The lady and I have been to Herbst twice now . . . once in November shortly after the new chef took over, and a recent Sunday for brunch with the kiddo. Both times we reserved the Chef’s Counter booth (no extra charge), so I may be slightly biased having interacted with chef and received possibly some special treatment
We only do a handful of higher end “fancy” meals a year, and prices don’t feel egregious. The portions . . . if anything I’d prefer if they dialed some back a bit, but more on that later
So let’s dig in starting with brunch . . .
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| Chef Ben Moenster / Chef's Counter |
Firstoff . . . The Chef’s Counter. DO IT. Highly recommended. It’s a great behind the scenes look at the cookery being done, how the kitchen operates, and cool to see not only the dishes we ordered being made right in front of us, but see the dishes we didn’t order being made as well. Chef Ben is amiable; open and encouraging of questions. It was cool to see Chef tasting nearly everything. There was a container of spoons, and after he tasted he’d put it in a bin to be washed
We arrived a few minutes before opening at 10am, and loitered in the closed farm stand room, checking out the wares, hitting the head. Soon we were invited to sit at the booth I'd reserved through Tock linked in their website (you'll see the option highlighted). There are a handful of other high seats at the counter, but the booth is cozy and was the perfect height for the kiddo
We ordered and ate family style, sharing and tasting everything. It's an solid brunch with twists, and we made a hell of a dent in the menu. Chef said they're doing it lowkey for now, getting their feet under the menu and process before they promote it. Hopefully it expands to Saturdays as well
Our waiter was on point all morning. The beverages menu doesn't take into account kids other than a "Herbst seasonal soda" and Mexican Coke. When I asked if they had lemonade or h0t chocolate for the kid, he thought a beat, and to our delight said, "I think we can make hot chocolate happen"
I've recently gotten into tea, and the Sacred Blossom Farm Herbal Tea they serve is phenomenal. It's prompted me to finally dip into loose teas; pick up a tea cage infuser
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| Aebleskiver w/ jams |
We started out with the Aebleskiver. Danish fried batter balls. They arrived with a Raspberry Jam, and the kiddo immediately warned me, "Dad, don't eat that! You're allergic to raspberries". She always has my back. Well, Chef heard this, and offered a jam I believe made of last fall's cherries, which was very thoughtful, and the preserves were delicious
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| Ricotta Toast |
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| Necessary Close-up |
The Ricotta Toast with avocado, smoked salmon, radish, and pickled shallot was a beautiful presentation. The radish looked pretty, but was fairly flavorless and didn’t add anything but eye candy to the dish. Overall it was good, but seemed like it would bring more pop than it did
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| Necessary Cross Section Close-up |
The Breakfast Sandwich was a bit of a dream. Perfection on the souffle egg. Wonderful thick seasoned bacon. The side of hash browns were a revelation for the lady. Lush and creamy on the inside, crisp on the outside. I on the other hand, while enjoying them, prefer mine the old fashioned diner style
The Omelette, filled with stracciatella cheese, topped with herbed vermouth sauce, and side salad greens, was another nod to egg perfection in the lady's eyes. Light, wet, loose, jusssssst barely holding it's structure enough to fold. A far cry from the crispy overcooked eggs I make. One of the beauties of sitting at the Chef Counter booth is being able to watch them cook the eggs, the same way each time. I've tried to repeat the process at home since, to sort of success. I'll need to pop in again and really focus next time
Waffle with Duck Confit, warm Spiced Maple Syrup, and Cara Cara Orange. This was a bit of an odd duck so to speak. I envisioned the duck confit would be a leg or two, ala chicken & waffles, not caramelized shredded hunks of meat. The taste was great, but the visual didn't match up with my mind's eyes. Still worth an order
