Local Food Picks

Yesterday I found myself driving home from work thinking about what I was going to get for dinner. As I was pondering my choices, I realized that I rarely go outside of the bounds of Minneapolis for food, as there are just tons of good options for eats and drinks within the city (a main reason I love Minneapolis so much), and new restaurants opening all the time. Moreover, I think I have built a mental list of favorite places to eat in the very near vicinity of my house, venturing out 3 or 4 miles at most. So, here is my very localized list of favorites:


Mexican
Pepitos / 48th and Chicago
Pepitos is a family run affair, and they serve actual genuine Mexican food. I recommend the flautas, and of course, the margaritas.

Burgers
5-8 Club / 58th and Cedar
Home of the Juicy Luicy (my favorite, with pepper jack cheese). Great staff, awesome desserts.

Pizza
Punch Pizza / Cleveland and Ford Parkway, Highland Park
Yes, this is a chain.. but their pizza is most wonderful.

Chinese
...still looking for a good Chinese place around here. Supposedly Kwan's Chinese (54th and Penn) is good, but I've never been there myself. I'm open to suggestion on this one.

Sushi
Yesterday I finally decided to check out this new sushi place nearby. It's called Ba-gu (48th and Chicago), and it was decent. I'm not going to base my final decision off of one visit.. stay tuned. Otherwise, Fuji-Ya (6th and Lake) is always good.

Bread/Bakery/Soup
Turtle Bread Company (48th and Chicago)
Probably the closest to the pastry shops that I visited in Switzerland. Good desserts too!

Ice cream
I had been counting down the days for the new Grand Old Creamery to open by my house. However, I was disappointed. I am going to have to stick with Sebastian Joe's (10th and Franklin) on this one. Ice cream is right up there with cheese on my list of favorite foods.

Food Fast
Chipotle / Highland Park or Uptown
Extra cheese, extra sour cream.

Coffee shops
For grabbing a quick drink, I would choose Sister Sludge. This place is 3 blocks from my house, has awesome staff, and is dog-friendly. If I'm going somewhere to get some work done, Firefly Bistro is my pick. Free wi-fi (without the antics), good coffee, good food, good atmosphere.

I have to put in my plug for Benihana even though it lies outside of the city. This might be my favorite restaurant in the cities. Many people like to argue that Ichiban is better, but I think that Benihana has higher quality meats and better sauces. So there.