Honey cake at Bean Co
Zafar Khamdamov opened his first coffee shop in a former White Bear Lake gas station in 2020, just as soon as the first pandemic lockdown lifted. Four years later, a second outlet has arrived in a bank lobby in Maple Grove.
With a longtime dream to run his own cafe chain — he has plans to open eight more in Twin Cities suburbs — Khamdamov needed to find a way to differentiate his brand. So he leaned heavily on food offerings, starting with French crepes, ice cream, fruit smoothies and a sweet little lineup of pastries.
The you-can-only-get-them-here treats are from a local baker named Liubov. Her honey cake ($5.75) was a darling afternoon snack, with layers of honey-enriched cake disks alternating with a not-too-sweet cream cheese and sour cream frosting.
Khamdamov, who hails from Uzbekistan, is filling out the menu, soon to add gluten-free buckwheat and spinach crepes to the lineup. In time, he’d like to serve samsas, an Uzbek puff pastry filled with meat. With so much to offer, “now the coffee became an accessory,” he laughed. (Sharyn Jackson)
7951 Elm Creek Blvd. N., Maple Grove, 763-208-1331; 2490 E. County Road E, White Bear Lake, 651-377-4595, beancousa.com

Hammies steamed hams six-pack at BlackStack Brewing
Nothing inspires culty burger behavior like a little steamed slider and Hammies, a roving pop-up specializing in it, is proof of that. Just a couple of hours after Hammies first blanket of tiny onions hit their outdoor flattop, orders were almost sold out.
Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for those who came afterward, I nabbed one of the last orders available when Hammies posted up at St. Paul’s BlackStack Brewing.
Founded by friends Brenson Johnson and Nick Valentine, Hammies is an ode to a running “Simpsons” bit and a deep appreciation for the fryer things in life. Not unlike the burgers from a certain alabaster palace restaurant chain, the burgers harness the power of steam from tiny onions. The flat-top griddle is covered with a lot of finely diced onions, and then the beef is laid upon that sweet, allium blanket, then topped with a little dinner roll-sized bun lid to soak up all that good flavor.