Now open: Tullibee, in the Hewing Hotel

Tullibee, the great-looking, Nordic-themed restaurant in the just-opened Hewing Hotel, features a Minnesota stalwart, one that (curiously) I've rarely — if ever — encountered in a restaurant in the Scandinavian-centric Twin Cities.

Lefse. Yes, lefse.

Technically, chef Grae Nonas bills his version of this Lutheran church basement delicacy as "potato flatbread."

Whatever the name, it's delicious: crisped on the edges, and dressed with sour cream and coral-tinted herring roe.

Should the carb-conscious order it instead of the crusty, warm-from-the-oven sourdough, served with tangy butter? Get both.

Nonas makes full use of his kitchen's wood-burning grill and oven, roasting celery root in the fire's embers and sneaking in subtle horseradish accents.

Another wallflower vegetable, kohlrabi, plays a role in a soup with hearty duck meatballs at its center.

Entree prices hover in the mid- to upper-$20s, starters and shareable dishes land in the $9-to-$19 range, and desserts run $8 and $9.

The wide-open room is all exposed timbers and bricks, with enormous windows that boast big-city skyline views.

It's confirmation that the North Loop is the region's hottest restaurant real estate. What a boost to the city to see this historic but long-underused building teeming with life.