With clean, modern interior and a pretty patio, Coconut Thai features Thai dishes that owner and Chef Ngon brought with her from Bangkok three decades ago. Items Tom Yum soup, a gorgeous squash curry and I-tim Ma Praw, a creamy concoction of toasted coconut ice cream served with sweet sticky rice and topped with peanuts and evaporated milk. Chef Ngon also owns Ngon’s Kitchen in Golden Valley.

With a full sake program and a seemingly endless list of sushi options it might be easy to get lost in Raku’s menu that includes sushi rolls, sashimi and hot and cold specialties. The Playboy roll is shrimp tempura, asparagus and spicy tuna, topped with sushi shrimp and presented in a flaming aluminum wrap.

Salut serves accessible French cuisine, along with a full bar menu. The outdoor eating space is absolutely lovely. The menu includes the usual suspects like escargot bourguignonne, moules frites and bouillabaisse, but on Monday nights Executive Chef Paul Angeles showcases a classic Julia Child recipe with his own twist.

Consistently good this quintessential neighborhood grill has warm service with a lively, family-friendly atmosphere. Many breakfast options are served all day, including the kicky chilaquiles, but be sure and stop by before 4:00 p.m. for the sweet potato hash with guacamole and cilantro. Stay for a seasonal cocktail like Alex’s Spring Fling with Laird's Applejack.

Arezzo serves a Tuscan menu with bistecca di maiale, scaloppine di vitello or delicate gnocchi. There is a brick pizza oven too, for those who cannot separate Italian from pizza pies, and Aperol cocktails served as digestif after dinner, just like the Tuscan Gods intended.

The “Sota” in the name stands for Minnesota, and this home grown mini chain currently has three locations with two more on deck, all in the Twin Cities. The fast-casual eatery focuses on clean Asian cuisine, using carefully sourced ingredients and avoiding MSG, dyes, and a little sadly, peanuts. The menu includes bowls, ramen and sushi, but the specialty here is Sotaritos- a tasty little burrito-eque roll stuffed a wide list of protein options, along with white and forbidden rice, all wrapped in tissue thin soy paper.

Translated as wine cellar in French, Cavé Vin serves what they are calling modern American cuisine prepared using classic French technique. The room is dark and transformative and the menu features European and Mediterranean influences from Italy to Greece with dishes like beef tartare, baked feta and pot de crème. Cavé Vin also offers a lovely backroom available for private dining.