Pair a visit to the Matisse exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (www.artsmia.org) with a nosh on nearby Eat Street.
At Glam Doll Donuts, co-owner Teresa Fox has made it her life's pursuit to push the boundaries of fried dough. Highlights include airy raised doughnuts gleaming with a cinnamon-orange-ginger glaze, delicately crispy crullers crowned with swirls of thick lemon-cream cheese icing, super-moist cake doughnuts and what may be the city's definitive maple-bacon Long John. There's an impressive vegan selection, and the shop's serious approach to coffee is miles beyond Dunkin' Donuts.
2605 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., 612-345-7064, www.glamdolldonuts.com
The street's most exciting cooking comes by way of music-centric Icehouse, where chef Matt Bickford and his crew cater to a remarkable variety of lunch, dinner, late-night and afternoon-snack appetites. Don't miss the weekend brunch, with its green chile-topped brisket hash, porcini- and braised greens-filled crêpes, a deluxe steak and eggs, first-rate baked goods and imaginative bloody Marys.
2528 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., 612-276-6523, www.icehousempls.com
Traditional Malaysian fare — radiating cardamom, Kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, fermented shrimp paste, cloves and other intensely fragrant flavors — is the backbone at Peninsula, along with brief forays into familiar Indian, Chinese and Thai favorites. A dozen weekday lunch specials, priced at $7.99, include a handful of the kitchen's complex curries.
2608 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., 612-871-8282, www.peninsulamalaysiancuisine.com
RICK NELSON
