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| editor’s note This guide will appear weekly in pulse listing restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, etc. that have impressed Bebe Newell over the last two years. It will change as new restaurants are discovered that we think will please our readers. |
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| Minneapolis Area Birchwood Café, 3311 East 25th St., Mpls., 612-722-4474. Serving fresh, unique and organically grown food, they offer a staggering amount of vegetarian and vegan options along with the eclectic spins that they take on omnivore delights. The menu changes pretty much daily, but the food there is all so good you won’t have a problem finding substitutes. Birchwood is also lauded for its wonderful desserts. Overall, I was delighted with everything from the space to the yummy food to the charming people who worked there. Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake Street, Mpls, 612-825-3737. Open 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Theater, bowling and food: it could only work at Bryant-Lake Bowl. Breakfast is served until 2 p.m. (make sure you try the BLB fries—divine red baby potatoes sautéed until crisp outside, soft and buttery inside), but it’s when the lunch and dinner menu kicks in at 11 a.m that the BLB excels. Enormous appetizers, homemade soups, gourmet sandwiches, potato salad with artichoke hearts and capers, pastas, burgers with specialty mayos and Tex-Mex items—this is certainly no ordinary bowling alley. The wine list is small but well-chosen. Bowl a 300 and celebrate good times with dessert from BLB’s sister restaurant Barbette. Yum. $-$$ Golooney’s Pizza, 24th and Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls, 612-377-8555. The thing to order here is the old-fashioned, New York-style pepperoni and cheese pizza. This is a perfectly cooked, flat, crispy crust with gooey mozzarella and superior pepperoni. Golooney’s other pizzas are very good, too, but you won’t find this New York-style of pizza anywhere else in town. $ Lotus Restaurant, 3037 Hennipen Ave. S., Mpls, 612-825-2263 Consistently voted “Best Restaurant in the Twin Cities” by the critiquing powers that be, although I’m not sure I’m 100 percent behind that assessment. The food is definitely interesting and really quite good. Lotus ofers a rather large selection of both eggrolls and springrolls. I would have to classify Lotus as not your standard-fare Vietnamese with Chinese accents restaurants. they definitely explore the eclectic range of flavors. If you’re looking for an interesting place to drop in for a bite, I’d recommend Lotus. $-$$ Machu Picchu, 2940 Lyndale Ave. S., 612-822-2125. The only Peruvian restaurant in the Twin Cities, this restaurant is a seafood lover’s delight. Shrimp, squid, clams and halibut are featured in a number of entrées. Chicken and beef are also available and very tasty. But don’t neglect the appetizers. Empanadas are light, crispy turnovers, stuffed with beef and raisins. Papas a la huancaina feature delicate tasting potatoes in a spicy goat cheese sauce with hard boiled eggs and olives. This restaurant also has some of the friendliest and best servers in the Twin Cities. $$ Mel-O-Glaze, 4800 28th Ave. S., Mpls, 612-729-9316. Large, fat, soft donuts that are nice and dry (not greasy) are the pride of the Mel-O-Glaze. Take home a half-dozen or so to devour with a strong cup of coffee. $ Oceanaire Seafood Room, 1300 Nicollet Mall (Hyatt Regency Hotel), Mpls, 612-333-2277. Sun–Th. 5 p.m.– 10 p.m., F– Sat., 5 p.m.–11 p.m. You’ve finally snagged a reservation at this downtown Minneapolis restaurant and you recently came into a large amount of cash—let the gorging begin! Start with a few extraordinarily fresh oysters, allowing your server to guide you through a selection of these wonderful delicacies. The crab cake is by far the best appetizer, sweet pieces of meat bound by a peppery filling and accompanied by a complementary tartar sauce. The “fresh today” menu offers a variety of choices in a variety of preparations and entrées arrive perfectly cooked with moist, tender and delicately flavored fish. The Oceanaire offers good food, pleasant surroundings and exceptional service, and if you’re in the mood to do your part to boost the already booming U.S. economy, this is the place to do it. $$$$ Paradise Pastry Shop, 4157 Cedar Ave., Mpls, 612-724-9100. The caramel rolls fly out of this shop, so you better get there early. (It opens