Chez Daniel Thanksgiving Brunch - 2012

It's back! Our bountiful Thanksgiving Champagne Brunch that is! Join us from 10:30am to 2pm on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 22, 2012) for a feast like no other. We'll have all of your traditional Thanksgiving favorites featured alongside our staple brunch offerings.

2012 Thanksgiving

Champagne Brunch Menu

Carving Stations

Roast Turkey with gravy or orange-cranberry sauce

Roast Ham with brown sugar-pineapple glace

Egg benedicts | Hash browns

Waffles with strawberry sauce, whipped cream and syrup

Roasted pork tenderloin with an orange-maple sauce

Green beans with toasted almonds

Sausage & Bacon

Seafood with fennel caper sauce

Homemade pot roast

Sweet potatoes with marshmallows

Butternut squash soup | Roasted garlic mashed potatoes

Omelet Station

Asparagus with house dressing, chopped egg and truffle peelings

Beet and orange salad

Roasted pear salad with candied pecans and Roquefort cheese

Marinated mushrooms

Butternut squash, fingerling potatoes, and scallops salad

Egg salad | Herring | Cheese board 

Fruit tray | Vegetable tray | House pate

Whole poached salmon | Smoked salmon | Shrimp cocktail

Dessert station & Chocolate Fountain

Assorted Desserts | Chocolate & Fruit tarts | Mini Creme Brulee 

Strawberries | Pound cake | Pineapple

Rice crispy treats | Marshmallows

We sincerely hope that you'll join us this Thanksgiving and leave the cooking and cleaning to us, so that you can spend more time with your loved ones! Thanksgiving Brunch is prices as follows:

Adults: $28.95, Kids 5 to 12: $12.95, Kids 4 & under: Free.

To make your party's reservation, please visit Open Table online or call Chez Daniel at 952-888-4447. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Veterans Day

As we in America celebrate our veterans this Sunday, November 11, the French will be doing the same. Just as in the United States, where we honor our veterans on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11:00am, so do the French.

November 11 marked the end of World War I and was originally set apart as Armistice Day, a day of remembrance for those who had served in the first world war. The day then evolved into a holiday that celebrates the remembrance of all who fought and even died as they served to protect France in any war.

Armistice Day is a very serious holiday in France. Most French have the day off work and there are many other commemorative rituals and symbols surrounding the day to honor the memory of the deceased. Just as in many other countries around the world, the French also kick off Veteran's Day with a two-minute "moment of silence".

Then, there are many other ceremonies and commemorations that occur around the country at various battlefields and war memorials, such as the Fort of Douaumont, the location of the Battle of Verdun. Living French veterans and soldiers may even participate in various parades, fully dressed in their military uniforms.

A symbol of the day's significance, the red poppy, symbolizes not just French veterans, but many other countries' veterans as well (including America). Made famous in John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Field, poppies may be worn by veterans or placed on graves in honor of their sacrifice.

This week, we'll close our post with the infamous words of McCrae's poem, a lasting reminder of the price of war and the sacrifice of our soldiers and their families. To the men and women of our armed forces, our gratitude is yours.

In Flanders Fields 

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) 

Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow 

Between the crosses row on row, 

That mark our place; and in the sky 

The larks, still bravely singing, fly 

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago 

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 

Loved and were loved, and now we lie 

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: 

To you from failing hands we throw 

The torch; be yours to hold it high. 

If ye break faith with us who die 

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

In Flanders fields.

La Toussaint & Le Jour des Morts

Happy November! This past week, we celebrated Halloween, All Saints Day (or La Toussant in France), and Le Jour des Morts (All Souls' Day). While Halloween is becoming increasingly popular with the globalization of American holidays and traditions, La Toussaint and Le Jour des Morts are both French through and through.

Halloween in France is celebrated similarly to Halloween in America (when it's actually celebrated); however, many French have boycotted the holiday since there really is no French tradition of celebrating the day in its current form. Only gaining popularity in the last few decades, Halloween was originally promoted by shops and businesses, with the intention being to visit the shops of course. Now, the tradition is celebrated by children going house to house "trick-or-treating" to receive candy and other goodies just as in America.

Celebrated the day after Halloween, on November 1st, La Toussaint is an authentically French holiday. (No American roots here). With origins dating back to the 5th century, La Toussaint began with the Celts celebrating Samhein at the beginning of November. Adapted into the church calendar, it wasn't officially celebrated in its current form, until Pope Gregory IV moved the holiday from May 13th and dedicated the day for the celebration of saints. Marked by the lighting of candles in cemeteries and decorating graves with chrysanthemums, La Toussaint is a day set apart for honoring the mother of God and all of the saints.

Then, the evening of La Toussaint also marks the eve of Le Jour des Morts, or the Day of the Dead, a day set apart for honoring the deceased. During this time, French churches are draped in black and people will commonly visit the graves of deceased loved ones to pray or sing. Additionally, some French will even host parties in remembrance which are highlighted with a special feast at midnight.

