Patrick’s Bakery and Café

2928 W 66th St
Richfield, MN 55423
612-861-7570
http://patricksbakerycafe.com/

Category: French

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 8
Service: N/A (counter service)
Ambience: 6

Recommendation: Very Good! A Bistro and Patisserie in one – serving decadent pastries and simple French fare.

This little Parisian Bistro in located in Southdale Square, a little strip mall across from Southdale Center and is the brainchild of Paris native, Patrick Bernet. He and his wife, Azita had dreams of moving to Washington and opening a restaurant, but they fell in love with Minneapolis and decided to stay (much to our delight). This is a great place for a weekend breakfast or a quick and hearty lunch. The room includes an area that has cases upon cases of pastries…they just look heavenly. However, there is limited seating and the cramped restaurant tends to get busy on the weekends. The walls are decorated with black and white street scenes from Paris. They also have a location inside Bachman’s on Lyndale Avenue, as well as a third location in Wayzata that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Their Croissants are light and buttery. Along with strong French coffee, they make a perfect breakfast. Their French Onion Soup and Croque Monsieur are both very good. The desserts are just decadent and you will be hard pressed to leave without trying one of their pastries. Their Tiramisu is fabulous. The Strawberry Napoleon is a flaky pastry with layers of puffed pastry crust, whipped cream, custard, and strawberries. Its not too sweet and has a light and airy taste. We really recommend you stay away from the Crème Brulee, though. The caramelized crust is anything but hard; it has a gelatinous texture, because it’s been caramelized beforehand and then stored in a cooler.

$-$$.

Update (February 18, 2008) – In September 2007, Patrick’s launched an expanded menu including daily specials that really have your mouth watering. There aren’t too many places where you can enjoy hearty portions of French staples like Coq Au Vin and Boef Bourguignon for under $13. We’ve tried the Coq Au Vin first hand and were very impressed. The combination of the Cornish hen with a red wine sauce with pancetta and mushrooms is lethal. Served with a side of Gratin Dauphinois (Potato Gratin) and perfectly seasoned sautéed Swiss chard and you’re in heaven (or Paris, whatever your prefer). The accompanying Cream of Asparagus soup (included in the $13 meal) was great, but it’s the Coq Au Vin that still lingers in my brain. My dining partner didn’t care for the Chicken Ranch Wrap or the Turkey Sandwich, which he sampled the last time he visited, but to me those are just on the menu to cater to the mainstream lunch crowd. My money is on the French fare – we’re looking forward to trying the Patou Hamburgers, a line of hamburgers inspired by Patrick’s mischievous childhood memories.