Heidi's Minneapolis. Photo by Tom WallaceHeidi's Minneapolis
What makes dining at Heidi's such an adventure is chef Stewart Woodman's one-two punch: a relentless imagination and a Ph.D.-level skill set. Many chefs amplify familiar ingredients; he routinely transforms them, deftly layering in unexpected, budget-stretching embellishments to enhance the sensory experience. The menu is divided into four parts: two-bite hors d'oeuvres, starters, entrees and desserts, with roughly a half-dozen choices in each category. The shocker is the price: With the exception of a daily special, nothing tops $20. Yet the food tastes and looks far more expensive. Woodman's excursions into molecular gastronomy are all about razzle-dazzle playfulness (and deliciousness), minus the genre's all-too-frequent self-conscious wonkiness. Unlocking and exploiting the possibilities in texture is a Woodman subspecialty, concentrated flavors are another obsession, and the kitchen has a nose for rooting out and showcasing oddball ingredients. Desserts, by Heidi Woodman, Stewart's spouse and business partner, are perfectly matched in spirit and imagination to their savory counterparts, and the tiny bar is a sweet spot for flavor-saturated cocktails. Although it has only been open since January, Heidi's (and its four-star food at two-star prices mantra) has quickly become one of the Midwest's peak dining experiences.
The Lowry. Photo by Jeff WheelerThe Lowry
The Blue Plate Restaurant Co. — the dream team behind the Highland Grill, Edina Grill, Longfellow Grill and 3 Squares — turns its considerable talents toward making a neighborhood breakfast-through-late-night restaurant for an area that has been curiously low on the genre. Co-owners Stephanie Shimp, Luke Shimp and David Burley have turned up the design moxie, giving their Uptown clientele an up-to-the-minute look while offering a full bar, a small oyster selection and other grown-up attractions. Snacks include poutine, bacon deviled eggs, house-pickled vegetables and cool wasabi- and ginger-kissed tuna poke. Entrees are heavy on burgers and sandwiches before veering into updated blue-plate specials along the lines of beef stroganoff and eggplant Parmesan. At breakfast, look for banana waffles, blueberry French toast, biscuits covered in sausage gravy and shirred eggs with a truffled cream. Other draws: prices rarely venture higher than the low teens, and the doors at this urban diner stay open to 2 a.m. daily.
Pear and bree sandwich at Muddy Waters. Photo by Tom WallaceMuddy Waters
Forget about everything you know about Muddy Waters, because the longtime coffee shop has been transformed from a grungy 24th-and-Lyndale caffeine pit stop into a much more elaborate enterprise. Now called Muddy Waters Bar & Eatery, the place sprawls in a new address five blocks to the south in Lyn-Lake and boasts a list of tap craft beers (plus Scotch and whiskey) that could sleeve out a pair of tattoo enthusiast's arms, a walk-up pastry counter and a kitchen that cooks from early morning to late night. Chef Scott Hurlbut, formerly of the Uptown Bar, is cooking with an eye toward variety and affordability: pot roast sliders, pizzas, burgers topped with chicken-fried bacon and fried onions, yucca fries with chimichurri. Breakfast, weekend brunch, late-night, it's all here. And coffee drinkers, don't despair; despite all the newfangled bells and whistles, this second edition of Muddy Waters is still a place to nurture a cup of Joe.
Urban Eatery. Photo by Tom WallaceUrban Eatery
Subverting clichés is the order of the day at Urban Eatery. Its slick corporate feel springs from its roots: The gastropub/restaurant is owned by the powers that be at Crave, and the menu aims to be a contemporary reinterpretation of the Applebee's/T.G.I. Friday's/Bennigan's trifecta, minus the jalapeño poppers and potato skins. The kitchen's sense of fun permeates the under-$11 starters menu, and can be summed up in a single dish called "Pork n' Beans," three thick-cut squares of deliriously fatty, maple-glazed pork belly cleverly paired with crunchy, bright-green edamame. It's easy to make a habit of the Reuben, which subs in that naughty pork belly for the standard corned beef. Even the kitchen's spin on the slider manages to be a contender, borrowing steamed buns, bao-style, and filling them with brightly seasoned ground pork, crunchy carrots and spicy, sriracha-laced mayonnaise. The bored-with-burgers crowd will get a charge out of a patty composed of ground bratwurst, topped with zesty sauerkraut and a generous swipe of grainy mustard, all stuffed into a pretzel-inspired bun. The sprawling menu isn't just about bar grub. A section devoted to comfort-food fare -has — surprise! — been done up beyond the same-old, same-old. Following in the footsteps of View, Dixie's and a whole host of other tenants, the Urban Eatery may just be the Calhoun Beach Club's ideal first-floor tenant. Finally.