If you ever get a chance to be in Paris over La Toussaint, make sure you set aside time to visit the Pere-Lachaise Cemetary, which is one of the most famous cemeteries in all of France. Established by Napoleon I in 1804, it is the final resting place of many famous and historical figures worldwide and encompasses 110 acres of Parisian real estate.

However, don't be surprised if it's quite crowded, as La Toussaint and Le Jour des Morts are both French National holidays and fall during the time French children have a multi-week holiday off of school.

Have you ever celebrated All Saints Day, the Day of the Dead, or a similar holiday? We'd love to hear about it in the Comments' section below.

Restaurant Week Follow-up - Fall 2012

Once again, we are happy to report that Restaurant Week was a giant success. We just loved everyone coming out to brave the snow (eek!) and cool Fall weather for some delicious French fare! We offered prix fixe menus for a 3-course lunch and a 4-course dinner service, rife with options for each course.

Ending on Friday, we just couldn't wait to see what people thought of our revamped menus and options for the Fall 2012 installment of Restaurant Week, so we immediately hopped online to read the reviews. Again, we were so grateful that so many of you not only chose to dine with us this past week, but had a fabulous time to boot!

Here are some of the reviews that we received.

"Lovely ambiance, very pretty inside the restaurant. Went during restaurant week and had a fabulous meal, brie, salad, steak and best mashed potatoes of my life, and a wonderful cream puff for dessert. Service was wonderful! Glad I explored this restaurant during this week, good find!" 

-- Dined on 10/21/12

"The scallop appetizer and sea bass entree were both outstanding!" 

-- Dined on 10/24/12

"We had a great experience at Che Daniel, the food and service were great! I would also recommend going during restaurant week! We definitely felt out of all the restaurants we got a great deal for the price! It was our first time and we'd definitely come back other than restaurant week also. Thanks for a great night! Thanks again!" 

-- David, Dined on 10/24/12

"The Restaurant Week menu was delicious and a great value. Several entree options and discounted wine choices. Friendly staff. Will definitely return." 

-- Dined on 10/24/12

"Gourmet food, great service, very good ambiance." 

-- Dined on 10/24/12

"A wonderful restaurant serving wonderful food, with great service. What else is there?" 

-- Dined on 10/25/12

"We had a great meal. I had the rack of lamb and my husband had the sea bass. Both were great. We also loved the escargot. The wine list looked good but we did not order any. A very nice restaurant considering it is inside a hotel." 

-- Dined on 10/26/12

"I enjoyed the setting and the food was unique. We were taking advantage of the Minnesota Restaurant Association [prix fixe] menu and thought we truly got a bargain." 

-- Dined on 10/26/12

"Food was very good. Great service in that someone was always stopping by to see if we needed anything and to clear empty plates." 

-- Dined on 10/26/12

A hearty merci beaucoup to all who joined us for Restaurant Week, and an extra special thank you to those who took the time to share your experiences. 

We hope you don't wait until the Winter installment of Restaurant Week before joining us again! 

Restaurant Week is Back! October 21 - 26, 2012

The fall edition of Mpls St Paul Magazine's Restaurant Week is just around the corner. You know how much fun we had participating for the first time this past July, so we are just over the moon to get to do it all over again!

Beginning Sunday, October 21 and running through Friday, October 26, we'll be offering several three-course lunch and dinner options at two great price points.

We hope you'll join us for lunch, dinner, or maybe both, since the combinations are endless!

Lunch — $20

Complimentary Non-Alcoholic Beverage
Appetizer (Choose one):

Cream of Mushroom Soup

French Onion Soup

Entrée (Choose one):

Cranberry Chicken Salad - Mixed greens, dried cranberries, red onion, strawberries, gorgonzola cheese, cranberry-port vinaigrette, grilled chicken, and toasted walnuts

Coconut Shrimp Salad - Spinach, red onion, mango, pears, strawberries, pineapple, balsamic- blackberry vinaigrette, candied pecans, and coconut shrimp

Prime Rib Melt - Sautéed onions with provolone cheese, toasted baguette with Au jus and horse radish

Avocado Chicken Melt - Grilled chicken, avocado, pepper jack cheese and roasted red pepper aioli served on sourdough bread

Walleye Sandwich - Canadian walleye beer- battered and fried, served on a toasted bun with creamy tartar sauce

Cranberry Turkey - Sliced turkey, gouda cheese, arugula and cranberry cream cheese, on wild rice bread

Apple Brie Baguette - Grilled chicken, brie & green apples on a baguette

Lobster Ravioli - Wild mushrooms, artichokes, lobster tarragon sauce

Chicken Penne - Toulouse sausage, chicken, tomato cream, mozzarella, balsamic-fennel marinated red peppers, and onions

Chicken Chandelaise - Pan-seared chicken breast, wild mushrooms, prosciutto, none wine cream, mashed potato

