• Fixed Price Menu $75
  • Duck liver mousse ravioli with scallions and game bird consomme
  • Pan-roasted breast of chukar partridge with preserved cranberry farro and toasted hazelnut sauce
  • Cherry wood-smoked rack of lamb with parsnip-potato puree
  • Donnay Dairy goat cheese-preserved tomato mousse with sweet onion jam
  • Bittersweet chocolate terrine with passion fruit panna cotta and a macadamia nut tart

Wow! In a year of pretty good meals overall, I think this was a great way to end the year, with another great meal.

Steve got to choose which menu he was going to have first and chose the fish menu, which I will admit, even though I gave him first choice and said it really did not matter, that I was assuming he would choose the meat one, so I was a bit disappointed with being left with the meat one.

However, I think in the end, mine was the better menu. I now understand why people get so excited about lamb, it was amazing, it melted in your mouth and the smoked flavor did not overwhelm the delicate meat, but enhanced it.

The rest of the menu was also wonderful, without one disappointing plate. While we did not have the best table in the house, not even close. I had a great view of the kitchen and got to watch Lenny Russo work his magic.

If you are going to a show at the Guthrie, I would definately try out Cue, perhaps better yet, wait until the curtain has rose and then go to Cue and simply enjoy a wonderful meal.

• Fixed Price Menu with Wine $125
  • Kumamoto oyster with hackleback sturgeon caviar and English cucumber relish
  • Spicy cornmeal-crusted Michigan lake perch with celery root broth, tarragon oil and micro greens
  • Seared Bigeye tuna with leek confit, roasted wild mushrooms and Pinot Noir sauce
  • Pleasant Ridge Gruyere with hickory nut compote
  • Sheep milk ricotta cheese mousse with oatmeal streusel and blueberry sorbet

Sometimes it's nice to spend New Year's Eve the way you've spent the rest of the year. Many people I talked to who are parents of young children planned to get together with other parents. It sounded like they were getting together because it was their best option given a lack of babysitters. Maybe it's morbid to think of life that way, too. Spend your last days the way you've spent the rest of your life. There's something pleasant, peaceful, and symmetrical about that.

We spent New Year's Eve at Cue, which offered a super galactic five course menu with your choice of meat, fish, or vegetarian courses. Wine pairing was optional, which I ordered and Renee declined. By course, a few short comments:

1. The amuse bouche, a Kumamoto oyster with caviar and cucumber relish, was perfect. I don't often order oysters, but this one was tender, moist, and delicious. The salty caviar flavor with its normal crunchy texture complemented the oyster.
2. The sesame perch was light and flaky, again perfectly cooked. I was just as impressed with the unique celery root broth that was equally light and did not overpower a mild tasting fish.
3. This was one of the best tunas I've ever had. It was sushi grade tuna, barely seared, and amazingly substantive.
4. This was a basic gruyère that would appeal to most palates.
5. The ricotta mousse was very nice and refreshing.

Service at times felt too formal or uncomfortable and not personable. I was also disappointed when one of the staff cleared a second piece of bread minutes after it had been delivered, and I had only taken one bite. The dessert course, ostensibly the most straightforward, took a long time to deliver.

I was surprised, if not disappointed, to see many people in jeans on New Year's Eve. I know that people have different places to go after dinner, but I still liked seeing couples and groups in jackets and dresses. Really, you can try a little harder than a Polartec® vest on New Year's Eve.

I was delightfully surprised to watch the fireworks over the Mississippi River during the meal. It was a good show, and Cue is one of the few places to dine and see fireworks in Downtown Minneapolis.