Vincent - A Restaurant

Hurray for Restaurant Week! Twice a year (Spring and Fall) restaurants around the Twin Cities offer a three-course, pre-fix menu for either $15 or $30. You get a fabulous meal at a fabulous price! C.Y. and I wasted no time in securing our reservation – we had made plans weeks before to head to Vincent for their special menu.

Vincent is an elegant space with tall ceilings, neutral walls and dark wood trim. The tables are adorned in white linens and topped with votive candles which create a romantic glow throughout the room. Although the atmosphere is on the slightly formal side, the restaurant is still very comfortable and unpretentious.

Once seated, our waiter came to take our drink order and to see if we had any questions about the menu. He was nice enough, but he seemed a bit green to me as his delivery and knowledge of the menu was on the weak side. This kind of surprised me at a place like Vincent. I would expect to see a newer waiter at lunch – but dinner? Hmmm….

Another thing I found a bit frustrating (and Vincent is not the only culprit!) is that when I ask for a suggested wine pairing for my meal, it never fails that the wait staff only recommends the most expensive one on the list. Really? That is the only wine that will go with my salmon?? Luckily for C.Y.’s savvy, we ended up ordering a wine that was half the price of the one suggested. This “cheap” wine, in our opinion, was still a lovely complement to our meal!

Having similar tastes, C.Y. and I ordered the same options for dinner. We started with the Warm Pork Belly Lentil Salad with Caramelized Onion Soubise (béchamel-based sauce containing strained or puréed onions). The lentil salad was served over a bed of the soubise and was crowned with the pork belly. The salad was then finished with a thick, rich reduced balsamic sauce. My only surprise with this dish was that the pork belly was not fried crisp but was more like regular pork. Either way, it was delicious. Although I thought the pork could use a pit more salt (probably because I was expecting fried pork belly), I really enjoyed the contrasting sweetness of onions and balsamic with the savoriness of the lentils and pork.

For our main course, we ordered the Organic Salmon with Apple/Beet Puree, Wilted Spinach & Horseradish Emulsion. The salmon, perfectly done with a beautiful crispy edge (my favorite part!), was served over the puree with a side of spinach and topped the white, foamy emulsion. The sweet puree was a nice complement to the fish, but I think the spinach and the emulsion were more for presentation than anything else. They added color and visual interest to the plate but didn’t add a lot of flavor. The dish would have tasted just as good without them.

Finally for dessert, we settled on the Nutella Crepe with Cappuccino Gelato. I have to thank my friend TJ.H. for introducing me to crepes at the state fair this summer. Not that I didn’t know about them before, I just had never given them a chance. They are wonderful, and the one at Vincent did not disappoint. The warm, chewy crepe was filled with plenty of chocolately Nutella, and the gelato that topped the dish had a wonderful surprise of mini chocolate chips – yeah for more chocolate!

Besides the slightly off service we experienced, I have to agree that Vincent is a fantastic restaurant. It’s easy to see why Vincent himself is a 2010 James Beard Award semifinalist nominated for Best Chef, Midwest. If you haven’t been yet, I recommend you check this place out!

Additional Details:
1. Website: http://www.vincentarestaurant.com/
2. They have great direction and parking information right on their website. I wish all restaurants were as thorough!