New Year, New Menu!

In anticipation of happily ringing in the New Year later this week, Chez Daniel has unveiled new menus for Lunch, Dinner, and in our lounge, Cork's Pub II. Each menu features new, seasonal dishes to delight your senses and satisfy your palette long after your meal!

Lunch

Salads

Duck Confit Salad

Crab Salad

Sandwiches

Chez Daniel Sandwich (Grilled Chicken on Parmesan-crusted Sourdough)

Pot Roast Sandwich 

Open Face Beef Tenderloin Sandwich

Buffalo Burger

Entrées

Chicken Penne

Lemon Chicken 

Chicken En Croute 

Chicken Alfredo

Dinner

Hors d'Oeuvres

Sea Scallops

Shrimp Provencal

Mini Beef Wellington

Salads

Duck Confit Salad

Crab Salad

Sandwiches

Chez Daniel Sandwich (Grilled Chicken on Parmesan-crusted Sourdough)

Pot Roast Sandwich 

Open Face Beef Tenderloin Sandwich

Buffalo Burger

Les Pates

Chicken Penne

Chicken Alfredo

Seafood Pasta

Les Viandes

Aged Pork Chop 

Crusted Ribeye Steak

Les Poissons

Steamed Salmon

Les Volailles

Chicken En Croute

Roasted Chicken

Cork's II

Appetizers

Sea Scallops

Tempura Shrimp

Walleye Fingers

Flautas

Salads

Duck Confit Salad

Crab Salad

Sandwiches

Chez Daniel Sandwich (Grilled Chicken on Parmesan-crusted Sourdough)

Pot Roast Sandwich 

Beef Tenderloin Sandwich

Buffalo Burger

Entrées

Chicken Penne

Shrimp Linguini

Chicken Alfredo

Beef Tenderloin Brochettes

Steamed Salmon

Peppercorn Sirloin

Lemon Chicken 

Aged Pork Chop

We look forward to displaying our culinary creativity in these latest features. Stop in on Friday and celebrate the start of a New Year with a brand new dish!

Joyeux Noel Brunch

This Christmas Day, celebrate the joy of family and friends at Chez Daniel. We'll be kicking our traditional brunch fare up a notch for a holiday spread of epic proportions.

Exclusively created by our Executive Chef, Pierre Jean Laupies, our Christmas Day brunch seamlessly marries French and American favorites from breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one magnificent display of culinary prowess. As always, beverages (coffee, juices, soda, and champagne) are included. 

Don't worry about fighting the crowds at the grocery store and slaving in the kitchen all day! Secure your reservation and spend time enjoying the beauty of the holiday and the wonderful company of family and good friends. The Christmas Day Brunch will run from 10:30am - 2pm on Saturday, December 25.

How do you take your Chez

We've had some exciting changes to our website this week, in that the entire site has gone through an extreme make-over! 

In addition to maintaining the user-friendly features of our previous site, including a link directly to Open Table for reservations, hours, and our current menu (including wine!), the new site also added information on our daily specials, desserts (the best part), our pub menu and even a mini video to go along with our Executive Chef, Pierre Jean's bio! 

So...Check out our new site! We'd love to hear what you think! 

Happy, Happy, Happy Holidays!

Chez Daniel's bar, Cork's II Pub, remains a local, must-stop destination for upscale pub fare, without the inflated prices! In addition to our great Happy Hour, which runs from 4-6pm and then from 8-10pm, Monday through Friday, Cork's II also offers nightly (4-11pm) specials for the first four days of the work week.

For Happy Hour, we are happy to offer drink specials and select $3 appetizers in addition to our regular pub menu. ($3 Appetizers: Cheese Plate, Nachos, Quesadillas, Buffalo Wings, Mozzarella Sticks).

