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.
Grilled Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich at New Scenic Cafe
On buttered and grill-toasted ciabatta bread, the New Scenic Cafe’s grilled peach and prosciutto sandwich plays with traditional and experimental, sweet and savory, cool and warm, as well as soft and crisp at the same time. It contains arugula, fresh mozzarella, lemon, chives, and is topped with a drizzle of olive oil.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Liz Scholz]
Bacon Bratwurst at the Chef Shack Ranch
The craft of bratwurst has been elevated to an art at Chef Shack Ranch; the eatery’s bacon brats are savory and richly flavored without being greasy or heavy, and they snap pleasantly without being tough. These sausages are what we want summer to taste like.
[ Last Week on the Hot Five: #1 | Submitted by James Norton, from an upcoming episode of The Weekend Starts Now]
Fried Chicken with Frank’s Red Hot at Nighthawks
Apparently the Heavy Table staff has a little bit of an addiction thing going on with the newly opened Nighthawks, because food from this high intensity new diner keeps popping up on the Hot Five. This week it’s the Frank’s Red Hot fried chicken, served with ranch and celery and sporting a profoundly crunchy exterior. The heat level is pitch and the classic Buffalo chicken mix of flavors is spot on, making this one of the only fried chicken dishes in town that can give Revival a run for its money.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | From an Instagram post by James Norton]
Pea Shoots and Garlic Scapes and More at Farmers Markets
There are very few truly seasonal flavors in our lives. Even dedicated farmers-market shoppers can pick up a head of lettuce in January at the grocery store, if they get a craving. But right now — right this very minute — at farmers markets across Minnesota, you can find a few flavors you won’t see again until next June: sweet, tender pea shoots and crunchy, garlicky scapes. (Also loving: The first snap peas of the season — fat and crunchy like nothing you’ll ever find in the store.)
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Tricia Cornell]
Starkeller Peach Berliner Weissbier Style-beer from Schell’s
The latest Noble Star series Berliner Weissbier-style beer from Schell’s may also be the most challenging yet — although it’s fermented with peaches and looks like apricot nectar once poured into the glass, its fruit flavor is initially buried under a sharply sour yeasty blast of flavor. But when served on ice and mixed with a short shot of whiskey, it’s the base for a stellar play on a whiskey sour, and the mixers actually coax the peach notes to the forefront.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]