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Moveable Feast

(page 6 of 6)

FARM-TO-TABLE

Birchwood Café
3311 E. 25th St., Minneapolis, 612-722-4474, birchwoodcafe.com
What to order: Salads, such as the one made with beets and Donnay Farm chèvre, or weekly specials like pork-confit cassoulet.

Cafe Brenda
300 First Ave. N., Minneapolis, 612-342-9230, cafebrenda.com
What to order: The sesame-crusted walleye; the southwestern mock-duck tacos; and niçoise salad.

Common Roots Café
2558 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-871-2360, commonrootscafe.com
What to order: The soups are made from locally sourced or organic ingredients; there’s usually a vegetarian option as well as a locally farmed one.

The Strip Club Meat & Fish
378 Maria Ave., St. Paul, 651-793-6247, domeats.com
What to order: Braised dishes like Swedish meatballs with black-truffle gravy or a pork shoulder with sausage-rich black beans.

Spoonriver
750 S. Second St., Minneapolis, 612-436-2236, spoonriverrestaurant.com
What to order: The soups, such as the organic ginger squash or the Thousand Hills beef-and-barley, travel well, as does much of the regular restaurant menu, including the famous mushroom terrine.


NEIGHBORHOOD CAFES

Beaujo’s
4950 France Ave. S., Edina, 952-922-8974, beaujos.net
What to order: Soup (like beef-and-barley-mushroom or creamy celery-root purée), and more substantial entrées like herb-roasted chicken or a beef-tenderloin sandwich.

Blackbird Café
815 W. 50th St., Minneapolis, 612-823-4790, blackbirdmpls.com
What to order: The vegetarian chili with the works (add roasted chicken or steak for a big meal); spicy peanut noodles. Check for specials like foie-gras meat loaf.

Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar
308 Prince St., St. Paul, 651-228-9274, blackdogstpaul.com
What to order: Nightly soup specials (baked potato with cheese, Thai red curry, or bean-andbacon); cheese and sausage plate; blue cheese–apple salad.

Black’s Ford Restaurant
862 Lake St. E., Wayzata, 952-473-2940, blacksford.net
What to order: Hearty soups or stews, like the chicken stew or vegetarian yellow split-pea soup; fish tacos.

Colossal Café
1839 E. 42nd St., Minneapolis, 612-729-2377
What to order: Ever-changing to-go dinners are available till about 3 p.m. daily. Expect treats like flaky chicken potpie, spanakopita, spicy meat loaf, or cilantro-and-jalapeño salmon cakes.

France 44 Cheese Shop
4351 France Ave., Minneapolis, 612-925-3252, france44.com
What to order: Fancy gourmet chicken salad, house-made charcuterie, tomato confit, New French Bakery bread, and soups, like turkey chili or tomato basil.

Gigi’s Café
822 W. 36th St., Minneapolis, 612-825-0818, gigisuptown.com
What to order: The homemade soups, North African chicken curry, tamale pie, lasagna.

Premiere Cheese
5013 France Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-436-5590, premiercheese-market.com
What to order: Homemade soups like mushroom barley, fancy cheeses stuffed into a loaf of local bread with artisanal butter.

Ring Mountain
1965 Cliff Lake Rd., Eagan, 651-454-7464
What to order: Scratch-made soups; try the chicken wild-rice, steak and black bean, or chicken chili, with fresh-baked breadsticks.

Surdyk’s Cheese Shop
303 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-379-9757, surdyks.com
What to order: Dinners to-go, which change daily (posted on surdyks.com). Expect dishes like beef stroganoff, whole crisp-skinned herb-dusted baked chicken, and a beet, dill, and chèvre salad.

Wilde Roast Café
518 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-331-4544, wilderoastcafe.com
What to order: Pot roast or turkey meat loaf with garlic-smashed potatoes; macaroni and cheese; curry chicken salad.
 

CURRIES

Chiang Mai Tai
Calhoun Square, 3001 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-827-1606, chiangmaithai.com
What to order: Nam prig ong, a steamed vegetable appetizer with sticky rice and spicy dip made with tomatoes and pork; sweet dried beef; fried cashews; penang curry with chicken.

Chindian Café
1500 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-676-1818, chindiancafe.com
What to order: The pork sandwich, a Chinese-fusion version of a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, or the chicken curry.

Marla’s Caribbean Cuisine
3761 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis, 612-724-3088, marlascuisine.com
What to order: Marla offers many of the same dishes as Harry Singh’s, run by her brother, but Marla’s strong suit is vegetarian food. Try the Jamaican jerk tofu.

Peninsula Malaysian Cuisine
2608 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis, 612-871-2863, peninsulamalaysiancuisine.com
What to order: Roti canai, a roti pancake with a remarkably flavorful curry dipping sauce; the beef rendang, in which beef is cooked in a dry red-curry sauce.

Satay 2 Go
6670 W. 150th St., Apple Valley, 952-891-8551
What to order: Nasi Lemak, a sweet but spicy coconut curry made with potato and chicken, served with a creamy coconut rice.

Singapore Chinese Cuisine
5554 S. 34th Ave., Minneapolis, 612-722-2050
What to order: Captain’s curry; Singapore noodles.

True Thai
2627 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-375-9942, truethairestaurant.com
What to order: Yellow curry with sweet potatoes and mock duck; red curry with beef.
 

Middle Eastern

Abu Nader Deli & Grocery
2095 Como Ave., St. Paul, 651-647-5391
What to order: Spinach pies; the baba gannouj and the tabbouli are the best in town. Beirut Lebanese Restaurant & Deli
1385 Robert St. S., West St. Paul, 651-457-4886
beirutrestaurantanddeli.com
What to order: Combo plates like the Byblos with chicken kebab, baked kibee (like a beef and lamb meat loaf), cabbage rolls, and stuffed grape leaves.

Black Sea Restaurant
737 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, 651-917-8832, blacksearestaurant.com
What to order: Borek spinach pies, the mezze platter with cabbage rolls, mercimek red-lentil soup, chicken kebabs.

Caspian Bistro Restaurant
2418 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, 612-623-1113
What to order: Ghormeh sabzi, a Persian stew; Koubideh kebabs of seasoned ground beef and lamb.

Crescent Moon
2339 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis, 612-782-0169, crescentmoonfoods.net
What to order: Afghani pizza; any of the combo meals that feature kebabs.

Crystal Bistro
6408 Bass Lake Rd., Crystal, 763-533-4900
What to order: Sambosa pastries, stuffed grape leaves, lentil soup, kebabs.

Emily’s Lebanese Deli
641 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis, 612-379-4069
What to order: Wonderful spinach pies with bready, biscuity crusts; great baba gannouj.

Falafel King
701 W. Lake St., Minneapolis, 612-824-7887, falafelking.com
What to order: Chicken shish kebabs, Greek salads. Note: The small party platter makes a big dinner.

Holy Land
2513 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis, 612-781-2627
920 E. Lake St. (Midtown Global Market), Minneapolis, 612-870-6104
What to order: The platter Sheik’s dinner (or vegetarian Sheik’s dinner).

Istanbul Bistro
15718 Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata, 952-476-7997, istanbulbistro.net
What to order: Shepherd salad, stuffed grape leaves, mercimek red-lentil stew, lamb claypot stew.

Kabobs
7814 Portland Ave. S., Bloomington, 612-636-7786, thekabobs.com
What to order: Samosas, naan breads, kebabs—especially the reshmi-marinated, minced-chicken ones.

Shish
1668 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-690-2212, shishcafe.net
What to order: The tangy wonderful chicken kebabs, shish taouk; the big mezze appetizer platter is a vegetarian feast.