Nightly Specials:

Blue Mondays

"Everything Blue" is on special: Blue Moon taps, Labatt Blue, Skyy Blue, UV Blue Raz

Distinguished Tuesdays

"Gents Night" with Single Malt Scotch & Bourbon Specials

"Wine Night" with Select Wines at just $5 a glass

Wednesdays

"Ladies Night" - Two for One Martinis (Any UV Vodka)

Thirsty Thursdays

Jay's Mega Margaritas are just $4 ALL NIGHT + Tequila Flight Specials

Stop into Cork's II and be happy this holiday season!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Everything's been put back to rights after our spectacular Thanksgiving Day Champagne Brunch. and we've turned the page to get ready for the Christmas holiday season.

From hosting holiday parties to entertaining patrons coming to and from the wonderful winter activities that abound, Chez Daniel loves to be in the midst of it all!

Planning a holiday celebration for your family or company this year? From small, intimate dinner parties, to large-scale corporate events with entertainment, dancing, and more, Chez Daniel's experienced catering managers can help you pick the perfect space and plan an ultimately memorable event. Contact our team today for more information!

We're also excited to be offering coffee, tea, and specialty espresso drinks at our coffee bar, City Blend, recharging shoppers hunting elusive Christmas list items at Southtown. Coming back from ice skating at Centennial Lakes? Warm up with a hearty bowl of our house-made French Onion or Cream of Mushroom Soup.

One final note, remember that Chez Daniel offers our weekly Champagne Brunch every Sunday. It's a great way to take some time to enjoy a meal with family and friends in the midst of the busiest time of year. Stop, relax, and enjoy all the season has to offer!

Thanksgiving en français?

This Thanksgiving, spice up your spread with some French themed cuisine! We've come across some fabulous ideas that will have everyone at your table saying, "Ooh la la!"

Starters

Cheese Puffs

We suggest going with Comte or Gruyere. Yum!

Baked Brie with Cranberries

A classic holiday favorite

Pate, Smoked Salmon, Assorted Cheeses, Grapes Platter

Salads

Roasted Pears with Candied Pecans and Roquefort Cheese

We'll be serving this one at our Thanksgiving Day Brunch

Warm Green Bean Salad with Toasted Walnuts

Many French salads are actually served warm

Side Dishes

Herbed Zucchini and tomato Tian

Actually quite healthy

Pear & Red Onion Gratin 

Would make a fantastic substitute for stuffing

Butternut Squash Gratin with Onion & Sage 

Again, would make a fantastic substitute for stuffing

Alternative Main Courses

Duck with Apple & Cherry Sauce

Great if you're not big on turkey or wanted a second meat to serve

Classic Pot au Feu

Slow Roasted Beef served with Potatoes and Vegetables

The Finale! 

Apple Brioche Cake

Pumpkin Maple Creme Brulee

A harvest twist on a classic favorite

Profiteroles

Serve filled with ice cream a la Chez Daniel or your own pastry cream preference!

Basque Custard Torte

White Chocolate Lemon Mousse

Hopefully this has given you some healthy Francophilean inspiration for your Thanksgiving celebration! Make sure you have plenty of your favorite French wines available to pair with your menu choices!

~ Bon Appetit & Joyeux Thanksgiving ~

Joyeux Thanksgiving

With the holidays just around the corner, don't stress about your plans. Chez Daniel has taken our weekly Sunday brunch and expanded it for Thanksgiving Day.

Incorporating your family's traditional favorites (and some sure to be new favorites) into our already expansive brunch menu, Chez Daniel has planned a brunch that will both delight and satisfy our guests!

Let us do the cooking and cleaning up, so you can enjoy your holiday this year! 

For reservations, please contact us at 952.888.4447.

Also, if you can't make it on Thanksgiving Day, feel free to join us on a Sunday. We offer a great Sunday brunch weekly from 10:30am - 2pm. A great way to celebrate or simply satisfy those brunch cravings before you squeeze in the game or some holiday shopping!

Parlez-Vous Français?

Chez Daniel is the perfect place to host a French class excursion! With the option to choose a plated breakfast, plated lunch or dinner, or even a buffet dinner, Chez Daniel's expert staff will work with you to ensure that the students' have an entertaining and significantly cultural experience.

