Warm Up & Welcome the New Year

This time of year as temperatures dip well below zero, you have to do everything you can to chase the chill away. This means, of course, taking advantage of the very thing you've come to dread by now, the weather!

How better to warm up and ring in the New Year than with a few nips of the perfect Après-Ski (or shovel or commute) Cocktail?

We've rounded up our Top 10 favorite winter refreshments for your enjoyment!

1. The Après Ski itself: Vodka, Licorice Liqueur, Green Creme de Menthe, and Lemonade, mixed and served in a julep cup with a sprig of fresh mint.
2. Crème Brulee Martini: Vanilla Vodka, Frangelico, and Cointreau, shaken and served in a chilled cocktail glass with a Crushed Graham Cracker rim.
3. Absinthe Suissesse: Absinthe with Crème de Menthe, Orgeat, Orange Flower Water, Egg White, and Half and Half, shaken and strained into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Brandy Avondale: Baileys, Tuaca, Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and Cream are added to Brandy, shaken, strained into a snifter, and then topped with warm spices.
5. The Hot Toddy: Combines Brandy, Whiskey, or Rum with hot tea. Garnish with any tea accoutrements of your choice, and voila! A gorgeous winter warmer.
6. Pumpkin Pie Martini: Vanilla Vodka, Milk, Heavy Whipping Cream, Simple Syrup, and Hazelnut Liqueur are shaken with Pumpkin Pie Spice and poured into chilled martini glasses with Crushed  Vanilla Wafer rims. Sprinkled with a dash of Cinnamon. 
7. Vin Chaud: Wine, Citrus Fruit, and Spices boiled with Sugar and served Hot. A definite favorite! 
8. Wassail: Along the same lines as Vin Chaud, Wassail is made with Bourbon or Rye Whiskey, Ale, and Cider. Boiled with Berries, Ginger Root, Cinnamon, and Brown Sugar, it is a tasty complement to any winter activity. 
9. Snowball: Advocaat is combined with Lemonade and Lime Juice for the perfectly refreshing post-slopes treat. 
10. Cafè Amore: Hot Black Coffee is much improved with the addition of Cognac, Amaretto, and plenty of Whipped Cream. 

There you have it! Your very own Top 10 delicious Après-Ski cocktails. Now, when you hit the slopes or simply welcome 2014 this weekend, you have even more to look forward to.

À votre santé et bonne année! 

Chez Daniel's Holiday Hours - 2013

Trying to best serve our customers while still accommodating the needs of our employees and managing business needs accordingly, Chez Daniel has decided upon the following holiday hours for the Christmas & New Year's Holidays this year.

Tuesday, December 24 {Christmas Eve}

Chez Daniel: Regular Hours 

Cork's Pub: Regular Hours 

City Blend: Regular Hours 

Wednesday, December 25 {Christmas Day}

Chez Daniel: Christmas Brunch 10am - 2pm

Cork's Pub: Regular Hours 

Tuesday, December 31 {New Year's Eve}

Chez Daniel: Regular Hours 

Cork's Pub: Regular Hours 

City Blend: Regular Hours 

Wednesday, January 1 {New Year's Day}

Chez Daniel: CLOSED 

Cork's Pub: Holiday Menu & Weekend Hours

(Regular Hours resume on Thursday, January 2, 2014). 

We wish everyone a Joyeux Noël et bonne année! 

Champagne Christmas Brunch 2013

Celebrate the joys of Christmas with this harmony of French and American cuisine designed by Executive Chef Pierre Jean Laupies. Our Christmas Day Champagne Brunch combines the best of breakfast, lunch and dinner in one magnificent buffet spread.

And this year promises to be no different! Join us on Wednesday, December 25 from 10:30am - 2pm.

Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made by calling Chez Daniel at 952.888.4447 or online at Open Table.

If you're looking for a great way to break bread with your family and friends on Christmas Day without the hassle of cooking or cleaning up, we hope you'll join us!

Joyeux Noël!

Chez Daniel - Your Holiday Hideaway

Here at Chez Daniel, we understand that the holidays can get stressful. With plenty of options to either fuel up or mellow out after a long day of shopping, make Chez Daniel your holiday hideaway.

