Saturday afternoon I drove (back) to Minneapolis with my mom and aunts Jean, Phyllis and Ruth.  We were heading over to meet up with my Uncle Wally and Aunt Denise, and their son Mike, who is the Sous Chef at Barbette in Uptown.  We didn’t have a clue as to what was in store for us.

Leaving a bit late, and running into a bit of presidential traffic, we drove directly to the restaurant.  Our reservations were at 5 pm, so it was still fairly empty in the dining area.  Cousin Mike arrived, followed by Wally and Denise.  We sat down to visit and looked over the menus, when we were informed that the head chef was preparing a special tasting menu for us, and to sit back and enjoy what would be served.  We quickly handed back the menus, with excitement and anticipation.  Even Mike didn’t know exactly what would be arriving at our table.  I don’t have any pictures.  This is when I craved some high quality equipment that could shoot without a flash in the dark.  Everything was beautiful and incredible.  I jotted down a few notes, but know I didn’t write down everything correctly or in perfect detail.  We relied on Mike and our waitress to describe each extravagant course to us.

First Course : Scallop Tartare  with Lemon and Truffle and a Celery Salad and Toasted Brioche

Second Course: Steamed Mussels served with a Chipotle seasoned stock and French Baguette

Third Course: Seared Opa over Smashed Cauliflower, Confit Tomatoes, a Saffron Foam Sauce, and Baby Basil

At this point the waitress appeared carrying a heavy skillet, and announced the Chef wanted us to see our next course before it was portioned.  It looked amazing.  It is probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten:

Fourth Course: Foie Gras with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Carrots, and Onions on Toasted Brioche

Again, before the next course, a waiter brought out the roasting pan to show us what was coming, and heads throughout the restaurant would turn to try to get a glimpse as to what they were bringing to us:

Fifth Course: Braised Veal Shank with Braised Cabbage and Crisp Polenta Cake

Sixth Course: Baked Brie en Croute, served over Microgreens and Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Desserts:

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Peanut Butter Mousse and a Chocolate Almond Tuille

Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Salted Caramel Sauce

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

Apple Five Ways: Apple Cakes with Dried Apple Slices, Dried Caramel Apple pieces, Apple Reduction Sauce, served with a Hot Apple Cider shot topped with Star Anise Foam

I cannot describe how unbelievably good everything tasted.  It was such a fantastic experience to enjoy with family, though I wished Justin could have enjoyed it with us (he was attending his grandfather’s memorial service, who passed away earlier this week, in Cincinnati with his family).  The entire meal took almost three hours, which fairly flew by as we chatted and visited in between courses.  We are already planning on going back again very soon.