Watermelon at Sandcastle
At the height of summer, I could eat watermelon three meals a day. So it didn't take much convincing to add this simple starter ($7.50) to my order at Sandcastle, the Lake Nokomis beach stand that's in its final season.
Ruby red and perfectly cubed chunks of melon are marinated lightly with lime and sprinkled even more lightly with zippy Tajin seasoning, a few strips of mint chiffonade and a handful of queso fresco crumbles. The accoutrements do the near-impossible task of making peak fruit taste even better, by dialing up its watermelon-iness while wisely stepping aside to let the fruit do most of the work. It's summer in a bowl.
Ten years into Sandcastle's terrific run, owners Amy Greeley and her husband, chef Doug Flicker, with Chele Payer, are stepping away from the beloved stand, known for its zhushed-up hot dogs and a straightforward BLT that, like the watermelon, lets classic ingredients shine ($9). Get them before they're gone. (Sharyn Jackson)
4955 W. Nokomis Pkwy., Mpls., sandcastlempls.com
Artichoke at Petite Leon
I come from a long lineage of artichoke obsessives. Growing up, artichoke season was always met with a small cauldron of drawn butter; we ate every bit that was edible. It's a dish I've mostly enjoyed at home, since it's rarely served in restaurants. So, you can only imagine my delight when I saw artichokes on the menu at Petite León.
All of us in the Taste section have traded turns falling in love with James Beard Award-nominated chef Jorge Guzmán and Ben Rients' restaurant. It can be a stunning display of culinary, cocktail and hospitality savvy, but I love this restaurant best as a casual neighborhood hangout. Sitting across from a dear friend on a recent Thursday, that's exactly what it was: a chalkboard sketched out with specials, some familiar faces seated at a nearby table, a dining room buzzing with lively chatter.
The artichoke ($13) was gorgeously prepared, cleaved in half to showcase the purple inner petals tucked inside the green husky exterior. Pooled above the heart was a smoky chili oil that mingled with crispy garlic bits and sesame seeds. This is the beauty of chef-prepared vegetables when handled with care: wholly satisfying and such a treat. Plus, it was perfect for sharing with my veggie-loving bestie and paired with a heavenly Negroni. (Joy Summers)
3800 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., 612-208-1247, petiteleonmpls.com
Whole grilled chicken from Pollo Movil
The first time I experienced pollo al carbon, it was an exercise in extreme patience. We'd arrived at a backyard party just as an army of raw birds were paraded out, all rubbed down in red-orange spices, heading toward the grill. The coals were emanating heat and ash as a crowd of people turned away from drinks and conversation to watch the show, chicken applied to dark grill grates. The juices were soon sizzling, spitting fire while the grill master tamed flames with a spray bottle of water. The absolute best and worst part of that day was having to wait, and watching those beautiful birds ever-so-slowly roast. All the while the meat kicked up an enticing perfume of marinade, fat and the promise of salty skin. Once the meat was finally ready, we descended like famished animals around a watering hole. The reward was a meal of gloriously moist chicken.
I hadn't encountered those rich flavors again until recently, when I placed a weeknight takeout order from Pollo Movil. This Lake Street restaurant from owner Edgar Hernandez is serving the most phenomenal pollo al carbon I've had since that backyard party, and perhaps best of all, there's virtually no waiting for it.
The eatery specializes in Mexican fare, with tacos, burritos and a cinnamon-flecked horchata on the menu, but the main attraction is the chicken. The birds are marinated in a deeply flavorful mix of citrus, Mexican oregano, dried chilis, cumin, garlic and onions, then grilled over hot coals. The result is crunchy, fatty skin bits that are just a little salty, while the meat harbors a wealth of juices. Ordering an eight-piece combo for my family got us plenty of chicken, lime and cilantro-dressed rice, roasty pork charro beans and fresh pico de gallo for just $25. It's a bargain that fed the four of us with leftovers for the following day. (J.S.)
3008 5th Av. S., Mpls., 612-822-6172, facebook.com/pollomovilmg
Roasted vegetable lasagna from EaTo
It's been almost a year since EaTo launched in downtown Minneapolis (in what used to be Eastside) as a patio-only pizza and gelato restaurant. Now there's a full menu. The vast (and beautiful) indoors is open to guests, and portions of the floor plan have been converted to gourmet retail shops.
In the small food market near the main entrance, you can pick up a variety of ingredients, both house-made and from local artisanal vendors (Aliment Pasta, Big Watt, Red Table Meat); jars of sauce and bags of imported pasta; and, from a freezer case, prepared meals. A friend who lives in the neighborhood raved about the roasted veggie lasagna ($20), so I took one home and heated it up that night for dinner.
It was a gorgeous evening for dining on the deck, the kind of night I'd normally never consider serving a cheesy, hot noodle casserole. But chef Joan Mendez's take on lasagna turned it into a midsummer dream. The vegetables — mine had leeks, fennel, zucchini and mushrooms — are smoked in the restaurant's wood-fired pizza oven, where they get a gentle char without losing their snap. They're layered with a light and bright house-made red sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and house-made ricotta, all held together by premium noodles imported from Italy. If I lived in the neighborhood, this would be my go-to dinner for summer's remaining weeks.
Shelves in other parts of the space are devoted to trinkets and housewares, glasses, cookbooks and so on. And an outstanding bottle shop has a tightly curated selection of wines, mostly Italian, many natural and unfiltered, like a refreshing Piedmontese chilled red that was the perfect pairing for a summer hot dish, if there ever was one. (S.J.)
305 Washington Av. S., Mpls., 612-208-1638, eatompls.com
The Green Burger at Burger Press
There's a new burger joint in town, and it's creating some buzz. Burger Press opened less than two months ago in an Edina strip mall, replacing Capriotti's Sandwich Shop. Pictures of the Pastrami Burger, Oklahoma Burger and Chili Burger have been making the rounds on social media, and the locally owned restaurant is doing brisk business.
As delicious as the burgers looked — get them as a single, double or triple — it was the Green Burger ($7.99) that caught my eye. A falafel patty stands in for the beef patty and is accompanied by truffle mayo, lettuce, onion, tomato and really good pickles. There's always some degree of risk when ordering a non-meat burger. Will it have any flavor? Is it strong enough to hold up to other toppings without squishing out of the bun? The Green Burger passes with flying colors. Not only did it taste great (the falafel was flavorful and had a slight kick), but it felt good eating it — clean, lighter fare on a hot summer night.
Then we ordered one of the signature shakes ($7.50) for dessert. Breakfast cereal is the star of the show here (you can even order a bowl of cereal and milk). Our Oreo shake was filled with Oreos and Cookie Crisp cereal and a swirl of chocolate syrup. I was skeptical, but it works well. So well, I was thinking about it days later. (Purists can get classic flavors with or without mix-ins.)
Other Burger Press offerings include several varieties of hot dogs, and all the fried sides you could ask for, from zucchini fries to cheese curds. But the French fries ($3.49), lightly dusted with seasoned salt, are the way to go. They please both those who prefer them thin and crisp (me) and those who like them more potato-y (my spouse). That alone was worth the trip. (Nicole Hvidsten)
7143 France Av. S., Edina, 952-207-2967, burgerpressmn.com
