chocolate which reminded me of sweet hazelnut milk chocolate. The dipping chocolate was made of dark chocolate with just the right amount of bitterness. When eaten together, the combination of sugar, fried dough, sweet nutty milk chocolate, and bitter dark chocolate was ethereal. Being unable to help myself, I started gushing to my companion about the taste and the brilliance of the chocolate pairing only to be sharply cut off by my partner’s lovely voice chastising me with, “You need to shut up! I’m trying to eat!”

Our dessert was followed by a variety plate of chocolate pieces and a bill which now seemed surprisingly reasonable. At over $100 a person (including a 6 course tasting menu, wine, tax, and tip), this was one of the most expensive meals I have ever paid for, yet in my head, as I reached for my credit card, I was already trying to think of the next chance I would have to eat here. Thinking about my obsession with food value, I honestly asked myself the question of whether I would rather have 10 meals at Little Szechuan (one of my favorite restaurants here in the cities) or 1 meal at La Belle Vie. I surprised even myself with the answer: La Belle Vie… without a doubt.