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

The Lynnhall's new pastry chef, Jeremy Intille, hails from California, but has worked in several cities across the United States and three other countries. Winging in from their latest gig in Philadelphia, they are now settling into the Minneapolis and Edina restaurants and remaking the pastry case with some winners. The chocolate chip cookie with dark brown sugar, caramelized milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips is something of a signature for Intille. The banana bread sports a chocolate hazelnut crust, muffins boast seasonal ingredients, but the dish I couldn't get enough of has been the slowest seller on the menu and that's a crying shame: the leek and lardon Danish.

Flaky layers of laminated dough cradle béchamel perfumed with woodsy thyme. Tender leeks impart that gentle onion sweetness and the crunchy thick bacon bits add a nice salty/savory crunch. The best way to eat this treat is to grab space at one of the farmhouse tables and dig into it as a brunchy entree: topped with a poached egg and a little green salad on the side. This isn't on the menu, but the restaurant assured me that this secret dish ($10) can be ordered at both locations any day the Danish are in the pastry case. (Joy Summers)

The Lynhall, 2640 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., 3945 Market St., Edina thelynhall.com

Alejandro Victoria was never afraid of ghosts as a child. "My mom would say, 'Don't be scared of the dead people; the dead people are your friends or family, they were your neighbors or your grandpa or your uncle. They're not trying to hurt you. They're trying to come back and, like, hang out with you.'"

Which is why Victoria was always excited about Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, the Mexican holiday that invites departed ancestors' souls back for a visit. One direct line to those ancestors? Food.

"The kinds of things that would appear after the harvest, you're bringing back what your family loved. You put it on the ofrenda, but when you cook tamales for your relatives that pass, you eat some, too."

To celebrate Dia de Muertos (Nov. 1 and 2), Victoria, the chef/owner of Nico's Tacos' two locations, has put together a Muertos Menu with dishes that are traditionally eaten on the holiday. One can't-miss dish from that menu is the pozole rojo, a red chile stew of braised pork and giant kernels of heirloom corn in a deep broth. The platter comes with a variety of garnishes (a squirt of lime is essential) and a tostada piled high with beans ($14). It's the food of the ancestors.

Another must-have is the turkey tamale, with a smoky, rich chocolate mole ($5 each). A seasonal dish that's also eaten on the holiday, the supremely comforting turkey tamales will be available all fall.

The Muertos Menu is offered at both locations through next week. On Oct. 29, the restaurants will celebrate with live music, face painting and tarot readings. (Sharyn Jackson)

2516 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., 612-345-7688; 2260 Como Av., St. Paul, 651-450-8848, nicostacobar.com

Those familiar with Cowboy Jack's in Apple Valley may have noticed a shiny new addition alongside the restaurant — the takeout-only Smokestack Express opened last month and serves meats (and sides) for barbecue fans south of the river.

Owner Trevor Schneider is drawing people from as far as Iowa for his smoked proteins, turning what was a longtime hobby into a bonafide hit. Find baby back ribs, beef brisket and pork shoulder seasoned with Schneider's spice mix and sauces and cooked low and slow in the smokers on-site. There are scratch sides, too — beans, mac and cheese and coleslaw are all made in the 312-square-foot kitchen. "It's very small," Schneider said. "It's very specifically designed to do one thing, and that is put up fantastic barbecue."

And it does. If you're going to pick just one, make it the brisket ($11 for a half-pound). Seasoned simply with salt and pepper and smoked for 18 hours with hickory wood from Texas, the result is intensely flavorful. While the meat definitely doesn't need the barbecue sauce that comes alongside it, it does give it a tangy kick. No surprise, it's the top seller. (Pork shoulder is $11 for a half-pound, ribs are $22 for a half-rack, $35 for a rack.) Don't forget the sides ($7.50 each); mac and cheese and cornbread are my top picks.

The idea for Smokestack came from Cowboy Jack's co-owner Ken Sherman, who wanted to create a business that would add items to his menu and provide a takeout option. He and Schneider are now business partners, filling a Southern-style gap in the south metro.

"I guess I knew there was a need for barbecue," Schneider said. "But I didn't think it was as big of a need as it really is." (Nicole Hvidsten)

14998 Glazier Av., Apple Valley, smokestackexpress.com

It's been almost a year since Minneapolis lost its outpost of Mucci's in Lyn-Lake. But fans of the St. Paul restaurant still have metro-wide access to some of its greatest hits. In addition to frozen pizzas, Tim Niver and chef Chris Uhrich's homey Italian restaurant packages up its signature "layers of love" — aka lasagna with meat sauce — freezes it and ships it to dozens of metro-area grocery stores. Thick sheets of noodles are slathered with ricotta and studded with Italian sausage, and everything is drenched in their rich red sauce and enrobed in gooey cheese. It takes about an hour to get it from freezer to dinner plate, but the convenience is worth the wait. I picked mine up at Lunds & Byerly's ($22, serves four), but you can find it at Kowalski's, the Wedge and more. Or enjoy it right at the source — the original restaurant is still going strong. (S.J.)

Find a list of stores that carry frozen Mucci's foods at muccisitalian.com/muccisfrozen, or dine in at 786 Randolph Av., St. Paul, 651-330-2245, muccisitalian.com

Dangerfield's in Shakopee is undergoing some major transformations. The Eyes Wide Hospitality group has taken over the historic restaurant and has been slowly remaking the menu and reworking all the spaces. While the upstairs space will reopen as Shakopee House soon, the basement has become Rum Row Tiki Bar, which opens the first week in November.

The bar program put together by beverage director and part owner Ralena Young is backed up by an impressive number of high-quality rums. While the tiki drinks deliver sweet tastes of the tropics and a photo moment, the pre-Prohibition era cocktails let the spirit really shine. The El Presidente ($10) is made with rum, a botanical dry vermouth and a little orange liqueur. The aged rum hangs onto just a whisper of its sugar cane sweetness while the vanilla from the barrel is washed off the tongue by the tannins of the vermouth and the orange-peel bitterness. It's a sophisticated taste of the tropics in a supper club basement. (J.S.)

Rum Row Tiki Bar (in Dangerfield's lower level), 1583 1st Av. E, Shakopee, rumrowtiki.com