Common Roots. Photo by Steve RiceCommon Roots Cafe
I was expecting some warm beverages and maybe a scone or a muffin. I was surprised by the full menu of delicious-sounding foods — everything from bison tacos to pizzas to soups to desserts. Everything is made from scratch, and Common Roots relies on local farmers for their produce as well as organic and naturally grown ingredients. I ordered the wild rice burger, and all I have to say is "Wow." The wild rice was perfectly cooked and formed into a patty that was dripping with melty cheese. The burger is topped with arugula and aioli and served on a grilled poppy-seed roll. It's a wonderful combination of flavors and textures, but the highlight is for sure the burger. Dessert was a chewy, almost brownie-like cookie with chunks of white chocolate and maybe dark chocolate. The inside was just melt-in-your-mouth amazing. For a coffeehouse, the menu is amazing. I wish I had known about this place when I was studying for the bar exam. chrissybell06
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Namaste Cafe. Photo by Carlos Gonzalez
- COMMON ROOTS CAFE: American. An ecofriendly cafe featuring deliciously chewy bagels, zippy salads, sandwiches and a few great dinner entrees, with an emphasis on locally grown ingredients.
- FALAFEL KING: Middle Eastern. Falafel, gyros and more, served cafeteria-style.
- THE HERKIMER PUB & BREWERY: American. Brewpub serving sandwiches and burgers. A spicy Cuban pork sandwich is the specialty. There's also a shuffleboard court.
- ISLES BUN & COFFEE CO.: Bakery/Coffee. Caramel and cinnamon rolls, sweet breads, cookies, brownies, cakes and other goodies to make you salivate.
- NAMASTE CAFE: Asian/Nepalese. Mostly vegetarian restaurant featuring mamacha (savory steamed dumplings), curries and other dishes from Nepal and elsewhere in South Asia. Also many varieties of tea and chai.
- OUR KITCHEN: In business for more than 50 years, Our Kitchen isn't much, decorwise — it's a comfy little family diner, seemingly frozen in time. But its breakfasts are hearty and classic and service is reliably friendly, making it a fine destination for eaters looking for a blast from the past. --James Norton
- RUSTICA: Known as home to one of the best local baguettes, Rustica has been known to make even visiting Parisians nod with approval. Their bittersweet chocolate cookies are a mainstay at local cafes, and they mix it up with daily specials including brioche, challah and currant rye. --James Norton
- SEBASTIAN JOE'S: Ice cream. A family favorite for years, Sebastian Joe's is a parlor in the classic sense — a comfortable neighborhood place where indulgent flavors and toppings abound. Among the must-try flavors: Pavarotti, a banana-caramel-chocolate-chip confection. --James Norton
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Ecopolitan. Photo by Chandra Akkari
- AMAZING THAILAND: Thai food and drink in the heart of Uptown.
- BAR ABILENE: Southwestern. The lively bar pours more than 40 tequilas and shakes up two dozen margaritas. The menu focuses on contemporary Tex-Mex fare.
- BRYANT-LAKE BOWL: American. Perhaps the most creative menu you'll encounter at a bowling alley. The kitchen cranks out an appealing range of snacks and full meals. Breakfast is hugely popular, particularly on weekends. The beer and ale list is exceptional, as is the affordable, adventurous wine list.
- BURGER JONES: American. Burgers and all the fixings get the premium treatment: velvety and addictive shakes and malts made with frozen custard, large hand-formed beef patties on toasted sesame-seed buns with Minnesota-made cheese, a tower of fries with multiple dipping sauces.
- CHIANG MAI THAI: Serving appetizers, curries, Thai noodles, stir-fries, Thai soup and desserts.
- CHINO LATINO: Fusion. Colorful and trendy, this enormous restaurant and bar emphasizes highly seasoned street foods from equatorial regions throughout the world: India, Indonesia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Orient, served in meant-to-be-shared portions. A late-night happy hour knocks out tacos and other fast food at bargain-basement prices.
