Rather than pledging to attend more yoga classes, cut back on Facebook time or some other wholly unrealistic New Year's resolution goal, I'm funneling my energies into not taking long-running restaurants for granted.
Starting with Vincent.
The 12-year-old restaurant is a vivid reflection of chef Vincent Francoual's unique background. This native of small-town southwestern France entered vocational school at age 14, then immersed himself in the rigors of the European resort circuit before landing in a pair of four-star Manhattan restaurants in the 1990s: Lespinasse and Le Bernardin.
Francoual was 29 when he found himself in Minnesota in 1997, channeling his considerable skills into reviving the fading Cafe Un Deux Trois.
Four years later he was at the helm of his eponymous establishment, a move that rightly propelled him into the upper echelons of the city's chef corps and earning the title that he has monogrammed on his immaculate white chef's coat: "Le Grand Fromage" ("the Big Cheese").
As for the restaurant that bears his name, how has it held up?
Fine, thank you very much. More than fine, actually. This oasis of professionalism and grace exudes a civilizing force that few local restaurants can claim, yet it never loses its sense of Midwestern approachability.
Picturing 11th and Nicollet without calm, self-assured Vincent — the restaurant and the man — is akin to picturing the skyline minus the Foshay Tower. In other words, unthinkable.