Meritage

410 St. Peter St.
St. Paul, MN
651-222-5670
http://www.meritage-stpaul.com/

Category: French, American-Upscale

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 9
Service: 8
Ambience: 7

Recommendation: Excellent. A great addition to the St. Paul dining scene serving classic Brasserie items interspersed with New American dishes.

We’ve been eating at a lot of French inspired restaurants lately and that trend continues with Meritage, a trip way overdue. Located in the old A Rebours space in the historic Hamm building in the heart of St. Paul, Meritage recreates the look and feel of a French brasserie. Chef Russell Klein (formerly of WA Frost) is at the helm of this establishment, which was named for the wine of the same name. It symbolizes both the rich traditions of French cuisine along with influences from America. The space is elegant and romantic. Cozy tables occupy the small space and dim lighting adds to the charm. Rich wood panels, large mirrors, a wrought iron clock and a beautiful wine bar round out the decorative accents. There’s summer patio coming sometime soon.

We managed to get a table by the large windows overlooking St. Peter. The menu selection varied and has a nice selection of both American and French foods. There’s a daily special, usually a traditional French preparation like Pot Au Feu or Bouillabaisse. We started our meal with Scallops with Meyer Lemon, Wasabi, and Green Apple; and Pork Rillette with Fig Spread, Grilled Bread and Grain Mustard. The Rillette (pork pate) was amazing – complex flavors result from lathering the salty pork and sweet fig spread onto the smoky bread. The ceviche preparation of the scallops was underwhelming; the scallops were sweet and fresh, but we couldn’t taste much of the accompanying ingredients. For the main course we would highly recommend the Halibut (with Pea Puree, Fingerling Potatoes, Cippolini Onions, and Truffle Emulsion) as well as the Saturday special Beef Short Ribs (with Potato Puree and Seasonal Vegetables). The Halibut had subtle, yet refined flavors and the preparation did justice to our favorite fish, while the Short Ribs were “melt in your mouth” tender. Both the Steak Frites and the Meritage House Hamburger were very good as well; simple preparations executed well. We weren’t too impressed with the Frites, which were on the soggy side. An after-dinner cheese course looked appetizing but we decided to go directly to dessert. We liked the rich Dark Chocolate Mousse which was paired well with citrus. On the other hand the Izzy Salty Caramel ice cream was just ok. And lest we forget, the complimentary bread was wonderful – dense and chewy, just the way we like it. We had great service all night and our server did a great job recommending dishes.

$$$-$$$$. Entrees are around $25 and appetizers are about $10. Valet parking is available Tue-Sat (evenings).

Update (Feb 2009) – We’re back at Meritage, this time for brunch. A beautiful winter day with lots of sun shining into the dining area – we were lucky enough to score a spot by the window. Little did we realize that we’d occupy this space for a good two hours and enjoy an amazing multi-course meal that was executed to near perfection.

The menu has many appealing dishes and we had a tough time deciding which ones to get. We started with the Meritage Mimosa, made with blood oranges and prosecco and it went down fast. As a starter we split the Pomme Frites with Bearnaise – a classic executed well. We decided to stay traditional and try some of the egg dishes on the menu. You can’t go wrong with either the Eggs Benedict or the Lobster Omelet with Spinach and Tomato. The Benedict was freakin’ awesome – when done well, there are few egg dishes that compare. And the Lobster Omelet is no slouch either. Sweet lobster and spinach both impart subtle flavors and combine very well. But we couldn’t stop without getting dessert and coffee. The Espresso Pot de Crème was fabulous – if there’s one dish that stood out that day, this was it, and that’s saying a lot. Creamy and light in texture but rich in flavor, with a dollop of Crème Fraiche on top – I’ll take this any day. The Profiteroles are really good too and so was the accompanying Latte.