Introduced to us by our native Minneapolitan friend, Colette Bar & Bistro made a wonderful immediate impression for us of the Twin Cities' foodie scene. Â CB&B is comfortably elegant, bright, and tasty little French bistro featuring classic dishes and charming pastries. Â Located in the Sofitel Hotel (directly adjacent to the Double Tree by Hilton where we stayed), my dining companion and I enjoyed lunch, breakfast, dinner, and brunch at CB&B in the 3 days we were there.
While the dinner felt pricey for what we ate, we thoroughly enjoyed Colette's comforting breakfast/brunch and fun lunch. Â Here's a rundown of what we ordered:
BREAKFAST & BRUNCH
- Egg White Omelet with Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato, Brie (instead of Goat Cheese) plus Chocolate Croissant, Berries, and Grapefruit Juice: A refreshing start to the day with the omelet and berries; their pastries are wonderfully flaky and flavorful with a delicate touch. Â We enjoyed this the most and ordered it on the second morning visit.
- Duck Confit Hash with Poached Eggs with Croissant and Coffee: A heartier contrast to the above with nice savory flavors.
- Caramelized Banana Waffles with Berries plus Green Tea: A very pleasant sweet selection to start the day.
LUNCH
- "30 Minute Taste of Paris": French Onion Soup; Tomato-Mozzarella Napoleon; Seared Salmon with Fried Jasmine Rice, Asparagus, and Black Pepper Sauce; Layered Raspberry Sponge Cake: An outstanding deal ($18.75 for this lunch box) with an exciting (nice accent from the veggies in the fried rice) and satisfying portions!
- Grilled Chicken-Brie Panini with Pesto Mayonnaise and Mesclun Salad was wonderfully crisp with a light chew through the pressed bread, plus nice chicken, delicately sharp brie, and a flavor kick from the mayo balanced with the salad made for another delicious and hearty selection.
DINNER (2 x "Taste of Paris")
- Chardonnay flight ($15): Somewhat characterless and not very distinguishable in flavor/aroma/etc.
- Smoked Salmon with Lemon-Dill Creme Fraiche; House Salad; Sea Scallops with Butternut Squash Puree, Gremolata, and Lemon Yogurt; Fruit Tart: The salmon and scallops were decently executed, while the tart was good (we bought some from the Patisserie earlier).
- Blue & Brie Cheese; Goat Cheese Fritter with Mesclun; Beef Bourguignon; Chocolate Mousse: Also rather plainly prepared, though the beef was a bit dry.
For dinner, the four-partitioned serving tray for $26 felt pricey (not very different from lunch in experience, plus it felt a bit rushed since it came all out at once and got cold faster). Â The dishes that were served for dinner felt a bit out of the kitchen's comfort zone--more brasserie (more luxurious, thus requiring different approach) than the more casual bistro.
However, for a quick (hearty) bite for lunch, the slightly less fancy version of the dinner "Taste of Paris" felt like a great value because the fare seemed more up to the kitchen's bistro cooking. Â Befitting a comfortable bistro/patisserie, the lunch and breakfast/brunch fare hits their culinary sweet spot--great quality comfort food that is unpretentious yet sophisticated and pleasing to foodies.
I definitely recommend for elegant, yet inexpensive-to-moderate costing breakfast, brunch, or lunch. Â The service is pleasant, accommodating, and friendly while the ambiance is that of an elegant cafe. Â Plus, CB&B makes nice pastries so take a peek in their patisserie adjacent to the restaurant after your meal.
What has happened to the classic egg benedict that we have loved over the years? Went there this morning for my husband's birthday brunch and we were very disappointed. The eggs were over done, the English muffins were dry and hard and there was hardly any hollandaise sauce! We will think twice before returning.
Review Source:Love Colette. It is located in the beautiful Sofitel Hotel and I hope that those staying there take advantage of this delicious French restaurant.
All of the classic French dishes are represented on the menu from a filling French onion soup to beef bourginon to coq au vin. You can't go wrong with any of the choices but the Taste of Paris is the way to go. It offers a sampling of four courses (including dessert). I couldn't finish it, but it was a great tasting nonetheless.
The two stars are for the beautiful atmosphere, great wine and good service. I should give it another for the magnificent salads and appetizers, there was a drizzle of truffle oil on my fresh mixed greensand I was in heaven! When the entrees arrived my group was immediately taken aback by the pungeant smell of dead fish. I ordered the dover sole, my friends had salmon and chicken, respectively. The dover sole was terribly smelly, like polluted water. I sent it back right away. As I waited i asked my friends to start without me knowing the meat i had ordered woul be a little longer. The salmon was pretty dry looking and overcooked but I have to say i believed my friend wanted it  cooked well so she was happy. The chicken seemed ok, too. The presentations were impressive. I have never been dissapointed at Sofitel, it is one of my favorite travel hotels. Excellent accomodations and personell. The food was brought to me at last and it was a tiny bit overcooked too, (asked for medium rare, got medium) Iether way it was excellent, but the whole fish smell thing kind of bummed us out since my friends had to wait till I ate my meal( and hurriedly). The odd thing was that the restaurant manager came to let us know that my dinner was arriving soon, but he never offered an explanation or an apology. That was not Sofitel it was Holiday Inn customer service. Dissapointing. If I were the manager, I might have offered an apology But they only asked if we wanted to order dessert three times. I might eat there again, but i will not order the fish.The waiter, Zeki, was first class all the way!
Review Source:Magnefique!