at 6 a.m.) The rolls have a perfect soft, yeasty dough, the right amount of cinnamon, perfect toasty pecans, and caramel done just right. Buy some on your way to work and see how many are left in the bag by the time you arrive. $ Pasqual’s, 2528 Hennipen Ave., Mpls, 612-374-1415. Because our state abbreviation is MN and New Mexico’s is NM, does thismean that New Mexico is our balance in the universe? The food at Pasqual’s is really pretty good. Fantastic is you consider that we’re deep in the heart of the anti-New Mexico. I wouldn’t classify Pasqual’s as straight-up New Mexican though, they’re more Tex-Mex with distinct New Mexico overtones and flavorings. $ Restaurant Alma, 528 University Ave. SE, Mpls, 612-379-4909. Open M–Sat dinner only. (Call for times and reservations.) Wine and beer., No smoking. This restaurant might make you a regular customer after only one visit. The owners are committed to local and sustainable agriculture and use fresh foods whenever available, and you can taste the difference. The salads are excellent and the entrées are made with a light touch, allowing the natural flavors to come through. Desserts are unique and flavorful and the coffee is rich and full bodied. $$ Shorty & Wags Original Wings and Ribs, 3753 Nicollet Ave. S., Mpls, 612-822-0619 A small, largely takeout joint, Shorty & Wags is so visually uninteresting and chainlike cookie-cutter in its exterior that it’s not very compelling or inviting to prospective customers driving by. Shorty—get thee to a daytime talk show, your place needs a serious makeover. Enough bitching, let’s get to the good stuff—the food. The menu is pretty extensive and a little overwhelming, but the bulk of it is pretty damn good. Should you feel the need to experience some of the bes Southern soul food in the Twin Cities, get down to Shorty and Wags. $-$$. St. Martin’s Table, 2001 Riverside Ave., Mpls, 612-339-3920. M–Sat 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Lunch 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. No smoking, no alcohol. St. Martin’s is a non-profit organization which donates all tips to various charities. Since the restaurant opened in the ‘80s, $380,000 of tips have been donated to charity. Many of the donations come with matching grants, so the contribution are actually higher than $380,000. The people who wait on you during the lunch hour are volunteers. The food is wonderful, and not just because there are some expert hands plying away in the kitchen. The menu got a big head start by employing the freshest organic produce (locally obtained when available), purified water in the coffees, teas and soups, BGH-free milk products, and eggs from free-range hens (they really do taste better). Additionally, everything is made from scratch, including all the soup stocks and baked goods. If you’re dining with a friend, it is possible to try just about everything on the menu by ordering the sampler plate, which comes with soup or salad and three samples of spreads with a thick slab of the best honey whole wheat bread you’ll ever sink your teeth into. $ Ted Cook’s BBQ Take out only, the inside is stark and mostly character-less with random chairs lined up against the walls. I was not impressed with the offerings at Ted Cook’s. The ribs were surprisingly Napoleonic in stature. The flavor was perfectly good, nothing spectacular, just perfectly good. The one brief impressed moment that I had came when the meat actually fell off the bone. It was the closest thing to properly cooked BBQ I’ve seen in a while. The BBQ sauce, usually the cornerstone of a good BBQ joint had the Ying of molasses and the Yang of spice, but nothing in there to balance the two out—which left the sauce overflavored. The sides were a complete disappointment. So I’ll keep you posted on my quest for perfect BBQ. Here’s my disclaimer on Ted Cook’s: my dining companions were really happy with it. $–$$ The Turtle Bread Company, 3421 W. 44th St., Mpls, 612-924-6013. Some of the best pies possible can be found here. They excel in fillings, particularly the raspberry, and if you’re lucky, you may get a slice while it’s still hot from the oven. The apple pie is blessedly free of much sugar and the tartness shines through. They also make one of the best pumpkin pies you could ever have. $ St. Paul Area Babani’s Kurdish Restaurant, 544 St. Peter St., St. Paul, 651-602-9964. The first Kurdish restaurant in the U.S., Babani’s is a pleasant place with excellent service featuring some of the most unique