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

Ever since she launched her business in 2013, owner Anne Andrus has featured a savory scone in her bakery case.

"I personally love a savory breakfast offering," she said. "We have a ham-Gruyère croissant, but it's nice to have a non-meat alternative."

It sure is. Andrus maintains an active repertoire of six to eight savory scone temptations, and at the moment she's featuring a formula that's enriched with sharp Cheddar cheese and feisty jalapeño peppers. They're split and filled with a square of scrambled eggs and more cheese ("I like cheesy and salty," she said) and the results are a marvelous way to greet the day. It makes for a pretty swell lunch, too.

At $7, they're priced higher than the average Starbucks-Caribou-Dunn Bros. breakfast sandwich. But the quality and quantity (the portion easily falls in the "hefty" category) more than justify the price. Adding succulent, thinly sliced ham means a $1 upcharge, a total bargain.

A technical glitch is currently preventing the kitchen from serving the sandwiches warm (note: they're delicious at room temperature), but that won't last long. A new oven is on order, and should arrive in about six weeks. (Rick Nelson)

4501 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, 612-844-2555. Open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Sun.

What a beauty!

Plated desserts, gorgeously composed, have been one of many elements that I've missed during all of these endless months of takeout-centric pandemic dining. Which is why it was such an extra-special treat to see pastry chef Kalley McFee's eye-candy handiwork when it arrived at the table.

(McFee, who has been in the St. Genevieve kitchen since May — and started at sibling restaurant Tilia in March 2020 — is clearly a talent to watch).

And talk about tasting as good as it looks. Better, even, since it's a vivid study in texture and flavor contrasts. For the former, there's the gentle crunch of the meringue, the creaminess of the lemon curd and the voluptuousness of the fig, which had been lightly caramelized.

As for flavor, "My favorite thing in fall is Earl Grey tea with sugar and lemon," said McFee, which explains the tea's subtle citrus echo in the meringue, which she amplifies with juicy orange segments and that tangy curd. Sneaking in pops of orange thyme is an inspired touch, and in keeping with the citrus leitmotif, the plate is dusted with a powder of dehydrated orange peels and thyme. In a word, brilliant.

"We'll keep this up until we're done with figs," said McFee. "That's about a month." (R.N.)

Dessert is the final component of a three-course, $50 dinner.

5003 Bryant Av. S., Mpls., 612-353-4843, stgmpls.com. Open 4:30-9 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sun.

A deep, and maybe unjustified, aversion to golf kept me away from Thr3 Jack too long.

The bar and restaurant with private room golf simulators opened in the North Loop in fall of 2019, at the back end of a lively and twinkle-lit culinary plaza that took shape around the same time.

Its neighbors include the Galley food hall, original home of the darling of Detroit-style pizza, Wrecktangle; and FRGMNT, the fine coffee roaster and outpost for Cardigan doughnuts. On the south side of the square, there's the always spirited Freehouse patio, and the recent addition of Fuzzy's Taco Shop. You could spend a whole evening eating, drinking and people-watching in this Washington Avenue nook.

My favorite perch for that, of late, is a plaza-side seat at the indoor/outdoor bar at Thr3 Jack, which delights in extra-subtle odes to its sport of inspiration, such as a ceiling ornamented with hundreds of golf balls that prettily pass for globe lights. Whether you're a golf fan or not, the drinks stand on their own ($12). I was a repeat customer for the Bahamian Fury, a Caribbean-style rum, pineapple and egg white cocktail augmented with pear and chai and a shaving of nutmeg. If the weather stays this good, I'll be back for another evening on that lovely plaza again. And maybe even some golf. (Sharyn Jackson)

729 Washington Av. N., Mpls., 612-354-3667, thr3jack.com. Open 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Wed.-Thu., 4 p.m.-midnight Fri., 10 a.m.-midnight Sat. and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun.

Food miles matter. Along with environmental implications, the distance that ingredients travel also has an impact on quality. One example: Salad greens harvested and bagged 10 days ago in California and shipped halfway across the country resemble green tissue paper when compared to the colorful mix of seven delicate and richly flavorful lettuces that farmer Mike Noreen cultivates at his Frederic, Wis., farm, about 75 miles northeast of downtown Minneapolis.

Once a week, Noreen and his crew plant a fresh crop of heat-tolerant lettuces, a challenging routine that ensures that their farmers market customers have constant access, from late May to mid October, to what I believe is the most impressive salad mix sold in the Twin Cities.

(For the curious, the blend is a winning combination of sturdy Parris Island romaine, tender Red Salad Bowl, frilly Green Tango, curly-leafed Lolla Rosa, buttery Red Sails, tasty flat-leafed Rouge d'Hiver and curly-edged Waldmann's Dark Green).

Noreen, an avid consumer of what he calls his "workhorse" greens ($5 for a 1/3-lb. bag), dresses them with an uncomplicated vinaigrette — vinegar (red wine or balsamic), olive oil, salt and pepper — that's always on hand in his kitchen.

"I keep it in a jar on the countertop to remind myself that I need to be eating my vegetables," he said. "All summer long, when I don't have time to cook a real meal, I'll give that jar a shake, toss it with the greens and have a big old salad." (R.N.)

Available Saturday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Mill City Farmers Market (704 S. 2nd St., Mpls., millcityfarmersmarket.org); on Saturday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Northeast Farmers Market (629 2nd St. NE., Mpls., northeastfarmersmarket.com); on Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Midtown Farmers Market (3032 Minnehaha Av., Mpls., midtownfarmersmarket.org); and on Sunday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the St. Paul Farmers Market (290 E. 5th St., St. Paul, stpaulfarmersmarket.com),

Perennially perfecting the art of the aperitivo for the Twin Cities, the team behind ie: Italian Eatery (ie) and Due Focacceria have added an Italian appetizers and cocktails spot to their roster.

Un Dito — it translates to "one finger," and refers to a little boy, a distant relative, who asked owner Eric Carrara to give him one finger to hold on to as they strolled in an Italian piazza — is inspired by the fried food shacks in seaside towns on the Mediterranean that charmed Carrara and his wife Vanessa during their engagement trip to his family's motherland over a decade ago.

The new cafe counter connects to ie, taking over a space that was a former gas station and transforming it into an al fresco "piazza" for fried snacks, sandwiches, espresso and light cocktails.

"We wanted to have a place to come in and hang out and be more relaxed, somewhere meant to be more approachable than a sit-down dinner," Carrara said. "Get off the parkway, be sweaty, grab some fun food."

The menu includes Arancini (rice balls filled with cheese and fried) served on a sheet of butcher paper, calamari in a cup, fried meatballs and a $10 basket of lightly fried veggies (fritto misto). Zucchini, leeks, fennel and sweet potatoes come out hot in a barely-there tempura coating that lends a little crunch without overpowering the vegetables' inherent sweetness. Choose 1 ($1) or 3 ($2) dipping sauces; I was partial to the bright pomodoro and the parsley caper aioli.

The entirely outdoor operation has a covered yet airy seating area. There's also a small bar top for standing and lingering over glass of wine before dinner, or an espresso after — as the Italians do.

"It's a great thing for people to embrace. That sense of not having urgency, that sense of not having to feel like I just go to dinner and that's it," Carrara said. "For Italians, it's a whole event, every night." (S.J.)

4728 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., 612-223-8639, undito.com. Open 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Wed.-Sun.