In our quest to find something different for a weekend dinner, we stumbled across the Minnesota Room. This restaurant is part of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts and is a restaurant that showcases the student's culinary (and restaurant) skills. We were excited to give it a try and it did not disappoint!
We arrived a few minutes prior to our reservation. Signs along the street and through the parking lot point the way to the back of the school. We made our way through the hallway to the restaurant and were promptly greeted by the hostess. There were probably a total of 6-7 tables occupied while we were there. We were one of the last to be seated for the evening.
Our server brought the menus and the wine list. While we looked over the drink menu, the server brought out a basket of bread and butter that was mixed with some type of herb. Both were very good. The server highlighted the wines that the chef would suggest with the evening's menu. I think this would have pleased Reservations for One had she been with me! I settled with a Chardonnay - the hubby stuck with water. The menu was a set 4 course dinner with 2 options for the main entree. We both chose the chicken entree versus the shrimp.
We started with an Amuse Bouche of crostini with pickled vegetables and goat cheese topped with a piece of pepperoni. At least that's what it seemed like to me. It was very tasty and did the job of the amuse - get our palate wanting more!
Next up was the soup course. A nice cream of asparagus and spinach soup with basil oil on top. The hubby enjoyed it a bit more than I did. I thought it was fine, though I thought it was missing something. I think it could have used a little salt. We also thought maybe something crunchy on top - like pine nuts? It was still very good, just seemed to be missing something.
The salad course was a nice mix of greens with both yellow and red beets, fennel and Gorgonzola crumbles on top. Again it might have been nice with some candied walnuts or something with a little crunch. I enjoyed the salad quite a bit - though I could have used a bit more Gorgonzola on the salad.
While we were eating, there was a table behind us that had a Bunsen burner set up and a bottle of Grand Marnier on the side. The chef master (instructor) was showing the students how to make Cafe Brulot. It was a coffee that had sugar, cinnamon, grand marnier, and possibly oranges. It was briefly set on fire and while adding the cinnamon the fire would spark - fun to watch. The chef brought around cups for all of us to try and it was sure tasty! I ended up finishing off the hubby's as well.
The main course was Chicken Breast served with a carrot and orange coulis, roasted red peppers and mushrooms served with a Madeira sauce. The mushroom/red pepper was uniquely presented as a roll of vegetables with a thin slice of mushroom being the "wrap" and the red pepper and possibly other vegetable being the filling. The chicken was nice and moist and the coulis sauce had the right amount of sweet to it to provide a nice balance with the chicken and the mushroom wrap. I can't comment on the Madeira sauce as I didn't really notice it. However, the menu said it was going to be on the dish. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't? All in all the main course was nicely done.
Dessert was a definite highlight of the meal. Flourless chocolate cake served with a berry coulis and honey whipped cream. I typically need flour in my cake, but this flourless cake was very good. The crust of the cake was just that...crusty. A nice crispness to the outside of the cake which paired well with the soft gooey middle. The honey whipped cream was a great addition to the dessert. It lightened up the heaviness of the cake.
Our experience at the Minnesota Room was great! We will definitely go back. It's quite the deal - a 4 course dinner for $21.50. All tips are given to a charity, so that was an added bonus. While we settled the bill, we were also asked to complete a survey card. High marks all around from me.
While the kitchen was staffed with a number of students, the chef who developed the menu was Chef Toufik Halimi. Nice job Chef Halimi!
Happy Eating!
