The Star Tribune’s 10 most popular food and restaurant stories of 2024

There aren’t many certainties when covering the Twin Cities food scene. But there is one: There’s never a dull moment. A seemingly quiet week could result in news of several restaurant openings, closings or ownership changes. A sudden cold snap could have us digging up chili recipes to warm the souls and stomachs of readers. And a passing comment about burgers or wings could result in a weekslong project. Our top stories from 2024 covered all that and more.

When Gov. Tim Walz was plucked to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, people from across the country began typing “who is tim walz” into search engines. We thought it was only right to get to know him through food — specifically, his viral award-winning Turkey Trot Tater Tot Hotdish. And they did. The story also created controversy (peas vs. no peas), and haters of mushrooms had strong feelings about their inclusion. Walz continued using food as the great unifier throughout the campaign, from waxing poetic about Runza to sharing recipes for Cookie Salad and wife Gwen Walz’s Ginger Snap Cookies, passed down from her great-grandmother.

There’s no denying the appeal of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. When the fair announced its official roster of new foods weeks before opening day, we shared the news quicker than you could say “deep-fried ranch.” But that was just the start of our fair food journey. From there we did our research to uncover other foods that weren’t “officially” new but were making their debut, and started planning our Day One route. (This time around, we reviewed more than 60 new foods.) While some can’t fathom the Taste team’s annual eat-a-thon, it’s one of our favorite times of the year. We already have Aug. 21 circled on our calendars.

The Twin Cities-area food scene has a robust following, one that loves to keep tabs on restaurant openings and closings. When news of restaurant closures hit, readers cautiously (but continually) clicked, hoping their favorites weren’t on the list. Shameless plug: Our Restaurant Roll Call tracks them on an ongoing basis.

We love it when celebrities come to town, and we also love it when that celebrity is Guy Fieri and he’s going to feature Twin Cities restaurants on Food Network’s “DDD.” During the star’s trip to Minneapolis in late August, Fieri visited StepChld, Hai Hai, Union Hmong Kitchen, Guacaya Bistreaux, Oro by Nixta and OG Zaza Pizza.

News that the classic St. Paul restaurant, closed since 2019, would reopen in 2024 — coupled with a photo of the striking black building — was an attention-grabber. Owner Bruce Taher used the time to bring this stately home-turned-restaurant back to its glory with the help of executive corporate chef John Sugimura. James Beard Award-winning chef Tim McKee was brought in to help build the menu and kitchen staff. The restaurant opened in August to allow for quality patio time, with menus — one for the bar, one for the dining room — that lean Italian but with classic dishes (chicken, beef Wellington), too.

An opportunity to be behind the scenes during a “Top Chef” episode filming at the famed Harvey House supper club in Madison, Wis., was a thrill. (The chef-testants got a lesson in Wisconsin supper club culture, with mixed results.) But it also gave us an excuse to revisit one of our favorite types of restaurants, where wood paneling, popovers, relish trays and ice cream drinks proudly live on. These eight supper clubs are among those that understand the nostalgic assignment.

Speaking of nostalgia, news that the classic Steak and Ale chain reopened in Minnesota was a hit. Nobody missed the family-friendly steakhouse more than Paul and Gwen Paul Mangiamele, who after starting the Facebook page “Steak and Ale’s Comeback” eventually opened the nation’s first new Steak and Ale this past summer in a Burnsville hotel. Original recipes were tweaked for today’s tastes (think more spices, updated plating), but favorites like Hawaiian chicken and loaves of honey wheat bread are all back. With a salad bar, of course.

What started as a passing “Hey, we should do a story on chicken wings” ended up being a weekslong quest to find the best wings in the Twin Cities, just in time for Super Bowl snacking needs. We separated them into categories — crunchy, dry rub, saucy, smoked and unique — knowing that everyone has their favorite genre. The wing craze started in the 1980s and continues today, with local bars and restaurants putting their own spins on the now-classic food.

With food prices on the rise, we set out to find the best restaurant bargains last spring (conveniently around tax time). We discovered well-priced burgers, bành mí, sandwiches, cabbage rolls and more during our research, proving that good bargains can be found without having to sacrifice flavor and quality.

There’s no doubt that Twin Cities readers and eaters are passionate about burgers. We took a different approach to our semiregular burger roundup last spring and recommended two burgers, a cult and a classic, in each of nine categories: Minneapolis smashies, St. Paul smashies, crispy meat skirt, thick patty, Juicy Lucy, fully loaded, old-school diner, food truck and veggie. But any way you stack it, Minnesota’s burger scene is top-notch.

While much of our time is spent writing about restaurants, home cooking is an important part of our coverage. The top recipe stories of 2024 include:

The winning recipes for the 2024 Minnesota Star Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest: This year’s batch of winning cookies — Elf Thumbprints, Raspberry Ribbon Cookies, Malt-O-Mazing Holiday Cookies, Holiday Time S’mores and Kaju (Cashew) Cookies — proved to be popular. And there’s no rule stating that they can only be made during the holidays.

Now it’s soup weather. Try these 4 easy recipes: Once the first bracing chill hits in late fall, we can safely declare it soup season. Readers were eager to add new recipes to their repertoire, thanks to a new crop of cookbooks. A mushroomy version of cream of wild rice soup, a take on minestrone, Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana, inspired by Olive Garden and a big batch of Green Chile Taco Soup warmed us when we needed it most.

Got zucchini? Here are 4 new recipes to try: The proliferation of this garden staple is a running joke during the growing season, but it really deserves respect. Few fruits and vegetables are able to move between sweet and savory with such ease. New recipes included bread, fritters, cacio e pepe and a stuffed version that incorporated another Minnesota favorite, wild rice.

5 brunch recipes to have on hand for entertaining season: We offered an array of suggestions to impress guests during the holiday season, covering both the basic (biscuits and slow-cooker omelets) and the not-so-basic (brunch burgers, breakfast shakshuka sandwich and Crème Brûlée Bruschetta). But like weekend brunch, there’s never a bad time for these recipes.