Myriel

The sweet spot, in more ways than one, from the soft-lit eggshell interior, couples on dates, mellow jazz to cut the hum and bustle from the kitchen, to the champagne-smooth Normandy cider, heaven-sent duck pate, velvety celery soup, to the star of the show, the duck breast, to the tart and comforting Swedish cream and berries. Best meal I've enjoyed in MN (local), hands down.

I can't believe this place is currently listed as four stars. To me this is a five star restaurant. It's a hidden gem in the Highland Park neighborhood. I've been a terrible local by not coming here more frequently... and after tonight, will do so more frequently!We came here tonight to celebrate my birthday and the service by Megan was amazing. We had the celery root soup, which was excellent. It was a pretty small soup bowl, but had simple but elegant flavor. We had the potato dumplings and duck confit leg, which is also excellent (and that's coming from a gnocchi snob). The lentils and poached egg were out of this world. (Had I known lentils tasted this good, I would've considered becoming a vegetarian!) The duck breast was excellent, and the crisp on the skin was perfect. It was a perfect match to the lentils and poached egg. The only criticism is that the plate could've been hotter as it got cold pretty quickly.We finished the meal with an amazing apple pie. The crust was flaky thanks to a little bit of lard. (Who doesn't need more lard in their diet when it comes to flakiness?!). The Swedish cream (a.k.a. panna cotta) was out of this world. Best dessert I've had in a long time with the bitter, dark chocolate crisp and the crunchy pop of the lindenberry.Everything truly was spectacular and kudos to the team. Well done.

Myriel is an interesting restaurant. It is clear from the jump that the chef is very passionate about foraging and being farm to fork. Coming from a city that champions itself as the farm to fork capital, I very much understand and appreciate the endeavor. The ambiance is quaint, made up of about 10 2-top tables that they can arrange as needed. There are a few seats by the bar area as well.Our server was nice and seemed like she had the best grasp on good service. Having been to a lot of fine dining and Michelin restaurants, I see what this place is trying to do, but I think it may be trying to run before it can walk. The front of house service def needs some fine tuning. We had plates and flatware delivered only to be immediately picked up and replaced by something else. Not a terrible mistake, but noticeable. Also the dinnerware didn't seem fully thought out. For example, the squash custard wasn't served with a spoon, but with a fork. It made eating the custard difficult. The red wheat porridge was served in a bowl where the sides were not steep and getting the last half of the porridge in the spoon was extremely difficult. It feels like someone from Myriel needs to eat all the dishes as served to the guests so they can see what works and what doesn't.The cocktail I ordered (the Hazel) was nigh undrinkable and just plain undesirable. Weird that my cocktail sat there with two sips taken for 3 plus hours and no one asked me about it. The smoked vermouth was so overwhelming and long lasting in the pallet, I have a hard time imagining the chef anticipated this as pairing with any of the food.We did order the tasting menu as we love a good tasting menu. Some of the dishes were very good. The start of pickled foraged vegetables was good. The tiny pickled eggplants stood out. The red wheat berry porridge was delicious (yet hard to eat). The roasted hen was very good. The lamb loin was nicely prepared. The duck hearts were delicious. The cheese and kale salad was ridiculously salty, to the point of inedible. We left most of it on the plate, no one asked us about it. The chicory with the lamb was bitter (as it is) but had nothing to balance it out. The sunchoke with my hen was prepared very well, the sunchoke on my wife's plate was not fully cooked and she had to saw through it with her knife. There was a tiny leaf herb on the wheat berries that I think was spearmint but I'm not sure. Whatever it was, it was aggressively overpowering and didn't add to the dish. The walnut brittle became softer on top of the rice pudding and became a bit chewy and was stuck in all of our teeth. Last thing I'll say about the food service were the pauses between courses, and there were some very big pauses. The dining space is quite small and making people stay for over 3 hours with 15-20 minute breaks in between certain courses was less than ideal.Maybe lastly worth mentioning was that the chef had one of the farmers she works with eating at the bar. All of the attention from the restaurant was to the farmer once she arrived and not the guests. It was.....noticeable and weird. The chef owns the place and this is absolutely her prerogative, but maybe not the best business decision to potentially alienate your paying guests.Would I return? The way it currently is, probably not. I like the passion the chef has for farm to fork and foraging, but maybe there is too much focus here where certain elements were added to dishes not because they were a perfect addition but because they happened across them. I think they should really look at what is working and focus on that and get that perfectly operating before expanding into other areas.

Very disappointed with our experience Valentine's Day 2024 which was meant to be a romantic Valentine dinner. For some reason that review seems to have been removed at some point in the past year so I'm adding it again. The tables were so close together the server had to stand behind my husband to get our order and hand our food over our heads. Took 45 minutes to get our appetizer and the food was over salted. The manager apologized that 1.5 hours in we hadn't received our entrees yet and offered to give us free desert but at point I wasn't waiting any longer. Thankfully they refunded most of our bill but I can't see us ever going back. I seriously don't understand the hype. There are way better restaurants out there.

This restaurant was recommended to me and it was the best place I've eaten in a long time. The service was impeccable. The food was exquisite. And the ambiance was just perfection. I am still fondly thinking of the good I ate months later. Every detail from the cutlery and dishes to the wine pairings were a complete delight. If you happen to get a reservation be prepared for a wonderful evening you won't soon forget.

