North Loop has a hot new French restaurant by Chef David Fhima, owner of Fhima’s in downtown Minneapolis. Maison Margaux opened on May 12th, so of course we had to go as soon as we could before other people could share their opinions.

Ever since starting this blog, we’ve come to realize how ridiculous we look when Amy pulls out her Canon T7i, but some of our favorite experiences have been with waiters who play into it, and this visit did not disappoint. The waiters were prepped and ready, helping us get some necessary video content and also making a few photo bomb appearances. Off the bat we knew this would be an entertaining dinner.

A brief note on the cocktails to begin. We got the French Press Sangria and A Royale for All Seasons. The sangria was a winner on experience, because they brought out a special glass with fruit still in it and strained it for us into the glass in front of us. However the latter was easily the winner on taste. It felt like an elevated version of a drink you would have on a boat (a yacht, perhaps?).

For food, they brought us some sourdough bread to start – and for free! This bread is made with a sourdough starter that has been in Fhima’s family for over 130 years. It is known as the “mother dough”, which also inspired Fhima’s local “Mother Dough Bakery”. We enjoyed the bread, but the butter really stole the show. It was a bit sweet, and was gone far too soon. The next time we stop in we’ll hopefully work up the courage to ask for more butter after we finish it at record speed.

Next we had the “Soupe A L’oignon Gratinee”, or French Onion Soup for the rest of us. It certainly was a French onion soup, and there’s not much else we have to say about it. It was delicious, we slurped it right up, and if it was presented in front of us we would happily eat it again. Nothing to drive you to go visit a restaurant, because many places can make a mean onion soup.

Up next we tried the scallops because we absolutely adore scallops. Amy thought they were kind of fishy, but I’m not sure if I agree. We often struggle buying scallops because Amy can make a mean scallop at home. Although these were delicious, were they worth the price tag over what we can make at home? They served us 3 scallops for $24, and the same quantity of fresh scallops for us in the past has been $22.50, pre-tax. I think we have a pretty even match here, so I’m not sure if that pushes us onto the side of Maison Margaux as the winner or not. These scallops also came with some strange garnishes that I tried to eat, but I think it was a stick? I wouldn’t recommend doing that. Overall, they are perfectly fine, and decently priced.

We finished up our dinner with the rack of lamb. I don’t know why, but TikTok has relentlessly been showing me cooking competitions where people make racks of lamb, so I knew we needed to get this. It was quite delicious, and now I understand why Gordon cared so much about the lamb sauce. It also came with a side of scalloped potatoes, and they tasted just like Amy’s grandma’s potatoes. This is not a compliment. But we didn’t order this for the potatoes, we got it for the lamb, and my mouth is watering thinking about when we can go get it again.

Finally, we had to get a dessert, as per usual. We got the Fraisier, which is a French strawberry cake. Unfortunately we would not get this cake again. The layers were a big tough and chewy, and we wanted something softer and fluffier. I also think it could have benefited from having more of the creamy layer with the strawberries, but alas. We are excited to try out different desserts in the future.

VIBE CHECK

This restaurant was super adorable, and had numerous distinct vibes throughout the building. We actually wish we hadn’t made a reservation so we could have sat in the bar room off to the side. Additionally, the basement is fitted out like a wine cellar and is very moody. We will definitely be returning to try some cocktails, and hopefully get some better photos. We think this restaurant would be perfect either for a date night or for larger groups. They have the upstairs set up to accommodate large parties.

DISH IT OUT

Please reference our rating system, 1 being awful and 5 being fantastic.