So brasserie is French. It actually means brewery, but translates more appropriately to "you can wear jeans here but we're gonna charge you $8 for a piece of brioche." Harriet really isn't all that uptight. I mean, it is in Linden Hills, right next to Tilia, in fact. And it does have some fancy menu items, but the prices aren't outrageous for what you get and the atmosphere is comfortable. One large, crowded dining room and a tiny, coveted patio host a demographic of mostly parents, kids and more elderly patrons...bring your proper mouths.
We were greeted by a cheery hostess, who encouraged us to get a drink at the bar while we wait for a table. Well, the bartender was anything but a ray of sunshine. She ignored us for a good ten minutes, fidgeting around doing busy work as if we were a nuisance to her, and then when we finally got her attention, she boldy stated "you have to close out right away!" Ok, fine. No problem. She took her sweet ass time pouring someone else's mimosas before reluctantly moving to mine. There she is, with her vacant death stare...
Luckily the drink was damn tasty and we settled up and bolted to the sidewalk bench to wait for a table. Not caught on camera: babies, strollers, grandmas in camoflage sweatpants...all that jazz.
So we were finally seated after a half hour or so...man this place is tough to get into! Our server was a doll; attentive and genuine. We had fresh drinks and orders in right away. Another tasty mimosa and a good strong coffee for the man.
Our food took a little while, but came out with a nice presentation. B got the tostadas. Very classic mexican style. A bit bland, but fresh and healthy.
I got the crawfish grits cuz I thought it sounded interesting, and it kinda was. I mean, it did have an egg on top, a nice crawfish/tomato reduction and half an avacado, yum. But, the whole dish was rather bland in flavor. But it also wasn't greasy or over-salted like your average breakfast fare.
Oh, I almost forgot the belgian waffle. This was in homage to the All City Championship bike race that I did the night before, where some sadistic event organizer thought a 35-mile manifest was "not that bad." Anyone who has biked 35 miles or more knows that afterwards you want to eat every carbolicious thing in sight. The waffle was pretty tasty, but I'm not such a huge fan of cherry compote. I'd rather have berries.
On the way out, we learned some history. Did you know the Harriet band shell burned down like two or three times and then was destroyed by a windstorm in the first ten years it existed? Then a "temporary shell" stood for more than 75 years before it was finally restored to its current condition. Don't say you never learned anything from bad eggs. My last piece of learning for you? If you really want to venture to the land of toddlers and cougars for brunch, I'd say Tilia and the Brasserie are about the same level of quality, although the Brass. dining room is much less loud and echoey, but you still have to deal with the hormonal bartender. And don't be surprised if you find yourself humming "...do do do...here's to you, Mrs. Robinson."