and flavorful meals available in the Twin Cities. Meat eaters and vegetarians alike have plenty to choose from. Shillas, a vegetable dish that functions as the “meat and potatoes” of Kurdish food, are spiced with garlic, lemon, pepper and other herbs. These change nightly so check the menu board for the day’s special. Kubay Saar and Kubay Brinj are dumplings stuffed with ground beef and seasonings, and may create a craving that can be satisfied only at Babani’s. Chicken Tawa is one of the best items on the menu, moist meat sautéed in lemon and spices and baked with layers of potato, green pepper and dried lemon and served over rice. Don’t skip the baklava dessert; unlike the sickeningly sweet pastry Minnesotans are used to, Babani’s is a delicate filo pastry filled with cardamom and walnut filling. $$ Cafe Cravings, 1600 County Road E, White Bear Lake, 651-482-7742. M 6 a.m.–9 p.m., T–Th 6 a.m.–10 p.m., F 6 a.m.–11 p.m., Sat 7 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m. This well-kept White Bear Lake secret located one block east of Highway 61 has wonderful breakfasts, lunches and dinners, but it also has one of the best bakeries in the Twin Cities. Everything is made from scratch, using no additives, preservatives or mixes. So feast on anything from French toast to streusel coffee cake to a creamy chicken wild rice soup to egg salad sandwiches to three-cheese tortellini. The superb cookies are a must. $-$$ Coffee News Cafe, 1662 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-698-3324, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. daily. This coffee shop near Macalester College has meals that could be served proudly at any restaurant in town. It serves scones, salads and sandwiches, which are typical of coffee shops, but Coffee News also serves some of the best lasagna in the Twin Cities. Breakfasts will get your day started off right. And its sandwiches will satisfy anyone any time of the day. $ El Burrito Mercado, 175 Concord St., St. Paul, 651-227-2192. This is a Mexican grocery store with a deli counter and a cafeteria, another shining example of fine Mexican food in this part of St. Paul. You can carry out deli items and heat them at home—including any number of taco fillings like chicken chipotlé, pork in red or green sauce, or beef and potatoes—or go through the cafeteria line to try these tasty fillings with rice and beans on the side. If you are serious about authentic Mexican food, you must head over to Concord Street. $ The Grand Shanghai, 1328 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-698-1901, M–Th 11 a.m.–10 p.m., F 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sat noon–11 p.m., Sun noon–9 p.m. The luncheon buffet is one of the most popular lunch spots on Grand Avenue, and it’s worth waiting for. A variety of soups, appetizers and entrées are available, and on some days you may even find steamed mussels. It is all available for dinner and for takeout as well. $$ Jerabek’s New Bohemian Coffeehouse & Bakery, 63 West Winifred St., St. Paul, 651-228-1245. M-F 7 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.–1 p.m. HIGH TEA: Sat 1 p.m.–4 p.m. There are some great breakfast waffles to be had during the morning hours as well as hot croissants stuffed with scrambled eggs and cheese. But the real draw is the bakery case. From Linzer cookies and lighter than air Springerle, melt-in-your-mouth Thumbprints with jam centers and delicate pink-hued meringue kisses to sugar cut-out cookies and whole coffeecakes stuffed with fruits and seeds, the choice is awesome and difficult to make. There are great pies, cookies and croissants, but you must try the kolachies. You could try a new flavor every day and never be disappointed. This neighborhood coffeehouse deserves the support it’s gotten in its St. Paul neighborhood. If you are ever on St. Paul’s West Side, be sure to stop here. It’s even worth a trip on its own. $ Kiev Foods, 2509 W. 7th St., St. Paul, 651-690-5655, open every day. This tiny storefront in Sibley Plaza is home to one of the most fascinating spots in St. Paul. Russian and East European foods can be prepared fresh by special order. These include dishes like piroshkis and cabbage rolls. They make sandwiches to order from the high quality meats and cheeses in their deli case, and one sandwich can feed two hungry people. Try the spiced country ham—possibly the best ham you’ll find in town—with some Russian potato salad. $ Margaux Limiteé Catered Cuisine, 4746 Washington Square, White Bear Lake, 651-407-6438 M–F 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Closed weekends. Finding Margaux can be difficult—it’s located in the back of the building at its listed address, but there are no signs on the front. But it’s worth looking for if you are in downtown White Bear Lake. Its menu includes salads, sandwiches, pastas and desserts, all of them very good. Margaux caters, too. Hiring her is one way to make it easier to try this fine food. $-$$ Pad Thai Grand Café, 1659 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-690-1393. Sun–Th 11 a.m.