5 best things our food critic ate in the Twin Cities this week

From bacon caramel rolls to cheese curds, here's a rundown of my dining diary's greatest hits over the past seven days (my colleague and fellow 5 Best contributor Sharyn Jackson is on vacation). What were your top eats of the week? Share the details in the comments section.

Bacon caramel roll at F+ B pop-up

The Birchwood Cafe and the Minnesota Farmers Union have been collaborating at the Minnesota State Fair for several years, and one of their first pairings yielded this decadent marriage of sweet and savory.

Last year, the 25-year-old cafe and the farmers union announced another collaboration: a full-service restaurant. Before that project gets underway, B'wood owner Tracy Singleton is activating the space (the former Spoonriver) with this pop-up operation. Because it has materialized during what would have been the 2020 State Fair, she's incorporated a handful of favorites from the Farmers Union stand: a gotta-have BLT, blueberry Key lime pie, lavender lemonade and this spiraled, nicely yeasty, cinnamon-enriched temptation ($6).

The smoky, thick-cut bacon hails from Fischer Family Farms Pork in Waseca, Minn., and it's as abundant as its counterpart in a Tremendous Twelve breakfast at Perkins. In other words, it's a lot of bacon (in a good way), and it's a lot of very good bacon. The caramel sauce is beyond dreamy, but that's what happens when skill and Hope Butter, one of the state's great food products, intersect. There's another reason why that caramel is so utterly irresistible: it's laced with bacon fat.

"All of the vegans are going to hate us," said Singleton with a laugh. "But that's OK, we have food for them, too."

750 S. 2nd St., Mpls., 612-436-8877, open 4-8 p.m. Thu.-Fri., 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat.-Sun., with the bacon caramel roll available at weekend brunch, while supplies last.

Hamburger cheese curds at Burger Dive

Three cheers to chef Nick O'Leary for taking a playful approach to a Minnesota State Fair culinary titan. It's an inspired idea to mix crumbles of ground beef into the curds' batter, so that every lightly golden nibble includes a faint cheeseburger aura.

Another innovation? Adding crunchy, dill-flecked pickles to the formula, because their palate-cleansing acidity is a welcome counterpoint to that basket of deep-fried dairy excess ($7, pictured, and $12).

1595 Hwy. 36 (Rosedale shopping center's Potluck food hall), Roseville, open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun., State Fair items available through Sept. 7.

Corn dog at Cafe Alma

Readers of this feature may recall that I'm a card-carrying member of Team Corn Dog, which is why I was delighted to learn that executive chef Lucas Rosenbrook was applying his considerable skills to one of the Minnesota State Fair's leading on-a-stick delicacies.

Let's face it, the vast majority of corn dogs tend to lean toward vacuity. Not here. It starts with a skinless, robustly seasoned all-beef dog (from the pros at Peterson Craftsman Meats), and then Rosenbrook pulls together the Batter to End All Batters, mixing a gloriously golden organic cornmeal (from Riverbend Farm in Delano, Minn.) with buttermilk and crushed tortilla chips; the multilayered results are tender, crunchy, corn-ey, barely sweet and not the least bit greasy.

The garnishes leave French's and Heinz in the dust. Not only is a coarse mustard fueled with roasted poblanos, but Rosenbrook ignores the ketchup-with-corn-dogs naysayers and offers up one that sports a distinctive sweet-hot bite.

"A little sunshine on a stick" is how chef/owner Alex Roberts described it ($7), and he's right.

This lifelong consumer of corn dogs can confidentially say that I've never encountered a better one. Alma is also offering roasted sweet corn that's slathered in a jalapeño-ginger aioli and crushed potato chips ($4), kettle corn, mini doughnut holes dusted with a five spice-sugar coating, and pork belly glazed with fish sauce and caramel.

528 University Av. SE., Mpls., 612-379-4909, open 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Wed.-Sun., State Fair items available in the evening hours through Aug. 30.

Foot-long hot dog at the Grocer's Table

At this convivial downtown Wayzata newcomer, owner Lindsay Pohlad is hawking a handful of festive State Fair tributes.

"It's mainly because of my kids," she said with a laugh. "They're all upset about the State Fair, and my son said, 'Mom, you have to do mini doughnuts,' so that's how it started. Then it snowballed into all the good stuff."

Which includes cheese curds, candied smoked bacon on-a-stick, a giant housemade pickle on-a-stick that's coated in bee pollen and this superb hot dog.

The centerpiece is a snappy, juicy (and subtly smoked) all-beef frank that's made to executive chef Craig Johnson's specifications. Post-grilling, it's laid out on a tender, milk-enriched, poppyseed-studded bun that's baked on the premises. The tangy, crunchy and colorful pickled relish — it's the house giardiniera — is an inspired touch, and the housemade pickles contribute another cleansing vinegar punch.

Don't be put off by the $12 price tag; it's not out of bounds, given the quality and creativity on hand, and the portion is certainly shareable.

"We went back and forth, wondering if we should do a corn dog, or a Pronto Pup," said Pohlad. "But we had other fried food, and this hot dog is so good that we don't need to deep-fry it." Agreed.

326 Broadway Av. S., Wayzata, 952-466-6100, open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun, State Fair favorites available 2 p.m. to close.

Gelato sandwich at Dancing Bear Chocolate

Part bakery, part confectionary, this cheerful corner shop is the kind of place that brightens a neighborhood. And how.

Spouses Steven Howard and Joe Skifter had been channeling their energies into pop-up events and online sales when they found a small building just south of Victory Memorial Drive. After a year of renovations, their business opened in May.

Their resumes suggest that their enterprise is the natural culmination of their careers. Howard spent years in top Minneapolis kitchens (510 Groveland, Les Quatre Amis, Azur, D'Amico Cucina) and owned his own chocolate shop in Tulsa, Okla. Skifter has decades of experience in I.T. and retail management.

The imaginative selection changes frequently. I loved the crisp, elegant palmiers dipped in dark chocolate and the thick, palm-sized cookies flavored with hazelnuts, chocolate chunks and Gianduja, the Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Other temptations included banana-blueberry bread, cherry-poppyseed bread, lemon ricotta cookies, brownies packed with dried cherries and a pretty hazelnut meringue torte with a Key lime mousse filling. Confections ranged from eye-catching truffles to dark chocolate-covered espresso beans. Jars of lemon curd, too, which I should have purchased, in bulk, because they make for perfect gifts. Next time.

My phone's weather app was registering 91 degrees on the day I visited, which is why I immediately gravitated to gelato. There are usually four to five flavors available, sold in 8-oz. ($5) and 16-oz. ($10) cartons. Even better? Gelato sandwiches ($5). At the moment, Howard is pairing up a chocolate lover's dream, pressing a pair of tender, buttery chocolate-chocolate chip cookies around supple chocolate gelato. Yeah, I wish I lived nearby.

"We've been so warmly received by the neighborhood," said Skifter. "The overwhelming support has exceeded our expectations."

4637 Thomas Av. N., Mpls., 612-254-4354, open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thu.-Sun.