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

How we define Minnesota Nice is personal. For some, it’s our unabashed friendliness — like the willingness to jump-start a car anywhere day or night. Others use it as a brushoff for a place where people think we all sound like we’re in an episode of “Fargo.” The third is a contrast between the two: The assertion that we’ll give you directions to anywhere but our homes. Or that we’ll shower you with praise while reserving a snappier opinion for a turned back. This burger? It’s the last one.

Pauly’s Pub & Grill opened late last year in the former Kalsada, which was Augustine’s before that. When Jim Flaherty and Joe Kasel took over the spot, they hung neon beer signs, added TVs, built a menu stacked with bar favorites and switched on the lights. The neighborhood quickly embraced the change. Driving by the space at night, the lights are always glowing, TVs tuned to a game, golf or bass fishing, and the dining room well-populated with folks who had been missing a neighborhood bar.

Burgers dominate the menu, and the cooks know what they’re doing. The Minnesotan Burger ($15) comes on sweet and leaves sassy. Two beef patties are topped with roasted jalapeños and pepper jack cheese with a drizzling of Sriracha honey. The first bite is beefy with a bit of golden sweetness, quickly followed by a mellow slow burn. It’s the kind of heat that promises to eventually build into a serious burn. A thick slice of bacon adds another layer of flavor with a satisfying smokiness. The entire bite is a juicy carnivorous taste of Midwestern kickiness. (Joy Summers)

1668 Selby Av., St. Paul, 651-888-6299, paulyspubandgrill.com

The sign out front said this is the place for wings (and it is, at least according to a vocal Facebook community of wing lovers). But my companion and I came for the fries drenched in cheese sauce and braised meat. The pot roast poutine hit all the wintry spots at this classic Champlin bar that retains midcentury charm, right down to the bar stools.

Maverick’s was once the Landing, and it had a footprint twice its current size that butted right up to the Mississippi. In 2005, it became what you see today: a cozy, supper-clubby gathering spot with aesthetic touches of another era.

Yes, the wings should be up for consideration, especially with a menu full of unusual flavor combinations, like oyster sauce with pesto and balsamic drizzle. But the poutine ($12.99), with a comforting pot roast, sticky-sweet red wine and Guinness gravy, and smoked Gouda sauce over the crunchiest battered fries, had me clamoring to the bottom of the basket. (Sharyn Jackson)

11328 W. River Road, 763-576-8150, maverickswoodgrill.com

It was one of those days. My spouse and I were coming from opposite ends of the metro and meeting in the middle for dinner. The agreed-upon destination was Porter Creek in Burnsville, where he was waiting. I was at a similarly named restaurant 7 miles away.

We tried it again; this time I went to the right place, and was rewarded with a beauty of a colossal pork chop. The French-cut pork prime rib was grilled to tender, juicy, medium perfection, and dressed in an apricot-ginger glaze that added a hint of sweetness without being cloying, thanks to the bite of ginger. Asparagus spears, garlic mashed potatoes and an apricot chutney came along for the ride, making it a very filling (there’s a bread basket, too) and memorable meal ($29.95).

Porter Creek’s specialty is fire-roasted meats, which is evident by the aromas greeting you at the door. Owned by Minnesota’s Roca Restaurants, the restaurant takes its culinary cues from Napa Valley, with a sprawling wine list to match. It’s a cozy winter respite, perfect for a heavy dinner or a drink and appetizers. But be sure to visit in the summer, too — the patio is a stunner. (Nicole Hvidsten)

14201 Burngarten Dr., Burnsville, 952-698-1888, portercreek.com

Sometimes I wonder, are bananas the most optimistic fruit? For one thing, it’s a berry and a fruit. And for centuries bananas have traveled the world, bringing a taste of the tropics to people like, well, us, who are living in a climate that’s known for temperature swings into arctic territory.

They’re so useful that there’s a TikTok trend claiming that rubbing the peels on your face has desirable anti-aging effects. But best of all, even when a banana’s outward appearance has faded into a wrinkly brown mush, it’s still eminently useful. Because when bananas are so ripe and its sweetness so concentrated, that’s the best kind of banana for banana bread.

Until this week, I had taken for granted that banana bread with dark chocolate chips was my favorite way to enjoy these fruit-berries. That was when I spied the new seasonal pastry ($5) at Cafe Alma. “It’s like all the good of banana bread in Danish form,” said the person behind the counter.

Layers of buttery, flaked pastry cradle chopped bananas studded with chocolate chunks and topped with a kind of cookie crumb and a dusting of powdered sugar. The result is not overly sweet and thankfully free from extraneous add-ins (walnuts, I’m looking at you). Perhaps best of all, that crunchy, crumbly texture is the antithesis of the soft banana. The bananas inside the pastry retain some bite, too — just enough to give the teeth something to summit before devouring that ethereal pastry below. (J.S.)

528 University Av. SE, Mpls., 612-379-4909, almampls.com/cafe

Edward Zhang and Caitlin Higgins could have used a few pointers from other pop-ups when they started Bao Bao Buns last fall. Not about the food — that, Zhang has down. But choosing to launch at the Minneapolis Gift & Art Expo, a wildly busy weekend for a debut business?

“It was not smart on our part, but it went really well,” Zhang said.

And, more generally, leaving the corporate world to pursue his food dreams, with the help of Higgins, his girlfriend — something Zhang thought would be seamless.

“We kind of wanted our time back, and now that we started this, we realized we not only didn’t get our time back, we’re putting more time into this,” he said.

All that aside, Zhang and Higgins seem to have found a road map to success, even if it has some twists. In just four months, Zhang’s creatively flavored bao buns are in small local shops (I got mine at Westside Wine & Spirits) and available to order on their website for pickup at their Hopkins kitchen.

Bao are Chinese steamed buns — fluffy and airy, part roll and part dumpling — with flavorful fillings. I got a package of Swine & Dine ($18), a traditional pork and cabbage filling that was as moist as the interior of a soup dumpling.

Zhang plans to collaborate with chefs on fillings that span to other cultures besides his own Chinese, while simultaneously putting a spotlight on the diversity of Chinese food.

“People still think of orange chicken and Mongolian beef and broccoli from Panda Express,” he said. “Growing up in a Chinese household, there’s a lot more that we can offer.” (S.J.)

Pop-up with hot food Saturday Jan. 27 at Westside Market and 56 Brewing. Or order frozen buns for pickup in Hopkins at baobaobuns.com.