Vincent

1100 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN
612-630-1189
http://www.vincentarestaurant.com/

Category: French, Happy Hour

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 7 (Happy Hour Only)
Service: 6
Ambience: 7

Recommendation: Very Good. It’s great to see a restaurant that genuinely cares about the quality of food and beverages they provide at happy hour.

Not too many restaurants take the happy hour concept seriously. “Yes”, the goal is to provide cheap food and drinks, but Vincent has shown that you don’t have to compromise quality. Granted, Vincent is an upscale restaurant, but that’s why a good happy hour at reasonable prices is even more surprising. HH is only served in the lounge area, which is quite small and always brimming with people. It lasts from 4.30pm-6.30pm so we recommend going early. The lounge/bar area is upscale and elegant albeit not trendy. It’s filled with closely packed high-top tables and is separated from the more upscale and elegant dining area.

We were able to get a large round table at the edge of the lounge, looking over Nicollet Mall (this is one of the nicer seats in the restaurant). The HH menu is a slimmed down lounge menu – the dishes are still served in healthy portions and the food is definitely refined. A unanimous winner was the Vincent Burger ($8) made with beef and short ribs and topped with smoked Gouda cheese. Juicy, Meaty, Hearty, Flavorful…we could go on with the adjectives. We also recommend the Chicken “Morsels” a la Plancha ($4) – tender chicken pieces bursting with Asian flavors. An unusual, yet satisfying option was the Socca ($4); a pancake of chickpea flour, filled with roasted shrimp, salami, red peppers and cheese. This is a specialty in Southern France, but the pancake is also a staple in Indian cuisine. Not everything we tried was this good. The Pommes Dauphine (fried potato dumplings, $3.50) were light, but needed more seasoning; the Joe’s Potato Hot Dish ($3.50) was greasy and uninteresting; and unfortunately, the Flat Bread ($4) sounded much better than it tasted (a combination of smoked chicken, caramelized onions, blue cheese and grapes really had our mouth watering). We do have to praise the drinks – full pours of wine and beer for $3! And Champagne Cocktails for $5! The Poinsetta was made with Cointreau, cranberry juice and champagne and was a nice departure from the traditionally sweet cocktails that are so prevalent now. We did end our evening with dessert (not on the HH menu). The Lemon Tart with Citrus Salad is divine – kumquats and basil make a great combination. And although we usually prefer chocolate to most everything else, the Louis XV Chocolate Cake didn’t match the perfection of the lemon tart. Overall, we were duly impressed and have a new HH favorite – we’re looking forward to dinner someday at Vincent’s.

$. Most happy hour options are $5 and under. HH runs from 4.30-6.30pm Mon through Fri. Valet parking available on 11th street, starting at 6pm.