5 more Minnesota, Wisconsin restaurants to try while peeping autumn leaves
Consider it your treat for working up an appetite while hiking.
Dakota Junction
When out and about near Lake Minnetonka, this casual spot is a must for nicely composed salads, impressive tacos and lavishly topped flatbreads. The expertly prepared sandwiches (panini, patty melts, burgers) include an affectionate nod to that great Iowa export, the loose-meat sandwich, and it ranks as a sterling example of the meal-in-a-bun genre. If there's carrot cake, order it. Weekend brunch, too, and an above-and-beyond kids' menu.
2281 Commerce Blvd., Mound, facebook.com/DakotaJunctionMound. Lunch and dinner served daily, dinner served Mon.-Sat.
Estelle's Eatery & Bar
Chef/owner Matt Brown, a veteran of Travail Kitchen and Amusements in Robbinsdale, specializes in imaginatively prepared and reasonably priced crowd-pleasers, including nachos, tacos, burgers, a few comfort-food classics (beef stroganoff, mac and cheese topped with cider-braised pulled pork) and rice bowls. There's a pleasant patio and a well stocked bar.
121 Main Av. N., Harmony, Minn., estelleseatery.com. Lunch and dinner served Wed.-Sat.
Homemade Cafe
The name says it all. Scratch cooking, in generous portions, that ranges from waffles and stuffed French toast to a Buffalo chicken-style salad and hot roast beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy. The bakery case is Temptation Central, filled with an ever-changing assortment of pies.
809 3rd St., Pepin, Wis., facebook.com/homemadecafeofpepinwi. Breakfast and lunch served Thu.-Mon., dinner served Fri.
Reads Landing Brewing Co.
Take a seat on the deck overlooking the Mississippi River and start exploring the more-than-gastropub menu, which includes fried catfish with cornbread, a rib-eye sandwich smothered with grilled onions and Swiss cheese, jerk-style chicken tacos, shrimp and grits and, of course, brewer Craig Moechnig's handiwork.
70555 202nd Av., Reads Landing, Minn., rlbrewingco.com. Lunch and dinner served Wed.-Sun.
Staghead
This handsome storefront dining room is an ideal venue for snacking on beef tartare with a zesty Dijon mustard, blue cheese-fortified deviled eggs or build-your-own meat and cheese plates. Larger appetites can enjoy saffron-infused lobster bisque, pan-seared salmon cakes, towering pot roast sandwiches, spaghetti with prawns and a memorable Cheddar-topped burger.
219 Bush St., Red Wing, thestaghead.com. Lunch and dinner served Wed.-Sat.
The 23rd installment of the beer fest will take place Oct. 12 at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis.
