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

I love ice cream in the winter, which might be the most Minnesotan thing about me. And so I have begun my seasonal quest to keep ice cream shops in business during their slowest months, starting with the newly relocated Fletcher's. The shop moved last month from northeast Minneapolis to a prime spot on E. Hennepin Avenue, across the street from Surdyk's (in the former Pizza Nea space). The extra room allows for a much bigger ice cream case, with dozens of flavors — many of them dairy-free, by the way.

I was feeling colorful, and got a split single ($5.25) of ube ice cream so purple it'd make Prince proud, and orange cream. Ube ice cream, which is vegan, is a popular Filipino treat derived from purple yams. It tastes like caramel, and it's the only way I want to consume sweet potatoes. The orange cream was as classic as a kid's Popsicle.

Other new things of note at the new location: adorable little jars of edible cookie dough ($5), a fabulous rainbow Christmas tree, Vikings & Goddesses pastries and an expanded menu of specialty lattes, just in case you weren't planning on having ice cream in December. (Sharyn Jackson)

306 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls., 612-200-9869, fletchersicecream.com

As much as the pumpkin spice latte crowd yearns for the onset of sweater weather, I'm here for cheese season. Now is the time of soft fabrics and throw blankets and on every table there should at least be one cheese representative.

Tono's is an ideal stop for a sandwich that is constructed on a layer of lava-temp, gooey cheese. The St. Paul location on the corner of Snelling and St. Clair avenues pulls in the daylight, making those crisped meat juices shine even as the gray skies threaten snow. I love a classic cheesesteak, so my pick is the No. 1 South Philly ($13). Diced meat mingles with the soft, sweet onions and a hearty amount of melted cheese and it's all tucked into the heart of crusty bread. Each bite is a salty, juicy, cheesy celebration of the season — cheese season. (Joy Summers)

1580 St. Clair Av., St. Paul, 651-243-1978, tonomn.com

Such is the case with Que Taco, a family-run business with two suburban locations. Handmade tortillas are filled with your choice of protein — asada, pastor, carnitas, chicken tinga, barbacoa and the outstanding lengua among them — and served as street tacos, las gringas or American style ($3.25-$3.75 each). But the birria tacos ($14.99) aren't to be missed. Three supersized handmade tortillas are filled with melty cheese and juicy barbacoa, onion and cilantro and served with the hallmark dipping sauce — the epitome of comfort food. Despite the name, there's more than tacos: You'll find tortas, alambres and, on weekends, pozole. Go ahead and treat yourself to a Mexican beer or horchata, too; you'll need something to douse the fire that is Que Taco's salsa. It's all a perfect foil to a cold, windy day. (Nicole Hvidsten)

5741 Egan Drive, Savage, 952-440-4424; 7117 42nd Av. N., New Hope, 763-330-1006; quetacomn.com

Don't be alarmed when you click the link to Billy After Dark (B.A.D.), a playful new speakeasy-style cocktail lounge around back and downstairs from the North Loop's Billy Sushi. It's meant to look like spam from the family of a Nigerian astronaut stranded in space (props for the creative back story). Click through a couple of times, against your better judgment, and you will get to a reservations page.

Or, do as I did and show up right when it opens at 6 p.m., ring the doorbell as soon as the fluorescent art of a spaceman riding a T.Rex lights up, and hope to snag a table. The quirky space, decorated with trees along the booth-lined walls, and a pixelated shooting star motif on the ceiling, is roomy but fills fast.

Once you've found the place and gotten in, the next challenge is figuring out what to order. Menu descriptions go for feelings and memories rather than ingredients. If you don't want to put your server through a thousand questions, just go with your gut and pick something that speaks to you.

My companion chose the Ridin' Dirty ($16) — "through the struggle, comes out a new" — purely because that description matched her vibe after a hard workweek. It was an ultra-herbal Negroni and it met the moment. (S.J.)

116 1st Av. N., Mpls., 612-886-1783, billyafterdark.com (Yes, the site looks like a phishing attempt. It's not.)

Wishing I could get away to the tropics this week, the next best thing was a lunchtime visit to Cahill Bistro. The family-owned gem in southwest Edina is a reader favorite; I've gotten quite a few tips to try it and I wasn't steered wrong. The restaurant is simply designed, but with care and attention: Note the bud vases on every table, and some of the warmest service I've experienced.

The "Latin infusion" menu offers familiar Mexican fare, such as tacos and guacamole, as well as pan-Latin American dishes (though I didn't get it this time, I was thrilled to see the Peruvian stir-fry lomo saltado), plus some chops, pastas and sandwiches.

The ceviche ($15) is what called to me. With ample hunks of shrimp tossed into a juicy-tart mixture of tomatoes, red onion and cilantro, and served with just-out-of-the-fryer tortilla chips, the dish was bright enough to knock me out of an impending-snowstorm stupor. (S.J.)