Out-of-Towners' Guide to Minneapolis - 2015

Heavy Table: Comfort food, unexpected flavors, and an excellent wine / beer program -- and foie gras menu! -- make this "reinvented Austro-Hungarian" restaurant worthy of a visit. Try the mackerel (pictured). En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: If and when eggs en cocotte are on the menu, don't pass them up -- they're custardy, nuanced -- a great way to start your day. Otherwise, try any egg dishes from the brunch menu -- you won't go wrong. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: You only think you’ve eaten pork belly, but really, you haven’t experienced swine perfection until you’ve dined at Corner Table. Unctuous and impossibly tender, it's brined and confited to perfection. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: An appetizer of fire-roasted baby carrots made us fall in love with the root vegetable all over again: tender, smoky, sweet, and accented with gentle curry sauce, rye croutons, and sunflower seeds. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Make sure to try one of the shareable toasts -- they're mildly filling and arrive on an ornate, tiered platter with tasty flavors like house-cured lox or steak tartare. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Yes, you must try the lamb tartare. But don't miss the bizarre-sounding combo of vanilla crème fraîche ice cream, rhubarb granite, frozen licorice, and orange -- it's refreshing, nuanced, unique. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get the roasted chicken with ricotta pain perdu, cipollini onions, and golden turnips ($13). Everything you’d want in a roasted bird -- juicy, meaty, and comforting. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: The menu's always changing, but rest assured: Chef Alex Roberts and team put out a consistently solid prix fixe menu at a great value. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Order the duck leg tagine -- you'll hardly need to chew the tender, perfumed meat in this preserved lemon/olive/raisin/potato/saffron-flavored dish. Don't forget to start with hummus with bastirma! En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: From the seasonally sauced pastas to the bestia nera flourless chocolate cake, you can't go wrong at Broders'. That said, the vanilla hazelnut cheesecake is a can't-miss -- smooth, light, balanced. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get the Tennessee Hot fried chicken, which boasts a remarkably crisp exterior and a low, lovely, honey sweetness followed quickly by a deep and rolling spicy heat wave. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Try the Harold and Kumar Poutine. Thick-cut fries are topped with a savory pork curry gravy, tart kimchi balances the spicy chipotle aioli, and a poached egg tops it off to make a decadent snack. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: We found the Seoul Dog a work of genius. The kimchi is mellow and funky, on even footing with the shoyu mustard, chives, cilantro, hot dog, and bun, making for a harmonious orchestral blast of flavor. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: The Arctic Char Roll features shiso leaf, pickled gourd, inari, avocado, and fresh lemon juice. It’s an awesome blend of flavors and textures: sweet, savory, velvety, crunchy. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get a kebab - it makes for an engrossing show featuring swords of meat and tomatoes charred over leaping yellow flames, and an intoxicating mix of tender, charred, and deep spice-marinated flavor. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Raw Vegetable Salad arrived as an explosion of color in a bowl, with mandolined raw veggies (ribbons of carrot and cabbage, and a sliced avocado) tossed in a Vietnamese-style nuoc-cham vinaigrette. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get the shrimp or halibut encocado. The creamy, mellow, balanced coconut sauce would be worth buying were it bottled. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Of all the meats on the menu, the cochinito pibil is especially good, and is slow-cooked for three to four hours with Serrano and guajillo peppers, avocado leaves, and cinnamon. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get the Bun Bo Hue, featuring a beautiful reddish brown beef broth with a bold, complex flavor that's as arresting as its color. Thai chili pepper and fresh ginger give it serious kick. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Try the aloo tikka chaat -- the dish appears simple, like a samosa filling turned out onto a plate, but incorporates potatoes, dal, garam masala, lime yogurt, and fried sev (a chickpea flour noodle). En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Grab an old-fashioned donut or double chocolate cookie, which tastes of pure, deep cocoa, without the cloying sweetness of many American-made chocolates. Just make sure to pair it with milk. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: The eclair is a reinvention of the form. Boasting a crunchy, streusel-style topping & rich chocolate filling, the appropriately chewy pastry is modestly sized and deeply flavored. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: No matter the season, get the savory waffle: it inevitably incorporates something tasty in the batter (like asparagus or sweet corn) and comes topped with syrup, infused butter, compote, and lardons. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Grab the blueberry pancakes -- they're legitimately second to none and the ambiance alone is worth the modest price of your check. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: If you're early enough to score a donut, spring for the vanilla-filled variety. The pastry cream is subtle and just-sweet-enough, and it's grounded by a beautifully light, wholesome brioche shell. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Try the bittersweet chocolate cookies or the kouign amann, which is like a sweet -- but denser -- croissant with a deeply caramelized, crunchy crust. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: The raised glazed doughnut was intensely chewy, light and delicate, and — cue the sound of angelic harps — not too sweet. This is drive-across-town good. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Grab a biscuit sandwich -- they leave you fortified for a full day without weighing you down. Switch to a cheddar, scallion, and bacon-studded biscuit for an extra treat! En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Topped with onions, avocado, and tomato (and ham if you choose), the fried egg sandwich is a sure bet. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Cuban hashes and scrambles, full of black beans, chorizo, yucca and plantains -- you can't go wrong. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Hit Pagoda right after it opens (10 a.m.) on the weekend to score some of the best fresh dim sum in the area — cart after cart of tasty morsels, prepared with care and enthusiasm.

