More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now? What are the new restaurants? What's everyone talking about? Here's the Eater Heat Map, which will change continually to always highlight where the crowds are flocking to at the moment. For the last edition of the Heat Map, Star Tribune restaurant critic Rick Nelson shared his picks. In this update, only Fika remains, with every other spot on the Heat Map brand new.
Did we miss your personal favorite hot, new restaurant? By all means, let us know in the comments or email the tipline.
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.
Icehouse brings a much-needed late-night option to Eat Street. The restaurant quickly became known for its innovative cocktails, especially its $5 Sipping Shots, which allow drinkers to sample a variety of cocktails without too much damage to their wallets (or blood-alcohol levels). But the food here is no slouch, with Matt Bickford offering up roast pork belly steamed buns and parsnip and parmesan tortelloni. And don't forget to check out the somewhat inexplicable but nonetheless delicious selection of pies for dessert.
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.
Don Saunders opened The Kenwood in late September to great reviews. For breakfast, there's a selection of pastries and granola or heartier options like cured salmon benedict and shrimp n'grits. The dinner menu includes an oyster sandwich with pork belly, spiced blue prawns with curried vinaigrette, and sauteed skate with brown butter and capers.
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.
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.
Icehouse brings a much-needed late-night option to Eat Street. The restaurant quickly became known for its innovative cocktails, especially its $5 Sipping Shots, which allow drinkers to sample a variety of cocktails without too much damage to their wallets (or blood-alcohol levels). But the food here is no slouch, with Matt Bickford offering up roast pork belly steamed buns and parsnip and parmesan tortelloni. And don't forget to check out the somewhat inexplicable but nonetheless delicious selection of pies for dessert.
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.
Don Saunders opened The Kenwood in late September to great reviews. For breakfast, there's a selection of pastries and granola or heartier options like cured salmon benedict and shrimp n'grits. The dinner menu includes an oyster sandwich with pork belly, spiced blue prawns with curried vinaigrette, and sauteed skate with brown butter and capers.
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.
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