Quiche du Jour - Served with straw potatoes, vegetables, and house salad

Dessert (Choose one):

Crème Brulee - Homemade brandied vanilla custard

Profiteroles - Cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge and raspberry coulis

Chocolate Mousse

Dinner — $30

Hors d'Oeuvres (Choose one):

Escargots - Wild burgundy snails baked in garlic butter

Scallops - Seared sea scallops on potato pancakes with crab, hollandaise sauce and truffles

Pistachio Crusted Brie - Panko and pistachio-crusted French brie with honeycomb, lingonberry sauce, and crostinis

Shrimp Bruschetta - Diced tomato, basil, garlic, butter, crostini, and parmesan

First Course:

House Salad - Mixed greens with walnuts, pickled red cabbage, carrots, and tomato in a tarragon vinaigrette

Entrée (Choose one):

Lobster Ravioli - Lobster ravioli with wild mushrooms, roasted artichokes, and lobster tarragon sauce

Pork Tenderloin - Served with roasted garlic mashed potato and served with apple cranberry sauce

New York Strip - Grilled new York served with porcini mushrooms and demi glaze with house potato

Lamb Chops - Pan-seared, provencal-herb crusted lamb chops with demi-glace & house potato

Filet of Sea Bass - Sea bass with leeks, morel mushrooms & white wine cream sauce with pancetta risotto

Scottish Salmon - Salmon with stone ground mustard cream sauce & tomato coulis with golden jewel grain blend

Roasted Chicken - Served with a wild mushroom risotto cake, spinach, cipollini onions, artichokes, pine nuts and a bleu cheese sauce

Dessert (Choose one):

Crème Brulee - Homemade brandied vanilla custard

Profiteroles - Cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge and raspberry coulis

Chocolate Mousse

We hope you're just as excited as we are! Join us all next week for Restaurant Week by making your reservations at 952.888.4447 or online at Open Table.

See you next week!

The Famous Croque-Monsieur

Very few sandwiches make it into French cuisine's Hall of Fame status. However, the Croque-Monsieur is no ordinary sandwich. With all of the different and gourmet twists on this toasted work of art, the Croque-Monsieur is the perfect complement to that hearty bowl of soup and just the thing that'll warm you up as the weather turns cold.

The quintessential French bistro sandwich, the Croque-Monsieur is so much more than your typical grilled ham and cheese. With cheese safely enrobed both within and broiled atop the sandwich, the Croque-Monsieur is your fall go-to comfort food.

Literally translated to the Crunchy Mister, you may want to stick to its preferred nomenclature, but either way, a sandwich this good is sure not to disappoint. Whip one up for dinner this week and leave everyone shouting for more.

Pretty much all you'll need is your favorite sandwich bread (white works better than wheat), some sliced deli ham, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and the cheese of your cheese. (We recommend Gruyere, but it's up to you). Toast the bread, and then slather one slice each (per sandwich), with mayo and the mustard respectively. Add ham and cheese to the middle, and then place the closed sandwich on a baking sheet. Add more cheese to the top of each sandwich and broil in the broiler setting of your oven (or toaster oven) until bubbly and melted through. 

Voila! Bon appetit!

Also, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can always make it a full blown Croque-Madame by adding a fried egg to the top of your Croque-Monsieur. Other variations to the Croque-Monsieur include adding apples and herbs, such as sage, to even creating a rich, velvety cheese sauce for the filling and topping.

Let us know if you have a favorite Croque-Monsieur variation in the comments below. We'd love to try it!

Bloomington, MN Event Caterer

While now may not be the time that most people think of when it comes to getting outside and making the most of things, it's a great time to let you in on a lesser known fact about one of Chez Daniel's capabilities. Not only are we able to host your event on-site, in one of Chez Daniel's Private Dining rooms or in our beautifully spacious ballroom, but we are also able to bring Chez Daniel to you.

That's right, with our sister restaurant Woolley's Steakhouse and under our joint parent company, Tri City Restaurant Management, we're able to provide off-site catering. From family reunion BBQ's to a corporate lunch for employees, graduation parties to beautiful outdoor weddings, we're able to handle it all! Plus, the best part about hiring an experienced caterer for your next event is the fact that you don't even have to worry. Simply leave the planning, the preparation, and the clean-up to us!

Our team is equipped and experienced enough to handle anything your party throws our way. From the food, plates and utensils to linens, decor, and even the tent, we'd love to show you our catering team's capabilities.

Below is a cater-out that we recently hosted on-site for one of our corporate clients. Their event, a picnic complete with pig roast, was a hit!

Guests waiting to go through the buffet line

Chef Peter with the Pig Roast

We even had one uninvited guest try to get in on the delicious Pig Roast!

For more information on how we could help with your next event, please contact us today at 952.888.4447 to be put in touch with a member of our catering team.

We look forward to making your event not just worry free, but unforgettable!