The 5 best things our food writers ate this week

After years as a pop-up, Dahlia has finally landed in a permanent home, sharing space with MN Nice Cream, where the team of longtime food and hospitality pros finally gets to stretch out.

Open four days a week from breakfast through lunchtime, there’s a deeper offering of savory items, now that they can make everything fresh and hot in-house.

You’ll want to start with the breakfast sandwich ($13, all in — no tipping), served on a familiar Dahlia item from its pop-up years, their impossibly squishy sourdough English muffin. The bread is the foundation for a custardy baked egg that’s thick and soufflé-like, layered with Muenster and a Calabrian chili aioli labeled “not spicy!” on the menu — though it does have a little kick, which only improves things. For $2.50 more, I added pork shoulder bacon, a single smoky slab with crisp edges.

Of course, Dahlia’s well known and beloved for its pastries, and a rotating selection is front and center in a bright case of laminated magic. The French onion Danish is a marvel, and everyone around me seemed to be ordering the citrus dream croissant with orange caramel and Dreamsicle whipped cream. (Yes, I’m having FOMO.)

Whichever way you go, know that you’ll likely be back for more. (Sharyn Jackson)

807 NE. Broadway, Mpls., eatatdahlia.com

If only every too-cold, dreary day started with one of Bangkok Sweetheart’s sweet rolls. The dough unfurls like the layers of fluffy blankets on a pillowtop mattress — a place that could be my kingdom if only the incessant buzzkill that is adulthood would chill out for a second.

“We like to explore the food and all delicious stuff,” said Miley, who grew up in Thailand and travels to Asia with Drew once a year to gather inspiration and eat all the regional goodies. The avid cook said pairings and flavors drive her creativity. She and Drew both love to bake up moments of delight with flavor combos like ube and pistachio, pandan and coconut, Oreos and black sesame. The closest to a traditional cinnamon roll on my visit was a tiramisu ($7) flavor: with cinnamon, cocoa powder and mascarpone frosting.

For now, there are no plans to make the pop-up permanent. By day Miley, is a dental assistant at a nonprofit that provides services to underserved communities. But she said they aren’t opposed to the idea and maybe someday. Until then, they love opening around the metro and meeting all the different people looking for something sweet. (Joy Summers)

Find their next pop-up on Instagram @BangkokSweetheart

Have you ever visited a restaurant that feels like you’ve walked into someone’s home and are about to get treated to homestyle fare from moms and aunties? That’s the feeling at Milah’s Royal Bistro, the spot cooking up Liberian and other West African fare for more than a dozen years. (It’s worth noting that for now, Milah’s has shifted to takeout only, with calling ahead the best strategy to place your order and schedule a pickup time.)

Collard greens, okra stews and fried plantains are on the menu, as are dishes more elusive in the metro. That includes Liberian mainstays such as palm butter, peanut and cassava leaf soups and sauces. We tried the peanut and cassava stews, which are served with white rice and deeply layered in their own distinct sauces. Both were spicy numbers that use scotch bonnet peppers liberally. So for the spice averse, consider yourself warned.

While priced at $25, the portion was large enough to serve three to four for our appetites. In other words, just like when visiting the home of a generous host, we left with not only a meal, but plenty of leftovers. (Nancy Ngo)

7648 Humboldt Av. N., Brooklyn Park, 763-432-2100, facebook.com

What you see is what you get at this new restaurant, starting with the name. Chaska Thai opened along the Minnesota River in late October, the third restaurant for Li Ta, who also owns restaurants in Hastings and River Falls, Wis.

The eatery has been doing a robust dine-in and takeout business, with a sprawling menu that’s a greatest hits list of favorites ranging from curries and noodles to pho and mango sticky rice. We can’t resist fun noodles, so immediately locked in on the pad see-eiw, which roughly means noodles fried with soy sauce. The thick rice noodles are just that — tender, chewy and silky, bathed in a savory sauce. Chinese broccoli adds color and crunch, and shrimp was the right protein choice ($18), done to snappy perfection and taking on the flavor of the sauce. (Egg is also standard; we ordered without.)

A close second was the pad woon sen, stir-fried glass noodles with onion, peppers, carrot, celery, egg, broccoli and cabbage. Our server’s eyes lit up when we ordered it — “Good choice,” she said. We chose the meat combo on her recommendation ($19) and not only did we have a great meal, but we felt like we earned an A+ in dining for the week. (Nicole Hvidsten)

I guess I could now be described as an okonomiyaki enthusiast, what with having written about the okonomiyaki pizza at Sanjusan this past November. So here’s another entry: the fried cauliflower ($14) at Little T’s, aka Little Tijuana, in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis just off Eat Street.

Essentially an okonomiyaki riff — with all the classic toppings like kewpie, tonkatsu sauce, scallion, pickled ginger, furikake and bonito — except here the base is crispy-fried cauliflower chunks instead of a traditional savory pancake. Not only is the dish vegetarian, it’s also gluten-free, as the batter on the cauliflower uses rice flour (the fryers at Little T’s are purposefully kept gluten-free).

Since Little T’s is a renowned drinking den with a strong cocktail game, I asked Little T’s co-owner and bar manager Bennett Johnson what he’d pair with the fried cauliflower, and he recommended the Sazerac Thing or the Lil Tea, a Corpse Reviver No. 2 riff. (Raphael Brion)

17 E. 26th St., Mpls., littletijuanampls.com