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Meritage
Ed Neaton 

00000 - 00000 of 00000

00,000 of 00,000

410 Saint Peter St. St. Paul, MN 55102

651-222-5670 

http://www.meritage-stpaul.com  

410 Saint Peter St. St. Paul MN 55102

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  • French
    Sun, Sat 10am-2pm, Sun 5pm-9pm, Tue-Fri 11am-2pm, Tue-Thu 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm
    $$$ $$, $$$
  • All Major Credit Cards
    Patio/Sidewalk Dining
    Brunch, Dinner, Lunch
  • Full bar
    Accepted, Recommended
    Garage, Meters, Valet
Description

St. Paul chef Russell Klein (formerly of W.A. Frost) and his wife, Desta (who worked as a banquet captain at Frost), operate the classiest restaurant in downtown St. Paul. Their brasserie, in the charming Hamm Building in what was once the home of A Rebours, is named after an American wine made in the Bordeaux tradition, which seems an accurate reflection of the restaurant's cooking. Klein offers French classics--cassoulet, roast chicken, and steak frites--and a changing list of seasonally inspired American fare (past favorites have included chestnut-stuffed quail to venison loin served with a mulled-wine poached pear). The menu features a nice mix of gourmet fare (a two-bite mushroom ganache amusement, for example) and comfort food (chicken soup with matzo balls). Oh, and there's a cheese cart. If that's not a sign of class, what is? In warm weather, the restaurant operates a sidewalk crepe stand on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.








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  • Meritage\'s matzo ball soup: 50 Favorite Dishes, no. 37

    Meritage's matzo ball soup: 50 Favorite Dishes, no. 37

    It's the simple things in life that bring the greatest satisfaction. A sunny, warm day in spring, a pair of jeans worn in just right, and a steaming bowl of perfect soup. See also: 2012 Best ... More »

  • Top 10 chicken wings in the Twin Cities

    Top 10 chicken wings in the Twin Cities

    Fried food and football go hand in hand. There is nothing like settling in for the big game with a big basket of crispy chicken goodness. We scoured the Twin Cities and decimated the local wet nap sup... More »

  • Top 10 French fries in the Twin Cities

    Top 10 French fries in the Twin Cities

    Despite that brief, embarrassing episode with the so-called freedom fries, a certain slice of Americana requires a plate of French fries. From a diner burger to sopping up the white wine and butt... More »

  • Best pumpkin dishes in the Twin Cities, part 1

    Best pumpkin dishes in the Twin Cities, part 1

    Ah, mid-autumn. The time of year best marked by your level of annoyance with people who are still talking about how great it is that pumpkin lattes are back. But savvy foodies know there are so many m... More »

  • Meritage Oysterfest: Long lines & a lot of oysters at second-annual event

    Meritage Oysterfest: Long lines & a lot of oysters at second-annual event

    They came, they saw, they slurped, and often, they stood in line. Meritage hosted its second-annual Oysterfest with sold-out crowds. The restaurant was all hands on deck, with everyone taking a shucki... More »

  • Loading More Critics Reviews
  • 2013 | Best French Restaurant

    Like Catherine Deneuve, Meritage has a French elegance that only seems to grow more alluring with time. The supple curve of the Tarbais beans in the cassoulet, the tender oysters brimming with their salty juices, the quivering egg yolks atop the benedict, the aged-to-perfection New York strip: Every lovely, delicious bite secures its status as a classic. The room is simple, lights perfectly dimmed for romance. While Meritage continues to wonderfully execute the classics, it also continues to... More »

  • 2012 | Best French Restaurant

    Though a perennial favorite for best French restaurant, Meritage features dishes (such as moules frites, slow-cooked monkfish, escargot braised with oxtail, an amusement of tuna tartare "taco, " and the stunning selection of oysters on the half shell) that could make this restaurant a worthy contender in the Best Seafood category too. Chef Russell Klein honors the techniques and rich flavors of classic French cooking but still manages to keep things light. Similarly, the atmosphere created... More »