Our executive chef, Pierre Jean, was actually born in France and works diligently to present a menu of traditional French favorites. From Croissant, Crepes and Quiche Lorraine to French Onion Soup, Boeuf Bourguingnon, and Bouillabaisse to Coq au Vin and Croque Monsieur, students and chaperones alike will be delighted with the variety, choices, and utmost quality of the dishes presented.

Make sure you finish your meal with our signature dessert, profiteroles (cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with hot fudge and whipped cream)!  

Please contact our catering manager, Sheri DeGeorge, at 952-967-8704 to schedule your class' function.

Venez Chez Daniel avec votre classe et régalez vos èleves avec ma cuisine Française!  - Pierre Jean

Company Days

Did you know that Chez Daniel offers a weekly promotion called Company Days? Each day of the workweek, Chez Daniel features various local businesses for special discounts and promotions.

On Mondays and Thursdays, all Best Buy employees receive 50% off their coffee or specialty drinks, lunch, dinner, and more!

Chez Daniel also extends the Company Days' discounts as follows:

MONDAYS

Best Buy

Slumberland

UHS

Health Fitness

TUESDAYS

Wells Fargo

Slumberland

Tria

Zurich

Farmer's Insurance

WEDNESDAYS

Avnet

Ikon

Larkin Hoffman

THURSDAYS

Best Buy

UHS

Xerxes Plaza

FRIDAYS

Tria

Wells Fargo

Xerxes Plaza

Health Fitness

Zurich 

Farmer's Insurance

Simply show your paystub or badge to receive your discounts!

Fall into French Desserts!

When summer drifts into fall and the weather turns colder, we look for ways to marry two of our favorite things, pumpkin and dessert, of course. Pumpkin is a great addition into many classic desserts, French and otherwise, wonderfully adding both flavor and color. Some of our favorite incorporations of pumpkin, reside in the "creamy" dessert category.

Our very own Pumpkin Cheesecake dessert offering is a prime example of a good incorporation of a seasonal flavor for optimal results. We pair our pumpkin cheesecake mousse with a buttery pecan streusel and then drizzle the whole thing with caramel.

If you're looking to make something festive at home, look for recipes that really play up the pumpkin notes. Spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg work particularly well. Notes of caramel, maple, and cloves also go great with pumpkin.

Some of our favorites (beside pumpkin cheesecake of course) are Pumpkin Creme Caramel (or even Pumpkin Creme Brulee)!

There are plenty of great recipes out there, so choose one that suits both your skill level and palette! Accept the challenge and wow your friends with an autumn twist on a quintessentially French dessert!

Daily Specials

In addition to the seasonal features, Chez Daniel also proudly offers daily specials of hearty, traditionally authentic French fare. 

Monday

Confit de Canard, Haricot Blanc

Duck leg with white kidney beans

Tuesday

Jarret d’agneau Braisé à l’ancienne

Braised lamb shanks served old fashion

with house potato

Wednesday

Choucroute Garnie

Sauerkraut, bacon, smoked sausage,

ham, potato and carrots

Thursday

Pot au Feu

Slow roasted beef round with carrots and potatoes

Friday

Bouillabaisse

Saffron & garlic seafood broth with salmon, shrimp,

mussels, clams and crab legs, served with

croutons and rouille

Saturday

Côte de Boeuf Rotie

Roasted prime rib with au jus served with a baked

potato and vegetables

Plan your visit accordingly and take full advantage of these delicious offerings! 

New Specials!

Fabulous Fall dishes for your enjoyment this week! 

Cambozola Sea Scallops Appetizer

Pan seared scallops with truffles served with

cambozola cheese fondue

 Cardamom Caramel Lamb

Lamb loin wrapped in fillo served with sliced roasted potatoes and topped with 

eggplant-orange relish finished with cardamom caramel sauce

 Lobster Tail & Butternut Squash Risotto

Lobster tail served with Butternut squash risotto

drizzled with a port wine reduction and garnished with butternut squash soup

Dry Aged Roasted Pork Chop

Compart Duroc ™ Pork chop served with prosciutto, truffles, sage, wild mushrooms 

and linguini tossed in a roasted chestnut cream sauce

Current Features

Our current features run through this weekend and embody the deep feel and comfort-food seeking spirit of autumn.

