The 5 best things our food writers ate this week

There’s a special sound during Meritage brunch service that’s been missing for the past few years — fine silverware gently clinking against plates and Riedel glassware. Shoes clack against penny tiles as servers circle tables filled with people coming from church, ambling in after a long night out and collecting themselves over cups of coffee ahead of a new day.

“We’re glad to be back,” said chef Russell Klein, who owns the French eatery with hospitality and wine expert Desta Marée. “It feels good,” Klein said looking over the sunny dining room.

The downtown St. Paul spot recently reinstated its popular Sunday brunch service, and the menu is filled with fine ways to start the day, including the bestselling eggs Norwegian ($22). Smoked salmon is layered on toasty English muffins and topped with perfectly poached eggs bathed in dill-flecked hollandaise — a sauce so good my companion asked for a second side of it to take away.

It’s been 17 years since Klein and Marée first opened this little slice of Paris, and the restaurant has eased into a comfortable space as one of the best dining destinations in the city without ever resting on laurels. Instead, it’s still fresh and, in the words of the chef, feels so good. (Joy Summers)

410 St. Peter St., St. Paul; meritage-stpaul.com

Call it what you want — tartine, open-faced sandwich, or simply toast. The ways in which to enjoy a good piece of bread are endless.

Toastique is the newest restaurant leaning into the craze. Its “gourmet toast” is the centerpiece of a brunchy menu that also includes smoothies, juices and bowls. The franchise, which began in D.C., just opened its first Minnesota location in Wayzata.

There’s avocado toast, of course. Many of the other creations pile on heartier toppings like prosciutto and swiss, or smoked salmon and herbed cream cheese. I chose the PB Crunch ($12), which took the humble PB&J out of the lunchbox and into a more grownup realm.

Walnut raisin toast is spread with honey-roasted peanut butter. Bananas fan out over the edges, and a star of strawberry slices fill in the circle. More berries, berry jam, a sprinkling of crunchy granola and crunchy peanuts, and a drizzle of honey for sweetness. I didn’t know grade school lunch ever could have been this beautiful. (Sharyn Jackson)

320 Engel St., Wayzata, toastique.com

Cannon Falls, Minn., is known for many things: a charming downtown, the scenic Cannon River Valley and recreational activities on both land and water. In the food world, it’s a known ZIP code for notable products such as Ferndale Market turkey farm and CannonBelles artisan cheesemakers.

The best of those two food worlds collide at CannonBelles’ downtown cafe a few miles from their cheesemaking operation. Here, you can get not only coffee and ice cream as the name implies, but egg dishes, soups, wraps and more. Several menu items highlight CannonBelles products, from mac and cheese to grilled cheese sandwiches.

That includes the Ferndale gobbler ($8), a sandwich veiled in modest simplicity that yet hits unexpected high notes with attention to detail: A thin slice of Ferndale smoked turkey breast works in tandem with creamy CannonBelles queso fresco and avocado that get layered between slices of cranberry wild rice bread from Brick Oven Bakery in Northfield. The gooey sandwich melt was a delicious mingling of local products while bringing out the ingredients we love about Thanksgiving. Only here, you can enjoy those flavors year-round. (Nancy Ngo)

402 Mill St. W., Cannon Falls, Minn.; cannonbelles.com

Building construction is still happening, but the newly opened Ember & Bean in the lobby of a new apartment complex in Oakdale feels like a respite.

Coffee is the star, and even specialty lattes like the Sugar and Spice are only gently sweetened, in this case with brown sugar and a little cinnamon. As the barista said, “We want the coffee flavor to shine through.”

The space is set with tables, a coffee bar and a little corner with a tent and toys. Food offerings are modest and made in house, such as a breakfast burrito that comes with your choice of meat (we opted for pork), scrambled eggs and fresh salsa in a griddled tortilla.

Located just north of Interstate 94, this is the second Ember & Bean from Jess and Jonathan Pressley, who in 2017 hiked in Peru and were welcomed by a coffee farmer. The experience gave them a new appreciation for coffee growing and roasting and, in 2022, they opened the first Ember & Bean in downtown Hudson, Wis.

Their new Oakdale location is a delightful add to an area that’s a little light on independent coffee shops. Pro tip: While on-street parking is available, additional spots can be found inside the building’s parking garage. (J.S.)

7600 2nd St. N., Oakdale; emberandbeanroasting.com

I was on a late-night bagel run in Plymouth (more on that another time) one recent rainy evening, and needed to find a place to grab dinner with my very hungry kid. Luckily, we found OAK Eatery, a family-owned scratch restaurant in a small strip mall in Medina. The first thing I saw through the window as we approached was a huge calzone on someone’s table, and I knew we were in the right place.

Besides those massive calzones, there are flatbreads and pizzas to choose from, plus a large menu of burgers and barbecue sandwiches. But something about baked dough with a cheesy middle enthralled us, and we ordered the pepperoni rolls, a popular appetizer, according to our server. It came with four pinwheels of rolled-up pizza with a side of herby sauce for dipping ($14). It was everything you could want on a rainy night: We were warm, we were dry, we were full and we were happy. (S.J.)

190 Westfalen Trail, Medina, oakeatery.com