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Benjamin Carter Grimes

Fired potatoes and arms of the sea (with suction cups), together at last

When Hector Ruiz's Rincon 38 opened just a few months back on the corner of 38th & Grand in Kingfield - an increasingly popular intersection for gourmands and they restaurants they frequent - we expected to enjoy some small bites and some Spanish wines. What we didn't expect was to become such fervent fans of a plate of octopus. 
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Gianna Luci

Lucia's uses Callister Farms rotisserie chickens in their pot pie

"As American as apple pie" is the simile we're all familiar with, but when I think of quintessential American comfort food, I think of chicken pot pie. Roasted bird, humble vegetables, and creamy gravy encased in buttery pastry crust - it's all so very homey and soul-soothing. As simple as the dish seems, it's notoriously tricky to execute. Classic diner pot pie is usually heavy, chock full of overcooked, flavorless, stringy breast meat. The take-and-bake ones in the aluminum tins always suffer from the dreaded soggy bottom effect. Some (that shall remain nameless) seem to be seasoned solely with salt, and way too much of it at that. So it's a rarity when you get a pot pie, like the one at Lucia's in Uptown, heretofore known as the pot pie against which all other pot pies should be measured. 
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EU Photography

Velvety broth, black truffles, and magic in every mouthful

Like an unexpected storm of restaurant industry talent, Borough and its downstairs bar Parlour came on the scene quickly and with a head-spinning ferocity. Where was once a raw, empty building suddenly became a new and necessary-to-visit restaurant (not to mention our favorite neighborhood speakeasy stocked with craft cocktails). The kitchen is teaming with creative young cooks led by chefs Tyler Shipton and Nick O'Leary. We liked them immediately, but merely good became great once we tasted their champagne potato soup.

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Alma Guzman

All the flavors of the forest, on one beautiful plate

A see-and-be-seen rooftop patio complete with retractable glass ceiling and complex cocktails designed by Johnny Michaels (like the highly recommended garam masala-spiced blood orange Old Fashioned, pictured above) were the first things to grab the public's attention when Union opened this winter. The promise of being exposed to sunshine and alcohol in the doldrums of December was definitely enough to get us there, but once seated we were even more pleased to find some fantastic food.

The rich and layered chicken liver mousse with pickled quince and maple syrup still lingers in the mind as do the savory doughnut holes with cheese fondue, but the elegant dish that left the biggest mark (and got the highest ones) was the roasted duck.

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Union makes changes to dining room policy

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A perfect pile of beautifully cured meats

It seems every restaurant is now required to have a chef with a pig part tattooed on them and a charcuterie platter on the menu. There was a time in the not too distant past when salumi was in short supply. A little neighborhood joint in Longfellow called the Craftsman (again, back when that neighborhood was short on hip spots) had a chef that worked wonders with prepared meats. Mike Phillips has gone on to build a career based on using everything but the squeal, and on a couple of rare occasions we can still taste the beautiful flavors he makes.

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E. Katie Holm

Crispy, savory, juicy fried chicken - no bones about it.

Fried chicken may not be synonymous with the Twin Cities, but one newcomer to the Midtown Global Market is doing its best to boost our local reputation. When the Left-Handed Cook, Thomas Kim and Kat Melgaard's Korean soul food restaurant opened last summer, one item on the menu seemed to immediately strike a chord with customers.

See Also:
Chef's Day Off: Where Kat Melgaard and Thomas Kim of the Left-Handed Cook like to eat

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Today we speak in defiance of this ridiculously lame excuse for a spring. We speak of that sunshine colored truck that usually would be parked outside the IDS building on the sidewalk along Nicollet Mall. We speak of freshly-made sodas with bright ingredients and nose-tickling carbonation. We speak of meals, so lovingly crafted from local ingredients that they fill our stomachs by way of our heart and soul. We speak of the glory of the Dandelion Kitchen's sandwich.

See Also:
2012 Best Street Food Dandelion Kitchen
2012 Best Sign of Spring: The food trucks return
Top 10 Best Street Eats

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Mette Nielsen

A tip-top version of a tart and sunny pie at Birchwood Cafe

It may be the official state pie of Florida, but here in Minnesota there is one iconic restaurant that has managed to produce a perfect Key lime pie. It's simultaneously so splendidly sour and subtly sweet that it inspired Izzy's to make a new ice cream flavor based on it, which is pretty incredible in its own right.

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Birchwood Cafe wins annual gluten-free bake off

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