Loaded Avocado Toast from Brim
If ever there was a January kind of a restaurant, it's Brim. The Bde Maka Ska-adjacent spot, which focuses on healthful, gluten-free, farm-fresh food, sees an uptick of interest this time of year, said co-owner Katie Sidoti. "I think everyone's feeling like treating their bodies right and doing a restart," she said. "It's fun to see people reinvigorating their eating choices."
To help kick off those resolutions, Brim is offering Wellness Kits, an assortment of their meats, vegetable-rich sides, bone broths, juice shots and more. (There's also a plant-based option.) The kit comes with three or four days' worth of meals for $135, or six to seven days for $199. Brim started the program last year, and it was so popular that they had to bring it back, Sidoti said. "It's not specific to a diet, but just to nourish your body more in a holistic way instead of depriving or limiting."
The kits, which will be available through spring, need to be preordered for midweek pickup. Or, try something off the menu. The Loaded Avocado Toast, on griddled gluten-free focaccia from Minneapolis' Sift Gluten Free bakery, was a highlight ($15). Served with chunks of cucumber and tomato, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and a cashew dill sauce, and topped with crisp heritage bacon and microgreens from Fiddlehead Farms in Andover, it makes January eating feel like July. (Sharyn Jackson)
2919 Knox Av. S., Mpls., 612-261-0506, brimrestaurant.com. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sat. and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun.

The Bold North at Third Space Cafe
The vibe inside the new Third Space Cafe calls for peeling off the layers, cracking open a laptop and settling in to work for an hour or two. The coffee shop/cafe is the work of Erin Ryan-Mosley, who after years of working in the industry, wanted to open her own place that serves a casual food menu with treats and healthy options, along with a serious — but not too serious — coffee program.
The coffee comes from St. Paul's True Stone, and the baristas, especially flavor maven/manager Meaghan Williams, make beautiful beverages. (She's even won awards for her adorable latte art.) The Bold North ($6) is a tart, fizzy blend of coffee, Fever Tree tonic and a housemade lingonberry tonic, garnished with a sprig of rosemary. It perks up the senses and is a clever twist on the burgeoning trend of espresso/tonic. The seasonal specialty will be on the menu through the end of January.
A bonus: With the ample space right by the intersection of Lyndale Avenue and Lake Street, Ryan-Mosley is also working on ways for the cafe to serve the community. When I visited, they were hosting an evening of candlelight yoga. (Joy Summers)
2930 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., 612-353-5677, thirdspacempls.com. Open 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Sun.