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.
Paleta de Fresa (Strawberry Popsicle) at La Michoacana at Lake Plaza
As we fire up Summer 2.0 here in Minnesota, it’s worth pointing out that some of the best (and least known) cool treats in Minneapolis can be found at the La Michoacana stand located within East Lake Street’s Lake Plaza. Our favorite among the shakes and malts and various pops was the simple strawberry popsicle. Nothing more than slightly sweet cream and frozen strawberries, this beautiful frozen wonder is clean and perfect, impossible to improve.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted from an upcoming East Lake Checklist story by James Norton]
Roasted Lamb Sandwich from The Original on 42nd
Ultra-flavorful sandwiches are often heavy. To supercharge a burger or sub, chefs typically reach for bacon, cheese, mayo, or “special sauce.” Now, we’re definitely down with fat-forward sandwiches, though sometimes we yearn for something lighter but no less punchy. Enter The Original’s roasted lamb sandwich. With bright-red pickled Fresno chilies, lightly dressed arugula, snappy fresh red onion, a layer of rich harissa, and thinly sliced lamb, the sandwich bursts with flavor. It fills you up but doesn’t weigh you down. And that lamb! It’s some of the best we’ve had in town, fancy restaurants included.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by Joshua Page]
Wild Mushroom Omelet at Cosmos
This week’s breakfast special at the restaurant in downtown Minneapolis’s Loews Hotel is simple as can be — sauteed wild mushrooms presented in an omelet. But the chef (Beard-award-nominee Tim Fischer) sources his mushrooms with extreme care (he’s as serious and active a forager as we’ve met, and we know some champs), and he turns out a light, delicate omelet that cradles its filling without smothering it. There’s a splash of real hollandaise on top, but it’s perfectly restrained, not a blanket of liquid fat. Sometimes the best things in life are also the simplest.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]
Ming’s Wings at Dumpling
The friendly ghost of Ming’s, the venerable Chinese-American hole-in-the-wall, haunts the location’s new incarnation: the hip and modern Dumpling. You can order Ming’s-style wings wet or dry. We went dry and founded these spice-rubbed little darlings to be crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and mild but full flavored. These wings are soft-spoken, but they’re addictive.
[Last Week on the Hot Five: #5 | Submitted by James Norton]
Molcajete Carne at Puerto Veracruzano in Lake Plaza
What does $35 get you in the wonderful, under-the-radar food court of Lake Plaza? About three pounds of grilled meat, plus a roasted jalapeño, grilled cactus, and grilled onions. Everything was good-to-excellent. The chicken was tender, juicy, and just stellar overall, totally enjoyable by itself. The pork was a bit dry but fully flavored, the steak chewy but richly flavored, and the cactus perfectly wilted, with a bit of an al dente center. The dish comes with a pile of corn tortillas, rice, and beans, meaning that you can go straight after the meat or compose something like an improvised taco using the copious ingredients on hand. The sheer volume of this entree is enough for four hungry people, or six looking to share a substantial snack.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted from an upcoming East Lake Checklist story by James Norton]