Recent content from Sharyn Jackson

Duluth gem Northern Waters Smokehaus shares its secrets in new cookbook
Learn how to smoke fish, turn leftover smoked ham into meatballs and make the famous Cajun Finn sandwich as the North Shore staple celebrates 25 years — and a move.

Minnesota-made bonbons win awards at international chocolate competition
Two confections from St. Croix Chocolate Co. took home silver and bronze awards at the world's largest craft chocolate competition.

3 underground bars in Minneapolis' North Loop that turn basements into cozy escapes
The subterranean bars at Billy After Dark, Flora Room and Maison Margaux are nothing like their upper-level counterparts.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
Among this week's highlights: The sandwich we're still craving, an unbeatable lunch deal, chicken perfection, biscuits at an all-day cafe and a special menu we hope see again.

Minnesota 'comeback' of beloved chain Steak and Ale will begin in a Burnsville hotel
The new location — the first to open in 15 years — is coming to the soon-to-be-rebranded Best Western Nicollet Inn in April 2024.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
Stellar sandwiches with Be'Wiched roots, a soup you'll want to have all winter, a new place for crêpes, heirloom tomatoes as art and a classic French appetizer.

These Minnesota-made bonbons might be the best in the world
St. Croix Chocolate Company's Robyn Dochterman left journalism to master the art of chocolate. Now her edible masterpieces are winning both hearts and awards.

Call top Twin Cities area chefs with all your Thanksgiving questions
Dial up chefs including Mike DeCamp, Jorge Guzmán and more as they dispense advice ahead of the big day. But plan ahead: It's Nov. 16.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
Cozying up to cardamom spinners, hometown boba and dumplings, playing shishito pepper roulette, and a newfound breakfast favorite are among the week's best bites.

Malibu Barbie Cafe now open at the Mall of America
The new pop-up restaurant serves up nostalgia, positivity and Instagram moments on top of beach-inspired food, cocktails, mocktails and desserts.

The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week
A new location for stunning pastries and a bowl of pozole to warm the soul. Plus: a spot of tea, a top-notch veggie burger and why a pumpkin pie-cheesecake combo is a fine lunch.

Test-kitchen 'Bettys' reunite to celebrate 100 years of Minnesota icon Betty Crocker
Past and present test-kitchen workers gathered to celebrate America's First Lady of Food at General Mills headquarters in Golden Valley.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
On our most recent dining itineraries there's sweet (doughnuts and wild rice pudding), comforting (burgers and wings) and a new obsession with Australian hand pies.

Diane Moua's anticipated new restaurant gets a home in Minneapolis, and more foodie news
Plus: Brasa now open in Hopkins, Pimento Kitchen is ready for its Bde Maka Ska launch, and more restaurant openings and closings around the Twin Cities.

Sneak peek: New restaurant in downtown Minneapolis' Hotel Ivy has NYC pedigree
Breva opens next week and will serve a New American menu with some local influences. Just don't ask for ranch.

18 great new places to eat in Minnesota and Wisconsin river towns
From Scandia to Stockholm, a surprising number of new waterside eats have sprung up along Minnesota's border.

Before you take off, here's a guide to the new food at MSP Airport
As travel season picks up, we toured the airport to see what's changed on the food scene and gather tips for foodies on how to make the most of airport dining.
Here's what to order at 30 iconic Twin Cities bakeries
From doughnuts to biscuits to cookies to fruit tarts, we ate our way through as many Twin Cities bakeries as possible to come up with this list of fresh-baked icons.

Demi chef to open 'elevated neighborhood restaurant' in Minneapolis
Adam Ritter and Jeanie Janas's Bûcheron will take over the former Revival/Corner Table on Nicollet Avenue.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
From spicy hand-pulled noodles and an iconic cashew chicken salad sandwich to hand pies, blueberry Danishes and sliders with a view, it was a week of delicious comfort.

James Beard finalist Jorge Guzmán to open second Minneapolis restaurant
Chilango will serve "Mex-Tex" at the Beach Club Residences on Bde Maka Ska.