Appetizer

Cambozola Sea Scallops

Pan seared scallops with truffles served with cambozola cheese fondue

Main Entrées

Lobster Tail & Butternut Squash Risotto

Lobster tail served with Butternut squash risotto, drizzled with a port wine reduction and garnished with butternut squash soup

Cardamom Caramel Lamb

Lamb loin wrapped in fillo served with sliced roasted potatoes and topped with eggplant-orange relish finished with cardamom caramel sauce

Dry Aged Roasted Pork Chop

Compart Duroc ™ Pork chop served with prosciutto, truffles, sage, wild mushrooms and linguini tossed in a roasted chestnut cream sauce

Dessert

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin mousse and buttery pecan streusel, drizzled with caramel

We promise you won't be disappointed. Click here for reservations.

French Macarons

While the title probably stirs up fond thoughts of those delicious coconut delights we in the U.S. like to refer to as macaroons, true French macarons (macaroons are the U.S. spelling) are a whole different delight!

A meringue cookie,the name macaron comes from the description of one of its principal ingredients, almond paste. Macarons are the delight of French patisseries and can be found throughout the world in French bakeries. Beautifully pastel colored, they're almost too pretty to eat! (Until you try one)!

There are several different historical claims as well as variations; however, they can also be made at home. For a simple, easy to try recipe, we like the following French Macaron recipe, borrowed from the Food Network.

Make some French Macarons for your next gathering, and you're sure to be the hit of the party!

City Blend

Within the Embassy Suites Bloomington, Chez Daniel also operates a coffee shop that proudly serves Starbucks® coffee, specialty espresso drinks, Tazo Tea®, sandwiches, and salads. 


From mochas and lattes to a quick lunch or even just a great cup of coffee and the morning paper, City Blend's got your needs covered. A perfect place to meet clients or even host a small meeting with your team due to the highly visible and central location of the Embassy Suites Bloomington, City Blend is the perfect alternative to your typical high-traffic coffee chain.


Open from 7am to 11pm daily, come visit us for a smiling greeting and your favorite perk-you-up drink of choice. 


We hope to see you soon. 

Creme Brulee!

By now we all know that Jell-O can never be creme brulee. Sneaking into millions of hearts with its delectable smooth creamy underbelly and often warm, crisp, caramelized sugar on top, creme brulee is a staple on most restaurant dessert menus.

However, as a self-described creme brulee fanatic, I have sampled my share of glories as well as horrors when it comes to creme brulee. In order to minimize the horrific versions, we've decided to share our time honored "authentic" recipe for Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee. Bon Appetit!

Vanilla Bean Cream Brulee

10 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1 quart heavy cream

1 vanilla bean

Extra sugar for "bruleeing" on the top (about half cup)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until well-blended. (The mixture should just begin to lighten in color).  

In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream and vanilla bean just to boiling. 

Once it comes to a boil, remove from heat and slowly stir into the egg yolk and sugar mixture.  You must do this very slowly.

Pour into your mold (or six 7 to 8 oz. ramekins) and set in a water bath that is an equal depth level as the mixture.

Bake at 300 for about 40 minutes. (Creme brulee should be set, but still trembling in the center).

Let set for at least 5-6 hours in the refrigerator before serving.  

Remove creme brulee from refrigerator about half hour prior to torching the sugar. 

Sprinkle sugar on top and use the torch to melt the sugar, forming that wonderfully crisp top. 

Let set five minutes, then garnish with your favorite berries and enjoy! 

Keeping the Good Ones

This week, we featured one of our servers, Arlen, in a Facebook post (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Bloomington-MN/Chez-Daniel/114424491943337), expressing our gratitude and asking fans to "Like" the post as a shout out to Arlen.

It really got me thinking that often companies worry a lot about drafting strategies and implementing policies for what to do when "employees go wrong". However, it is not often when a restaurant actively implements AND PERPETUATES a strategy for rewarding (and thereby working to retain) great employees. (Note how I said "strategy", which is far more involved than just an incentive program).

