The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week

I was standing in line before I even knew what we were waiting for — sometimes a person just gets swept away by energy. There's always a giddy anticipation that makes my feet a little lighter when I'm walking into Mercado Central on E. Lake Street. The colorful building is impossible to miss when driving down the popular corridor, but it had been a while since I'd stopped in.

It turns out the line was for a dish I've had a million times, but when you're in a market with this many options, it's hard to decide between old favorites and new items.

Mercado Central first opened in 1997 as an economic hub, a place where local Latino business owners could combine power and support each other in one centralized location. There are several types of businesses inside, but I love lingering at the food halls on the first floor. It was there that the man behind the counter at Best Tacos caught my eye and beckoned me with their specials.

Pollo Asado ($14) is one of those dishes I can't resist. Marinated chicken is grilled right on the bone, then chopped and slathered with vibrant, piquant sauce. The chicken was charred and juicy — so succulent it made my head swim with dreams of summer days by a hot charcoal grill and the sun-soaked streets of Mexico City. It was an abundant plate, heaped with rice, beans and salad and a side of hot tortillas. It was a meal I was happy to tear through and then pack up the second half to revisit later. (Joy Summers)

1515 E. Lake St., Mpls., 612-728-5485, mimercadocentral.com

As a Minnesota transplant, I'm still working my way through classic Twin Cities haunts, the long-running and much-loved restaurants that have endured for generations. Like Lindey's, the Arden Hills steakhouse that is so confident in the thing it's been doing the past 60 years, it owns the URL theplaceforsteak.com.

I was thrilled to finally make it to this cozy cabin of a restaurant, where menus are made into signs that are schlepped around the restaurant by servers, and the only information on your table is a postcard explaining the various temperatures to order your steak. (Supposedly, if you fill it out, the restaurant will mail it for you.)

3600 N. Snelling Av., Arden Hills, 651-633-9813, theplaceforsteak.com

A popular bakery in downtown Prior Lake now has a wilder side.

This fall, owners Laurie and Joe Lin added an evening wine bar four nights a week, serving small bites in a setting that's just as charming at night as it is during the day. A fireplace, music and a dozen or so tables set the cozy scene, perfectly suited for both date nights or nights out with friends.

The food menu isn't huge, but it can be filling. After a knockout starter of goat cheese served with dried fruits and nuts ($11) and plenty of bread and flatbread, we opted for an order of bruschetta — four large slices for $19 — as our main, knowing you can't go wrong with bakery bread. There were eight combinations, but the two standouts were artichoke tapenade with Parmesan, and the pesto-arugula-salami. The tapenade was bursting with flavor, in a delicious garlicky-salty kind of way that had me searching for recipes to add to my holiday appetizer repertoire. Arugula and salami were a nice match for the pesto, providing a peppery bite that went well with the evening's wine pairings. Grazing boards and salads round out the menu.

The wine bar is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 4 to 9 p.m., and serves a well-curated list of wines (red, white, bubbles and port) by the glass ($7-$12) and bottle ($28-$44), a handful of beers ($6-$7) and a few N/A options ($6), too. If you come for an evening, make plans for a morning return; the bakery alone is worth the trip. For the most up-to-date info, follow their Facebook page. (Nicole Hvidsten)

In Minnesota, we don't let a little snow put an end to our farmers market season. Especially when there's a cozy place to hold one indoors. The charming Mill City Farmers Market has now moved into the even more charming Mill City Museum for the winter, with markets on select Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (The next one is Nov. 19.)

Many of the market's greatest hits are set up amid the old flour mill's brick walls. The vendor with the longest line? That would be Vikings & Goddesses Pie Co., the business from St. Paul-based pie-maker Rachel Anderson. While her offerings of $5 slices may vary from market to market, right now you can get one of Anderson's bestsellers: milk and cookies pie.

Anderson describes it as her version of tiramisu. Nellie's Ice Cream chocolate chip cookies are soaked in coffee and whiskey, and layered with sweet mascarpone inside one of her all-out buttery pie shells. More cookies are crumbled on top. It's sweet, creamy, crunchy goodness.

You can order a slice or whole pie ($28) ahead at vikingsandgoddessespiecompany.com. And while you're there, grab a $5 frozen crust or two for a head start on Thanksgiving baking. (S.J.)

Mill City Museum, 704 S. 2nd St., Mpls., millcityfarmersmarket.org

Last time we visited, the kitchen was fully functional and the pizza was an immediate hit, but the bar wasn't yet stocked with their own spirits. So upon return, drawn to the siren song of the fluffy crust pizza, we ordered drinks.

The 23rd Century is a brisk balance of warm coffee and cocoa flavors with Earl Giles' crisp London Dry-style gin, and the whole thing is offset by a little lemon citrate. The result is a drink that should be opposing flavors yet somehow work together splendidly. It's a quaffable drink that would crush during brunch (or lunch) with its light sweetness and bright finish. Between this, the pizza and a giant warehouse room filled with live plants, this is sure to continue to be an oasis through the winter. (J.S.)

1325 NE. Quincy St., Mpls., 612-345-5305, earlgiles.com