If we overheard someone say Myriel was secretly run by woodland nymphs, we’d believe them. The menu changes daily but you can always expect locally-foraged produce like wild plums or juniper berries and whole-animal butchery—two unrevolutionary practices, however, this fancy spot does them better than everywhere else in town. On Wednesday there might be crispy duck breast with a delicately applied tangy sauce, and on Saturday, some spicy lamb sausage on a bed of tender white beans.

We were definitely bordering on full when we rolled into Myriel, but I knew Lynn would love chef Karyn Tomlinson’s sparse, Nordic sensibilities. Since Tomlinson focuses on whole-animal butchery — and that means using every part of the animal — we had to start with the charcuterie plate. A rich, creamy duck-liver pate and some duck rillettes were paired with some local, cave-aged blue cheese and little yellow bean pickles for some perfect first bites.

Small and intimate, Myriel is simple elegance made edible with foraged ingredients, Grandma’s pie crust, and the giddy touch of a chef comfortable in her own space. You don’t scroll through a menu online; you trust her kitchen and sign up for a tasting menu that might include braised duck legs on lentils or a brightly vivacious yet humble carrot salad served on nostalgic plates that have a clear and solid place in 2022 and beyond.

Myriel: Karyn Tomlinson's Highland Park restaurant seems like the perfect date-night destination, a place worthy of fancy shoes. But tucked into the dessert menu is pure Midwestern comfort. Her pie crust is so dialed in that it's rumored that it clinched her win at the 2018 Grand Cochon, the national whole-heritage-hog cooking competition (one of her entries was Lard and Apple Pie).

Karyn Tomlinson’s elegant, romantic Myriel is pint-sized and refined, with a menu of delicate but flavorful dishes and an atmosphere that conjures Parisian brasseries. Whether you sit at the intimate, honed black marble bar or in the low-lit dining room, Tomlinson’s attention to detail and originality are present in every bite. One of the Twin Cities’ most romantic restaurants.

In March, Shawn McKenzie of Café Cerés was named a semifinalist for the 2023 James Beard Awards in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category, and four Twin Cities chefs were nominated under the Best Chef-Midwest category: Karyn Tomlinson of Myriel, Yia Vang of Union Hmong Kitchen and Christina Nguyen of Hai Hai, along with Ahmed for Khâluna.

Myriel is where the elegance of French dining meets the simplicity of Scandinavian flavors. Situated in Minneapolis, this restaurant offers an experience that’s hard to find elsewhere. It’s a delightful fusion of two distinct culinary worlds, creating dishes that are both familiar and refreshingly new.

Myriel‘s chef Karyn Tomlinson received a nomination in the 2023 James Beard Awards for the regional “best chef” category. The Myriel team emphasizes hospitality and community-based ingredient choices. They partner with local farmers and vendors to ensure the menu is full of Minnesota goodness.

When Karyn Tomlinson opened St. Paul’s Myriel in late fall three years ago, the florid explanations that servers would give about the dishes’ provenance felt theatrical. It also felt appropriate. Could carrots, greens and brined cheese sourced from these boutique purveyors really be this good?

For a rustic yet somehow refined menu that changes often, head to Myriel in Highland Park. It’s another great choice among St. Paul restaurants for fine dining, and whatever you do, don’t leave without dessert and a Scandinavian egg coffee.

We enjoyed our last meal at St. Genevieve a fair bit (we actually ended up there because Myriel had to close unexpectedly) but, again, not enough to need to check in very often over places we like better for pretty much the same price.

The 10-course, two-hour dining experience by Karyn Tomlinson is one of the most expensive, but well-reviewed tasting menus in the Twin Cities. Go in with an open mind. No menus are posted online.