Linden-hills.com

Harriet Brasserie offers organic, local, sustainable products wherever possible. The room is very cozy, comfortable with a beautiful long wooden bar, exposed brick and large windows. It also has a lovely patio, that we could not enjoy due to weather, but we will definitely return to check it out, perhaps this time to try brunch. We started with the duck confit taco, which was terrific. The duck was tender, corn tortillas were soft and flavorful and the pickled vegetables packed a nice, definitely not-Minnesota spicy, punch. I probably could make a meal out of the tacos. For my main course, I opted for the mussels, with a side of Brussels sprouts.  I really enjoyed the mussels, which were in a light broth flavored with cilantro, ginger and white wine, with some chunks of tomato. It came with grilled baguette, that was reminiscent of baguette I have had in France, truly amazing, with a crispy crust and light, but not too airy crumb that perfect to mop up the delicious broth.  I absolutely loved the roasted Brussels sprouts, which were a very simple preparation roasted with olive oil and finished with salt and some fresh coarse ground pepper, that added a nice zing and contrast to the veg. It seems like every other restaurant offers Brussels sprouts with bacon or something similar, which is wonderful, but this preparation was a nice change of pace. My husband had the lamb chops, that were accompanied by lentils and grilled red peppers and asparagus. The lamb was perfectly cooked medium rare and the veggies were crisp and tasty. I could eat a whole bowl of the creamy, yet al dente lentils.

 

The dessert menu was tempting, but we decided we would try some next time. Options included a Coconut Tres Leches Cake, Chocolate Cake, Crème Brulee just to name a few.

​

The wine list had some interesting choices. I had never had wine from Slovenia and the server kindly offered a sample, which was greatly appreciated. It was a white wine, that had the grassy overtones of  sauvignon blanc, but lightness of pinot grigio. It went well with the mussels. Since it was pretty hot, we also had a few glasses of French Rose. Other wines were available from California, Chile, and even Stillwater. Brasserie means brewery in French, and they had some nice beer choices as well, including offerings from Bells and Lake Monster Brewery just to name a few.

Service was helpful, friendly, attentive, but not overbearing. Overall, we had wonderful evening and will be back soon.

​

Larisa Ozols, Linden-hills.com