  • 2012 | Best Restaurant for Romance

    Do you think the French call a chaste kiss "le Americain smoochez?" Probably not. We'll continue to give them credit for the best kisses, fried potatoes, and takes on toast. French cuisine is also the sexiest. Begin with dishes generously basted in butter and a tray of briny, fresh oysters. Combine that with elegant surroundings, outstanding service, and a killer bar program, and you have the perfect recipe for a romantic date night. While the restaurant has expanded, Meritage continues to... More »

  • 2012 | Best Wine List

    Reading Meritage's wine list is like taking a wine mini-course. It's got colored maps and history and appellations and definitions. Plus, it has really, really good wines. Wine director Nicolas Giraud is charged with finding wines designed in the Old World style that work with James Beard Award-nominated chef Russell Klein's food. Within that range, Giraud has crafted a world of wine, with bottles from Europe and the United States, and, in a charming grace note, has included a small shelf... More »

  • 2011 | Best French Restaurant

    Salty, sweet, buttery, briny, chewy, gooey, soft--there are many ways to describe a good oyster, but few places in town to get one. That was until Meritage, downtown St. Paul's French brasserie, expanded to include a Parisian-style zinc bar complete with absinthe fountain. With seating for nearly 40, the new bar serves chic cocktails and oysters on the half shell to Ordway patrons and Wild fans alike. Follow in the footsteps of famous French devotee Ernest Hemingway and order the "Jack... More »

  • 2010 | BEST FRENCH RESTAURANT

    Suggest a French restaurant for dinner and you run the risk of being labeled as le snob. Unless that restaurant is the accessible Meritage, the perfect French brasserie for St. Paul: The waitstaff doesn't mind if, instead of mangling words like cassoulet or bouillabaisse, you simply point to the amusements or entrées you desire--no judgment, no sneer. And don't even think about being intimidated by the hefty wine list. It may be 17 pages long and have its own table of contents,... More »

  • 2009 | Best French Restaurant

    What's the best way to start your meal at Meritage, the cute brasserie in downtown St. Paul that looks as if it belongs in the ninth arrondissement? The spicy tomato tingle of a bloody Mary shooter with a plump little oyster chaser? A doll-size blini topped with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, and capers? It's really hard to go wrong, so relax and make yourself comfortable. In fact, go right ahead and sop up the fragrant sauce from the bottom of that bowl of mussels, and... More »

  • 2008 | BEST FRENCH RESTAURANT

    This St. Paul newcomer hasn't yet received the accolades of some of our favorite French restaurants, such as Vincent and Cave Vin, though it's certainly deserving. Meritage offers all the Gallic standards, from steak frites to omelet du jour, and while the cassoulet and French onion soup might not have the looks of Carla Bruni, one bite proves they have all the intrigue. The restaurant's point of distinction is that chef Russell Klein (a French-trained New Yorker who learned from Jacques... More »

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  • citypagesbestof
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    | Minneapolis, MN | 145 Reviews

    This St. Paul newcomer hasn't yet received the accolades of some of our favorite French restaurants, such as Vincent and Cave Vin, though it's certainly deserving. Meritage offers all the Gallic standards, from steak frites to omelet du jour, and while the cassoulet and French onion soup might not have the looks of Carla Bruni, one bite proves they have all the intrigue. The restaurant's point of distinction is that chef Russell Klein (a French-trained New Yorker who learned from Jacques Pepin and cut his teeth at Manhattan's grande dame of French cooking, La Caravelle) brings an American sensibility to classic Escoffier style. That means he honors tradition by rolling out the cheese cart, but also gets creative with striped bass and chestnut-stuffed quail. The dining room's design, though, is what really transports across the Atlantic. The historic Hamm Building feels like a Parisian brasserie, with its grand picture windows, white tile floor, and French pop music on the stereo.