The news with the economic downturn and subsequent surplus in available labor was that it worked well in employers' favors, in that employees needed to work even harder, considering themselves easily replaced. Yet, this was a negativity builder. Employees who feel that they are consistently expending more of themselves for the same reward, will increasingly become jaded and cynical over their perceived value to their employer.

As an employer, we cannot allow good employees to become disenfranchised. Regardless of the surplus in labor, the cost to train a new employee and deal with any potential client ramifications resulting from employee turnover is simply something you must work to avoid. 

A simple solution is to actively make good employees feel appreciated. Conduct staff meetings, seek employee feedback, really determine what makes them tick, what motivates them. (It's not necessarily money). Then, management needs to enact a strategy for challenging, appreciating, and rewarding these employees.

A great article about what employees want from work in the format of a top ten list sums up this principle very well: http://humanresources.about.com/od/rewardrecognition/tp/recognition.htm

Remember, your employees are your most valuable asset. After all, they are the face of your company every day.

'Tis the Season...

...for peaches! It seems this delectable and pretty fruit is popping up everywhere these days. Peaches in salads, a cold peach soup, peach drinks, and of course a barrage of peach desserts.

Peach pies, peach creme brulee, even peach dessert pizza. However, this recipe borrowed from Bon Appetit remains a most intriguing peach "dessert". Perfect for an upscale Labor Day fete!

PEACH & CHAMPAGNE FLOATS

INGREDIENTS:
- 6 medium-sized peaches (white preferably), halved, pitted, and cut into eighths.
- 2 pints peach ice cream
- 3/4 cup creme de cassis (black-currant liqueur)
- 2 cups brut Champagne, chilled (or other sparkling non-alcoholic wine)
- 6 tall glasses

DIRECTIONS:
- Place a few peach slices (two to three) at the bottom of each glass
- Add a scoop of ice cream, then two to three more peach slices.
- Drizzle these with 2 tablespoons creme de cassis.
- Then, top with another scoop of ice cream and two to three more peach slices.
- Add 1/3 cup of champagne per glass.
- Finish with 1 more scoop of ice cream, drizzling with additional creme de cassis.
- Enjoy!

Flavor of the Week

Our chef has been dreaming about ways to impress you all week! Through August 29, Chez Daniel is proud to feature the following specials: 

Appetizer

Sea Scallops

Pan seared scallops served on a  potato cake, crab meat & asparagus tips with

Hollandaise and truffles

Entrees 

French Black Angus Rib Eye

Grilled, basted with butter and served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and wild mushroom ragout

Duck Leg

Duck Leg served with house made duck raviolis with a thyme-ricotta sauce and garlic mashed potatoes

Seared Tuna

Sushi grade tuna served with braised romaine, saffron potatoes and a port wine

reduction garnished with crab

Dessert  

Caramel Apple Pie a la Mode

Lunch

Pot Roast Sandwich

Slow roasted beef round, fried onions, mushrooms and bacon served with seasoned potato wedges on ciabatta bread

Around the World

3 mini chicken sandwiches each prepared differently, marinara with fresh mozzarella, buffalo chicken with blue cheese, and pepper jack with guacamole, served with house made potato wedges

Chimichanga

Flour tortilla filled with beef, fried beans, cheese topped with sour cream, lettuce, pico de Gallo, guacamole and  house salsa served with paprika tomato rice

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Whole romaine heart, mixed olives, roasted and sun dried tomatoes, roasted shallots, artichokes and sun flower seeds, served with black-pepper feta vinaigrette and aged balsamic

We hope to see you this week! 

Authentic French Fare Sans Pretense

Welcome to Chez Daniel Bistro, where authentic French food is served unaccompanied by the pretense and attitude often found at similar establishments.

We seek to delight not only tastebuds, but exceed service expectations for every guest. With daily specials and a champagne brunch on Sundays, Chez Daniel offers something for even the most discerning palettes.

Chez Daniels' new menu also now offers small plate features, so guests may try several dishes, without committing to another notch in the belt.

À votre santé! We hope to see you soon.