The best dishes we ate at these 11 James Beard semifinalist restaurants

After the excitement of last month’s 2025 James Beard semifinalist announcement, we were immediately trading our favorite orders from the 11 Minnesota restaurants recognized.

This talent-packed list encapsulates what it means to live and dine in Minnesota right now. From the rural-influenced fine dining of Karyn Tomlinson’s Myriel to the bold flavors of Yia Vang’s Vinai that are even better when shared with others, and the intentionality of Shigeyuki Furukawa’s Kado No Mise omakase to the warm welcome from Tim Niver by way of Mucci’s Italian.

Minnesota is a land of plenty, and these recommended dishes are a starting point for feasting on it all.

Going to chef Yia Vang’s Vinai can be a choose-your-own adventure experience. Date night? Get a few apps and share an entrée (make it the pork chop). Big group? Reserve the special table with the secret menu of Hmong-inspired flavor bombs. Even sidling up to the bar solo — where you should promptly get yourself a beer and a plate of this ultra-savory shrimp and pork toast with sweet-and-funky apricot-chili sauce — can be one of the great pleasures of 2025. (Sharyn Jackson)

$17; 1300 NE. 2nd St., Mpls., vinaimn.com

Hospitalitarian Tim Niver has said he could see himself sitting at the front of Mucci’s years from now, still greeting friends and customers as an old man. It’s that kind of intention that informs the comforts inside this Italian neighborhood restaurant, from the service to the food. To know this West 7th Street eatery is to love something cozy on this menu. And, more often than not, it’s one of the montanara pizzas, where the crust is first cooked by dipping it into a deep fryer. The Camilla, topped with a garlic butter base, mozzarella, hunks of fried chicken and sweet/spicy peppadew peppers and a drizzle of agrodolce sauce, is one of those tasty offerings. (Joy Summers)

$25, 786 Randolph Av., St. Paul, muccisitalian.com

It may seem a little out of the box to recommend a vegetable side dish at Gavin Kaysen’s groundbreaking restaurant, bypassing longtime favorites like the melt-in-your-mouth pork chop and Dorothy’s Pot Roast, a loving (and delicious) tribute to the chef’s grandmother. But the creamy spinach is out of the box. The greens are cooked tender and nestled in a smooth but light cream sauce before being topped with a mound of cheese curds, which somehow stay crispy as you take just one more bite. You might question how these two disparate foods work together, but don’t. Just eat your vegetables and enjoy the ride. (Nicole Hvidsten)

$13; 211 N. 1st St., Mpls., spoonandstable.com

Like with many dishes at her modern Southeast Asian restaurant, Chef Ann Ahmed gives her updated interpretation. In this case, it’s a beloved Laotion street food, the thick wrap of the steamed tapioca pearl balls serving as a vessel for packing in the heft of traditional ingredients, such as pickled radish and crunchy peanuts. But then, umami-rich cremini and shiitake mushrooms substituting for meat as well as the addition of pistachios turn it into a mouthwatering league of their own. The vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free dumplings are served with a side of grilled chile dipping sauce, adding the option to amp up the heat level. We followed our server’s recommendation to use a chopstick to poke a hole on top of each dumpling and pour the sauce in — it’s a great way to coat all those filling ingredients. (Nancy Ngo)

$15 (three pieces), 4000 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., khaluna.com

On the surface, it’s a simple slice of apple pie. But the reality is that it’s a dish emblematic of Karyn Tomlinson’s journey from western Minnesota farmland to the national culinary stage. Tomlinson has been a pastry chef, run a whole animal butchery restaurant and studied her craft at the top restaurant in Sweden. Her menu at Myriel is an evolution of small farm availability and seasons, but at its core proudly Midwestern. She knows how to do just enough, building ingredients into something wholly wonderful. So while the dish looks like a slice of pie, it contains multitudes. From her ancestral kitchen, to the animals they render the lard from, to the fruit and fresh cream from grazing cows, it’s everything that’s Midwestern wonderful on a pretty plate. (J.S.)