This place should win an award! Fine dining without the pretends.I heard that it's hard to get RSVP here. So try 5 pm when they first open or after 7 pm (tips from Lauren: amazing bartender +). We did and got 2 seats at the bar, front row!Please order cocktails, they are excellent, my favorite was "Hazel" until I tried the "Bishop" which is even better. They did NOT pre-mixed any drinks, all made there in front of you, takes sometimes but you can see the love!Although Mark (amazing bartender +) explained that some drinks are better pre-mixed that the flavor develop more (good point!)Lauren explained that this restaurant tried to get all ingredients within 100 miles. Also there's a tasting menu which is around 12 dishes with optional cocktails pairing (hmmmm....sounds like a future dinner!)FOODS!Order anything with mushrooms! They know how to work mushrooms!We had Tartine with Mushrooms, that alone is enough for a good dinner if you're not too hungry or curious. If it's the latter, then here's what we had:Early summer greens, pea pods and shoots, vili dressing $13The veggie is fresh you can smell the earth (in good way). The dressing is creamy yet refreshing. Taste like spring Chilled shaved beef, allium mayonnaise, coriander, ramps $17Looks like roast beef but flavor bomb! Get ready for it.Tartine - mushroomSmokey. Tangy. Creamy well balanced. It's a perfect bite every single bite.Austrian spaetzel, beurre blanc, dill $16 with poached egg $3Homemade spaetzel, what more can you ask?Well I love egg so I have that added, note to self ask if runny egg next time so it can oozed out to the spaetzel (it was perfectly soft boiled egg)Pork belly, charred onion glaze, grilled mushroom, mizuna $28Melt in your mouth. The mushroom is insane charcoal I would prefer some grain or rice with it, but it's just me.Little but sweet but the the smoke and the acid really balance everything outa la finMark recommends a liquor called "Carcavelos" that paired nicely with "sunflower seed ice cream, cocoa crisp, whey caramel $12 (Perfect combo-Thanks again Mark!)You're not done!you also get a "Kernza" cookie with your bill! Yeah I have to google "Kernza" too.The chef even come out and greet the customers what a humble place for such a nice dining experience.

My experience at Myriel was overall positive, and my biggest impression was that this establishment is built for dates because of the atmosphere. It is a small space that contains several 2-people tables, with pictures on the walls and a dark light vibe, and has a menu that changes everyday almost emulating a tasting experience. In some ways, the vibe and the unique dining setting may have overshadowed its food taste aspect.Since the menu would be different everyday, I will not make an effort in recommending a specific dish since whoever reads this may not be able to see the item anyway, but overall the food has small portion and can be easily seen as overpriced because one has to order a lot of food in order to be full, which is another reason why this place may be built better for dates rather than to satisfy cravings. But it does seem like the menu finds a good balance between appetizer, salad, legume, and meat entrées, so there is something for everyone, but once again, expect to walk out of there not entirely full. I also think the meat entrée I had, which was a confit duck and pork belly cassoulet, tasted a bit weird, almost like the different kinds of meat combined to create a weirdly meaty flavor. But everything else was good! The beet salad, lentils, dumpling, desserts, everything was good quality!Overall like I have mentioned, perfect place for dates and for two people to strike a conversation while slowly enjoying food which shouldn't be the biggest priority, but not where one would want to go to be full.

The food and menu are always so well thought of. I can't emphasize just how well all of the dishes are prepared. The food is truly amazing!I love just how beautiful and quaint this space is. The welcoming and slightly feminine feel to the space makes me feel like I've went home to have dinner with my Mother. The staff and service lives up to what the menu and food requires of them. They know the food and provide well thought of recommendations. Go to this restaurant! Get a duck leg or some curd with whatever you order. It is worth it and you will not be disappointed.

Myriel offers a thoughtfully curated dining experience, featuring both an à la carte menu and a 12-course tasting menu, with the latter being a delightful surprise--no menu is provided, allowing each dish to unfold as an exciting surprise. At around $200 per person (excluding drinks but including a 22% service charge and tax), it's certainly in the range of Michelin-level tasting menus, which typically can be around $300+. **Is it worth it? Absolutely.** Myriel does an incredible job showcasing Minnesota's local produce, with a particular focus on vegetables and the farmers behind them. Each dish was flavorful and delicious, and I left feeling quite satisfied, though I do wish a couple of courses had slightly larger portions, especially compared to similar tasting menus I've experienced at Michelin-starred spots. That said, it's a minor critique, as the overall experience left me impressed.The service was excellent, with the team attending to us with care and attention to detail. The restaurant's ambiance is warm and inviting, making you feel as though you're a guest in their home. If I had to be super critical a few dish explanations could have been more detailed and polished, and the staff didn't notice I'm left-handed when setting my silverware. Also, there wasn't really a host to greet us upon arrival, which might be expected at this price point, but these are small details in what was otherwise a wonderful dining experience.Knowing that Myriel regularly changes its menu keeps me excited to return. It's a fantastic spot to celebrate a special occasion or simply to explore the rich, local food scene Minneapolis has to offer. Highly recommended!

Amazing food, service, and atmosphere. This place is a must try.The service was amazing with our server being so friendly, welcoming, and even told us a little about the history of the restaurant and chef. I wanted to come here for the changing menu and use of seasonal ingredients and was delighted to know that they make everything possible in house, including the vinaigrette. We ordered the lentils, potatoes, bread, and duck breast. All were absolutely amazing. Flavorful, cooked perfectly, and perfect crisp. I can guarantee that anything here would be absolutely delicious.Our server really made the experience wonderful and I wish I got their name. Great recommendations and very friendly.Such a perfect place for a date or a classy night. Will be returning to try something new and maybe even do the chefs tasting menu one day.