La Belle Vie

Rating:

For the serious food freak, chef Tim McKee's eight-course tasting menu may be the ultimate Twin Cities dining experience, a three-hour parade of courses. The flavors are intense but balanced and presented in measured portions that compel the diner to savor each taste in turn. For a less formal experience, the restaurant's chic lounge is the place for a beautifully rendered cocktail by mixmaster Johnny Michaels and a roster of carefully prepared small plates. McKee was named Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation in 2009, the first Minnesotan so honored.