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New French fare, serving local and organics, full bar, serving food 8am-12:30pm every day.

Barbette has received 'best of's from local press for its late night dining, desserts, wine list, and, of course, those French fries that accompany the steak frites. Chef Ty Hatfield uses local and organic ingredients as much as possible, presenting beautiful food in a casual, eclectic, bistro atmosphere. Says Star Tribune reviewer Rick Nelson: "I reveled in a meal that tasted far more expensive than the final tab suggested..." and," a restaurant that can be enjoyed by diners of all ages."

Barbette was founded in February of 2001. Formerly the site of Café Wyrd, an espresso bar, it was re-imagined to be a full-service neighborhood joint serving excellent food & wine. Lisa Carlson, who had worked at Laspinasse with Gray Kunz, and with Christian Duvalier, was the founding chef and quickly took a few prizes on the Minneapolis restaurant scene. In June of '04 Chef Ty Hatfield earned a 3 star review from the Star Tribune.

Barbette is named for the renowned aerialist Vander Clyde, who graduated from high school early so as to join the circus. Using the stage name 'Barbette', he became a world-famous performer, moving to France in the 1930's. He was a friend to Jean Cocteau and Man Ray, appearing in Cocteau's first film "LE SANG D'UN POÈTE" (The Blood of a Poet), 1930. Man Ray's photographs of Vander/'Barbette' appear beautifully reproduced in an out-of-print book along with Cocteau's essay about Barbette's performances. (If anyone finds our copy, please return it.) Vander Clyde later returned to the States and taught aerial work at Disney.

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Added by Kim Bartmann on Feb 17 05 (updated Nov 30 05)

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Reviews

J. Carlson - Jan 8 07

Get here before 11:30 on weeknights (even though they say open until 1) otherwise the bartender will make you feel about as welcome as the plague.

v.e.g.a.n. - Jul 25 06

It has a great atmosphere - but hardly anything vegan on the menu. The vegan food they do have is too pricey. They do have a good hibiscus iced tea, but be prepared to shell out about $3 dollars for a glass filled with mostly ice.

Rachel Widome - Jan 9 06

Barbette has the best fries in town. There's no contest, this is just the truth. (And the portion of fries you get is huge, plenty for 3 people to split.) Barbette also gets major points from me for being open so late and having such a delightful atmosphere. True, the vegetarian selection could be bigger, but there's some winners on the menu. If you go after 10pm on weekdays, (10:30 Friday or Saturday) the late nite menu kicks in. This menu is way cheaper than the dinner menu. My favorite vegetarian menu item is the croque madame sandwich. (Though it's not vegan.) Salads are good too as are crepes and appetizers.

One complaint. They switched chefs about a year ago and I like the old chef's croque madame slightly better. (Not sure that the Ty guy referred to in the description is the new chef or the onld one. I think he might be the old one.) Also, I'm not vegan so I don't look at places with a vegan point of view. Not sure how much stuff would be vegan friendly.

Armed with a Banana - Nov 30 05

La Barbette has a lively atmosphere and it's a fun place to go to for groups of four or more people. It doesn't try too hard to be "French", and by doing so, they've created an excellent brasserie.

I don't believe that they have that many vegetarian options on their menu (I've only been here once so far), but their mushroom risotto is worth a try, although a little on the bland side for my tastes. I would go back to explore this place again.

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