One of the hottest openings this fall, the Lynn on Bryant comes to Minneapolis by way of a successful Kickstarter campaign, helmed by Chef Peter Ireland and front-of-the-house man Jay D. Peterson (the former long-time manager of Uptown bookstore Magers & Quinn). The casual neighborhood restaurant serves breakfast every day, as well as lunch and dinner, and will be packing lunch baskets in the summer for picnics at nearby Lake Harriet. Look for a shredded potato cake and perfectly poached eggs at brunch. At dinner, try the housemade paté or the fricasée of escargots.

The little market stall that could, The Left Handed Cook is one of the most exciting offerings at Midtown Global Market. Thomas Kim and Kat Malgaard cook up Asian fusion dishes like the PBS Wrap Party (a lettuce roll with pork belly and garlic confit) and the Winner Winner Fried Chicken (21-spice boneless chicken). More goodness is yet to come - truffle chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) anyone?

Fika - the new cafe at the American Swedish Institute - has been building a slow buzz since it opened in July. Part of that delay might be because it only serves lunch from 11 am - 3 pm. But what a lunch it is: Chef Michael Fitzgerald riffs on traditional Swedish food with composed plates of salads and smörgås - traditional Swedish open-faced sandwiches. If you can't make it during lunch hour, the cardamom roll is available all day, as is a hearty quiche.

Ian Gray opened The Gray House in late September with his wife Katie Gray. The seasonally-focused menu changes frequently, but the pasta dishes - like the maltagliati with braised chicken or tortelle with ham hocks and figs - are particular standouts. Also try the goat burger with farmer's cheese and toasted squash seeds for an updated take on the menu staple.

Husband-and-wife duo Jasha Johnston and Carrie McCabe-Johnston opened Nightingale at the beginning of October and it has already become an Uptown staple. The eclectic menu includes a wide variety of small plates, but don't miss the duck soup dumplings and the bruschetta with roasted oyster mushrooms and fried quail egg. Of special note: The Nightingale kitchen stays open until 1 a.m., long after most places have stopped serving tots.

Kevin Sheehy brings his winning formula to Loring Park for a second Café Maude location. But the menu, although run by Café Maude chef Matt Kempf, departs from the original. The dinner menu still includes Maude's Mac n' Cheese, but look for small plates like roasted bone marrow, fried quail, and lobster croquettes.

Only a month on the scene, New Bohemia is already a popular Northeast spot. No surprise there - its menu is almost entirely concentrated on hitting the Minneapolis sweet spots of brats and beer. Look to the adventurous category on the wurst menu for sausages made out of pheasant, wild boar, alligator, and a rattlesnake-rabbit combo.