In my recent post about Brasserie Zentral, I noted how different a restaurant can be at lunch vs. dinner, and I used Zentral’s sister restaurant in St. Paul, Meritage, as an example. Sadly, since I retired, I don’t eat lunch in St. Paul very much any more. But in early February, I was at the State Capitol until about 1 p.m., and decided to have lunch at Meritage.
Ah, it was sublime!
By the time I arrived, it was almost 1:30, and there weren’t many customers left. So I was offered a really prime table. That was nice. My server was friendly (as always) and relaxed (sometimes, during a busy day, the servers can be harried). She brought me a complimentary amuse bouche – a duck liver schmear. Yum.
I ordered chicken for lunch. The plate featured crisp roasted, boneless chicken thighs on a bed of spinach and roasted potatoes. I don’t often order chicken at restaurants. But for my last lunch at Zentral, I had chicken, and again at Meritage. It was very good.
Normally I forego dessert at lunch. But I had some time to kill, so I decided to go ahead an have dessert. Wow! Am I glad I did. It was a ‘financier’ cake with orange curd and a mocha cream. I loved it.
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