Photo by Pat's Tap

A lively scene, Pat's Tap is the latest place to be.

​Pat's Tap, which opened in late September, is the latest to enter the community of gastropubs in the Twin Cities. Supporting local, organic and sustainable agriculture, chef Charlie Schwandt showcases his ingredients with an expansive menu, containing items like buffalo chicken terrine and lamb meatballs, to bangers and mash, to a Rachel with house made corned turkey. This week City Pages offers a full review of Pat's Tap here, but we wanted to add a plug for one dish in particular: the cheese curds.

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Yael Grauer

A taste of the Caribbean: Yucatan pork stew with potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and peppers.

​San Pedro Café is a Caribbean-themed restaurant in charming Hudson, Wisconsin--about a half-hour drive from Minneapolis. Named after the town of San Pedro, on an Island off of Belize's mainland, the restaurant's Caribbean flair extends to the bright and colorful décor. There's a 100-gallon aquarium with marine fish and reef and tables made from jobilla, a tropical hardwood from Belize. Each table has rainbow-colored salt shakers and Marie Sharps hot sauce, which is made in Belize. And there's a wood-fired brick oven, used to prepare foods ranging from mildly to fiercely spiced. San Pedro also offers a nice selection of drinks, including margarita mix made daily with freshly squeezed limes.

When the weather starts to chill, the food at this out-of-the-way cafe can bring a bit of tropical sunshine to Minnesotans. Here's what we found on a recent visit:

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Le Cordon Bleu

Technique serves halibut with a side of tomatoes, peas, and corn and fava bean succotash.

​Formerly the Minnesota Room, Technique is a restaurant staffed by students at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Mendota Heights. Technique offers a three-course lunch for $10, or a four-course dinner for $15.More >>

Lisa Nguyen

The perfect spot to start the day

​3 Tiers Bakery has been in the Nokomis neighborhood since 2009 and recently expanded from cakes, cookies, and treats to breakfast and lunch offerings. The atmosphere is warm and casual, with locals chatting over coffee and scones at the bakery counter and a handful of other customers having brunch or reading the Sunday paper in the adjoining, charmingly decorated dining room.

We sat down with a couple of large cups of coffee and dug into the menu.

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Photo by Aster Cafe

One of the most pleasant patios in Minneapolis

​There aren't many things Minnesotans enjoy more than sitting on a patio, and time is growing short. Recently, we decided to visit the Aster Cafe to check out the new brunch menu.

If you haven't been to the Aster's patio, go quickly, at least for one drink, before the cold comes and stays for good. The patio is spacious and full of greenery. It's right on the river, on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, and has a glorious view of the skyline.

Here's what we found on the new menu.

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Sociably responsible and tastes good!

​ Todd's Salsas are the latest locally made products to enter the realm of all-natural foods. The label boasts that it's gluten free, with no added sugar or preservatives, and even reminds you to recycle the glass bottle. These salsas are handcrafted in small batches with all the ingredients being recognizable and easily pronounced.

We sampled all three varieties to see how they stacked up.

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The Nova Wine Bar

Nova's impressive display of wine

​Located in quaint downtown Hudson, Wisconsin, The Nova welcomes guests with a cozy and intimate atmosphere. A flickering fireplace and the collection of Tiffany lamps give the setting a warm glow. Tucked away on the hillside overlooking the St. Croix River, the Nova is a quick 30-minute drive east on I-94. When we arrived we found that, much to our delight, the menu was suited to the season and left us to make some tough decisions.

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dane brian via Flickr.com

​If you've resolved to cook more in 2011, you're in luck: The Twin Cities boasts a wealth of chefs with advice at the ready, and they have more to say than just, "Eat out." (Though they wouldn't mind if you did, of course.) The Hot Dish took chefs' tips for home cooks from our recent chef chats and put together a handy Top 10 list:More >>

Photo: Crystal Grobe

Camel, the other red meat.

​Starting Friday, burgers and fries will take on a whole new meaning as Safari Express debuts the newest menu item: the camel burger. Jamal Hashi, chef and owner of Safari Express in Midtown Global Market grew up eating camel in East Africa. After receiving a welcoming response from Minnesotans who tried camel-on-a-stick at the state fair, Hashi knew the time was right to perfect his concept. "It's part of our culture; elders swear by both camel milk and meat for their long lives." Hashi shared. In addition, nomads sustained themselves on lean camel meat while traveling the desert and still do today.

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friedbeer.net

Crunchy on the outside, liquid on the inside.

​As we celebrate the Great Minnesota Get-Together, our minds are already on new things that could be fried for next year. And our gaze turns to Texas, as we wonder what are they frying this year?  The answer is beer.

Is it only a cliche that everything tastes better fried?

We hope to find out, as a Texas man has spent three years of his life developing a recipe for fried beer, which debuted at this year's Texas State Fair.   More >>