The 5 best things our food writers ate this week

The ‘70s are back at the south Minneapolis Italian-American mainstay Jakeeno’s. For the red sauce restaurant’s 50th birthday, owners Patty and Amy Keegan have brought prices down to 1975 levels on two signature dishes for dine-in customers.

For the rest of January, spaghetti and sauce (choose from an herby marinara, two kinds of meat sauce or white butter cream sauce) and a side of bread is going for the original price of $2.55. And a 15-inch sausage-pepperoni-mushroom pizza is $6.25.

I got the spaghetti with the family-recipe marinara, and selected a couple of upgrades: a huge, beefy meatball for $3, and provolone cheese toast on the side for $2. Even with those up-charges and a soda, the subtotal for my lunch barely cleared $10.

The prices might be retro, but Jakeeno’s has evolved with the times. Last summer, they added on a whole wing (taking over the little shop that used to be Pie & Mighty) and turned it into a sports bar. Craft cocktails, a concept that would have sounded alien in 1975, have joined the menu. (Sharyn Jackson)

3555 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., jakeenos.com

As the name implies, the new Stone Pho in Roseville specializes in the Vietnamese noodle soup. Among the menu options is an item that’s a growing trend in Vietnam, in which the noodles and meat, including raw cuts, are served on the side while a stone bowl filled with bubbling hot broth and aromatics serves as the centerpiece. You then add the noodles and meat as you go for this interactive, fresh-as-can-be dish.

With a location already in Blaine, Stone Pho’s shiny new second metro location along a frontage road near Rosedale Center is serving up the same food menu of pho bowls, bành mí sandwiches and stir-fries while expanding its drink offerings thanks to a coffee, tea and juice bar.

Stone bowl pho was the last meal my husband and I treated ourselves to during a trip to Vietnam in November, and he was the perfect lunch companion to check out this new spot. We tried a traditional beef pho ($14) and stone pho (starting at $25) side by side, and you could taste and see the difference. The stone pho came with wider, more al dente noodles. It also came with a richer broth in which you could detect a higher concentration of gelatin bubbles and collagen than its counterpart. With four beef cuts (filet mignon, brisket, meatballs and ribs) and chewy slivers of tripe and tendon adding texture and nutrient-rich collagen, there was a meat-filled ladle with every slurp. My husband described it best: a “meat lover’s pho.”

We also found the traditional pho to be a great deal because premium cuts like rib-eye that sometimes cost extra don’t here. We ordered the P7, or the rib-eye and brisket, the broth lighter than the stone pho yet just as wonderfully fragrant and accomplished. Ultimately, it’s really about whether you want to go the customary or ultra-savory route, which can cost twice as much depending on upgrades. Either way, we found the outcomes to be flavorfully satisfying. (Nancy Ngo)

1885 Perimeter Drive, Roseville, 10340 NE. Baltimore St., Blaine; stonepho.com

After one sip of this cocktail a few months ago, I was smitten. Winter had just started to set in, and the drink was so cozy (and potent). I had been trying to make my way back to Farmers Kitchen + Bar ever since. “Maybe you’ll just have to love it in your heart,” a colleague told me. Not a chance.

There is much to love about the Manzanita ($16), starting with top-notch Minnesota ingredients: Pommeau, a spirit made with apple juice and apple brandy, from Milk & Honey Ciders in St. Joseph; Øvrevann Aquavit from Vikre Distillery in Duluth; allspice liqueur from Norseman Distillery in Minneapolis; cinnamon liqueur from Loon Liquors Distillery in Northfield; cardamom and spiced apple bitters from Dashfire in Minneapolis — plus housemade apple syrup and lemon juice. Yes, it’s a lot. But the flavors, heavy on warming spices, blend together seamlessly, sip after sip.

It’s on the stronger side, so you’ll also want to grab a bite — the walleye tots ($14) and seasonal bruschetta ($15) are favorites. Then raise a glass to both the restaurant, which champions Minnesota farmers and makers, and your new favorite cocktail. (Nicole Hvidsten)

750 S. 2nd St., Mpls., farmerskitchenandbar.com

Sometimes a sandwich tastes better when someone else makes it for you. And if the sandwich shop has been around for 40-plus years, it’s a good bet they know what they’re doing. Enter Bo Diddley’s, which has been feeding the St. Cloud-St. Joseph area since 1981, and expanded to Eden Prairie in 2021.

The suburban slip of a strip-mall eatery churns out all the classics, most on its hallmark fresh-baked cracked-wheat hoagie (there are pitas, too). The Italian is the bestseller, I was told, so that’s what I ordered. A pile of ham, salami and pepperoni is topped with provolone and Swiss-American cheese blend, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, banana peppers, mayo and seasoned oil for a Dagwood-esque treat. Sandwiches are available in three sizes, whole, half or third, and a half ($9) was plenty as the bread is stellar — and filling. (Next time I’ll ask for extra douses of seasoned oil and banana peppers to ramp up the spice.)

The longtime shop has legions of fans who are happy to have an outpost in the Twin Cities, and its handy location off Hwy. 169 makes it easy to put into your sandwich rotation, where it absolutely belongs. (N.H.)

9633 Anderson Lakes Pkwy., Eden Prairie, bodiddleysdeli.com

There is nothing better than a good old bar: a room lit by beer signs, the shuffle of pulltabs and familiar jukebox songs. The best seats are stools at the bar, where bottles glitter and the wood is worn smooth from years of rolled-up sleeves resting against them. The 620 Club on St. Paul’s West 7th is one of those bars.

Under new ownership, what was once Keenan’s has been given a deep scrub, fresh paint, TLC and a major menu update courtesy of its new owners, Ruth Kashmark, Gavin Kashmark and Dan Guerrero.

My intention was to explore all the new food options — the pastas were tempting. But as the Band played overhead (its last living member, Garth Hudson, had just passed), I had to order the dish I would have split with my dad. He’s the one who taught me to love these spaces and this music. And he would have loved this Coney ($6.50).

The bun is buttered and toasted before being loaded up with a hot dog, mustard and a rich, saucy meat mix emblematic of the dish. Topped with melted cheese and raw onions that snap just enough, it’s a divine version of the classic — and the best I’ve had in a long, long time. (Joy Summers)

620 W. 7th St., St. Paul; bit.ly/620Club