Each Friday, this list will track five of the best things Heavy Table’s writers, editors, and photographers have recently bitten or sipped. Have a suggestion for the Hot Five? Email editor@heavytable.com.
The Hot Five is a weekly feature created by the Heavy Table and supported by Shepherd Song Farm.
Biscuits and Honey-Lavender Butter at 4 Bells
The biscuits and honey-lavender butter at 4 Bells are, as a dining companion put it recently, “F***in’ ON POINT!” Five bucks gets you four large, flaky, homemade-tasting biscuits that will make you very happy. We’d have been willing to do unseemly things for more of that sweet, floral butter — thankfully, the friendly staff simply brought extra when they noticed it had vanished in mere seconds.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | From an upcoming review by Peter Sieve]
Sambal Chow Mai Fun from Chin Dian Cafe
It’s easy to get distracted by the newest, buzziest, Instagrammiest places. But it’s more than worthwhile to revisit the old reliables that keep churning out good stuff. Like Chin Dian Cafe on East Hennepin: Vietnam meets China meets India meets Malaysia on a plate. The family’s own funky, fishy, tomatoey sauce (as hot or mild as you like) turns this plate of rice noodles, veggies, and shrimp into something you can’t get anywhere else.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Tricia Cornell]
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Blackberry Preserves at ie Italian Eatery
Italian Eatery recently added a handful of spring dishes to its dinner menu. We really enjoyed an entree of charred spring onion ravioli, and a side dish of asparagus with romesco was superb, but the mascarpone cheesecake with canestrelli (a buttery cookie) crumble crust and blackberry preserves stole our hearts. It’s sweet but not overly so, and the berries cut the dish’s overall richness. We’ll be back for more — and soon!
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Joshua Page]
Saigon Nights Ice Cream at Milkjam Creamery
Milkjam Creamery’s Saigon Nights is a wonderful — and authentic — tribute to Vietnamese coffee, with its strong, smooth coffee flavors blending with the sweet milk, and in this case, a tiny bit of Cognac that you can just barely taste at the end of each bite. Great on its own, but it’s not a bad thing to melt it a bit and stir in some more Cognac for a very adult drink.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Amy Rea]
North Fork Whiskey Washed Munster from Redhead Creamery
Munster isn’t generally a decadent cheese, but this European-style treatment from Redhead Creamery (which we tasted at Chicago’s Cheesetopia festival) makes Munster make sense. Its a washed-rind cheese, and the resulting product is creamy and flavorful like a great Camembert. The rind is particularly tasty, having neither the leathery texture or acidic taste that can come with washed-rind cheeses. We’ll be serving this any time guests come over, and oftentimes in between.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Becca Dilley]