Divine. Â What more can be said. Â I enjoy every visit. Â Atmosphere has been recently updated to modern/chic. Â Gotta say I loved the "Old Paris" style mo betta.
Our waiter was a bit of a grumpy guy though. Â I guess we were experiencing some genuine French attitude, no? Â Dunno, but it took his Jamaican Rasta Busser to get him softened up and relaxed. Â
I would say the missing star is because overall, the service is generally slow and cool in temperment....dare I say needlessly snooty by those that yet have reason to be? Â Management, on the other hand, is always accomodating, friendly, smiley and delightful.
We (party of 3) had a great time, regardless. Â
Food was excellent as usual. Â Best French food this side of Marseilles.
Got in to the hotel during a storm, so went down to try this out.  We both elected to get the "Paris four" tapas plates and both got different items in our selection.  The bread served as an appetizer was great.  The main course arrives and we both try half of each of the eight offerings.  The presentation on all of them was great (but that was expected)  out of the eight dishes 2 were OK , 5 were really good, but the sea bass was likely the best I have ever had.  Other then the price I have no trouble recommending this restaurant.  Will we  likely not be back the city is full of other places we want to try.
Review Source:Regarding the Patisserie: For delicious French pastries, baked goods, and coffees at a reasonable price it doesn't get much better. Five dollars will get you a custom coffee and croissant... I recommend the ham and cheese. You can get everything to go or eat-in.
This is not a Caribou or Star Bucks type experience, if you like really sugary coffees,heavy treats, and wry baristas... don't even bother  with the Patisserie; however, why not try something new a few times? Take it from me, the more you try authentic custom coffees and pastries, the less you will like the mainstream stuff. Not to mention that Caribou and Star Bucks are really, really expensive.
The same lady works the counter every Saturday, she is polite, efficient, and makes a great white mocha.
The Petit Marche is such a treat! I used to get my Birthday Cake here for a couple of years when I was younger, and recently I made a venture back to check out what was new.
The first time I stopped by it was closed, their hours are:
M-F 6:30 AM - 12 PM
Weekends 7 AM - 3 PM
Don't worry, I was persistent and went back on a Sunday morning. It was busy like a bee hive, both with hotel guests and people coming in to pick up some sweet pastries.
I got a Chocolate Croissant and Almond Croissant. The Almond was awesome! I didn't realize I was going to be biting into a croissant with a warm creamy filling. Note: I craved one so bad that I got one at Patrick's Bakery in the same week, NOT the same, no warm tasty goodness in the center, just powdered sugar on top.
It was so yummy that I almost finished the whole thing before my two minute car ride came to an end at my friend's house. The Chocolate seemed okay, nothing special.
The place was cute with a French theme and modern quirky accents. I would love to try one of their cakes again, the Tropical Mirror sounds most intriguing.
I've been traveling to MN for work for about a month now, and I've been consistently impressed with the food and service at Colette.
After getting off a long plane ride, it's good to know I can get a good meal on the road. Â They have a great tasting menu option that lets you sample their specialties at a very reasonable price. Â It's just nice to know you don't have to go very far from the hotel to get a good, sit down dinner too.
As an extra plus for avid people watchers, I tend to find a good mix of middle aged to older business travelers in this hotel who have had a few glasses of wine too many and like to talk loudly. Â Last time I was here, an older gentleman was trying to impress some ladies he was dining with by explaining the financial crisis, humorously mispronouncing "Lehman" for about 30 minutes as he gestured wildly with his arms. Â Â
Like other reviews mention, it's on the pricier side of things, but what keeps it from getting the 4th star in my book is the question "Would I come here if I weren't staying in the hotel and similar food venues were close by?" Â I think the answer is no. Â For what (and where) it is, Collette is a great place, but I think too much of what I enjoy here is due to the context, and not the actual substance of the restaurant.
Every visit to Chez Colette so far has been for brunch... but I will say that it's always been an enjoyable experience. The atmosphere is friendly for a morning meal.. and I am certain there is a drastically different atmosphere in the evenings. Light pours into the airy space and is matched by friendly staff.
The french toast is by far my favorite here... although others I've eaten with swear by the eggs Benedict.
Recommended for brunch.
One of the best dining experiences of my life.
Chez Colette is located in the Sofitel. Â The interior is warm and cozy, modeled in the French "brasserie" style. Â
For me, there were many "bests" at Chez Colette. Â Best calamari. Â Best steak. Best bread. Â Best fondue. Â Best creme brulee.
For an appetizer, I had crispy calamari. Â It was the freshest, most flavorful calamari I've ever had. Â The batter it was fried in was crispy and light...perfect.
Bread is also included as an appetizer. Â The bread was superb.
I had the fondue bordelaise. Â The fondue sauce was red wine flavored with spices like bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Â The meat that came with the fondue was the most tender, high-quality meat I've ever had. Â I cooked it in the hot red wine for about a minute, and it came out tender and delicious.
Our excellent waiter brought me a free dessert, which was also wonderful. Â The dessert was an array of chocolate cups filled with various fruit custards, including passion fruit and raspberry. Â All of them were scrumptious.
My dining companion couldn't finish her creme brulee, so I helped. Â It was the smoothest, silkiest creme brulee I've ever had. Â Extremely good to say the least.
To top it off, our kind and generous waiter gave me two free French baguettes. Â A perfect end to a great meal.
If you are ever in Minneapolis, please, please make a stop at Chez Colette. Â You will walk away stunned and impressed.
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