Barbette

We scheduled this dinner for after our participation in this year's Luminary Loppet on nearby Lake of the Isles (look it up online if you're not familiar; it's a beautiful event--see photos). After walking the illuminated loop on the lake, we walked over to Barbette and had a wonderful time. It was great to see the restaurant so busy! The ambience was very nice and reminded us of restaurants in Europe. For our meals we had the steak frites and the seafood pasta. My wife said that her steak frites was perfect; she didn't share much with me, so I only had some of the fries (perfect fries). My seafood pasta was also great. I was impressed with the amount of seafood in it, there was no skimping on the star of the show. Salmon, shrimp, and a large array of mussels ringing half of the plate. I

Ambiance is extremely cozy and conducive to conversation. The wealth of exterior seating is evocative of Parisian sidewalk cafés, but may require a reservation. Staff were so conscientious of patron comfort that my appreciation of the many wall-hung works of art was twice mistaken as me tacitly requesting service. All that said, I found both the salad and the day's vegetables to be excessively oiled and buttered, respectively.

Food is great. Ordered oysters (very fresh and juicy, especially the west ones), Cobb salad (I like the meat, avocado and goat cheese), short ribs (very tender), and crème brulee (wonderful texture 🤩).

Thank you, Barbette, for being a wonderful neighborhood restaurant. We moved nearby during Covid and you have been a constant for quality food, cocktails, champagne, and outdoor seating. And you are true to everything that a classic French bistro should be. Today's Croque Madame was a real surprise — the best we've ever had. The Salad Nicoise is consistently good; today's tuna addition was especially fresh and yummy!

Decent food but overpriced. Typical for uptown. Interacting with customers in a dining room setting should demand a certain degree of personal hygiene and I think employees should be required to present themselves in a manner consistent with the environment they are working in. Is that weird? Am I just too old? Maybe, but for me It's not "edgy" it's offputting