Saint Genevieve — Restaurant in Minneapolis

There was a change of brunch plans and we ended up going to Saint Genevieve's for brunch. I was worried about parking the most because the Google app mentioned limited parking in the area but at around 12:30, there were several spots available right next to the restaurant. Reservations were very easy to make and manage using the Tock app.

I have not been here in a long time and the last time was for dinner several years ago. I could smell the aromas of fresh cooking as I walked into the door. I took a few minutes to Glance around and admire all the mosaic tile and wooden floor. The old mirrors and the beautiful tables and chairs through. As well as the layout of the bar and the way that the establishment is laid out with so many windows. The combination of high ceilings and windows brings in ample natural light and brightens up the place.

Our server was Sophie who told us about the menu items and the various beverage items and we decided to try their seasonal mulled wine spritzer. This vibrant purple concoction with an orange peel for garnish on ice was refreshing and very good. It paired well with everything I had to eat. We were not sure what to eat so we decided to just order a few items and share them and just chat and enjoy. Our table was small so Sophie was going to bring them out in waves.

While we were waiting my friend had a coffee and I had an espresso. Her coffee was fine but my espresso was very bitter most likely due to the grind being way too fine or over extraction from my experience making it at home in my espresso maker. Other than that the first items that came out were the smoked lox and the shakshouka. I have had smoked lox in many locations and it's always like some nasty pickled smoky mystery meat. I have had it at some places where it's not a bright color and more muted as if it was in a jar or air-tight container. The lox Here tasted very fresh and was not too vinegary or overly smokey or salty. It did not leave that fishy aftertaste in your mouth and as you chewed it up the luscious fish melted like butter and tasted like a good piece of sashimi-grade salmon. This blended in with the capers along with a touch of the herb cream cheese it was divine.

The shakshouka well I was telling my friend that I have not had a good shakshouka in the United States ever. The last good shakshouka I had was in Ramot Naftali Israel and Tel Aviv Israel. Since then I have been to so many places claiming they make a great shakshouka and how it is just like back in Israel and this and that and you taste it and it's like omg this is dreadful. It's like canned tomato paste with oil, overcooked egg, salt, and mystery spices. This shakshouka is very similar but the stuff was more thinly cut I rate this the best I have tasted in the US so far. Disclaimer I don't go seeking out shakshouka but I sometimes try it when I see it at a nice reputable restaurant or a Middle Eastern restaurant.

While eating our lox and shakshouka we met an amazing older couple who I could tell by speaking to them were foodies also. They seemed to be on the next level. I write reviews for fun and to share but they seemed on a way more professional level and it was such an honor speaking to them. I opened up my notes as they gave me some tips on locations where we should go check out and I am making those a priority. As well as the great conversation with them. The fun part about what I like about the food and not what I like about the food is also the experience I have at a place and this couple made our day we hope we run into them again down the road and will never forget them.

Next came out the Baccon. Their bacon was thick and not overly cooked where you would need to see the dentist if you bit into it. The bacon slices were also all uniformly matched and dress right dress. The seasoning on it was perfect and was not salty like the Dead Sea. The bacon went really well with the omelet that came next. The omelet was wrapped to perfection and cut incredibly smooth. It was stuff with all types of goodness and one bite into...

Ohhhhh boy, do I have a story for you. Take a seat and buckle up for this tale about a journey through a snowstorm on Valentine’s Day to Saint Genevieve for their five-course menu for $125 per person.

Looking back, the beginning of the end was when our host became confused about where to seat us because they didn’t have the table numbers memorized. We thought nothing of it at the time, but looking back, it set quite an accurate tone for how the rest of the night would go.

Once seated, we were left to settle in for about 15-20 minutes before our server came by to get our drink orders. Sadly, they were “out of” the first cocktail I picked. No big deal! I’ll get the fairly simple martini with pear. Oops, we’re out of that one too, but hey we have this other martini, it’s the one James Bond drinks! Okay I’ll get that, no worries, things happen, I get it. Drinks come, and I’ll just say this was tiny lil martini. I was gonna go on a whole big rant about it, but I’ll spare you.

