Scenes of great expectations

Honorable mention. Other noteworthy neighborhood bistro debuts include the Craftsman, where chef Dennis Marron's Asian-influenced New American fare is a fine match for the brand-new restaurant's handsome Arts and Crafts decor. Prior Lake's Perron's sul Lago, a lovely labor of love for chef/owner Todd Perron, and Excelsior's charming Biella, the brainchild of owner Mark Nazigian and chef Andrew Weber, are shining examples of the genre, suburban division. Ditto Nosh and confluence, which light up their rural settings (Wabasha, Minn., and Prescott, Wis., respectively), with confident cooking and urbane surroundings.

Their winner is . . . The James Beard Foundation made official what we already knew, bestowing its "American Classic" honor on Dinkytown's beloved Al's Breakfast.

Extreme makeovers. A remade Mai Village epitomized gorgeous. Great-looking renovations were on the menu at both Auriga and Bayport Cookery, bringing their dining rooms into sync with their eye-catching food. Tryg's demonstrated how design talent (Shea Inc.) plus cash (by the bucket) can equal pizazz. And spiffy is the word for the $2 million-plus renovation of the St. Paul Farmers Market.

Value meals. At Ikea Restaurant & Cafe, Sweden's cheap-chic retailer specializes in unexpected cafeteria fare -- gravlax, prawn-mussel-crayfish salads, open-face shrimp sandwiches, meatballs, a fizzy lingonberry soda -- at laughably low prices.

Cash only. The cherished Minnesota tradition of writing a personal check at any restaurant, anywhere, anytime, seemed to fizzle in 2004 as "Checks not accepted" signs proliferated faster than Chipotle Mexican Grill outlets.

Have you tried the curry spice? The year's wittiest dining entry was P.B. Loco, the Mall of America concept that trades in house-made, flavor-infused peanut butters.

On the run. Although the nibblies at Shanghai Circus (love those delectable barbecue pork bao) and My Burger (crispy-salty fries, super-malty malts) are definitely worth noting, the blue ribbon for the year's best fast food goes to the superb sandwich selection at La Brea Bakery.

There's no place like home. Dean Schlaak and Tom DeGree gravitated toward welcoming, low-key cafes in other cities but couldn't find one here. So the first-time restaurateurs took matters into their own hands and built the warm and inviting Wilde Roast Cafe.

Park it. Kudos to Tin Fish for bringing fresh, affordable fare (and a patio to die for) to Lake Calhoun's refectory. Let's hope the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board follows up with further public-private partnerships in other locations.

On a clear day. Sunday brunch -- with a buffet that's almost as big as the view -- returned to Windows on Minnesota on the IDS Tower's 50th floor. Yep, that's Maple Grove over to the right.

Paint the town Red. It resurrected the former home of cafe un deux trois in February. Kitchen star Marianne Miller departed in June. The lights went out in November. And now Miller is signing her name to the lease, which means that a revised Red will rise again, hopefully by late January.

Save the date. March 31 is when Hennepin and Ramsey counties plus Minneapolis, Bloomington and Golden Valley enact smoking bans in restaurants and bars. Sing hallelujah.

Dunked doughnut. America's hottest food franchise, Krispy Kreme, cooled down. The guilty pleasure lost money in 2004's third quarter -- a first -- and its stock (once $50, now $10), is no longer the apple of Wall Street's eye.

Paging Jenny Craig. Diets all over south Minneapolis and the southern suburbs took a hit from the frozen temptations at Liberty Frozen Custard and Blue Sky Creamery, respectively.

Pass the dessert. At BitterSweet Bakery, the friendly neighborhood bakeshop's cakes, cookies and bars aren't off limits to those following a gluten-free diet.

Leaving Eat Street. Sami Rasouli sold his Sindbad International Foods and Imports (now Sinbad Bakery, Deli & Market) to return to his native Iraq and help rebuild the war-torn country.

HOT: Tasting menus, half-price wine nights, year-end discounted gift cards, sidewalk cafes.

NOT: Low-carb menus, gas-fired "wood-burning" ovens, tiramisu.

Now playing. Add Bellanotte, Tria, The IN, Tiger Sushi, Roasted Pear, Nochee, Enjoy! and Big Buck Roadhouse to the list of noteworthy 2004 openings.

The party's over. A tough year for restaurant closings meant saying farewell to Chet's Taverna, Marimar, Giorgio's on France, Livingston's, Chives, Zaroff's Delicatessen, Margaux Limitee, August Moon, El Ray de Oro, 13 Moons, Amsterdam Bistro & Bar, Amie, Chi-Chi's and Stuart Anderson's Cattle Co.

Great expectations. Be on the lookout for a pile of new restaurants in 2005. Spring's searchlights-in-the-sky event will be Five Restaurant and Street Lounge, Stewart and Heidi Woodman's high-caliber project, located in the former 5th police precinct station in Minneapolis' Lyn-Lake district. LoTo, David Fhima's Lowertown St. Paul cafe/bakery/bar, is shooting for a March 1 opening. No firm opening date -- or name -- for Fhima's cafe-nightclub newbie landing next to the Historic Pantages Theatre in downtown Minneapolis (his nearby Mpls. Cafe closes on Jan. 2). The Walker Art Center's Wolfgang Puck-managed showplace debuts in April. Cafe Lurcat whiz Isaac Becker and spouse Nancy St. Pierre are launching 112 Eatery in the Minneapolis warehouse district. Blue Plate (52nd and Bloomington) and the Longfellow Grill (E. Lake St. and W. River Rd.) should add some zing to their respective Minneapolis neighborhoods, and Jensen's Cafe should follow suit in Burnsville. T-Rex Cafe, the mega-millions dinosaur-themed eatertainery concept by Rainforest Cafe founder Steve Schussler, expects to roar into the Mall of America. Uptown's Zeno will duplicate its wine/dessert/munchies strategy downtown. And celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongeritchen is the marquee name attached to the Chambers Hotel, set for spring 2006 in downtown Minneapolis.

Thanks. For the exceptional meals during 2004 that were paid out of my own pocket, truly a ringing endorsement, at Restaurant Alma, Lucia's Restaurant, True Thai, Cosmos, Solera, Vincent, Cheng Heng Restaurant, Sapor Cafe & Bar, Birchwood Cafe, Pumphouse Creamery, Rice Paper and Punch Neapolitan Pizza.

Rick Nelson