When chef Tim McKee announced that he would close La Belle Vie, his fine-dining, very-special-occasion French restaurant on Loring Park, the food community let out a collective gasp.
Even though a spate of fantastic new restaurants has opened in the past few years in the Twin Cities, La Belle Vie was still our finest. It was still the place where most of the really good local chefs had worked at one time or another. It was very likely one of the reasons for the recent restaurant boom.
But as McKee said about the closing, many of us — even those of us who eat out for a living or for sport — didn’t eat there as often as we should have.
Frankly, though I’d stopped by the lounge many times for a nosh and a few cocktails, I hadn’t splurged on the tasting menu in the dining room for years.
Though it was too little too late, I joined many lovers of good food and trailed along on a friend’s reservation — the restaurant’s final days were booked out shortly after the announcement — and had a farewell meal. The restaurant closed for good Oct. 24.
We opted for the eight-course “chef’s tasting menu” over the smaller, five-course option, because, well, it was our last chance.
The $95 menu (wine tastings were an additional $65) took more than two hours to consume. Each course was gorgeously plated and presented with much ceremony.
Highlights, of which there were many, included a disk of cod, sauteed until it had a crisp, golden crust but was still perfectly flaky inside, paired with a bit of lobster and some fantastic pickled cabbage.
I won’t forget the tiniest agnolotti I’ve ever seen, either. The little pockets were filled with a miniscule amount of cauliflower — I have no idea how the kitchen pulled those off, which is my mark of a truly great restaurant meal.
Salty-sweet house-made caraway crackers wowed us, too, especially when paired with a smooth, tangy washed rind goat cheese.
A perfectly rare slice of dry-aged tenderloin, though, served atop a swipe of deeply flavored, smoky charred eggplant and paired with salsify and apple, was sophisticated, challenging and matched well to the season.
The dessert — a quince tart with delicately flavored lemon-buttermilk sherbet and little bits of sweet honeycomb candy — finished our meal with an impressive bang.
It was a fantastic meal and will be a great memory, just like most of the times I’ve spent in that beautiful building.
But honestly, I wonder if La Belle Vie’s time had passed. This is the time of raucous diners choosing their own adventure — sharing lots of small plates and entrees and making their own wine or cocktail pairings.
White tablecloths, set menus and wine pairings just aren’t how most of us eat anymore.
I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. It just is.
Small Bites are first glances — not intended as definitive reviews — of new or changed restaurants. Jess Fleming can be reached at 651-228-5435. Follow her at twitter.com/jessflem.
