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.
Plantains and Ice Cream at Jefe
A recent dessert at the newly opened Jefe was one of those transcendent moments. This dish was just salted caramel ice cream (granted, from Sebastian Joe’s), sweetened condensed milk, and roasted plantains ($7), but somehow the combination of caramel (in both the caramelized plantains and the ice cream), salt, and the dairy of the milk and ice cream made it a perfectly harmonious jam session.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted in advance of an upcoming review by James Norton]
Topped Hash browns from Butcher Salt
If you track down the Butcher Salt food truck and they’re offering the topped hash browns, get yourself some. It’s a delightfully sprawling pile of food that combines hot, greasy hash browns with sauteed peppers and onions, melted pepper jack, and an over-easy egg. Squirt some hot sauce on that, mix it all up and enjoy, preferably with a beer.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Amy Rea]
Road Rash Shandy Apple Hard Cider from Sociable Cider Werks
Summer is here and so is Sociable Cider Werk’s seasonal brew, Road Rash Shandy Apple hard cider. This tart, just-sweet-enough beverage recently hit Minnesota liquor stores in flashy yellow tallboy cans. It’s also available at the brewery’s Northeast Minneapolis taproom at an attractive $6 a pint, along with Sociable’s year-round hard ciders and beers. Made with freshly pressed lemons and a blend of Haralson, SweeTango, and Honeycrisp apples sourced from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, this fermented sweet-tart beverage is spot on for summer.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Ruthie Young]
Cold-Press Coffee and Lemonade at Anelace Coffee
Anelace Coffee is offering a summer drink that’s a play on the Arnie Palmer: cold-press coffee mixed with lemonade. It’s not as sweet as an Arnie Palmer; the coffee is more assertive, with the lemony sweetness serving as a nice accent against the bitterness of the cold press. It’s quite refreshing.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Amy Rea]
Korean Beef and Kimchi Tacos at Silhouette Bakery and Bistro
As its name implies, the newly opened Silhouette Bakery and Bistro on University Avenue in St. Paul is all about simplicity. Its menu is welcoming but limited, with tacos and rice bowls predominating. We dug our Korean Beef and Kimchi Tacos — the tortillas are a chewy / crispy hybrid that struck us as unusual but effective, and the beef and kimchi played nicely together, creating a harmonious package.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]