Foodie Friday: Dinner at Meritage

We've had so many good meals this week, it's hard to blog about just one. I had a great dinner Wednesday night at Barrio with my friend Laura for Restaurant Week. But the best meal was Sunday night at Meritage with Adam for Restaurant Week.

Restaurant Week is sponsored by Minneapolis-St.Paul Magazine. Participating restaurants in the Twin Cities offer prix fixe/tasting menus. I've heard about Restaurant Week before, but we always seem to miss it. This time, we did not.

We've been wanting to go to Meritage in downtown St. Paul for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity. The service was a little slow as they were pretty busy. Almost an hour between our starters and main course? Really? But the food was so good it was worth it.

Sorry these pictures aren't the best, I didn't want to be obnoxious and use my flash.

Starter:
Stef: Harvest Pumpkin Soup: Gingerbread Croutons & Spiced Creme Fraiche 

 I thought the soup was AMAZING. I absolutely loved the gingerbread croutons and would have enjoyed having more than 3. Adam tried the soup and thought it was okay. He admits to not really being "into pumpkin foods." I'm not necessarily either, but this was great and probably my favorite course. I thought the pumpkin bowl (complete with stem lid) it was served in was a little silly though.

Adam: Trio of Oysters on the Halfshell:Chef's Selection served with Traditional Accompaniments

Adam said these were great. I took his word for it.

Main:

Stef: Lemon Sole Grenobelois: Seasonal Vegetables & Brown Butter Sauce

YUM! The sole had great flavor and had a great texture and crust. It was served with some really good veggies and capers which I love. It was great.

Adam: Beef Short Rib Pot au Feu: Traditional Poached Beef served with Root Vegetables, Horseradish & Pickled Carrots

 I tried a bite of Adam's short rib and it was delicious. I almost wished I had ordered it for myself and I'm not really into red meat at all. It was that good. Adam raved about it.

Dessert:
 
Stef: Apple Pavlova: Pomegranate & Honey Creme Fraiche

 This was kind of weird but good - the crunchy yet gooey texture was unusual. I enjoyed it though.

Adam: Chocolate Terrine: Creme Anglaise & Pistachio Sable 

 Adam said this was really good. I had a bite but didn't really like it as I'm not a fan of the bitterness of dark chocolate.

Drinks:
Stef: Prosecco
Adam: Red wine with his main dish

Meritage had great atmosphere and food. We really enjoyed our meal together. It was fun to go out in downtown St. Paul and try a new place. Tonight, we're going to Oceanaire in downtown Minneapolis. I can't wait!