To fuel you up for a long day of shopping, baking, or even just for the workday ahead, look no further than our own in-house coffee shop, City Blend. Proudly brewing Starbucks® coffee, specialty espresso drinks, Tazo Tea® and serving up breakfast pastries along with sandwiches and salads, City Blend will happily get you your morning mocha, afternoon tea, or anything in between.

However, if the last thing you want is to keep going and you're just looking forward to unwinding, we can help with that as well. With plenty of options to warm you inside and out for lunch and dinner, take the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine as the day's stresses melt away over a delectable, authentic French experience.

Being in close proximity to some of the best shopping in the Twin Cities, without being directly in the chaos sets Chez Daniel apart. Enjoy plenty of free parking directly in our adjoining lot as well. Why worry about a meter or parking blocks away, when you can park close and unwind as you dine to the backdrop of our garden atrium.

This holiday season, don't worry about rushing around. Enjoy yourself and be our guest as we treat you to either a pick-me-up or take-me-away escape.

Happy Holidays!

Giving Thanks

After a wonderful brunch today, we just wanted to take a moment to express our thanks.

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate their Thanksgiving with us. It was a wonderful time of seeing old faces, greeting new faces, and delighting everyone's expectations. We hope that you enjoyed your experience.

Also, thank you to all of our dedicated employees who spent their holiday with us. We appreciate your hard work and contributions each and every day. Without you, today could not have been nearly as spectacular for our guests and their families.

We're also thankful for both our wonderful patrons of Chez Daniel and our catering clients. We hope that you had much to be thankful for today.

Finally, we hope to see everyone again soon. And if you missed brunch today, stop in this Sunday. It won't be as extravagant as today's Thanksgiving Brunch, but we're pretty sure you'll be delighted.

Joyeux Thanksgiving!

French Thanksgiving Favorites

Once again, we're sharing some French-inspired and French favorite dishes for you to incorporate into your Thanksgiving menu.  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 Créme Brûlée

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

This Thanksgiving, spice up your spread with some French themed cuisine, and make sure you have plenty of your favorite French wines available to pair with your menu choices!

~ Bon Appetit & Joyeux Thanksgiving ~

Wine Pairings for Your Fall Feast

This Thanksgiving, don't waste time guessing and gambling about wine pairings. To help you, we've laid out some simple guidelines as to what wines you should be looking at for your Thanksgiving Dinner table.

Typically for turkey, you think a dry white wine should suffice. Good for pairing with your juicy Thanksgiving bird, and you're generally correct. However, depending on the sides you're incorporating into your Thanksgiving meal, your wine selection can broaden accordingly. Additionally, many guests have their own preferences that may run afoul of conventional pairings, so it's best to have a few go-to varieties on hand to suit everyone's palette while still complementing that dinner you worked so hard to prepare.

For the sake of sanity, we made a few suggestions in the following wine categories to help you choose which selections to keep on hand this Thanksgiving. (For the sake of your wallet, it's up to you how many of each variety and at what vintage/price point you choose to enjoy).

the Sparkler

A before dinner warm-up when served with pre-meal relishes and appetizers as well as an all-around celebratory choice, a good sparkling wine is a great Thanksgiving choice. A drier brut is a good option for warming the appetite, and it even pairs quite nicely with the holiday bird.

the White

You have several options in this department. The Sauvignon Blanc is a classic Thanksgiving choice, as it pairs particularly well with not just turkey, but many of the traditional Thanksgiving side dishes too. A drier Gewürztraminer is also a favorite for with those savory holiday flavors, and your sweeter Rieslings can be a crowd pleaser when complementing squashes and other spiced wintry flavors.

the Red

A rich spicy Zinfandel is a great choice for a red Thanksgiving wine. With its bolder flavors, it pairs really well with cranberries and many other Thanksgiving flavors. Other great red options include the Pinot Noir, and if you're so inclined (like us), the Beaujolais. Traditionally released just before Thanksgiving, the Beaujolais Nouveau is not a wine meant to be aged. Its fruity flavors pair well with the larger meal, and it's generally a more approachable red for those non-wineophiles in your life. 

We hope this guide gets you started on making wine selections for your feast. However, if it just seems like too much trouble, you're always invited to join us for our Champagne Thanksgiving Brunch instead! We'll take care of ensuring all your favorites are prepared with the correct wines on hand for your added enjoyment. 

For more information or for reservations, please contact Chez Daniel at 952-888-4447.

Joyeux Thanksgiving!