Restaurant review: Margaux is a Midwestern fit

Margaux, the likable new French restaurant in downtown St. Paul, bills itself as a brasserie, not a bistro. That's a good thing, because the word bistro has been stretched so far and in so many different directions that it has become meaningless, at least on this side of the Atlantic. A brasserie, according to Webster's, is "a tavern that serves simple meals as well as beverages." Typically that would be beer, but also wine.

Opening a brasserie in Minnesota is a daring venture, and I hope Margaux succeeds. The last attempt to open a brasserie in this state was the late lamented Brasserie Zinc on the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, which closed three years ago. Reportedly, confused customers sometimes called it the Zinc Brassiere, but maybe they were in their cups.

Compared with A Rebours, on the other, more fashionable side of downtown St. Paul, Margaux is more laid back and more Midwestern. The servers are less polished and formal, and the diners sometimes sport blue jeans and baseball caps. The restaurant's interior is chic, but the big dining room windows look out on a pawnshop and a parking ramp.

Margaux offers a good selection of the classic bistro/brasserie dishes, but replaces some of the foreign words with user-friendly Franglais: dishes such as "onion soup gratinee" (instead of soupe a l'oignon), "escargot with garlic butter" (sounds better than snails, doesn't it?), "frog legs Provençal," and a "pot pie du jour." The menu also offers such familiar American fare as jumbo shrimp cocktail, hamburger, cheeseburger, a BLT and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich that sounds suspiciously like a croque monsieur, a bistro classic.

Margaux's grand seafood platter is offered as an entree, but also makes a fine starter to share. It might be a little less grand than its counterparts at Stella's, Salut, Oceanaire and the like, but it is also a lot less expensive. You get three jumbo shrimp, three plump oysters, two stone crab claws, five steamed mussels and half a small lobster for $29, presented on a bed of ice and seaweed with Tabasco, mignonette and cocktail sauce.

The escargot were a very standard rendition of a very standard dish, but the tuna tartare was livelier than the usual, thanks to the chopped onions and capers, which strengthened its resemblance to steak tartare. Mussels and frites are a classic pairing, but it still seems odd to serve a big paper cone of fries with an appetizer course. That's not a serious complaint, though; the mussels cooked in white wine and shallots were tiny but delectable, and the fries give this dish the versatility to double as a light entree. Among the starters, the only disappointment was the antipasti plate: a lot of fruit (apple, pear, pineapple and grapes) and very modest portions of meat, cheese and other savories.

Best of the entrees included the plump and flavorful diver scallops smartly paired with a delicately scented vanilla cream sauce, and the juicy and tender chicken under a brick, moistened by a garlicky parsley pesto. I also liked my steak au poivre, juicy slices of beef in a peppery brown sauce, and the chicken pot pie, encased in a golden puff pastry crust that soaked up the rich flavors of the gravy.

Other dishes got mixed reviews. The duck two ways was only a partial success: The leg stuffed with a pine-nut forcemeat was wonderful, but the breast was too rare, rather tough and not crisp as advertised. Same goes for the red snapper: The presentation was striking -- a whole fish poached in a thin "crazy water" of tomatoes, white wine and herbs, and the fish was fresh and delicate, but the combination just didn't come together well. We were similarly unimpressed with the salade Nicoise: an eye-catching presentation, but the grilled rare tuna lacked flavor.

The only vegetarian dish, apart from the salads, is a grilled veggie sandwich, stuffed with portabella mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini tomatoes and onions.

Desserts, all made on the premises, ranged from a crunchy crème brûlée to a flourless chocolate cake, very traditional renditions, but thoroughly enjoyable.

Margaux has a small but impressive beer selection, with a focus on the great traditional beers of Belgium. France and California dominate the wine list, which offers 20 wines by the glass for $9 or less, but no Chateau Margaux.

Hours: Dining Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., bar open Monday through Thursday until midnight, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Closed Sunday.

Atmosphere: Simple but stylish, with white tablecloths, big windows and an open kitchen.

Sound level: Moderate.

Recommended dishes: Tuna tartare, chicken under a brick, diver scallops, chicken pot pie, crème brûlée.

Price range: Sandwiches $7.95 to $10.95, entrees $14.95 to $22.95 (except for seafood platter, $29).

Jeremy Iggers • 612-673-4524