Dinner Menu
Soups & Salads
$7.50
Chicken Soup With Matzo Balls
$9.50
Soupe À L’oignon Grâtinée
classic french onion soup
$9.50
Salad Of Frisée & Mâche
confit duck gizzards, orange, pickled shallots and a rosemary brown butter vinaigrette
$8.00
Selection Of Organic Lettuces
radish, carrot & grape tomato with dijon vinaigrette
Introductions
$9.50
Escargots Bourguignon
traditional preparation with garlic-parsley butter
$14.00
Gently Cooked Wild Shrimp
horseradish panna cotta, roasted beet, micro sorrel & puffed wild rice
$11.00
Oysters Meritage
broiled with tarragon butter & breadcrumbs
$18.00
Fresh Maine Lobster Salad
avocado, ruby red grapefruit, lobster coral sauce & tarragon
$12.00
Braised Rabbit Ravioli
cranberry, black pepper emulsion, rutabaga & cashew crumble
$22.00
Seared Minnesota Foie Gras
vanilla-squash purée, apple-chestnut salad & spiced port wine reduction
$13.00
Wild Mushrooms
potato purée, black truffle & veal jus
Amusements
$3.00
Duck Liver Schmear
$3.00
Confit Pig Tongue
$3.00
Oyster Bloody Mary Shooter
$4.00
Billi Bi Saffron-mussel Soup
$4.00
Tiny Tuna Tartare Taco
Fruit De Mer
 
Oysters On The Half Shell
ask server for today’s selection
Each $4.00
(4) $16.00
Wild caught Shrimp Cocktail
Each $1.75
Littleneck Clams On The Half Shell
Each $1.75
Whelks
$18.00
Chilled 1/2 Maine Lobster
$7.50
Pomme Frites
house cut, served with béarnaise sauce
Fruit De Mer - Le Grand Plateau
$50.00
Le Grand
6 oysters, 4 shrimp, & market fresh assortment
$95.00
Le Meritage
12 oysters, 6 shrimp, clams & market fresh assortment
Main Characters
$19.50
Hungarian Style Holishkes
cabbage stuffed with organic kamut, mushrooms & apple with a sweet & sour tomato sauce
$21.50
Moules Frites
mussels steamed with smoked pancetta, garlic, tomato & white wine. served with house-cut pomme frites
$29.00
Oregon Sturgeon Poached In Duck Fat
veal sweetbreads, celery root purée, wild mushrooms, green apple, brussels sprout petals & red wine sauce
$30.00
Crisp Skinned Filet Of Atlantic Striped Bass
razor clams, shrimp & mussels with sunchokes, sea beans & an ocean-herb sauce
$22.50
Crispy All Natural Half Chicken
spinach, roasted potatoes, garlic & chicken jus
$25.00
Trio Of Minnesota Pork
braised shoulder roulade, slow cooked rib & roasted tenderloin, sweet potato purée, brioche crusted endive & cranberry mustarda
$28.00
Honey & Spice Glazed Minnesota Duck Breast
duck sausage, quince-rosemary purée, roasted cauliflower & oats
$25.50
Cassoulet In The Style Of Toulouse
ragoût of tarbais beans, garlic sausage, pork & duck confit
$38.50
Coffee Dusted Minnesota White Tail Venison Loin
chestnuts, braised red cabbage, smoked hen of the woods mushrooms & sauce poivrade
$44.00
Block Cut Creekstone Farms Ny Strip Steak
bone marrow soufflé, red wine shallots, garlic greens & sauce bordelaise
$25.50
Add Béarnaise Sauce $1.50
Creekstone All Natural Steak Frites
hanger steak
$13.50
Meritage House Hamburger
roasted garlic aioli, shallot confit & emmanthaler served with pomme frites
Plat Du Jour
$27.00
Tuesday - Top Sirloin steak Diane
$28.00
Wednesday - Wild Acres pheasant
$25.00
Thursday - Choucroute garnie
 
Friday - Maine Lobster
$27.00
Saturday - Braised Beef Short Ribs
$30.00
Sunday - Recovery Sunday 3-course Prix Fixe
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