02/27/08

You Minnesota People don't know how to take care of good restaurants

by firestar515

I LOVED A REBOURS! Best Pate hands down in the Twin Cities. I lived in MSP for 2+ years from NYC and instantly fell in love with this place. It's a real shame that Minnesotans don't patronize good places as often as needed to support these excellent venues. I strongly feel that you guys really don't know how to appreciate a great spot when its right in the middle of your city!

I'm still shocked to this day that Five Res + Street Lounge closed after one year. If we had Five in NYC, at those prices, holy smacks, I'd be there every weekend. The closest thing I've come to Five (in terms of quality, taste and originality of the food, as well as spectacular presentation and tasting menus) is a placed called CRU (look it up on citysearch) and it costs at least 5 times as much, easily. But it does WELL, not only because NY'ers go out more, because when we find a real gem, we really show our appreciation, in the form of $$. Sorry but restaurants aren't non-profit charities that cook out of good will, they need to make money to stay open. And if you want all these great qualities in a place, don't bicker when you have to shell out some hard earned cash! Trust me, you guys REALLY are paying peanuts for a place like Heartland.

Sadly a gorgeous place like A Rebours, with friendly, timely service, well presented, tasteful and creative food, with a pretty good wine list and GREAT prices, closes down because places like Chino Latino (which yes does have good food, but come on! noisy as heck and the bathroom being unisex *really* isn't as impressive as it's made out to be, and it sure doesn't improve it's service!) are sucking all your attention.

Oh goodness, if it gets any worse, next, Heartland will be closed! Or the Artists Quarter! Or 112 Eatery.... well, that's not likely....at least I hope not or I'll have to stop visiting.

• Pros: food, service, wine, PATE and then a Steak sandwich at lunch, YUM!
• Cons: empty in this lunch based economy and unappreciative "city"-dwellers

09/21/07

Best restaurant in St. Paul

by sundance9999

I don't know what "lauhan" expects and maybe this person has some other issues with the restaurant. However, I have been to A Rebours many times and have never been disappointed in the food, service or price. I believe that there was great value in what I received for I paid. This is truly the best restaurant in St. Paul.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: Parking - if you not lucky to get a street spot close to the restaurant

01/02/07

Great Customer Service

by mcmillen66

Through a mix up of schedules and a last min decision I wound up at

A Rebours before prom with a group of 3 other couples. I am happy I wound up there. The service was great, I spoke to a manager and explained my prom fiasco he made every accommodation necessary to get us in and to the dance on time. The food tasted great, and our server explained everything to us, not only did it taste good (no of us 8 had a single complaint) it was creatively presented. It has become a new favorite restaurant.

• Pros: Great service, fast

Find home-style cassoulet or basil-glazed scallops at this French-inspired beauty of a bistro in downtown St. Paul.

by Contributor

In Short
Located in the historic Hamm Building, this upscale eatery features the traditional bistro look: cozy zinc bar, tile floor, high ceilings, mirrors, leather banquettes and dark wood. Lunchtime tables find powers-that-be digging in; at dinner, the pretheater old-money crowd arrives. Late-night, a global group fills the space. Starters like steamed mussels bathing in a subtly curried butter are classic, while entrees range from innovative dishes like cocoa-scented duck with fig sauce to homespun lamb cassoulet.

08/02/06

The price suggested that the food and service would be better.

by lauhan

We went on a Thursday night. The restaurant was about 1/3 full. Both the food and service were a little below average. It was expensive.

• Pros: No wait
• Cons: Price

05/15/06

An experience to go back for.

by bellinbabe

What a charming, delightful lunch we had at A Rebours. Friends had steered us to St. Paul to experience what they described as nothing short of wonderful. We were graciously met at the door by the maitre de. Once seated, our waiter took care of our every need in a very unobtrusive manner. He made suggestions for us and we were not disappointed. I am looking forward to my next trip to the Twin Cities for a repeat performance.

• Pros: Leisurely, Priced right., good menu selections.
• Cons: Was hard to find.

12/03/05

not the best experience

by jakekostroski

I had researched several restaurants to take my mother out for her 60th Birthday and decided on this one. We arrived (with reservations) and had our cramped table for 8 literally inches from the front door AND the main aisle, not impressive. We all wanted wine so i told the waiter what we were looking for, because most of the list was completely unfamiliar to me. None of our wines (3+ bottles) were what we wanted and there was no effort on his part to change things. The food was ok, but nothing all that amazing...for the price, i would not return to this establishment.

• Pros: valet
• Cons: lack of space, service, price

10/31/05

"A simple lunch"

by looksgood

We were looking for a simple lunch on our visit to St. Paul when we happened upon the delightful restaurant A Rebours! What a find. Since I was from out of town, I felt as though I may as well throw a dart at a board to find a restaurant. My partner and I were raving the rest of the day about our dining experience. It started with the Maitre D so I can only assume the the one referred to in another post is long gone. Our waiter was charming but effficient. He made excellent recommendations to us for lunch and we were not let down. He lingered long enough to always make sure we were satisfied but otherwise was unobtrusive. We each had wonderful soups and sandwiches, topped off by a brownie oozing rich dark chocolate. Next trip to the cities will include DINNER at A Rebours.

09/16/05

Perfect!

by smsmith

I went here for my first time for our anniversary, based on a friends recommendation. Wow, did they deliver for a special occasion meal! We had the chefs tasting menu -and it was unbelievably good. Each course was prepared perfectly, spaced apart at the right pace, and kept getting better course after course. I have eaten at Charlie Trotters in Chicago several times - and the tasting menu at A Rebours is right up there. While Trotters focuses more on exotic ingredients and unique parings to push the envelope, A Rebours menu had true, clean flavors, with just the right amount of menu innovation. I strongly recommend the tasting menu - no menus, no restrictions - let the kitchen bring you their best and enjoy! Service was excellent as well.

• Pros: Food, Service, Atmoshpere
• Cons: None

09/13/05

A wonderful experience

by pjkeith

The atmosphere and the service combined with the food puts this restaurant at the top of our list. The food was beautifully presented and the flavors were complex and delicious. It was the kind of food that we wanted eat slowly so that the experience would last longer. Delicious!