05/05/08

Great for Escaping the Buffet Brunches in Town

by dnaily

My wife and I are Sunday Brunch diners. Like most brunchers in the cities, we have had countless buffet-style from "fine dining" restaurants down to the chains. This past weekend, we wanted a brunch that was neither a buffet or a typical breakfast menu. Our search revealed the Nicollet Island Inn and its five course brunch, and I am pleased to say that we've found a new brunch to add to the rotation.

I made reservation for 12:30, arrived on-time, but not early, and found a smooth transition from the host to the table. ("Smooth" as in - I told the host my name and within seconds I was following someone to my table.) If you haven't been to Nicollet Island, the scenery is tops among dining locales in the Twin Cities, and seperates itself from other scenic restaurants like the St. Paul Grille in that you have a view of the water and St. Anthony Main outside your window. A waiter came to us right after we were situated, asked if we had the Sunday Brunch Menu, when we said we didn't, he gave us a brief overview of the menu and the process, we chose courses, and he was off to get my wife a mimosa and me my coffee and OJ. The first course (pastries) arrived, they were fresh with a decent variety, I chose the Creme Brulet French Toast for my second course, the syrup had a full flavor and tasted more like the fruit (raspberry) than any other fruit-based syrup I've had in recent memory. I chose a flan for the third course, which seemed to prime me for the fourth. For the fourth course, I went with the salmon. The salmon flaked properly, was cooked to the right temperature, and the accompaniments added excellent flavor. For desert (fifth), I had the cheesecake, which capped off an nice dining experience.

The courses were well timed. Nothing came too fast and we didn't have to wait for the next course. The portions are well done so that you don't get full on the journey from beginning to end. This visit makes me want to test the rest of the options. We'll be back.

• Pros: Five course menu, unique brunch menu, enough options to come back

05/05/08

Wonderful Brunch experience!!

by Missm15

I threw my girlfriends Bridal Shower here and I was very high maintenance with 18 women! They couldn't have been nicer. The food was wonderful and our server was amazing!

03/31/08

Everything of the best

by Tevamae

My husband and I went here for our 1st anniversary. We were wowed beyond belief. We got there about 45 minutes before our reservation and thought we would wait in the bar. The bar had excellent windows with horse carriage rides outside( not provided by the restaurant, but availible for a price ). We had the scallop appetizer which was fantastic! All of our drinks were very good and we had a great time. When it was time for our reservation , we didn't get seated for another half hour, but were having a good time so we didn't mind. My husband had requested the best table availible, but we got sat at an aquardly placed table for 4 people even though there were only two of us. We saw an open corner booth and asked if we could be moved. Once we moved over the experience was great. Our waitress was not the best, but she was good enough. We ordered the Chef's 5 course meal paired with the wine tasting and were having a great time experiencing it. When the final course of dessert came out, we were blown away again by the size of portion and presentation of it. We were open to the experience and were just enjoying each others company for our anniversary, but we thought it was a fantastic place to go. Our bill was $190.00 for two people(bar tab included) which was a bit over the top, but the evening was one we both will remember for a long time!

• Pros: Very cozy, parking availible, upscale and inviting, good food combinations
• Cons: Staff did not communicate the best