Barbette (v. 3.0)

Restaurants come and go. Some endure longer than they ought to, others are with us for far too brief a time. Barbette is a rarity—an intimate neighborhood bistro that gets better with every reincarnation. Several years ago, owner Kim Bartmann replaced Barbette’s original chef, Lisa Carlson, with Ty Hatfield, and the restaurant continued to chug merrily along, turning out the kitchen’s highly regarded signature roasted Amish chicken and salade Niçoise. But neither Hatfield nor Carlson possessed the skill set or confidence that Levain alum Peter Botcher owns, and his arrival in Barbette’s kitchen has the restaurant executing on a level equal to some of Minneapolis’s better-known gastronomic temples.

Barbette’s room sparkles at night, filled with the sort of high-end energy found at chic bohemian boîtes in big cities the world over. But now, the same frisson you encounter walking into the room during the dinner rush is also felt as each course arrives at your table—service is well-suited to its funky style.

Salads are perfectly seasoned compositions. A simple plate of mixed tender greens came tossed with shaved fennel, crowned with delicate fennel fronds, and bathed in an explosive shallot vinaigrette. The boring charcuterie plate of Barbette’s past had its demons exorcised with Botcher’s country pâté, ham terrine, and spoonful of chicken liver mousse, all surrounded by sliced dried sausages, jambon cuit, and a sturdy mustard. The clichéd daily tartare has been lifted up by the chef’s marriage of perfectly diced tuna and disks of aged beef drizzled with aged shoyu and cilantro sprigs. Botcher’s special, a sauté of morels and asparagus on a cloud of polenta, was superb, devoid of the pasty quality that often proves that few local chefs know what to do with polenta. The vegetarian risotto offered one evening was simple and nicely turned out—buttery rice set on a pool of spring pea purée, under a tangle of shaved raw asparagus and Chévre fondue. Botcher knows how to roast meats and fish; his sliced sirloin is as faultless as his roast cod.

Barbette’s wine list is perfectly suited to the food—well priced and offered without pretense. The desserts are predictable, but getting better as Botcher gets his legs: the panna cotta and chocolate espresso fondue are worth the trip. Bartmann has made a smart decision in putting food first—more proprietors should take note. Then maybe they could be in the enviable position of entering a fifth year in business better than ever.