Caribe. Photo by Tom WallaceCaribe Caribbean Bistro
- Caribbean
- $$
Caribbean restaurants often offer charming food and atmosphere but falter on consistency and focus. Caribe has all of that good stuff and none of the bad. This relatively new place is small, tidy and laser targeted -- the tiny menu shows off its chef's confidence and command of his subject matter. Dynamite conch fritters and a fascinating Puerto Rican casserole/meatloaf-like dish called piñon compel return visits, as do the restaurant's desserts of the day, which are consistently charming and delicious. Boasting a hyper-colorful atmosphere, attentive service and a short, no-wrong-moves menu, this place is a natural for a first date (or a couple's date night), and the stellar selection of exotic sodas makes it a fun place to bring kids. --James Norton
Cheng Heng. Photo by Tom WallaceCheng Heng
- Asian
- $
At this modest, family-owned cafe, the menu is full of appealing dishes suffused with fresh lime, mint, roasted peanuts, coconut, peppers or all of the above. Spicing can be pleasantly hot without veering into overpowering, and prices are very reasonable. All meals here should be required to start with the plear salad, a pretty toss of green peppers, radishes, bean sprouts, mint leaves and beef sauteed in lime juice. Or the Bahn Xiung, an irresistible medley of textures and flavors, made with vermicelli noodles, stir-fried beef, egg rolls, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts, mint and coconut. The amazing spring rolls, jammed with pork, shrimp, mint, basil and rice noodles, are worth a drive across town. Soups -- made with rice, egg or fun noodles -- are pretty special, and bargain priced. Try the Kor Koo noodle soup, a big and aromatic bowl of noodles and chopped beef tenderloin. --Rick Nelson
- Middle Eastern
- $
Black Sea is perfect if you are looking for consistently delicious food and beautifully low prices. It's a small space, but it seems like the wait is never more than a few minutes. The decor is kind of goofy but fun, and the service is quick and efficient. I've sampled probably the entire menu of Turkish goodness, and it's all really good. But I always come back to the tradition doner (gyro) sandwich and the falafel sandwich. The doner meat is wonderfully spiced and the perfect texture. The falafel is maybe the best I've ever had. Get the rice side and smother it all with the super zesty yogurt sauce. Amazing. As if that's all not fantastic enough, the prices are almost silly. The sandwiches are all under $5 and most entrees around $9. --crousu
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- Fasika: African. African standards -- all served with house-baked injera, the springy flatbread that is to Ethiopia what the baguette is to France -- at low prices.
- Little Szechuan: Chinese. Combination of Americanized fare (General Tao's chicken, Hunan beef, hot-and-sour soup) and more authentically Chinese dishes (diced rabbit big sister style, eel strips with spicy sauce and tofu). Favorites include the Chung King chili shrimp and the kung pao chicken. A Szechuan cold spicy noodle was a surprise and a delight.
- Russian Piroshki & Tea House: European. Piroshkis (meat buns), cabbage rolls, borscht and more.
- Tai Hoa BBQ: Asian. Chinese- and Vietnamese-style barbecued and roast pork, chicken and duck, sold by the pound. What sets Tai Hoa apart is its other prepared foods, which include chicken-feet salad, pig-ear salad and several dishes that combine Asian vegetables with pig intestines and other parts of the pig anatomy. There are a few tables, but most of the business is carry-out.
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Muffuletta. Photo by Steve Rice
- Cafe Biaggio: Italian. An original menu Italian menu in town.
- Mai Village: Vietnamese. Creative menu offerings that go beyond the standard repertoire of imperial egg rolls and lemongrass chicken. The specialty of the house is Bò 7 Mon, seven courses of beef including several you prepare yourself.
- Muffuletta: American. A candle-lit chef-driven bistro with an imaginative globe-trotting menu.
- Ngon Vietnamese Bistro: Vietnamese/Fusion. Ngon ("It's like saying long, with an N") is Vietnamese for delicious. And how. Great pho, redolent of slow-cooked beef bones, anise and nutmeg, also shows Ngon's dedication to locally raised meat and produce. Hai Truong crafts delicious dishes from Minnesota pork, from spring rolls to barbecue to chops. Also stellar: duck confit with coconut-curry sauce, pudgy scallops seared to caramelized perfection, much more.
- Sole Cafe: Korean. What is authentic Korean food? Bright, bold flavors, deep, powerful pungency, a vast array of flavorful side dishes and a homey, comfortable vibe. That neatly sums up Sole Cafe, one of the most exciting and soulful purveyors of Korean food in the area.
- West Indies Soul Restaurant: Caribbean. Counter-service restaurant with a selection of homemade Caribbean specialties with an African flavor.
