Barbette

Perhaps the most pleasurable thing about Barbette is the feeling that, upon gliding through its velvet-curtained entry, you’ve walked into a French movie. A host with chiseled cheekbones guides you past a round communal table. Stained-glass fixtures in circus colors suggest the performer from which the cafe takes its name. If you’re lucky, you’ll be seated with a view of a painting of a lovely nude with a sensuous backside. Patrons to your left slurp oysters, and across the room, a couple lingers over a bottle of Sicilian red with a spread of fruit, artisan cheeses, and warm olives. You can’t decide whether to indulge in the grass-fed steak frites or the wild mushroom risotto, but one thing is certain: it’s time to learn French. 1600 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-827-5710