Bûcheron — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Let me begin by saying this place wholly embraces customer service.

As small venue, it is challenging to seat large groups. With 15 of us, the GMs expressed concerns about seating us together. They came up with staggered bookings so that we overlapped and had time to connect with one another over the courses.

Having said that, it was still difficult to time it out. One table waited quite a while for their food. But, a lot of this is on us. We were warned. It's helpful to keep in mind that the chef wants perfection on each plate and needs time to do so. We pushed that envelope a little hard. Conclusion: great place for a date, or dinner with a couple of friends.

Our table began with the Pomme Dauphine, the marrow, and the fois gras. I normally despise mashed potatoes and I have a butter allergy, but when in a French restaurant.... The Pomme Dauphine and marrow were equally delicious, savory, tongue teasing, but oh dear Lord, the foie gras eclipsed them both. From the accompanying marmalade and the amaretto compote, the twist using a savory scone instead of a cracker, and the silken foie gras itself, we were in absolute heaven. Our server, Azure, also excellent, paired a variety of wines with our app samplings; all perfect.

For entrees, our table had the steak, the trout, and the sun choke dishes (we heard the agnolotti from our friends' table was a winner). Although I found the rainbow trout well presented, leaving the fish to be the star (it's good fish) with just a few supporting vegetable players alongside, others in our group found it too bland. I argue that there are two camps of taste when it comes to fish. I personally loved it and felt it was presented in a true French fashion. I'd order it again. The really winner, as a flavor bomb, was the steak with a Bordelaise sauce I'd lay my head in if I had a vat of it. The steak is served medium rare; this is how we eat our steak and it's how the chef insists this dish be served, and it was perfection. If you want your steak more well done, you may want to order the agnolotti. I respect and APPLAUD a chef with the balls to insist on doing it the way it should be done. If you saw The Big Night, you know whose restaurant team I cheered for.

Dessert... I don't do them, usually. Our table had the poached apple with sun choke ice cream and mulling spice mini donuts; our friends' table ordered the sorbet and macaron. Both got applause while my husband and I dipped our Etnaean Amaro, which was a beautiful way to sign off. I had an after-dinner espresso, which was fine, but I didn't understand the bowlful of sugar cubes and two spoons that came with it. Do the French do something different with espresso?

I was jumping up and moving around, trying to orchestrate our group, and forgot to photograph our dishes. Apologies. But there are plenty to view online, if you need the visual.

I rarely give 5 stars, and this restaurant gets a solid 4, only because they are new and with that comes some working out the kinks. We presented a challenge to them, so set that factor aside. I believe they did the best job they could with 15 people all arriving within the same half hour. I'd give our own table's server, Azure, a...

We were really looking forward to this meal. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the high expectations we had.

We started with cocktails. While they were good cocktails, it took over 20 minutes for them to come. Considering we were the literal first table sat, that is a very long time.

For the food, we sampled quite a few different dishes.

Lion's Mane - 4/5 This was very good. It was crispy and the texture of the mushrooms was almost meaty. Would recommend.

Celery Root Tortellini- 4/5 The broth was good. The tortellini were filled with marscapone cheese. Good dish.

Mixed Chicory Salad - 4/5 Salad had good flavor. Beets were nice.

Pommes Dauphines - 3/5 They were crispy and the texture was nice. But they had caraway flavor and it was almost over powering. Not my favorite. Also worth noting, the online menu says $10 but I just checked my receipt and we were charged $12.

Bread - We asked for a little bread to go with the meal to soak up the sauces. While the bread was good, it was $6 for 2 slices that were cut in half and we were never informed there would be a fee for the bread when we asked for it. We assumed it was complimentary.

Feller's Ranch Steak - 3/5 This is where is all went south. We all ordered this dish. Thats 3 steaks for a total of $126. We ordered them medium well. They came out and they were borderline medium if not medium rare. It was offered to take them back however we've down this road before. All that will happen is those same pieces will go back on the grill to cook longer and will come back out tougher than they started. So regrettably, we ate them the way they were. The meat was tough regardless of the cook temperature.

Sticky Toffee Cake - 4/5 Flavor was good. Mandarin orange sorbet was light.

Cookies and Cream - 4/5 Flavor and texture was very good here too. Milk sorbet had nice flavor. Chocolate macarons added nice crunch.. Both desserts weren't to sweet either which was nice.

They charge an automatic 21% service fee. I wasn't surprised by the fee as its listed on the menu, however I dont think the service we received warranted that cost. I paid $72 for service. I did not receive $72 service in my opinion. Had I been tipping on my own, I would have dropped that by $30 easily.

Bare in mind this place is quite small and the tables are very close together, like very close. Thats something to take into consideration if that's not your preferred type of space.

Our bill was $461 for 3 people. I don't mind paying a high price if I feel like the experience is worth it but I dont feel like The price reflected the service and food we received. I honestly don't think...

We booked a table at Bûcheron just before it was crowned Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation—and you can see why. This cozy Kingfield space has seen several lives (formerly Corner Table and then Revival), but Bûcheron brings something distinctly fresh and elevated to the neighborhood. The restaurant gives off major NYC vibes—intimate, a bit snug, and buzzing with energy. There are only a handful of tables inside, plus a small bar, and they've added quite a bit of sidewalk seating out front. Personally, I'd recommend booking an indoor table. Sidewalk dining isn’t quite my idea of a "vibe," unless you're in Paris - Bonjour. The interior may be tight, but that’s the charm—you're dining in what feels like the city’s best-kept secret. We had a 7PM Saturday night reservation and were seated right away. We started with cocktails: my wife had a crisp, classic martini, and I went for the Paper Plane—a bright, punchy blend of reposado tequila, red aperitivo, amaro, and apricot. A good summer cocktail.

Our server recommended 5–6 dishes to share between the two of us, and the pacing and service throughout the meal were on point. The hospitality charge (18%) is automatically added and supports the entire team—a nice touch that reflects the thoughtful service. Here’s what we ordered: King Salmon Crudo – a small plate of buttery salmon with pickled kumquat, scallion, and radish. Clean, and citrusy—an ideal start. Beet Salad – Earthy, beets with creamy green garlic chèvre beautifully plated. Can't go wrong with a beet salad. If you know you know. Spaghetti with Poached Lobster – I'm a sucker for Lobster pasta, rich lobster sauce, and generous chunks of lobster. Roasted Broccoli – Nicely charred, with berbere spice, mushrooms, garlic chips, olives, and anchovy vinaigrette. It was good, but compared to the others, it didn’t quite pop. Chamomile-Crusted Alaskan Halibut – Two perfectly cooked portions, flaky with a delicate crust. Served with roasted artichokes, watercress, couscous, and (slightly too subtle) bacon. More bacon would have been welcome! Ha! Bonus: Most dishes are gluten-free or can be made gluten-free—a huge win if you’re dining with dietary restrictions.

Final Thoughts:
If you go into any award-winning restaurant expecting the best meal of your life, you might set yourself up for disappointment. But if you go in with curiosity and an open palate, Bûcheron absolutely delivers. Every dish was thoughtfully crafted, flavors were layered and seasonal, and the service matched the food. This place is made for...