When I first joined the company I work for, I initiated a series of lunchtime seminars to discuss and promote this technology and its applications. I called the seminar series "Neurons for Lunch." As a gimmick, I would copy onto the meeting announcement a recipe for some brain dish. So memos were going out that could help you, if you were so disposed, prepare sweetbreads with garlic and thyme or brains and egg in tomato sauce. I thought this was a really "cute" idea, but then one day a coworker came to me and said, "[A], you know, you should stop including these recipes in your announcements. Americans don’t like to eat things like brains. People find this in bad taste."

Hooray for Vincent. Not only does it have the most interesting lunch menu of any restaurant I’ve been to in the Twin Cities, but you also get a small specials menu called "Inspiration of the Moment" with additional goodies. One of these is categorized as "Something Strange but Good" and often features ingredients that have never graced a Minnesotan table. On the day in question the offering was "calves brain fritters with gribiche sauce and arugula." Of course, I couldn’t resist, and just the fact that Vincent Françoual (the chef and co-owner) is willing to incur the typical Midwesterner’s revulsion gives the restaurant an extra point in my book. (Although it should be said that the Minneapolitan palate has become considerably more sophisticated since my reprimand over a decade ago.)

As it happened, the fritters were incredible: crispy yet light on the outside, and like soft butter on the inside. Most readers will, I suspect, have the same hangups as B and never sample them—it’s your loss!

I followed up this delicacy with another, less controversial, one. This was a salmon rillette sandwich that was layered with thinly sliced red onion and came on toasted potato bread. The whole package—the rillette made with a combination of smoked and fresh salmon, the crunch and tinge of sharpness of the onions, the thick cut bread with griddle marks attesting to a perfect toasting—was excellent. Golden french fries came with the sandwich.

Looking over the menu that our waiter gave us as we left, my mouth waters again. Next time I might try the grilled pork tenderloin sandwich, with red pepper and onion chutney served on a baguette, or the shredded Colorado lamb breast braised in Indian spices, faro and celery pilaf, or the minute seared fresh calamari rings, served with a confit of red bell pepper and yellow onion and thyme infused olive oil.

Several wines are available by the glass, as you might expect, although neither B nor I made especially good selections. Mine was a Domaine de la Preque ‘île, "Cuvée Vincent," which is a modest wine from the Dordogne. It was a little thin on first sip, but as the meal progressed I thought it worked well with the food.

The dessert and cheese selections are also worth delaying your return to work for. B and I had decided we were going to share either a cheese plate (a small wedge of epoisse, a small round of dried prune tart, and fig molasses) or a dessert (see B’s review for its composition) and we asked our server which one to order. He had been generally helpful and accommodating until this point (he agreed to part with a menu for us after inquiring whether we were "in the business too"), but perhaps we had taxed his patience by now. He took matters into his own hands and said he was going to bring us both. We were initially quite pleased with the thought of a complimentary dessert or cheese plate, but when the bill came we had been charged for both. A minor nit and one that didn’t diminish the overall quality of my dining experience.

Vincent is my favorite restaurant in town, but I had never been here for lunch and hence had not included it on my "Top 5" list (which has now been updated!). Dinner is a treat too. If your table is adventurous enough to leave matters to the chef, you’ll get a six or seven course feast with all sorts of inventive and tasty things to eat. It’s also a completely unpretentious restaurant; Vincent will walk around to chat and ask about the meal.

The main dining room is two stories high, and somehow the airy and expansive space is comfortable and intimate too. The interior is all different shades of cream, ochre, and brown. The windows are half-curtained to give you a feeling of privacy. On this clear day, with the bright sun bathing the establishment with its warm light, you could consider yourself transported to Cahors (where Vincent is from), enjoying a leisurely lunch with nary a thought of the artificial kind of neural networks.

Reservations are recommended, even for lunch. The restaurant seemed close to capacity when we were there.

Why all this talk of France? Our regular readers would have guessed by now – because this week The Lunch goes to a new French restaurant, Vincent. My first dining experience here was several months ago; the restaurant had just opened, A & I (along with our significant others) had dinner reservation for 9.00 PM. The appointed hour came and went. Forty-five minutes later and still no table, A has the patience of Job, I, on the other hand, am impatient to a fault and was by now seething. At 10:00 PM, a smiling, apologetic Vincent (the restaurant is eponymously titled) led us to our table and turned on his considerable charm to mollify us; the complimentary champagne and appetizers no doubt helped. The women thought he was incredibly good looking – I suppose men just don’t notice such things in other men.

For lunch there were no such problems and we were promptly led to our table. Vincent is located in the same building as Brits on Nicollet mall, this space used to house a Bruegger’s. There is great irony in a French restaurant being housed in a Minneapolis building that has been converted into a little England; complete with a bowling green (above a parking garage) and other symbols of old Albion etched into the walls. The floor plan is large and provides a comfortable space for dining. The walls and ceiling are colored in shades varying from yellow to light brown and complement the wooden floor. Tasteful pieces of art are sparingly hung on the walls. The sunlight streams in from the wide windows making this a most pleasant location.

I got carried away with the sunshine and foolishly ordered the only rosé on the menu, a chateau Routas Rouviere rosé. The wine was probably fine, just not to my taste since I never drink rosés. The menu is not extensive but there is enough here to cover most tastes. The section entitled First Course has soups and appetizers that include a carpaccio of red beets (whipped goat cheese), minute seared calamari rings and a dish tantalizingly named "Something Strange but Good…". I started with a cucumber gazpacho soup, which would have been excellent but for a too liberal dose of salt. If memory serves the food had been over-salted the last time as well, but I am sure A will set us straight on that score. A, with his usual quest for culinary adventure, opted for the something strange but good. This was fried calves brain – A described it as being crisp on the outside but soft on the inside, KFC comes to mind! I reminded A that this could well be a source of BSE (mad cow disease) but he ate it with an unconcerned relish. The menu lists three salads of which the green salad-shallots (cherry tomatoes, walnut vinaigrette) seems the most interesting. The sandwich offerings include the mandatory croque-monsieur (only this one is "like in Paris"!), grilled portabello mushroom sandwich with smoked gouda and caramelized onions and a smoked salmon rillette (red onions, caper on toasted potato bread). The main entrée list includes: omelet du chef, this changes daily; grilled hanger steak, haricot verts with a peppery caramelized jam; fennel seed crusted salmon with a lobster infused fennel & green pea risotto and tarragon broth; zucchini flower tempura; shredded Colorado lamb breast braised in Indian spices with a favo & celery pilaf. I chose the omelet, which included Italian sausage, pearl onions and cheese. The omelet was served with greens and had good flavor and texture, although most Americans might find it a bit on the runny side. I was going to finish my meal with a cappuccino but was tempted into looking at the dessert menu; of which I ordered a combination dessert: Grand Marnier poached pear with white chocolate mousse, bread pudding served with a port wine orange sauce. All the different flavors, textures and sauces actually work well together. This was the definite highlight of my meal and is highly recommended. Vincent has a great atmosphere and I am sure its food is normally better (dessert excepted) than the experience I had, perhaps like a thoroughbred that has had an off day at the races.

The twin cities have a number of French restaurants from the low end (but excellent) Barbette to the sublime La Belle Vie with several others thrown in between; so do we really need another French restaurant? I’ll let you know as soon as I have made up my mind! The bill for our extravaganza was $70.00. A & B are back in the high-life again.

B