Restaurant news: Pimento Jamaican Kitchen opening Oct. 20 in Bde Maka Ska pavilion
Plus: Shakopee House and Red Sauce Rebellion close, Yum expands, a new Northeast bar and Malibu Barbie Cafe tickets on sale.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
Sushi sandos, new cocktails, a chicken dinner for the rotation and a little bit of heaven found in chips and salsa and Italian bread and dipping sauce.

Dine face-to-face with one of Minnesota's top chefs at new Sanjusan residency
Tim McKee reaches into his deep knowledge of Japanese and Italian food for the limited-time Itameshi Omakase.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
Revisiting the Band Box Diner (hooray!), plus breakfast sandwiches, ice cream for breakfast, angelic treats and a new-to-us place for Mediterranean food.

Pork broth? Squid ink? 3 savory cocktails at Twin Cities area bars you'll want to try
Fall is ushering in creative, robust flavors as savory drinks become more mainstream.

First look: Porzana is chef Daniel del Prado's most personal restaurant yet
The steakhouse in the former Bachelor Farmer embraces the chef's Argentinian and Italian roots.

Twin Cities area's Chatime tea franchises go independent as Niko Niko Boba
The local owners of nine — soon to be 10 — Chatime tea shops are rebranding their boba empire as Niko Niko Boba.

Downtown Minneapolis' historic Band Box diner has reopened
The iconic diner had been closed since March 2020.

The 5 best cheeseburgers we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
To celebrate the upcoming National Cheeseburger Day, we set out to try some new burgers at both recently opened restaurants and old favorites, and were not disappointed.

3 cookbooks (and recipes) explore diverse Jewish cuisine for the High Holidays
The new volumes celebrate noshing, Shabbat and Roman Jewish food.

Hey, Minnesota, it's not too soon to plan your winter escape. Here are 5 enticing destinations.
These warm-weather destinations will help thoughts of snow melt away.

Yia Vang's restaurant Vinai to replace Dangerous Man taproom in Minneapolis
As one trailblazing Minneapolis craft brewer closes its taproom, a long-awaited Hmong restaurant finally finds its home.

Trailblazing Minneapolis taproom Dangerous Man to close in October
But it's not the end of the beer or the brand.

The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week
Savoring the last of summer with BLTs, elote pizza and strawberries and cream, while ushering in the cooler weather with spicy rice and supper clubs.

Forget pickles: Lemonade is the State Fair's trendiest food, and here are 12 to try
Where you can quench your thirst during the scorching closing weekend of the Minnesota State Fair.

Boutique ice creams go big time with Minnesota State Fair debut
Minnesota Dairy Lab and A to Z Creamery have joined forces with longtime fair vendors to reach creamy new heights.

100-plus new fair foods reviewed and ranked, from tasty to try again
We don't stop at the "official" list of new foods. If there's something new to eat at the fair, we tried it.

We tried all the new Minnesota State Fair foods this year
From pickle everything to lutefisk to limeade and lemonade, our food writers spent Day One of the Minnesota State Fair trying all the new foods.

We checked out 2 new, very different restaurants on Lyndale Avenue
Baba's Hummus House and the cosmic dive bar Fool Me Once are worlds apart, but both should be on your radar.

Sneak peek: How the 'nation's best pizza' and a famed music venue created Wrestaurant
Wrecktangle and First Avenue teamed up to open a restaurant next to the Palace Theatre in St. Paul. It opens next week.

What's the dill with all the pickle-flavored foods at the State Fair?
From fudge and paletas to lemonade and tacos, food vendors are harnessing their sour power.

The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities — and beyond — this week
Blackened catfish, sweet corn soup, farmers market inspired pasta and more.

Granny's Apples and A to Z Creamery join forces for Minnesota State Fair collaboration
The 37-year-old apple stand tapped the Instagram-viral ice cream maker to make apple crisp ice cream.

The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities — and beyond — this week
We had ice cream for breakfast, took road trips to lake country and a local winery and still made room for BLTs and tacos.

At 104, Minnesota's most famous baker is getting ready for another State Fair
Marjorie Johnson isn't ready to stop baking — or competing: "I really, really want to win a ribbon."