Heavy Table: Grab a house-made beef dog, as fat as the fattest Wisconsin bratwurst, with just the right snap in the casing and the absolutely indescribable essence of good old American hot dog through and through. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get the Tater Tot HauteDish, served along side a hunk of short rib — covered in gravy and tender beyond all belief. On top, a thatch of lemony, perfectly al dente green beans. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Don’t miss the house-made peanut butter, best enjoyed atop the tell-your-friends-about-it sausage bread. The BBQ pork nachos, too, are a treat. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get the football pizza, which has a bright, flavorful, tangy green sauce that elevates the pizza from “pretty good” to “legendary.” En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: The hot bibimbap is always good, as are the grilled short ribs. Gimbap, a sort of Korean sushi, and seafood pancakes may suit the tastes of more adventurous eaters. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: The president ate here, so it must be good... right? The legendary jucy lucy (no 'i'!) is a must get for Minneapolitans and visitors alike.

Heavy Table: The fried oyster po' boy sandwich (also known in New Orleans as an oyster loaf), at $12.95, is a delightful study of contrasts of textures and flavors. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Dine in for cabbage rolls and dumplings or take out – if you have access to a grill – a pile of their brats (best when beer-boiled) and cherry bombs, sweet/hot sausages that are a summer favorite. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Count us as huge fans of the Festbier — with just a touch of caramel sweetness up front before waves of comforting malt cascade to a clean finish. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Fantastic smoked chicken wings, and the smoked roast beef sandwich will haunt your dreams with its unearthly deliciousness. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: We get a kick out of the Daytripper Pale Ale and its rush of citrusy hops on the nose. Also, the Midnight Ryder American Black Ale is silky with a deep roast character and a crisp, bitter finish. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Swing by on a Thursday night for Vino & Vinyl: bring a record to contribute to the night's soundtrack and get a free drink and buy-one-get-one glasses of wine. Plus Heggie's Pizza? Swoon. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Grab a Todd the Axe Man and the killer Hog Frites, a crave-worthy flavor bomb of salt / fat / spice tang that pairs perfectly with beer. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get the burger. It’s… just really good; really simple. Two patties. Two slices of American cheese. One well-grilled bun (on both sides!). Pickles on the side. Hot, delicious, architecturally coherent. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Try the steak tartare -- a hearty, no-frills rendition with lightly crisped bread to help absorb the alcohol you'll surely drink. Make sure to hit the Torpedo Room for an after-dinner tiki drink. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Try the Angophile, a drinkable, “Christmas-flavored” rendition of a flip. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Try the Uptown Lady, which really emphasizes the warmth of the pink peppercorn and combines with soda water to balance the peach sweetness.

Heavy Table: We're fans of the Ambitious Cactus, a remix of the strawberry margarita: Honey, tequila, cinnamon and strawberry. "The vinegar in Tabasco rounds everything out and gives it a little background heat." En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: If you prefer your cocktails plus espresso, minus the booze, this is your spot. Try the Hendricks -- it's a minty, bitters-infused (and cold press-anchored) play on the gin of the same name. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Though we love the pourover, we found the drip coffee tasted just as good, went down just as easy, and was just as delicious (albeit without a show) for 2/3 the price. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Who needs a PSL when you can get a Harvest Moon Latte, which sings with real pumpkin flavor (and the accompanying velvety texture) and warm spices?

Heavy Table: “Cortado” means “cut” in Spanish, and the drink is created by “cutting” the espresso with milk. Anelace’s cortado is smooth and milky, perfect for sipping slowly while munching on a treat from Aki’s. En savoir plus .

Heavy Table: Get the seasonal: from a lemon-rosemary or cherry-almond latte to espresso tonic, the result is always tasty.

Heavy Table: Get the seasonal: from a lemon-rosemary or cherry-almond latte to espresso tonic, the result is always tasty.

Heavy Table: We've written many a review here, fueled by the seasonal signature: from a lemon-rosemary or cherry-almond latte to espresso tonic, the result is always tasty.

Heavy Table: Get the seasonal: from a lemon-rosemary or cherry-almond latte to espresso tonic, the result is always tasty.