The 5 best things our food writers ate this week

Old-school bread is at the heart of Grand Avenue’s newest bakery. Razava Bread Co. in St. Paul is up and running, featuring a menu that includes savory items and a few delicious cookies. But the standout bite is the Jerusalem bagel. It’s oblong and coated with so many sesame seeds that the toasty, rich flavor permeates every bite. Lighter than their New York counterparts, these bready goods are sold at Razava on their own for $3 or as a plate inside the cafe with labneh, za’atar and olive oil for $8.

Razava opened in the midst of the holiday rush, but the bakery has been in the works for years. A collaboration of bakers, business folks and people with deep recipe know-how, there are a lot of ideas at work here that come together to create another neighborhood hang. Located on the ground floor of the apartment building that also houses Saji-Ya and Emmett’s Public House, the addition of Razava hopes to lure neighbors from morning until late night. (Joy Summers)

685 Grand Av., St. Paul; razavabread.co

Chef Jeffrey Watson’s first job as a teenager was at a Chinese restaurant. Between that and his mother’s home-cooked Korean meals, he said, his love for Asian cuisine only grew. “This affection and all of the things I have learned over the years cooking have brought me to a style of food that I enjoy cooking.”

That philosophy — classic dishes and techniques with personal refinement — are at the core of his new northeast Minneapolis restaurant Minari, where you can grab dumplings off rolling dim sum carts or order from an a la carte menu of appetizers, stir-fries, charcoal barbecue items and more.

We dabbled in all of these categories, with the breakout dish and greatest testament to Watson’s modern take being the duck and foie gras dumplings ($13). Meat from rich and juicy duck legs gets ground with pork shoulder, duck skin and foie gras. Brandy and 10 spices are then added before it all gets whipped and emulsified with a panade mash of heavy cream, milk and panko crumbs. The fluffy filling is stuffed inside a housemade white dough folded into a classic Korean mandu dumpling. For such small bites (three in an order), these dumplings sure packed plenty of decadent flavors. Speaking of decadent, the salmon roe and burrata served with potato chips ($12) also didn’t disappoint and makes for a fancy and satisfying snack. It’s worth noting that the evening dim sum spot opens at 5 p.m. daily in both the bar/lounge and dining room, with plans to eventually add brunch service. (Nancy Ngo)

323 13th Av. NE., Mpls., minarirestaurant.com

When my kid’s elementary school class was learning about newspapers, I volunteered to come in and speak about my job. It was as delightful and humbling as you’d expect an encounter with a gaggle of energetic 6-year-olds to be, but one of my favorite moments was when one student asked where I like to go out to eat, then didn’t wait for an answer. “Have you been to Benihana?” they said eagerly, and suddenly, the whole class erupted in joy over the concept of teppanyaki cooking. Apparently, Benihana is the hot restaurant for single-digit birthdays. While they were exclaiming about shooting balls of fire and an onion volcano, my kid looked at me with wonder. Yes, I clearly needed to take my child out for a performative stir-fry dinner.

Instead of Benihana, though, we opted for something locally owned. Kobe is a sprawling restaurant with about a half-dozen open kitchens around which you can be seated in large parties, or with strangers, as we were. Customers place an order for a protein or combination; I had the steak and salmon ($28.95) and my kid ordered a smaller, kid’s portion with shrimp ($16). Everyone gets a soup and salad, a couple pieces of shrimp, a pile of veggies and rice.

The energy was high when we arrived, with several birthdays bringing out sparkler candles and drum accompaniments. Chefs at the other flat-tops were flaming, dicing and tossing all manner of vegetables, flinging zucchini cubes at guests who tried to catch the cubes in their mouths. By the time our dinner started, things had died down considerably. Maybe it was the about-to-start Vikings game that distracted the folks at our table, but other than a couple of big flames, things were pretty tame. Still, my kid was wowed by the idea of it all, even if it didn’t pique interest enough to get a 6-year-old to eat a vegetable. Not even when the zucchini finally started flying. (Sharyn Jackson)

15555 34th Av. N., Plymouth, kobeplymouth.com

It was shortly before 11 p.m., the Soul Asylum concert had just let out at First Avenue, and our crew didn’t want the fun to end. Like so many times, the Depot Tavern next door was the perfect landing spot to linger. We also were hungry because our pregame dinner plans never came to fruition, which ended up working in my favor because the menu here carries one of my favorite hot dogs in the Twin Cities.

The Diamond Dog, a quarter-pound all-beef hot dog wrapped in pepper bacon before it all gets deep-fried, is like no other ($13). Crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle and served on a pretzel bun that fetchingly holds all of this heft, it’s as good as it gets when wanting to grab a late-night bite after a show — or any other time for that matter. An order comes with chips, but for $2 more, you can upgrade to fries or Tater Tots. I order the tots, which come out of the kitchen deep-fried to a nice golden crisp every time. As our group parted ways, we talked about how we needed to gather for more nights like this. We wished each other well and pledged “Sometime to Return,” just like the name of one of our favorite Soul Asylum songs. (N.N.)

17 N. 7th St, Mpls., thedepottavern.com

How soon is too soon after coming back from vacation to start dreaming of the next one? The Cabana Club is a new restaurant in St. Anthony Main that feels like a tropical vacation, even in the depths of early January.

The Minneapolis restaurant and bar has low lights in the evening, making the view of downtown glitter in the distance. Tropical plants dot the dining room and the menu sports fare from warmer climates.

The cocktails draw on the origins of tiki culture, and a star example of the bar’s skill is the San Juan ($14). Eight-year-old El Dorado rum is stirred with just a bit of amaro and then given a wisp of sweet zing from honey-ginger syrup. It’s a perfect sip for plotting warm-weather ways to consume the yet-to-be accrued paid time off in the new year. (J.S)

201 SE. Main St. Mpls.; cabanaclubmpls.com