The waffle itself was fluffy on the inside and crisp on the out. Here's where I'll mention one criticism. The waffle, the fried Aebleskiver, the grilled bread on both visits . . . even the hash browns to a degree . . . all came across as a bit over crisped. The lady expressed concern with how long the waffles were in the magic rotating griddle, and indeed the waffles could have been removed sooner. Not a huge issue, but notable
For me, the star of the show was the Roasted Cauliflower with Chermoula, Sultanas, Fennel, and Dukkah. The flavors screamed different than the rest of brunch, and indeed would fit perfectly on the dinner menu. The lady wasn't too into it, and it was a large portion to go along with as much as we ordered, so half of it made a nice snack at home later in the evening
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| Loaf of Banana Bread (top) / Coffee Cake Slice |
Stuffed as we were, the extremely bargain priced dessert couldn't entirely be passed up. We ordered for the road what turned out to be a small loaf of banana bread, and to the lady's consternation, she deemed it, "Better than most . . . almost as good as mine . . . adding chocolate chips really is cheating . . . these are fighting words . . . damn . . . it's good"
As a bonus, Chef handed us a hunk of the coffee cake to take home as well, which I was especially appreciative of trying it. Was ok, but muted. Could really have used more spice and pop
Whew. Part Two of the novel . . . Dinner
Dinner was the a date night the Sunday before Thanksgiving; about a month after Chef Moenster joined Herbst. The Fall Menu had recently been put in place, and top to bottom was excellent
We started with a couple of cocktails; a full proof for me and a no-proof for the lady. At this time, the beverage list offered a full/low/no proof version of each cocktail, each at the same price. It felt wrong in a way paying the same $15 for a drink with no alcohol, but . . . have you ever gone to the liquor store and checked out the prices for NA beer/wine, pre-made cocktails, etc? The price is no different. If anything, it can be MORE expensive to create a mocktail
(btw, the current menu list full proof and no proof separately)
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| Grilled Bread and Butter |
Soon arrived excellent Bread & Butter, and a side of Grilled Beets with Preserved lemon and Fennel Pollen. These were beets to convert people who say they don't like beets. The only downside would be the size. It was A LOT of beets. We actually would have preferred a smaller portion, and not wanting to be wasteful, I powered through eating them all
The chopped Chilled Mussels, Dashi, Bok Choy, Yuzu, and Serrano was straight up awesome. I started eating it politely, but eventually ended up slurping it down with a spoon. Truly a special dish
The Squash Soup with Arugula, Pear Mostarda, and Coconut Dukkah was fantastic as well. The creamy puree with the crunchies . . . stellar
And the Saffron Risotto with Braised Lamb, Peppers, Za'atar, and Aged Balsamic was a paradigm shifting dish for me. Over the years I've watched bewildered as people moaned over how good risottos were. They never did it for me. Until now. THIS was incredible. Deep, rich, yet bursting with brightness and pop. One of the best dishes in a long time
After the mussels and risotto, the Black Cod with Grilled Radish, Sherry Vinaigrette, and Pine Nut Gremolata seemed a bit of a lull. It shouldn't feel bad . . . was a lovely perfectly cooked, especially the crispy skin . . . the vinaigrette and gremolata were perfect accompaniments, and the radishes made me feel like I need to make up for lost time having never grilled them before. We liked it plenty, just . . . ohh the mussels and risotto
Overall it was an exceptional night. Food, service, ambiance, the "Dinner and a Show" of the Chef's Counter. I'd like to make it back for each seasonal menu change. Check them out!
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Bonus note: After brunch, our server packaged up a couple of to-go containers, and wrote the date on them. Seriously. THAT is Next Level
UPDATED WITH PARKING INFO
There are plenty of cool places on this part of Raymond as well as Herbst (currently Barely Bros Records, Shag Studio vintage shop, Hey Bear! which I hear great things about) and I've always street parked for free in the green circle. Never not been able to find a spot. There's also free parking where the green arrows point. There's metered parking in along the yellow lines
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www.herbstsaintpaul.com
Herbst Eatery - 779 Raymond Ave, St. Paul, MN 55114
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