James Beard Award-winning chef Gavin Kaysen is reviving Bellecour, his French restaurant that closed in the summer of 2020, joining the throngs of dining establishments across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kaysen is reimagining the restaurant and bringing the brand to two locations, splitting with Cooks of Crocus Hill. Bellecour North Loop should open this fall at 107 3rd Avenue North, and later this year, a second location should debut in Edina at 3934 Market Street; both locations operated as Cooks | Bellecour. Bellecour’s North Loop space is situated on the same block as Kaysen’s two other restaurants, Spoon and Stable, and Demi, under Kaysen’s Soigné Hospitality Group. Cooks | Bellecour will close on Sunday, June 1, according to a news release, with Cooks of Crocus Hill reverting to its original name and continuing cooking classes and culinary events in North Loop.
Bellecour opened in 2017 in Wayzata. The restaurant was inspired by Daniel Boulud’s restaurant in Lyon, France. A glowing review in the Star Tribune shortly after the restaurant’s opening may hint at what diners may expect from the new space. Highlights included Kaysen specialties like a saffron-infused bouillabaisse and a Minnesota-raised duck à l’orange made two ways. In 2018, Kaysen won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, and in 2008, he was the recipient of the Beard’s Rising Star Chef Award.
Renderings of the interior of the forthcoming North Loop location for Bellecour.
Shea
A rendering of the cafe space of the forthcoming North Loop location for Bellecour.
Shea
Kaysen tells the Star Tribune that he feels the upcoming North Loop location can fill a void vacated when Moose & Sadie’s closed in 2020, ending its nearly three-decade run. By day, Bellecour’s North Loop location will be a cafe and bakery with casual counter service, and at night it will transition into a full-service bistro. According to a rep, opening menu items could include steak frites, a croque madame, quiche, and moules frites. Potentially, Spoon and Stable’s Dirty French Burger — topped with raclette, red wine onion aioli, and sauce perigourdine on a milk bun — could make its way to Bellecour. Meanwhile, the Edina location will primarily serve as a bakery and coffee shop, according to a news release. It will also offer patio seating and serve alcohol.
During the pandemic, Kaysen dramatically shifted his direction by offering baked goods, first as a pop-up at Cooks of Crocus Hill’s North Loop location. That location eventually became a permanent shop within a shop, expanding its collaboration with a second pop-up in 2021 in St. Paul, followed by an official merger of the two brands in 2023 and ambitions to further expansion under a new name, Cooks | Bellecour. Kaysen calls the collaboration a success in the news release, adding that his team was “incredibly grateful” over the last five years.
Behind the design is Minneapolis firm, Shea, and according to the Star Tribune, the North Loop spot will incorporate exposed brick and rough wood beams, offering an industrial feel, along with Art Deco light fixtures, and the daytime counter framed by subway tile. The Edina location will offer more of a modern aesthetic, the paper reports, and will carry beer and wine and outside seating. Serving as beverage director will be Jessi Pollak, who is Spoon and Stable’s bar manager.
Bellecour, 107 3rd Avenue North in North Loop and 3934 Market Street in Edina, both planned for a fall opening.
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