New on Resy: Saint Paul Grill, Pau Hana, Cardamom, and More

Closed down in the early days of the pandemic, this iconic downtown eatery in the historic Saint Paul Hotel is back in full force with a hearty all-American menu, a dazzling array of top-flight spirits, and one of the best wine lists in the Midwest.

You’ll be happy with the innovative vegetable dishes and wood-fired seafood and meats at this stylish Nordeast newcomer from local restaurant pros Kim Tong and chef Dennis Leaf-Smith (Esker Grove, Lurçat) — but you’ll be over the moon if, weather permitting, you pull up a chair on the leafy, arbor-shaded patio; it’s one of the area’s most appealing outdoor dining spaces.

Tacos, ceviche, empanadas, oversized burritos, and a tequila-centric cocktail list will keep you coming back to this Longfellow modern-Mexican enterprise from Sonora-born chef Conrado Badilla Paredes. Pro tip: come by on weekday afternoons for happy hour nachos and $2 tallboys.

This brewpub, coffee and pastry bar, and restaurant in St. Paul’s West Seventh occupies an 1885-vintage former firehouse, where chef Drew Ledo (Aster Café, Dark Horse Eatery & Bar) serves a casual menu, including fried Manchego cheese, vegetable toast, and a much-praised burger.

Food and art go well together. See, for instance, this new Mediterranean-themed restaurant at Minneapolis’s famed Walker Art Center, where chefs Daniel del Prado and Shawn McKenzie (Burch Steak & Pizza, Café Cerés) serve museum-goers — and anybody else who comes by — everything from Moroccan carrot salad to seared salmon with sumac butter.

The Minneapolis suburb of Savage is roughly 4,000 miles from Hawaii, but you wouldn’t know it when you step into this big, breezy, island-themed place from chef-restaurateur Chris Ikeda (Lake & Irving). You’ll find loco moco and poke, of course, and a pizza with pineapple — and enough tropical-themed cocktails to make you dream of palm trees and surf.