- DUPLEX: American. A former apartment house has become an intimate, charming bistro and wine bar. The setting is matched by imaginative cuisine, reasonable prices and friendly, polished service.
- ECOPOLITAN: Raw/vegetarian. The Twin Cities' first raw-food restaurant — a pioneer in the gustatory movement that lies well to the left of vegetarianism and a few steps beyond the vegans.
- EL MESON: Latin. The modest storefront Latin bistro, with cozy romantic alcoves, has been serving dishes such as arroz con pollo and carnitas con mofongo for more than two decades. True to the flavors and spirit of Latin cuisines, but with updated techniques and presentation.
- EL PARAISO: Mexican. Impressive list of seafood dishes and other traditional south-of-the- border fare.
- FAMOUS DAVE'S BBQ & BLUES: Barbecue. Funky restaurant and blues club serving Dave Anderson's St. Louis-style ribs.
- FRENCH MEADOW BAKERY & CAFE: American/Bakery. Vegetarian selections, soups, salads, sandwiches, soups, along with a few meat dishes, and baked goods.
- FUJI-YA: Sushi. Japanese-style noodle soups, tempura, sushi bar, seasonal outdoor seating and private Zashiki rooms for two to six people.
- GALACTIC PIZZA: Pizza. At this nontraditional pizzeria, all the traditional toppings are available, but Galactic's long list of options includes morel and shiitake mushrooms, wild rice, buffalo sausage, and for vegan customers, mock duck, nondairy mozzarella, and a range of sauces including tomato, ranch, barbecue, Thai peanut and garlic and olive oil. The pizzas are better than average, especially the Thailander. Hemp is prominently featured in several menu items.
- GIGI'S CAFE: American/Coffee. Neighborhood coffeehouse, plus a wine bar and expanded food offerings.
- IL GATTO: A sort-of Italian restaurant and bar. While Il Gatto's menu still emphasizes the pasta and pizza of its predecessor Figlio, the most coveted toy in the kitchen clearly remains the wood-burning grill.
- IT'S GREEK TO ME: Greek/Middle Eastern. Authentic Greek specialties in a tavern atmosphere.
- KINSEN NOODLES: Asian. Noodle dishes with locally sourced meats and a full bar in small but bright and rectangularly modern digs. The fare (and cocktails) emphasize the sweet end of the flavor spectrum, but you can just ask for the spice rack to suss up your guay jab or udon with spicy house-made tamarind and cilantro sauces or dried chiles. --Kat Kluegel
- LYNDALE TAP HOUSE: American. Gastro-pub with slow-roasted beef and 18 tap beers.
- RINATA: Italian. Jonathan Hunt cooks familiar, crowd-pleasing food, often doing it well. A dozen pasta-risotto-gnocchi options anchor the menu, with a satisfying rendition of spaghetti and meatballs and a classic pairing of peas and pancetta with fettuccine.
- MOTO-I: Japanese. Moto-i's food tends to get overshadowed by its sake-making efforts, but the tasty bar snacks more than stand up to the liquid counterparts.
- MT. FUJI: Sushi. Irreverent sushi in Uptown, with generous happy-hour deals.
- PAT'S TAP: American. At Kim Bartmann's skee-ball-obsessed latest creation, the food menu lands somewhere between her Bryant-Lake Bowl and the Red Stag. Starters (lamb meatballs, frites, mussels, fried pickles, fancy cheese curds, etc.) are in the $4-$9 range. There are burgers, salads, sandwiches, charcuterie and a good list of entrees.
- ROAT OSHA: Thai. Stylish second effort by the spouses behind Tum Rup Thai. The lengthy menu covers all the familiar bases, but much of it is rather boilerplate.
- SUSHI TANGO: Sushi. Sushi restaurant located inside Calhoun Square.
- UPTOWN CAFETERIA AND SUPPORT GROUP: American. This populist palace opened in summer 2010 with a menu that didn't really match the photo-shoot surroundings. No longer. The menu improved last winter with the help of star chef Tim McKee. The food is still playfully Retro Diner, prices remain focused on the post-college crowd and portions continue to be gi-hugic.
- WILLIAMS UPTOWN PUB & PEANUT BAR: American. Featuring 300 bottled beers and 70 draft beers. Serving classic American pub food until midnight.
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Lucia's. Photo by Carlos Gonzalez