Before Lurcat, Lady Gaga ate at another D'Amico restaurant: 'We're just trying to be good hosts'
Larry and Richard D'Amico are no strangers to serving celebrities, but they don't dish and tell.

Gas station taco stand El Sazon going full-service in October, and more restaurant news
Plus more restaurant openings as summer shows no signs of slowing down.

Restaurant openings and closings in the Twin Cities
What's open, what's closed and what's still to come in the Twin Cities and beyond.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
There were fancy nuggets and pastries, a new discovery, pickle power and a breakfast with staying power.

Iconic Minneapolis tiki bar Psycho Suzi's is closing
Psycho Suzi's opened in 2003 in a former A&W, and moved to its waterfront location in 2010.

First look: You don't have to get high to eat at Hi Flora in Minneapolis
The vegan, THC-focused restaurant offers a slate of mood-enhancing beverages and tinctures.

Pioneering organic restaurant the Good Earth has closed in Roseville
The farm-driven restaurant opened in the 1970s, when "organic and natural was a little weird in the Midwest."
Ono Hawaiian Plates is expanding to two Twin Cities grocery stores, and more restaurant news
Plus other restaurant openings, closings and events.
Lady Gaga dined at a classic Minneapolis restaurant — and no one knows why
Beet salad and filet mignon were on the menu for the "Poker Face" singer.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
This week we kept cool with ceviche, spring rolls, a smoothie bowl, beach-ready shrimp and, of course, ice cream.

15 of the best breakfast sandwiches in the Twin Cities area
Start the day off right with these sandwiches, from sturdy to showstopping: These are the egg sandwiches we love in the metro area.

The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities this week
So much to love this week: pizza made in a bus, more burgers and chicken tenders, elevated bar food and a dessert that's a work of art.

Rainbow Chinese Restaurant in Minneapolis finally reopens its dining room
The restaurant known for its cuisine and charismatic chef-owner Tammy Wong was one of the last pandemic holdouts.

Last call to dine at two iconic St. Paul restaurants closing this weekend
Foxy Falafel and Ngon Bistro are saying goodbye after 11- and 16-year runs, respectively.

Stay cool with these Twin Cities ice cream treats
Sealed in a doughnut, between two cookies, in a shake or on a stick, here's the scoop on the area's best portable summer treats.

The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities this week
On our menus this week: An unforgettable ramen, sweets, fruit-infused breakfast and drinks and a massive pretzel with cheese.

Twin Cities underground burger pop-up goes beyond the smashburger: 'I call it the smearburger'
The next hot place to get burgers? A random person's backyard.

The 13 burgers of summer in the Twin Cities and beyond
New restaurants mean new burgers. Plus, some of the Taste team's perennial favorites with a summer twist.

Twin Cities bars are making the gin and tonic a refreshing summer cocktail with endless possibilities
Local bars are getting creative by mixing and matching gins with house-made tonics.

Opening soon: In Minneapolis, Mexican fast-casual restaurant Puralima takes on Chipotle
The colorful new taco and burrito spot comes from the founder of Crisp & Green and Stalk & Spade.

First Look: Owamni team opens Indigenous Food Lab at Midtown Global Market
The kitchen, training center and market are devoted to showcasing Native foodways and products.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
Classic breakfast fare, tiki drinks, ice cream, Korean barbecue and the combo to end all combos: French fries and champagne.

These Minneapolis-made, New York-style bagels have become an instant sensation
Startup Mogi Bagel is satisfying East Coast bagel cravings across the Twin Cities.

20 Twin Cities markets that changed the way we shop
From lutefisk and grab-and-go bành mí to perusing culinary treasures, these local storefronts reflect Minnesota's past and future.

First look: New Macy's Ridgedale restaurant is an ode to downtown Minneapolis' Oak Grill
And most important: Popovers are back.

The 5 best things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week
The past week was powered by Swiftie cupcakes, proper bagels, a wood-fired meal along the St. Croix, a new buzzy bakery and a light summer soufflé.

Where to eat and drink before the Taylor Swift concert in downtown Minneapolis
Restaurants and bars to pair with every era.