The 5 best things our food writers ate this week

Never has a workday tuna sandwich lunch been more appealing.

Food on the Fly’s tuna is not your Subway scoop of mystery minced fish. The new downtown Minneapolis lunch-only spot, on the ground floor of the Forum 900 Building, is putting out food far beyond skyway-level expectations, including a hoagie stuffed to the brim with cubes of ruby-red raw tuna under a citrusy cabbage slaw with soy ginger aioli ($12).

The chefs behind Food on the Fly have fine-dining creds, and you see it in the whole menu of scratch-made items with Korean flavors. Bulgogi sausages can be had on sandwiches or in rice bowls, thinly sliced pastrami is made in-house, and their own vegan meat alternatives can replace any protein.

Also, the kimchi-spiced popcorn might be the best $2 desk snack you can get in downtown Minneapolis. (Sharyn Jackson)

900 2nd Av. S., #110, Mpls., foodontheflymn.com

Who doesn’t love a choose-your-own adventure? Tres Bandidos offers up chicken, beef and pork cooked different ways and tucked into whatever plate-to-gullet delivery system a person desires in the moment. It’s similar to another large scale fast-casual chain in concept, but this a small, local company that’s true to its ingredients and community.

Tres Bandidos just opened in St. Paul this week on Snelling Avenue in the former Red’s Savoy Pizza space, which comes with a nice little parking lot in the back. Every day they’re roasting meats to make carnitas, beef birria and al pastor. There’s also a rotisserie where whole chickens twirl and baste themselves.

Diners can pick a meat, topping, salsas and add-ins like fried onions, jalapeños, cheese and more. The tacos are only $3 apiece and make a tidy little snack, while the burritos are stuffed full of goodies for $9.99. Our adventure for a whole family was thankfully affordable, including these rich carnitas tacos with pico de gallo. (Joy Summers)

143 N. Snelling Av., St. Paul, tresbandidosusa.com

Mediterranean flavors are among my favorite, which explains why, while on a quest for all-day breakfast, I ended up with a falafel pita.

Scrolling past the eclectic breakfast menu and bypassing the lamb shank dinner and $9.99 chicken alfredo special, I spotted the falafel pita at the tail end of the impressive list of sandwiches and burgers.

The obvious star is the housemade falafel. Fava beans, onion, parsley and cilantro are pulsed together and fried, resulting in vibrant, flavorful fritters that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The falafel sits atop a pita and lettuce before being sprinkled with tomatoes and onions and a dollop of creamy, dilly tzatziki ($11.75 with fries or coleslaw). It was a handful, in the best way.

Another star: Ze’s ‘50s-style diner vibe; you can’t help but smile amid the old school décor. Retro tables, chairs, counter and booths, tile floor, splashy murals — it’s a pleasant, popular and delicious place to be. We aren’t the only ones who think so: Last summer, the café owned by Moody and Zeze Arafa was featured on “America’s Best Restaurants.” (Nicole Hvidsten)

Ze’s Diner, 16731 Hwy. 13, Prior Lake, zesdiner.com; plus locations in Eagan, Woodbury, Mendota Heights and Hastings.

For more than 20 years, this New Hope spot has been slinging omelets and other sun-up fare, and the counter-lined diner is still as popular as ever. (Fat Nat’s has two other locations that came later, in Brooklyn Park and St. Anthony.) My server couldn’t stop herself from recommending nearly everything, but it was the Hatch green chile sauce that won out. You’ll find it on a number of menu items, along with a handful of other salsas, all made in house. In the Fat Nat’s Supremo ($14.95), a chorizo and cheese omelet rests on a bed of American fries, or savory roasted potatoes that have been tossed with that piquant green chili sauce. Another chunky red salsa crowns this massive breakfast.

I held back on the bottomless coffee here, when I noticed the Cafe Meow in the same Winnetka Commons strip mall. Even if you don’t have reservations to play with the kittens, you can get your caffeine fix while looking through windows at the furballs of fun. (S.J.)

3530 Winnetka Av. N., New Hope, fatnatseggs.com

It was just before 10 a.m., Thirty-Six Cafe was about to open and a line had already formed outside the door at this Grand Avenue spot in St. Paul. Once the door was unlocked, spring break revelers, moms and daughters and friends-catching-up-with-friends quickly filled the quaint space of mostly two-tops.

It was easy to see why this was the place to head to for such occasions. Floral-filled and vibrant, it was a fun setting that matched the equally playful menu of Japanese-inspired bites and matcha lattes.

The main attraction, soufflé pancakes — the tall, pillowy, airy egg white pancakes popular in Japan — come in about a half-dozen varieties, from savory bacon eggs Benedict to sweet strawberry shortcake stacks.

The Mango Sticky Rice Creme Soufflé ($10.50) was the one we’d put on repeat. It starts with a base of airy soufflé pancakes and sticky rice cooked to a wonderful chewy goodness. Next, a coconut milk syrup and blue coconut shreds add mild sweetness while a mango whip and silky mango chunks provide a slight tang. While other items we tried on the menu went extreme in savory or sweetness, this one met somewhere in the middle for a deliciously balanced treat. (Nancy Ngo)

949 Grand Av., St. Paul, thirtysixcafemn.com

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