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Good Eats: Meritage in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Post last updated January 26, 2016

I have a soft spot for French food, especially when it consists of raw oysters on the half shell, escargots and duck breast.

Enter Meritage in Saint Paul, one of the top French restaurants in Minneapolis serving authentic and locally sourced French cuisine. Chef Russel Klein hails from New York and was recently acknowledged as a semi-finalist in the James Beard nomination process.

Meritage Restaurant Review Minneapolis Panna Cotta

I dined here while in town for work and both my colleague and I enjoyed ourselves immensely.

We started off our meal with a chef’s sampling of raw oysters sourced from the East to the West coast.

Meritage Restaurant Review Minneapolis - oysters in the half shell

I’ve heard that Minneapolis is one of the first stops for shellfish being shipped around the world which explains how the seafood I’ve had in the Twin Cities is consistently excellent. The oysters I ate here were no exception, particularly when accompanied with a splash of their house made mignionette.

Meritage Restaurant Review Minneapolis Escargots

The Escargots Bourguignon arrived next and featured perfectly cooked, unbelievably tender snails. I initially planned to only eat only one but proceeded to eat half of the dish, then sopped up the pools of parsley-garlic butter with all the bread in sight. Delicious!

I was undecided between the Glazed Wild Acres Duck Breast  and the Steak Frites, but quickly chose duck the after my waiter attested to it being his favourite dish on the entire menu.

Meritage Restaurant Review Minneapolis Duck Breast

The duck was perfectly cooked, meticulously glazed and accompanied with cherries, apples and brussel sprouts. The dish was a delicate balance of sweet and umami flavours and transported me to food heaven.

The visit to the ladies room afforded me a walk past the glorious lobby of the Hamm Building– an architectural beauty!

I returned to the table in time to sample our desserts: a Chocolate Panna Cotta and an Espresso Pot de Creme. The texture of the panna cotta was closer to that of a chocolate mousse but the espresso pot de creme was spot on and the perfect sweet ending to an incredible meal in a classy, Parisienne atmosphere with impeccable service.

Meritage Restaurant Review Minneapolis Pot de Creme

I will definitely return and sit at their oyster bar so I can gorge myself on more sweet and briny bivalves. And perhaps order the duck breast on the side. 🙂

My suggested menu picks for the kids: Meritage House Hamburger, Croque Madame/Monsieur (from the Lunch/Brunch menu), Crispy All-Natural Half Chicken, and of course, Pommes Frites!

Let’s Eat!

Meritage
410 Saint Peter St.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
55102



About Deb

Deb is a Toronto mom, balancing life as an engineer in healthcare and a mom of two beautiful girls: She loves sharing her travel tips and experiences with other moms and dads.

Comments

  1. Darlene W says

    November 16, 2014 at 4:36 pm

    Oh, my, these dishes sure do look good

  2. Anne Taylor says

    November 16, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    If that food tastes as good as it looks, well………I’m hungry lol The oysters look amazingly fresh!

  3. Judy Cowan says

    November 18, 2014 at 6:22 pm

    I will pass on the oysters and duck but I am in for the Chocolate Panna Cotta – looks yummy! The presentation of all the good is great!

  4. heidi c. says

    November 21, 2014 at 12:32 am

    What a scrumptious area of dishes! My mouth was watering!

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