–9 p.m., F–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Soup and salad can go a long way for lunch at Pad Thai Grand. Its version of Chinese wonton soup is a delicious, garlic-laden, milky broth, loaded with sweet, crispy cabbage; scallions; tender pork and chewy, spicy, overstuffed wontons. Its chicken rice soup is also superb. Pair one of these soups with any of the salads for a filling lunch or light dinner. But sometime, try the whole experience: appetizers, entrées, desserts. Its satays are tasty, the pad thai a delight. Located on Grand Avenue near Macalester College, it’s very easy to find. $-$$ Ristorante Luci, 470 Cleveland Ave. S., St. Paul, 651-699-8258. Always reliable. Excellent regional Italian cuisine, featuring outstanding homemade bread, pastas, cheese and desserts. They also do fish and meats well. Make reservations way in advance for weekends, as this small, intimate eatery is always full. Service is perfect. $$-$$$ Rooster’s BBQ-Deli. 979 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. 651-222-0969. Two booths back-to-back, one smoking and one non, make up the dining room of this small, mostly take-out rib joint. A huge menu with huge portions means lots of leftovers of good, meaty beef ribs, pressure-cooked barbecue chicken and plump, smoked pork shoulder sandwiches. Crisp, spicy french fries come with all the dinners and can be reheated the next day. The mild sauce tastes a lot like catsup; the spicy doesn’t live up to its name and is quite sweet instead. $-$$ Taste of Scandinavia, 2232 Carter Ave., St. Paul, 651-645-9181. M–F 7 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat 7 a.m.–5 p.m., Closed Sun. This is not what you might expect from a Scandinavian restaurant. To begin with, your eyes will be riveted to the bakery, deli and freezer cases. Lined up against the back walls are rows and rows of gorgeous artesan breads. There are Swedish limpas, German ryes, three-cheese vegetable, olive sourdoughs, tomato basils, nine-grains . . . you get the picture. You can also see that the café doesn’t stay strictly Scandinavian. In front of the breads are the sweet pastries — muffins, coffeecakes, rolls, cookies. The restaurant makes some of the best croissants in town, and also some of the best Danish. Among the excellent entrées, one of the best is a salmon calzone served with a garlicky dill onion dressing. Or try the vegetarian lasagna. There is also a fine chicken loaf, nicely spiced, and decorated with bits of roasted pepper and other vegetables. So put aside your Scandianvian food misconceptions and try this. $ Tizzo’s (formerly Nick-N-Willy’s), 1045 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-221-4464, Sun–Th 11 a.m.–9 p.m., F & Sat 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Tizzo’s pizzas bring new taste sensations to this old standby. They use a variety of unusual but high quality cheeses in pizzas. Their vegetarian pizza Formaggio, for instance, is layered with Latte mozzarella, asiago, and gorgonzola cheeses as well as fresh basil and oregano. You can eat it there or take it home and bake it yourself—their directions make that a simple process. $ Zander Cafe, 525 Selby Ave., St. Paul, 651-222-5224. Lunch 11a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 6–11 p.m. T–Sat (special light meal and dessert menu available with live jazz Th–Sat 11:30 p.m.– 12:30 a.m.) Closed Sun & M. An eclectically decorated restaurant with an eclectic (and ever-changing) menu to match, Zander Cafe is simply a wonderful place to eat. Careful attention to detail and the decision to highlight only a few choice ingredients means pure flavors emerge instead of a confusing profusion of tastes. The salads arrive with the perfect amount of dressing, the appetizers are so fulfilling you could easily float out the door before realizing you hadn’t had the main course yet, and every entrée is a standout. Reach nirvana with the lunch menu as well. $$-$$$ |
