Last night, Tom and I went to see Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at the Ordway Theater in St. Paul. We have been season ticket holders to the Twin Cities Broadway Seasons for 13 years. I was very excited to see this production, as White Christmas has always been one of my favorite movies. We got Mona to babysit, so that we could enjoy dinner out before the show. A great dinner before always makes the theater an even more enjoyable event.
I have always been of the opinion, perhaps wrongly, that St. Paul has fewer exceptional dining choices than Minneapolis. We are always looking for new restaurants to try, and hopefully change my mind. Tom and I have always enjoyed Kincaid’s and The St. Paul Grill, both are very close to the Ordway, but pre-show tables must be booked well in advance. Sunday morning, we tried the web service, www.opentable.com to help us find a new dining experience. You plug in the city and time that you want a table, and they show you what is available in that area. On Saturday, we received a Christmas card from friends who mentioned that their son-in-law was now cooking at A REBOURS. When I saw that a table was available, and that they served French Cuisine, we booked.
We were both very pleased with our choice. The restaurant is on St Peter Street, looking out towards Rice Park, so our view was very festive, with all the trees lit up for Christmas. We were seated next to the window at a small bistro table. It was a tad bit chili, so I kept my coat on.
A REBOURS offers a Prix Fixe Menu, four courses for only $35.00. Tom would have gone with choices from the main menu, but unfortunatly, they were out of the foie gras. Not a great start, but we kept on open mind.
Our Amuse Bouche was a fantastic first bite, Beef Tartare, on a Wontan Chip with Shaved Parmasean, drizzeled with Chili Oil and topped with Capers.The chili oil gave it a kick and the capers added a salty twist. The tartare was in a nice light sauce. A very good start.
Our salad cource was field greens with Sherry Vinaigrette with Blue Cheese and Roasted Hazelnuts. The field greens were nice and tart, perfect, with the creamy blue cheese and nutty flavor of the hazelnuts. This is my favorite kind of salad and one that I would always choose.
For the main course, Tom choose the Roasted Chicken Breast with Savory Bread Pudding, Spinach, and Veal Sausage Gravy. The chicken had a lot of mid-Eastern flavors, we could taste cinnamon and ginger on the rub. It was prepared very well and Tom enjoyed it. I had the Braised Beef Short Ribs with Bacon Risotto, Shitake Mushrooms, and Beef Jus. I really enjoyed all of my meal. The beef was so tender, it just feel apart. The risotto was done with a nice bite and the flavors complemented each other perfectly. I had a glass of Pinot Noir, and the light, fruity wine went well with it.
For dessert we had the Crepes with Lemon Curd and Fresh Raspberries. A traditional French dessert. It was a perfect ending.
We were very impressed with A REBOURS, and will diffenity return. The service was very efficent and knowledgeable. Whenever we had questions about flavors or preparations, if our server didn’t know the answer, she found out for us. And the price was a great value. Dinner for two with wine for around $100, fantastic. They offer valet parking, although the restaurant closed before the show ended and we had to call a number for our keys.
We had a great night out in the lovely city of St. Paul, where there are more great dining choices than I knew. Check out www.opentable.com and find a new favorite.
