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

Magical. That’s how I’d describe both the multicourse Peking duck dinner from Rainbow Chinese and the setting in which we enjoyed it: Thursday night’s Dinner du Nord along Nicollet Mall.

About 2,000 people chose to dine from one of 40-plus restaurants; options ranged from food trucks and fast casual to the Four Seasons and our pick, Rainbow Chinese, Tammy Wong’s Nicollet Avenue eatery.

Dinner for four included fresh vegetables, egg rolls, a noodle salad, grilled vegetables and rice, all leading up to the main event: carve-at-the-table Peking duck. (Special thanks to our dining companion for handling the knifework.) We packed steamed buns and thin pancakes with succulent slices of roast duck, slivers of cucumbers, scallions, pepper slices and hoisin sauce. What a treat.

A well-known but time consuming specialty, Peking duck results in shatteringly crisp lacquered skin and ultra-tender meat. That Wong created such a remarkable feast isn’t a surprise. That she served the parade of dishes — including a stellar sweet corn rice pudding dessert — as seamlessly at an outdoor event as she would at her longtime restaurant also isn’t a surprise, but it is mighty impressive. (Nicole Hvidsten)

Rainbow Chinese, 2739 Nicollet Av., Mpls., rainbowrestaurant.com

If your back-to-the-office orders call for a Minneapolis power lunch with a tinge of TV magic, we know the place. You can sit at the very table where Mary Tyler Moore’s character, Mary Richards, dined in the opening credits of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and feel a bit like you’ve dined with an icon.

That one brief clip of Moore on the balcony of the IDS Center comes amid a quick succession of Minneapolis sightings, and it’s memorialized on a plaque at the table. Next to Moore’s likeness, there’s a QR code with instructions to make a social post about your meal at this all-day hotel restaurant — and if you do, they’ll give you the “MTM Sundae” gratis. That caramel popcorn-topped ice cream scoop was a sweet little end to our meal. But we kept ordering, and were wowed by another dessert that required a steak knife to divvy up.

Inside the Marquette Hotel, 710 Marquette Av. S., themarquettehotel.com

It’s been 19 years since Sea Salt opened near Minnehaha Falls with a menu filled with fresh and fried seafood. It was 16 years ago that I first fell in love with one special sandwich here. On a warm spring Sunday we brought our baby for his first picnic by the falls.

We returned this weekend with that kid, who now could drive us there. He cradled his own po’boy sandwich ($17.95), a forearm-sized loaf of bread overflowing with cornmeal-battered crawfish and doused in vinegary hot sauce, a good squeeze of lemon juice, shredded lettuce, summery tomatoes and a reasonable amount of mayonnaise. Every bite is a joyous balance of big flavors.

We murmured our shared approvals into the other sounds of the falls: toddlers squealing, water rushing over rocks, and the shushing of early fallen leaves, crunching underfoot.

These are the moments, and one great sandwich, worth savoring. (Joy Summers)

The coffee shop that started in Excelsior recently rolled out a second suburban outpost, this one on the ground floor of the Finch Apartments in Edina. The space features two-tops, four-tops and communal tables, is airy and modern with light wood and jewel tones.

Cappuccinos, lattes and teas are all represented. Non-caffeine options, such as strawberry and blackberry lemonades and smoothies that can be enjoyed with pastries, breakfast sandwiches and paninis are also part of the lineup. Grazing the menu, the smoothies became the clear standout. There are a half-dozen to choose from, several that incorporate honey. While seemingly a small ingredient detail, the honey’s natural sweetness added into drinks like the Skipper strawberry-banana-oak milk smoothie ($9, 16 oz.), made all the difference in turning the page on what could have been an average blender drink.

The shiny, new space is already drawing regulars who greet each other and quip “nice to see you again” before heading out. It’s a win for the argument that there can never be too many coffee shops, and a reminder as to why community gathering spots are so special beyond their menus. (Nancy Ngo)

4620 W. 77th St., Edina, thelobbycoffee.com

How do you choose from a pastry case stocked with stunning desserts and flaky croissants? You don’t. We shopped with our eyes and wound up with a selection of pastries for breakfast, plus desserts to share.

The desserts were as beautiful as they were delicious. Options ranged from classic French options like opera cake and mille-feuilles to mousse cakes ($5.75-$6.75). We sampled strawberry and hazelnut mousse cakes, a coconut-mango tart and Black Forest cake (not all at once). They weren’t just for looks; each was packed with flavor and sure to satisfy those with the sweetest of sweet tooths.

Tieng Vang opened Café de Paris in late August to lines out the door; go early or order ahead online for the best selection. There’s also an array of coffee and tea drinks, and lunch options include a bánh mì and jambon beurre, melding Vang’s Asian heritage and French influence. Next time. (N.H.)

15322 Galaxie Av., Suite 120, Apple Valley, cafedeparismn.com