The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week

It’s hard to be a chef with an allergy. Gerard Klass, the restaurateur behind Soul Bowl, Camden Social and, as of last week, Klassics Kitchen + Cocktails, has a shellfish sensitivity that prevents him from partaking in a classic Louisiana-style seafood boil. Until now.

At his sleek new Mill District restaurant that celebrates Black and Caribbean flavors and his Guyanese heritage, he is making a seafood boil sans crab, shrimp or crawfish, and trust me, you won’t miss the crustaceans.

Here, he uses chicken wings. Klass devised the recipe with a friend from Louisiana, and it has all those great Low Country flavors infused into melt-in-your-mouth potatoes, fried slices of andouille sausage, sweet corn on the cob, and crispy, meaty grilled chicken wings coated in Cajun butter. In the words of another chef with Louisiana connections: “Bam!”

The “crab boil” wings are on the menu as an appetizer ($18), but there’s enough to make it a complete lunch or dinner. Still, you might want to share to leave room for oxtail sliders and mofongo lamb chops. (Sharyn Jackson)

428 S. 2nd St., Mpls., 612-353-5938, klassicsmn.com

The first time I set foot inside La Belle Vie, I was sure everyone knew my clothes were thrifted. The undeniable fanciness of the room, the building and the polished service shook loose a good dose of middle-school insecurity. But the staff let me know I was exactly where I belonged.

The beauty of a restaurant that had such an impressive run is that I got to experience it in markedly different eras of me. The shoes might have been new, but they were always on sale. The place enveloped me in its specialness, instead of guarded gilded gates. I got to know some of the staff and soon would bound up the marble steps bordering on regularity -- at least as regularly as I could stretch my money. And when James Beard Award-winning chef/owner Tim McKee made the decision to close it, I bid the place a fond farewell.

I was content to let it go -- begrudgingly. These things happen; restaurants exist in eras and most pass. But this week, I got to taste my memories and it was so fun.

Mike DeCamp was McKee’s longtime chef de cuisine and now a co-owner of P.S. Steak, the restaurant that occupies the address where La Belle Vie stood for so many years. He laughed when I recalled my first time visiting, “Like it was too good for you?” He’s heard this plenty of times over the years. “Me, too,” he quipped.

So, why bring it back? Well, sometimes it’s just fun to do something unexpected. And while I should have expected the familiar dishes to taste divine, I wasn’t prepared. Just like a note of music, the flavors changed ever so subtly in different hands. The Pappardelle with Rabbit Bolognese and Porcini ($24) might even be better than the last time I ordered it. Handmade noodles are dressed in a decadent meat sauce, finished with cream. It’s the cashmere sweater of pasta dishes -- and I’d happily bury myself in it for a few more hours of nostalgic bliss. (Joy Summers)

510 Groveland Av., Mpls., 612-886-1620, psmpls.com

It took us a minute -- OK, many minutes -- to get through the six-page menu at our debut visit to this south metro family of Mexican restaurants. All of our favorites were accounted for: tamales, aguachile and a dizzying array of enchiladas, tacos, burritos and chimichangas. I went straight to these fish tacos, still craving them after a recent kitchen fail resulted in a valuable fish-buying lesson, but subpar tacos.

This was the result I was looking for at home. Three pieces of meaty and well-seasoned tilapia were pan-seared to flaky perfection, nestled in corn tortillas and topped with pico de gallo, cilantro and prime avocado ($16.99). With a squeeze of lime and a few dashes of hot sauce, the tacos were deliciously filling without being heavy. Not pictured? The big plate of rice and refried beans that come with it. (Most of that went home with us, as did the great tamale we ordered a la carte.)

The tacos gave me momentary motivation to give fish tacos another try at home. But with a great meal, quick service and a friendly staff -- and someone to bring us chips, salsa and margaritas -- I’m in no hurry. (Nicole Hvidsten)

4000 Egan Drive, Savage, 952-808-8104, elparianmn.com; other locations in Burnsville, Lakeville and Eagan.

I love an adventure burger. The Chapli burger ($14) at Mandalay Kitchen definitely fits the bill. Although this buzzy restaurant is easy to get to -- right on University Avenue in the space that launched Marc Heu Patisserie -- the Chapli burger is served only on weekends, and patience is not a virtue I possess.

The eatery is the culmination of years of work and dreams from owner Chris Tunbaw, whose kitchen is enticing the metro with dishes drawing inspiration and ingredients from Knyaw, Burmese and Thai cuisine. The tea leaf salad has been getting a lot of praise, and I have a hard time turning down boat noodle soup. But I decided to wait (impatiently) to order all that and a burger, and sweet anticipation was just one of the seasonings that went into making this dish all the more delicious.

The ground beef is infused with aromatics and topped with a heavenly sauce made from Japanese mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, yogurt and avocado. It’s a Juicy Lucy unlike anything else and absolutely worth planning a week’s meals around. A layer of gooey cheese mingles with the mouth-warming spices and each bite builds upon the last with toasted aromatics, fresh acidity and another savory rush of cheese and sauce, until it suddenly disappears. (J.S.)

383 W. University Av., St. Paul, 651-219-5887, mandalaykitchenstp.com

In this craft cocktail city, I’m lucky to enjoy some of the finest sips. But sometimes you just want a puckery margarita the size of your head, and fortunately, there’s no shortage of fun restaurants that can make that happen. El Loro is one such place, but the Crystal location recently became something different: Tequila Town. It’s the first metro-area offshoot of a St. Cloud restaurant, with rustic wooden booths, blue agave light fixtures, giant cocktails, and comforting cheese-smothered meat and tortillas on a sizzling plate.

I helped myself to the chimichangas, fried rolled-up tortillas stuffed with grilled steak and fajita-style onions and peppers, all drenched in delectable “cheese dip.” On the side, the requisite cheesy refried beans and rice. At $18, there was more than enough to share.

As an app, we upgraded our chips and salsa by ordering guacamole fresco ($9.49), a big bowl of chunky avocado and all the accoutrements. And the marg? It was massive. (S.J.)

99 Willow Bend, Crystal, 952-444-1193, tequilatownmex.com