I wish I would have read the reviews before visiting Barbette's. My brother and I decided to try Barbette's for brunch after seeing it mentioned in the Best of Twin Cities City Pages. It was a horrible experience from start to finish. As we walked in, we looked to the baristas/host for direction as to where to sit. No one made eye contact with us or talked to us for a good 5 minutes as we stood there next to them. Instead, they continued their conversation which included one barista referring to a customer as ""the guy whose face looks like something I threw up this morning"". A very educated staff -- I think not. That should have been our first clue to leave. Finally, a passing waitress motioned for us to just sit anywhere as she rolled her eyes (maybe a sign that read ""please seat yourself"" would have been appropriate?). After sitting in our ripped up and dirty seats for nearly 15 minutes, we were getting extremely frustrated. When the waitress finally made her way over to us, she helped a table next to us that had arrived about 5 minutes after us. When we finally ordered, the waitress was bothered by our question regarding meat in the quiche and failed to mention any specials etc. on the menu. When our food finally arrived, it was a pathetic attempt at French cuisine, reminding me much of any other granola restaurant that decided to call themselves French because they threw a crepe and some brie on the menu. Barbette?s was described as ""romantic"". If ""romantic"" means being treated horribly, insulted, and dining in a dirty lamp-lit garage, so as to hide that dirt -- then yes, Barbette's is romantic. In this market, a restaurant and its staff should be more than polite, especially when the food is such a disappointment. Do not waste your money here -- you will be sorry you did.
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