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.
Biscuits and Gravy at The Buttered Tin
For my money, Buttered Tin has the best breakfast in St. Paul, and the biscuits and gravy are a standout. Remarkable biscuits cradle a pair of expertly poached eggs covered in a sage-sausage gravy that adds a whole other level of Thanksgivinglike comfort. They’re the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had in the Cities, and — it pains me to say it — they’re even better than Sun Street Breads’.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by John Garland]
Bee
rs from Eastlake Craft Brewery and Tacos from Sonora Grill at Midtown Global Market
Tapas my way: Sonora Grill tacos and Eastlake beer inside the Midtown Global Market. The best way to start your Friday evening.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Isabel Subtil]
The Kenwood Burger at The Kenwood
The Kenwood Burger proves that pork belly might just beat bacon as a burger topping. Add some gooey Gruyere and a softly fried egg, and you’ve got an ideal mix of fat and flavor. You have the option of getting mixed greens with it instead of fries, but if you’re already in for a big burger, a slab of pork belly, and a fried egg, why bother?
[Last Week on the Hot Five: #4 | Submitted by Amy Rea]
Jeweled Rice at the Saffron Launch Party for The New Mediterranean Table
This Persian-inspired dish is so much more than a mere side of rice. It’s bedecked with herbs, spice, and dried fruit. It was a perfect pairing with an Arabic-spice-rubbed roasted lamb shoulder served last Monday at a Saffron dinner celebrating the launch of Chef Sameh Wadi’s new cookbook, The New Mediterranean Table. Jeweled rice isn’t currently available on Saffron’s menu, but you can make it yourself with a little help from the book.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Instagrammed by James Norton]
Mieng Kham at Royal Orchid
This dish is like no lettuce wrap we’ve ever tried. Royal Orchid’s wraps are composed from a palette of incredibly bold flavor boosters including chunks of ginger, atomic-hot pepper bits, dried shrimp, small pieces of lime (with skin left on to amp up the kick still further), coconut chips, and chopped onions. Dressed with sweet palm syrup, the result is something like a flavor brawl taking place in your mouth — first bright citrus, then withering heat, then sharp onion, and so forth.
[Last Week on the Hot Five: #2 | Contributed by James Norton from a future Central Avenue Checklist]