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

Everyone knows "one size fits all" is the bane of gift givers. But you know what holiday gift fits just about everyone? Ice cream. Sweet Science founder Ashlee Olds would likely back that up, and that's why she's shared with us believers the 12 Days of Ice Cream ($66) and quarts of better-than-homemade eggnog ($14).

The festive treats are available at the Edina scoop shop (or order online for pickup), but I found them in stock at the Golden Fig. The 12 Days of Ice Cream contains a dozen 4-ounce containers filled with special flavors of ultrarich ice cream. This is way better than socks. Plus, there's no specific order in which to eat them. One might start with the seasonally appropriate gingerbread before meandering over to grasshopper pie and rounding the corner into blood orange cream. There are no rules here! If the horchata happened to be scooped directly into a cup of fresh brewed coffee, that'd be OK.

Also delectable in coffee is the eggnog. As reliably as I'm harking the bells and wishing joy to the world, I end up attempting — and failing — to make real eggnog this time of year. But Olds delivers again. Her velvety eggnog has a sweetness warmed by a bit of fresh-grated nutmeg and dark notes of real vanilla.

The important thing to remember is that for those who celebrate, Christmas is coming. And judging by my newly acquired ice cream advent calendar, it's in two days. (Joy Summers)

Sweet Science Ice Cream, 3919 Market St., Edina, 612-217-0070, sweetscienceicecream.com; Golden Fig, 794 Grand Av., St. Paul, 651-602-0144, goldenfig.com

To get through winter, everyone needs a perfect blanket. Even a gorgeous piece of beef.

That's how David Fhima describes how he encases seared wagyu filet mignon. "We create what I call the perfect blanket," said the chef and restaurateur, who recently added this showstopper of an entree to the menu at Maison Margaux. A hunk of tenderloin is seared ultrahot to form a nice crust, but kept rare inside. It's wrapped in thinly sliced ham, chanterelle mousse and a semisweet crêpe crowned with a lattice of puff pastry to match the swirls in the Underground Bar's red banquettes, and served in a puddle of reduced veal stock and cabernet. (Bonus points for the gratis bread basket.)

The elaborate dish ($79) might sound familiar, but it's not the French version of beef Wellington. (Or is it?) "You just cannot call it that!" Fhima said, laughing. Either way, it's an entree for an occasion, best shared between two people in a romantic corner of the basement.

"It's a dish that we wanted people to notice, so I'm glad you noticed it," Fhima said. (Sharyn Jackson)

224 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-900-1800, maisonmargauxmpls.com

To single out the walleye from our cozy dinner is a disservice to both diners and the restaurant.

I easily could have written about the spinach salad, a simple mix of spinach, red onions, fresh bacon bits and eggs, but served with a game-changing warm bacon vinaigrette — or the herbed butter and fresh bread that came with it. Ditto the 7-ounce petite filet mignon ($39.95), which we knew was going to be good from the way the knife slid through (it was), and the potatoes, either perfectly baked or a rotating flavor of skin-on mashed. Or the fact that salad, bread and sides are part of the meal.

But, as a Minnesotan, I rarely pass up walleye ($36.95), even though this version came from Canada. The generous portion is available broiled, pan-fried or blackened, and is topped with butter, lemon and almonds. The fillets were tender and flaky, nearly melting in the mouth. We shared our entrees so we could have a makeshift surf and turf, a tactic I highly recommend.

Situated just off Interstate 35, Porterhouse is locally owned; there's another location in Little Canada. The very busy restaurant — the wait for walk-ins was more than 90 minutes on a Wednesday — provided a warm and welcoming midweek respite during this hectic time of year. We could have lingered for hours. (Nicole Hvidsten)

11211 205th St., Lakeville, 952-469-2995, porterhousesteakandseafood.com

There was a time when a stretch of Marshall Avenue drew families day and night for all the treats it offered, from morning coffee to train-centered play dates and scoops of Izzy's ice cream in the evening. Then, as so often happens, things changed, closed and moved on. Now there's a renaissance, and one of the great coffee shops in the Twin Cities has made a small step toward returning.

When Andrew Kopplin opened Kopplin's Coffee in 2006, it was an industry leader in third-wave coffee, a place where beans and the treatment of them were serious business. It was groundbreaking to talk about coffee producers and almost unheard of to ask a guest to wait the required time for a pour-over. All these things are common now, but what's been missing in the local coffee world as of late is Kopplin's.

The shop, with local art and vintage vinyl spinning in the background, shut its doors during the pandemic (the beans are still available online). But as of this week, it added a walk-up window and started making drinks again — like its cozy-weather wonder of rich and creamy hot chocolate ($5.74) and maple syrup-sweetened latte ($7.81) topped with foam art.

It's all a part of the block revitalization, and the holidays are the perfect time to visit. Larissa Loden anchors the corner with a shop filled with gifts (and some delightful food-centric jewelry I'm hoping to find under the tree), Nellie's sells ice cream, Vikings and Goddesses has opened their pie and pastry window a few days a week.

Now, finally, Kopplin's is serving from 7 a.m. to noon Thursdays and Fridays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon through the end of the year before taking a break until spring. It's hard to say what will happen after that, but, for now, this block is back in prime fashion. (J.S.)

2038 Marshall Av., St. Paul, 651-808-0958, kopplinscoffee.com

Heading downtown this holiday season for a show? You might be thinking about what you'll eat, and where you'll park. Here's a hot tip to solve both problems. The reasonable ($15) valet at the Capital Grille will take your car before dinner and fetch it for you after the show, even if the restaurant is already closed. And the bar? It takes walk-ins.

On a recent evening out in the theater district, my companion and I took advantage of both offerings. We didn't want a full steak dinner making us too drowsy before the show, so we ordered shrimp cocktail ($21), a Cosmopolitan ($15), and a big basket of hot and crispy fries that had been tossed in white truffle oil and showered with grated cheese and parsley ($12). We snacked while the pre-theater pulse of the restaurant rippled around us, and downtown Minneapolis simply felt alive. (S.J.)

801 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., 612-692-9000, thecapitalgrille.com

The Taste team is stepping away from the table over the holidays to dine with family and friends. We'll be back in January.