Cinnamon roll at Atuvava Bakery
It was one of those handfuls of blustery, icy nights we've had this winter, and I was happily ensconced in my friend Adrienne's kitchen. It's a sanctuary for people who love to cook. I could tell she'd spent hours preparing a restaurant-worthy dinner for us, and I couldn't wait to dig in. But first I had to drag her away from her toast.
She's one of my many friends who had to give up gluten for health reasons, and my hostess gift that evening was a single loaf of Atuvava bread. She could barely talk between mouthfuls: "This is incredible!" she said as she sliced another hunk and buttered with abandon.
After years of sifting through approximations of bread, she finally found the real deal — the crusty exterior and tender-pull interior crumb of her memories. I have to say, even as a gluten eater, this is great bread.
Atuvava is a small family-run bakery with limited hours, open from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. My kiddo and I love dipping in for the cinnamon rolls as a special after-school/work treat. Available warm from the oven or frozen in four-packs, they're a twirl of enriched dough laced with butter, brown sugar and aromatic cinnamon and topped with a crackling glaze.
Founded by Alex Ellison after she and her daughter were diagnosed with celiac, the bakery has grown steadily in popularity. The case sports a rotating selection of standard bakery fare like peachy muffins, sweet danishes and more. (Joy Summers)
3800 28th Av. S., Mpls., atuvava.com
Pancake breakfast at the Brothers Café
Since Curran's closed, there's been a breakfast-sized hole in south Minneapolis. Enter the Brothers Café. Not the Brothers Deli known for its pastrami, although if you wind up at that Minneapolis skyway lunch spot by accident, order a sandwich and revel in your good fortune. This Brothers is a breakfast-all-day cafe (there's lunch and dinner, too) that started out in North St. Paul, and just laid roots in the former Vo's Vietnamese restaurant south of Uptown.
I'm a New Jerseyan, and if you don't know, there are a lot of diners there. (That's an understatement.) Breakfast all day is a way of life where I grew up. Pancakes are an anytime food, in my opinion, especially when they're sky-high fluffy, so huge they're practically falling off the edge of the plate, and topped with a rapidly melting ice cream scoop of butter. I opted for the whole deal: pancakes, meat (sausage links for me) and two eggs for $11.50. Those cakes hit all the marks. (Sharyn Jackson)
3450 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., 612-274-7154, brotherscafeminneapolis.com
Sprouts and Cauliflower Chili Crunch Bowl at Nolo's Kitchen & Bar
It's always a gamble when chili crunch is part of a dish. Spice is nice, but too much can overpower the more delicate ingredients. Not enough and you're left with a dish that even mild-loving Minnesotans would find bland. This vegan bowl from the North Loop's Nolo Kitchen & Bar got it just right.
An array of vegetables — crunchy red cabbage, cucumbers, daikon and carrots, creamy avocado, and roasted-till-they're-sweet cauliflower and Brussels sprouts — surround a sizable scoop of jasmine rice topped with ginger-soy and yum yum sauces. The aforementioned chili crunch oil adds an exclamation point of flavor. Be sure to mix it up well to spread the saucy love. (Being extra chatty also gives the flavors a chance to marry.) The bowl ($18) is available at both lunch and dinner.
Nolo opens at 8 a.m. daily, and serves until 10 p.m. on weekends; there's a stellar rooftop patio and a basement bar, too. It's the restaurant equivalent of one-stop shopping. (Nicole Hvidsten)
515 Washington Av. N., Mpls., 612-800-6033, noloskitchen.com
Beef brisket at Smokestack Express
"That's the good barbecue, where you can't even wait to get out of the car before eating it," said Smokestack Express owner Trevor Schneider. We were sharing our love of the best in smoked meats as I mumbled a story about ribs in South Carolina between bites of his otherworldly brisket. It would seem that in this case, not only did my food not make it home — it didn't even make it to the car.
Schneider's barbecue restaurant began as a tin takeout sidekick to Cowboy Jack's in Apple Valley that was traded like a well-kept secret among barbecue aficionados. Now, the secret is out and he's got himself a spot at an out-of-the way strip mall in Bloomington.
The new restaurant has a little more space, and even room for seating, but it's still doing a booming takeout business. Schneider starts smoking meats in the wee hours and when it's gone, it's gone.
He said he had no intention of opening a restaurant. An industry veteran, he'd seen the hard work and slim profit margins firsthand. But, when he was working at a chain and they wanted to start making barbecue, he stumbled into a hidden gift. Turns out he's got a way with turning a stack of wood and raw meat into edible gold.
The brisket ($16 for 1/2 pound) is the best I've tasted outside of Texas. Cut to order, you can choose between lean or jiggly with supple, rendered fat. It melts on the tongue, leaving a memory that tastes like childhood campfires, tony steakhouse dinners and the satisfaction of watching the summer sun dip down past the horizon all rolled into one wonderful bite.
"With barbecue this good, people have to have it," Schneider said. That's not boasting, either. It's a promise. (J.S.)
10516 France Av. S., Bloomington, 612-403-7032, smokestackexpress.com
Value menu at Toma Mojo Grill
It's no secret that restaurant prices are soaring. At least one fast-casual joint (with fine-dining roots) is doing something about it.
Toma Mojo Grill owners chef Paul Backer and Michael Knox — both Tilia veterans — have introduced a value menu to their already budget-friendly Spanish and Portuguese menu. The $3-and-under menu has a half-dozen ways to get a quick hit of protein and serious flavor. I went for the piri-ranch chicken snack wrap ($2.99), a fast-food-familiar chicken tender in a tortilla with Toma Mojo's zingy piri piri sauce. I added a value-size portion of fries (some of the best around) for $2.50. And with an extra side of that citrus piri piri for dipping ($1), tax and tip, my lunch was a cool $8. (S.J.)
12977 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka, 952-405-9179; 1700 E. 66th St., Richfield, 612-886-3446; tomamojogrill.com
