The 5 best things our food writers ate this week

Standing in line was a group of young students on a school break, workers grabbing a quick bite and me, hiding out for a midday bite while getting a change of scenery. I’d heard about this cafe from a friend who lives nearby and relishes the fresh fare for a quick meal fix. The buzz of activity inside Bloomington’s Zawadi Center feels like the hub of its community.

There’s an event space, indoor playground and a coffee shop. In the cafe, food is served quickly with build-your-own dishes. My order, a build-your-own rice bowl ($14), came with spicy sumac, seasoned chicken and plenty of crisp, fresh veggies.

I went before Ramadan began, and the cafe remains open for its usual hours during this holy month for those who aren’t fasting. But after Maghrib, the south metro spot is also hosting Iftar feasts to break fast with a buffet that includes chicken biryani, roast goat and Somali rice for $25. (Joy Summers)

1701 American Blvd. E., Bloomington, zawadicenter.com

It’s hard to imagine that Bayport’s newest restaurant previously housed a casual barbecue joint. The space has been given a makeover with white oak and pine accents and soaring fireplaces for a cozy, modern chalet feel.

Run by sisters Deb and Tammy Langford, the wine bar and eatery spotlights a sizable vino list along with a few beer, cocktail and NA options. The food menu lends itself well to noshing, and dough is made in-house for items like Parker House rolls and flatbreads. Grazing a few of the dishes, the pommes pave ($8), layers of thinly sliced potatoes cut up into six bite-sized squares, emerged as the favorite. For such a tiny bite, the play on the humble potato, cooked with cream and dolloped with creme fraiche and thyme, was rich and indulgent.

The newly minted place sits on the same block as dining destinations Olio and Manger. Now, with a wine bar added to the mix, the possibilities of spending an evening sipping and dipping are endless. (Nancy Ngo)

In the University of Minnesota’s Stadium Village area, the tiny 24-seat Kimchi Tofu House does a brisk business with a tight menu of dishes like bibimbap, bulgogi, kimbap and buldak. As the name suggests, Kimchi Tofu House specializes in sundubu, the spicy, savory and rich silken tofu stew, offering 14 different versions, ranging from a basic one with beef or pork, to one with seafood, to another filled with dumplings.

The stew is served in small, black Korean earthenware pots and comes out ripping hot and furiously boiling. It’s accompanied with a whole raw egg on the side that you get to crack into the broth. The best deal is probably the combo special ($19.79), which gets you a bowl of sundubu, bulgogi, rice and banchan (seasoned soybean sprouts, napa cabbage kimchi and fish cakes on a recent visit). It’s enough for two meals, or one hungry college student. (Raphael Brion)

307 SE Oak St, Mpls., kimchitofu.com

The downside of hitting an all-day cafe is that you’re immediately faced with a big decision: lunch or breakfast? Once you clear that hurdle (breakfast won), the choices don’t get easier at this quaint Main Street restaurant housed in a former bank.

There’s a half-dozen eggs Benedicts and a slate of French toasts alongside breakfast sandwiches, omelets, skillets and homey classics like country-fried steak and biscuits and gravy. But the Southwest breakfast flatbread ($12.99) was too tempting on this visit. A cracker-thin crust is topped with cheese before sausage crumbles, peppers, onions, corn, black beans, eggs (egg whites in this case) and more cheese. A light hand on the cheese kept it from being heavy like many breakfast pizzas, a pleasant surprise, allowing the flavors of the other ingredients to shine.

6338 Main St., North Branch, merchantscafemn.com

There was a group of sophisticates sipping orange wine at the front table aglow from streetlights, and a man leaning on the bar looked like he’d stepped out of a Tom Waits album. This is the kind of cocktail bar that makes me love this city even harder.

Bar Oscar is the dream realized of longtime bartenders Mike Hoolihan and Jeff Luten who have served drinks all over Minneapolis, including Porzana, Mara Bar and the now-closed Bachelor Farmer. While they officially took over the Dutch Bar space late last year, it wasn’t until this month that they rolled out the new name and menu. The cocktail list is stacked with thoughtful mixes by people who know and appreciate the ingredients they’re pouring. The Barbed Wire ($14) is a bourbon-based drink with Mexican aperitif, amaro and finished with lemon and tobacco bitters. It’s balanced, with caramel whisky notes mingled with that optimistic citrus and a lingering whisper of smoke on the back note.

As much as it’s a serious drink, it disappeared quickly as I contemplated the sleek back salvaged from an old drug store, the gold leaf flecked paint chips on the ceiling and the weight of recent events outside those doors.

It felt good to have something new inside here. After settling up, I stepped back into the night, clutched my coat collar closer and hummed a gravelly tune as I took the long way home. (J.S.)