St. Paul has landed a top chef. Karyn Tomlinson is taking her talent to St. Paul, where she’ll open Myriel in the former Bar Brigade on Cleveland Avenue. She’s christened her new venture Myriel (470 S. Cleveland Av., myrielmn.com), named for a favorite character in author Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables.”
“I read it years ago, shortly after I’d finished cooking school,” she said. “Bishop Myriel demonstrates how inviting someone in for a simple meal can make all the difference in a person’s life. It’s a really beautiful picture of hospitality, and I wanted to name my first place after that.”
“I want to get to know the neighborhood before I commit to anything,” she said. “I’ll highlight my European training — I went to cooking school in France, and I spent time in Sweden — and I want to highlight products from Minnesota farmers. ‘Humble elegance’ will be more of my philosophy.”
