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

The second coming of Emmett's Public House has all the hallmarks of a cozy Old World setting: rich leather colors, a fireplace, and a few gents posted up with a pint at any given point. The new space is a refresh of the Grand Avenue spot, which was located beside Dixie's. The original address was shuttered, and Emmett's has been fully reborn as a ground-floor restaurant beneath a new housing complex.

The details are a lovely addition to St. Paul's Grand Avenue, with a sculptural entry that was still dressed up for the holidays when we visited.

On the menu, dishes are hearty and don't necessarily hew to traditional Irish fare, but the hints are there: fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage, bangers and croquettes, and an appetizer of Scotch eggs ($14).

Typically, Scotch eggs are boiled, coated in sausage and fried. At Emmett's, there's a more tender approach of soft-boiling the eggs until the interior is custardy, then wrapping them in sausage and a crispy coating of panko breadcrumbs before nestling them into an Irish cheddar broth that is more winter soup than sauce. It's all garnished with bacon crumbles, a drizzle of leek oil and a side of crispy sourdough toast to mop up the cheesy goodness. (Joy Summers)

695 Grand Av., St. Paul, 651-225-8248, emmettspublichouse.com

Last week, chef Gerard Klass (Soul Bowl) gave us the best kind of surprise restaurant news. He and spouse/co-owner Brittney Klass quietly opened the first of two new concepts to take over the former Smith & Porter space in downtown Minneapolis' Mill District.

Klass debuted with C.R.E.A.M. Cafe — it stands for "coffee rules everything around me" — a sweet, sunny place with a cozy fireplace and inventive coffee drinks. Try a flight ($18), which features 4-ounce pours of four specialty drinks. (They're made to order, so you can get them with alternative milks if that suits you.) The current flight starts with a warm lavender-honey matcha, two cold drinks — Oreo mocha and toffee cake (my favorite) — and a warm chai.

Breakfast is served all day, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and lunch starts at 11. I stopped in on the earlier side, and loved the waffle sticks — spears of a big, pearl-sugar-studded Belgian waffle, lightly drizzled in blueberry syrup. I can't wait to go back for one of several breakfast sandwich options. The lunch menu has mix-and-match soup/salad/sandwich combos.

But wait, there's more! The cafe is just the first step in the Klasses' downtown takeover. Next up, sometime very soon, they'll bring their second concept, Klassics Kitchen + Cocktails, to the remainder of the restaurant space. Stay tuned. (Sharyn Jackson)

428 S. 2nd St., Mpls.

We love writing about the Twin Cities' vibrant dining scene, but it's a lot of ground to cover. New restaurants are opening, old favorites are closing. More are evolving, and still others are worth visiting (or revisiting) but might have fallen off our radar, and food-loving readers bring them to our attention.

That was the case with Ciao Bella in Bloomington. It had been years since we dined there, so thanks to Craig from Prior Lake for singing its praises. It did not disappoint.

We started with cocktails and calamari ($16.95/$20.95), delicate and lightly fried — and among the best preparations I've had as of late. But the highlight was the housemade ravioli, stuffed with sweet butternut squash and topped with sage-brown butter, pancetta and a dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano ($20.95/$24.95). The squash-sage-brown butter flavor trifecta is one of my favorites, and that it's tucked into toothsome pasta makes it even better. The pancetta is a nice touch, but not necessary if you want to make it meatless.

A few more Ciao Bella pluses: The service was outstanding. While I wouldn't recommend showing up on a busy Friday night without a reservation like we did, we were seated in the bar area in a reasonable amount of time. And the ability to order small or large portions is appreciated — and leaves room to try and share more dishes. We have our eyes on the crabcakes and anything coming out of the wood-burning oven. While Ciao Bella's sprawling patio makes it a must-visit during the summer, it should go on your cozy list for winter, too. (Nicole Hvidsten)

3501 Minnesota Drive, Bloomington, 952-841-1000, ciaobellamn.com

I've been waiting for the weather to cool down to an appropriate temperature for boiling crocks of soup, a wait that has proved fruitless in this unseasonable (so far) winter. But a winter break trip to the tropics was enough to make 45 feel frigid, and it was finally time to check out the new iteration of Jasmine 26.

After a more than three-year closure — first for the pandemic, then remodeling — this 15-year-old Eat Street restaurant reopened this summer with a new focus on hot pot. New to the gleaming space are COVID-friendly individual induction burners, so guests don't have to dip into their companions' broth.

"We've been thinking a lot about how to do it safely," said Le Truong, one of the family members behind Jasmine 26.

There are five soups available — my favorites were tom kha (Thai coconut soup) and Sichuan spicy beef, both $20. Each comes with a deeply flavorful broth and veggies, plus a bundle of noodles, paper-thin meat and aromatics on the side for some DIY cooking.

No one will stop you if you want to share, as my family did, all dunking our spoons into one another's bubbling bowls for one more bite. There's also a menu of shareable apps and entrees, from which I enjoyed the puffed-up crunchy nuggets of salt and pepper tofu ($12), and seriously craveable sticky ribs ($21).

Being that I was still in vacation mode, I allowed myself a big old cocktail in a pineapple, the rummy-fruity Paradise Cove ($14). I might not have been lounging poolside anymore, but I had soup to keep me warm. (S.J.)

8 E. 26th St., Mpls., 612-870-3800, jasmine26hotpot.com

This past summer, I was in a New York vintage shop laughing at clothing prices when I ran into an old friend. The T-shirt hung from the ceiling, completely out of reach, but I knew every seam with intimacy. It was the same shirt I'd stolen off a friend and lived in until the cotton was worn into a buttery softness and the printed words had crackled until barely legible. I didn't even particularly care for the band, but the words commanded me to "Dance on Fire" and I loved it.

I'm filled with the same comfort when given the opportunity to order the polenta bowl ($21) at Terzo. It's a dish I could make at home, one I've eaten more times than I can count: locked in during the pandemic, in the midst of a crowd for an out-of-town reunion, and at the bar, on a cold, wintry evening, next to a twin soul of a friend. We shared it, digging in our spoons, greedily scooping bits of egg, supple roast pork and bitter rapini in a bowl of rich (gluten-free) porridge.

Part of the Broder family's group of restaurants, Terzo opened in 2013, a relatively small space with a deep Italian wine selection. They later added a side window and patio with a menu centered on porchetta, the slow roasted pork. It's showcased in various forms on the menu, but I think the polenta was my first taste and the only preparation I've ordered.

I might not be able to afford to buy a second coming of that T-shirt I wore like a high school uniform, but I do know that this dish is ready and waiting for me whenever the desire to slip into something comfortable strikes. (J.S.)

2221 W. 50th St., Mpls., 612-925-0330, terzompls.com