Anyways, I’ll just preface this now, the pacing of the puny courses was not only begrudgingly slow, but also oddly varied between course as well as tables. We sat down right about the same time as the couple next to us. Sometimes we would get one course 10+ minutes before them, sometimes the other way around. This combined with how pathetically tiny the first few courses were made it all the worse.

Anyways let’s finally get into the food. First course (no picture). One hollow ball of dough with a tiny bit of cheese one it. Very disappointing…1/5

The next course (the picture of the two little balls with some leaves on them) was kinda like those ham and cheese breakfast hot pockets, just a lot smaller, and with the breading of a corndog. Not too bad. 2.5/5.

Next was the leek. Definitely the saddest of all the dishes. Everything about it was off. The leek itself was mushy. The burrata…I mean just look at it. No basil to be tasted, as well as the honey. Just mushy onioniness. 1/5.

Now the scallop, and I love scallops. That considered, as well as getting just one scallop, this is a 3/5 as far as scallops go.

Steak, cooked well but so chewy for how medium rare it was. Made me suspect it’s not actually wagyu…The spoonful of mashed potatoes tasted like instant mashed potatoes, and the onions just tasted like the leek..2.5/5.

We got an “accompaniment” of the pommes de terre, where are those cubes with the black stuff on them. They looked good and we were really hoping they would be, but they were undercooked. You know when a potato isn’t quite done and it’s kinda hard. This had that. Plus it was in layers that just slid apart making it hard to handle. Just not a good experience. 1.5/5.

Last was this deconstructed cheesecake, which I have to say was my favorite part of the meal, as well as my partner’s. 4.5/5.

And so, at the end of the day, and around $400 later (with 2 drinks for both of us), there you have it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt strongly enough to leave a review for a restaurant, but after this I felt obligated to share my experience so that other people don’t make the same mistake I did.

Personally, I’m not too upset, all things considered, it was quite fun and surprising seeing all these oddities add up throughout the night. We definitely got some entertainment out of it, but I can see how this could really ruin someone’s night, especially with that price tag, and especially on...

We stopped in last night for a date night. Having moved to the area almost two years ago, St Genevieve was one of the places we had yet to dine at. We chose a bar reservation and was greeted by the bartender within 5-10 minutes of being seated. I had requested a drink that I saw on their website but not on their printed menu in the restaurant. The bartender was not familiar with it, but would ask the other bartender if he knew if they could still make it. As soon as the other bartender arrived behind the bar is when we could tell something was askew for the evening there. He immediately yelled at the other bartender that "she wanted a sour NOW" and when our bartender tried to ask him about my drink, he yelled back at him "I need a sour NOW!" I had given our bartender a back up drink order in case the other drink they no longer had the ingredients for. The yelling bartender left the bar and ours brought me my back up a few minutes later. A short while later another couple was seated next to us. At first they were enjoying each other's company, but as time went on, they went ungreeted and were nearly through their provided waters. I overheard the gentleman say to his wife, "I'm about to just leave if we don't get even greeted." It was probably another 5 minutes or so before they were addressed by anyone. My husband ordered another drink and the bartender didn't even acknowledge me or ask if I wanted something else as well. Just walked away to put in our order. It wasn't until I had my husband ask for me, did I get another beverage. Our food arrived, while visually beautiful, my gnocchi was not even warm enough to melt any of the pecorino on the top. It was lukewarm at best. I thought little of it as I know timing can be an issue sometimes with smaller kitchens. As our evening went on, we noticed more stirring going on around the restaurant. It looked like there was great concern for the experience one table in the dining room was having. While we were eating, 4-5 people came up the stairs with several dishes. They were stopped on their way to the dining room by a woman and her cell phone. Saying she wanted to video them delivering her food. Mystery solved! She was the reason for the chaos. We wrapped up our meal as quickly as we could so we could leave as we did not feel to be the priority for the evening at this establishment. As we were leaving, we saw the same woman that had to video the serving of the food seated at a table with a very bright hot pink LED light strip in front of her guest and a ring light directed at her and the food she was eating. While the food tasted great, (highly recommend the cauliflower au gratin) the chaos and obvious catering to this one guest gave the impression that none of the other guests, their money, or their experience mattered. While I understand that influencers opinions carry weight, but the experiences of all of your guests should carry the...