Italian sub sandwich from Red Wagon Pizza Co.
A friend who's a new mother recently asked for suggestions on where she could take her newborn for lunchtime mom meetups. It seems in this post-pandemic/shifted-hours reality we're living in, lunch has often fallen by the wayside. Well, I'd like to offer Red Wagon, the Minneapolis Armatage neighborhood pizzeria, as an option. Up until this week, I had forgotten they are open midday (lunch begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday-Sunday).
I'd come with grand plans for pizza, but drew a deep breath when I saw this beauty of a sandwich ($14) on the specials menu. Light-as-air crusty bread is stuffed with Red Table sopressata, sliced ham, Smoking Goose capocollo di dorman and topped with shredded romaine dressed in a fig-balsamic vinaigrette and oregano with a garlicky sauce. It dances up to the edge of flavor overload with snappy, rich, spicy, creamy, salty, sweet and savory notes happening in every bite.
It's absolutely worth making midday plans with a friend just to get over there and order this doozy. The picture only shows half the sandwich. After its arrival, I broke the cardinal rule of taking a picture before a bite. I assure you, I live with zero regrets. (Joy Summers)
5416 Penn Av. S., Mpls., 612-259-7147, redwagon-mpls.com
Key lime pie at CōV
You'd think that writing about the Twin Cities' most decadent desserts would be enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. But a week later, there I was, basking in Lake Minnetonka's golden sunset with an enormous slice of Key lime pie.
The suggestion came from a reader who had tried it last summer. She and her husband each ordered a piece, and wound up with leftovers for days. "I have never, ever tasted a better pie of any kind," she wrote.
Despite the slice's immensity, it's about as classic a Key lime pie as one could hope for. Tart and creamy all at once, on a graham cracker crust, and with enough structural integrity to withstand repeated stabs with a fork as you consider, deeply, whether you really want one more bite. (You do.) A scoop of lime-zested whipped cream on the side rounds it out.
It turns out that all of CōV's desserts are meant to serve two to four people family-style. And this one, at $18, certainly could. But no one is going to make you share. (Sharyn Jackson)
700 E. Lake St., Wayzata, 952-473-5253, covwayzata.com; 3155 Galleria, Edina, 952-999-4011, covedina.com
Jerk Chicken Sandwich at Adam's Soul to Go
Adam's Soul to Go inside Rosedale's Potluck food hall specializes in American soul food and Mexican street food. So, naturally, on a recent visit I ordered a Jamaican jerk-seasoned chicken sandwich ($14). (Adam is chef/owner Adam Randall, who used to operate Caribbean Smokehouse in Stillwater.) A peppery, aromatic and juicy chicken thigh carried a little char from the grill onto the pillowy bun. It is crispy, savory and imparts a pleasant, slow burn spice that's balanced with shredded lettuce, cheese and a little zesty aioli. The sandwich comes with optional sides; I picked the Johnnycakes studded with serrano peppers and honey butter, which really should be a brunch option somewhere.
Adam's Soul to Go has been at Potluck for more than two years and does occasional events, including Sunday suppers. His next one, on Feb. 26, celebrates Black History Month. Randall will cook up a feast of traditional African American dishes and serve them at a communal table. Call or check the restaurant's social media for more information.
Rosedale Center, 1595 Hwy. 36, Roseville, 651-528-6945, adamssoultogo.com
Stir-fry bowl from Urban Wok
All my kids' favorite foods are naturally beige, so I'm usually looking for ways to get them to eat more colors of the rainbow. The stir-fries at Urban Wok gave me ample opportunities to at least try. In a recent takeout order, I found that the dishes brought together many different veggies in a kid-friendly, tiny dice format, happily mingling with toddler-favorite noodles and rice and offering a chance my offspring won't wind up with scurvy.
The cashless, "global fusion" franchise started in Lowertown in 2018 and is quickly expanding across the metro area. St. Louis Park and Maple Grove locations opened last year, and there are more to come near the U, in south Minneapolis (at 48th and Chicago) and Medina.
My littles were happy with the kids' meal of rice noodles with chicken, carrots, pineapple and sprouts tossed in an orange citrus sauce. Meanwhile, I engineered my own bowl of chewy udon, shrimp, loads of veggies and Korean barbecue sauce. The best touch? Any stir-fry can be augmented with three chicken dumplings thrown right in. It's carbs upon carbs in the best way.
Urban Wok owner Mark Toth says the secret is in the sauces. There are a dozen options to choose from, all vegan and gluten-free, each steering the protein-carb-vegetable mix in different culinary directions, such as Caribbean jerk, yellow coconut curry and lemongrass mango.
"We can really play in any sandbox," Toth said. (S.J.)
209 E. 4th St., St. Paul, 651-299-0119; 5326 W. 16th St., St. Louis Park, 952-855-7726; 11656 Elm Creek Blvd. N., Maple Grove, 763-898-3353, urbanwokusa.com
Chocolate pączki from Wuollet Bakery
Mid-February doesn't have a lot going for it. That is, until local bakeries start stocking their cases with pączki, those filled doughnuts that, traditionally for Catholics, provide the last indulgences before Lent comes along. (The name is Polish and is pronounced PONCHkey.)
Wuollet Bakery made four flavors of pączki this season: raspberry, lemon, apple and the creamiest, dreamiest chocolate custard — which, of course, was my pick.
While there's not much of a difference between pączki and a bismarck, jelly doughnut or, heck, a sufganiyah, the story goes that the dough is extra rich with fat and grease, which is why it's eaten on Fat Tuesday. (They also used up the last of the cook's sweet ingredients to avoid temptation during the season of fasting.)
As of this post-holiday writing, Wuollet still had the $2.95 pączki in stock, but there's no telling when they'll be gone. There's always next year. (S.J.)
Flavors vary by location. 3608 W. 50th St., Minneapolis, 612-922-4341; 4139 W. Broadway, Robbinsdale, 763-746-2495; 1080 Grand Av., St. Paul, 651-292-9035; 795 E. Lake St., Wayzata, 952-473-8621; wuollet.com
