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Barbette has received "best of's" from local press for its late night dining, desserts, wine list, and, of course, those French fries that accompany the steak frites. Barbette uses local and organic ingredients as much as possible, presenting beautiful food in a casual, eclectic, bistro atmosphere. Says Star Tribune reviewer Rick Nelson: "I reveled in a meal that tasted far more expensive than the final tab suggested ... " and, " a restaurant that can be enjoyed by diners of all ages." Barbette was founded in February of 2001. Formerly the site of Cafe Wyrd, an espresso bar, it was re-imagined to be a full-service neighborhood joint serving excellent food & wine. Lisa Carlson, who had worked at Laspinasse with Gray Kunz, and with Christian Delouvrier, was the founding chef and quickly took a few prizes on the Minneapolis restaurant scene. In June of '04 Chef Ty Hatfield earned a 3 star review from the Star Tribune . Barbette has a beautiful patio open as soon as weather permits. Barbette has several food & wine events throughout the year, as well as live music occasionally, and an inexpensive prix fixe dinner every Monday evening. Happy hour is 3-6 pm Monday through Friday and 10pm-close Sunday - Thursday. Barbette is named for the renowned aerialist Vander Clyde, who graduated from high school early so as to join the circus. Using the stage name 'Barbette', he became a world-famous performer, moving to France in the 1930's. He was a friend to Jean Cocteau and Man Ray, appearing in Cocteau's first film "LE SANG D'UN POÈTE" (The Blood of a Poet), 1930. Man Ray's photographs of Vander/'Barbette' appear beautifully reproduced in an out-of-print book along with Cocteau's essay about Barbette's performances. (If anyone finds our copy, please return it.) Vander Clyde later returned to the States and taught aerial work at Disney. Barbette features a rotation of local artist's works on its 'gallery' wall. If you are interested in showing work, send us non-returnable samples of your work.