$13, 470 S. Cleveland Av., St. Paul, myrielmn.com

When I say barbecue anything to a Minnesotan vs. a New Orleanian, we’re going to picture something entirely different. At Mateo Mackbee’s Krewe in St. Joseph, the glory of that Louisiana style is on full display. The lore of this dish dates back to the 1950s, when a chef at Pascal’s Manale tried to re-create something from a diner’s memory. The result has since become an ideal way to show off the Gulf Coast shellfish bounty. At Krewe, they’re massive and served in the shells that loosen like jackets on that first warm spring day. The sauce is a mix of butter, garlic, Creole seasoning and Worcestershire that is an umami stew of good decisions. There’s depth, a little smokiness and a baguette on the side ready to do the good work of sopping it all up. (J.S.)

$21, 24 College Av. N., Suite 104, St. Joseph, krewemn.com

Hyacinth may have changed hands after founding chef Rikki Giambruno sold the business to chef Abraham Gessesse in 2023, but its commitment to simple Italian classics has carried on seamlessly. It’s most evident in the housemade flatbread with sea salt and olive oil. Crisp, bubbly and fluffy in all the right places, this round of dough was so satisfying to rip into, and to use to sop up the curds that flowed from a broken orb of burrata cheese that can be an add-on. The cheese, doused in cracked pepper and more olive oil, comes on the side, but I immediately slid it into the center of the bread and let the residual heat send even more cream flowing into an olive oil river. (S.J.)

$10, add burrata for an additional $10; 790 Grand Av., St. Paul, hyacinthstpaul.com

Diane Moua almost can’t believe how much people love the pulled pork on her dinner menu. Sometimes with the food we grow up with, the flavors so deeply entrenched in childhood memories and hours spent in the family kitchen, one can wonder if the wider world will understand just how special a bite can be. Pork tidbits are long-cooked with lemongrass, ginger and garlic until rich and velvety. Served with more ginger, sour bamboo and plenty of green scallions, it’s sumptuous, but bright; comforting, but kicky. It’s served with rice and an optional side of Diane’s housemade hot sauce that in itself is a balance of indomitable heat with intriguing layers of fresh and funky flavor. Moua said she didn’t think she’d ever come across this dish on a restaurant menu before, and we are so very glad she’s sharing it. (J.S.)

$24, 117 14th Av. NE., Mpls., dianesplacemn.com

At this Minneapolis fine-dining restaurant with heavy Midwestern influences, the foie gras is one of those dishes that tells Adam Ritter and Jeanie Janas Ritter’s story in culinary form. Foie gras is molded into an elegant terrine accented with Marcona almonds and French brandy gelée. It’s then served with a side of humble jam (currently raspberry) and a warm scone. The easily shareable bite is one of those platings that has all these ingredients that you never knew could or should be paired, and is a solid testament to both their farm and top-tier restaurant backgrounds. (N.N.)

$34, Bûcheron, 4257 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., bucheronrestaurant.com

The omakase at Shigeyuki Furukawa’s “corner restaurant,” Kado no Mise, takes you on a journey of a particular place and time; the tasting changes with the seasons and the chef’s whims. But there’s always nigiri. The sliced fish placed delicately over a mound of rice comes on a platter with accessories you can use to augment each bite. House-brewed soy sauce comes with a brush for painting each piece like a sushi-loving Bob Ross. Omakase, after all, is an art. (S.J.)

$84-$138; 33 1st Av. N., Mpls., kadonomise.com

Bar Brava has been pouring natural wine for about five years, but it’s been through plenty of changes. Like natural wine that relies on wild yeast, often biodynamic farming practices and the unpredictable rhythms of grapes, things seldom remain the same. The best way to enjoy wine at Bar Brava if you’re not familiar with their current selection, is to ask questions and turn over the journey to the experts. Owner Dan Rice and his staff are well versed in every bottle in their possession and relish the chance to pair wines with food from the pop-ups that take over their kitchen, a drinker’s preferred flavor zone or to go with a particular vibe for the evening. (J.S.)

1914 Washington Av. N., Mpls., barbravamn.com

The semifinalist list will be trimmed in April, when the James Beard Foundation releases its list of nominees. The 2025 awards ceremony is June 9 in Chicago.