The April Hit List: Terzo, Meritage, Lush, and More

Wanna geek out on wine? Look no further than this trattoria in Southwest Minneapolis. For the past three years, it’s snagged top wine awards from Wine Spectator, an honor shared in 2021 by only seven other Minnesota restaurants. In keeping with the Broder family genre, the cellar list is almost exclusively composed of Italian wines (the 20 or so Champagnes are the exception). There are several hundred offerings in all, with numerous pages alone devoted to the darling of Piedmont, Barolo, plus a hearty by-the-glass selection. Food runs to the classics — pastas, porchetta sandwiches, wild boar stew — with a medley of small plates and drinks on special for $5-6 during happy hour, twice daily Tuesday through Saturday.

The party’s back at Lush — bigger, better, and with biscuits. Longtime performers Andrew Rausch (aka Crystal Belle) and Jared Lawrence (stage name: Nikki Vixxen) have teamed up with Betty and Earl’s Biscuit Kitchen owners Jason Matheson and Jennifer Lueck to relaunch the LGBTQ+ lounge and theater. Come join the weekly viewing party for RuPaul’s Drag Race, book a seat for one of the drag brunches, enjoy a little healthy competition at Drag Bingo (+meat raffle!), and nosh on items like a fried chicken sandwich (on a biscuit), mini Korean corn dogs, baked French toast, breakfast poutine, a hummus platter, and more.

After losing its space in Dinkytown last year, this Cantonese and Szechuan restaurant has reappeared in a retail area across from Rosedale Center. Yes, this means that dim sum is back but, more importantly, there’s now ample free parking, something sorely lacking on the U of M campus. Fans are rejoicing. While dim sum is available to order off the menu every day (except Monday, when Pagoda is closed), you’ll have to wait for the weekend for the all-you-can-eat special ($35.99) and rolling carts laden with bites like egg custard buns, pork soup dumplings, fried salt-and-pepper shrimp, and chicken feet in black bean sauce. For $15 more, you can also get bottomless mimosas, sangria, or sake.

Call 612-378-4710 for reservations.

Come for the drinks — including a margarita touted as “Best in the Midwest” — and definitely stay for the food at this always-busy modern Mexican joint. You’ll find tacos, tacos, and more tacos — pork carnitas, lengua, potato, and the sweetheart of the moment, birria tacos served with a side of consommé — plus a handful of wood-fired main courses. (Seafood lovers should opt for the octopus, an incredibly tender rendition that’s paired with an adobo aioli.) In addition to dinner, Pajarito offers happy hour Monday through Friday (4-6 p.m.), weekend brunch, and, as of last month, lunch seven days a week.

Day-trippers headed to Cannon Valley should keep an eye out for this orchard and cidery near Northfield, where the fruit for everything you drink is locally sourced. Apple varieties like Crimson Gold, Yarlington Mill, and Wickson Crab are allowed to spontaneously ferment with wild yeast. Then they’re aged, eventually becoming a range of artisanal ciders, an assortment of which is available on draft Saturdays and Sundays (and Fridays starting in June). Pair your drink or flight with food sourced from area producers, such as the Ploughman’s Platter (salami, ham, cheddar cheese, pickles, grilled bread, and apple), a seasonal soup, or one of the many toasties (grilled cheese sandwiches).

The main dining room at this beloved St. Paul brasserie is a gem: gorgeously decked out à la Parisienne, with a French-focused menu to match. And the romance factor is sky-high: If you aren’t in love when you arrive, you will be by the time you leave. But when you’re in the mood for a bit more buzz, pull up a seat at the lively oyster bar and order a half dozen on the half shell, paired with a crisp Muscadet from the Loire Valley or a glass of Taittinger Champagne. Now you can bring back a sea-inspired souvenir from your visit, too. Instead of discarding the hundreds of oyster shells it goes through each week, Meritage provides sustainable employment to female artists, who hand-paint, decoupage, and gild the shells, turning them into works of art as part of the Be-A-Pearl program.

Japanese and New Nordic fare breathe the same air at this spot tucked away in the Rathskeller building on the Schmidt Brewery site. This isn’t fusion cuisine but rather an opportunity to try a little bit of both: a smoked trout potato salad or a Kani Salad with crab, roe, cucumber, green onion, and Kewpie mayo sauce. Try a pork katsu sandwich on milk bread or a Nordic burger blessed with caraway pickles. Sunday means happy hour all day, complete with musical entertainment (“locally sourced”), half-price Japanese whiskies, BOGO sake, and discounts on food. Peep their Insta account to stay abreast of other specials and events.

No reservations.

An ultra-detailed renovation brought the historic Granada Theater (previously Suburban World — yes, the twinkling, star-filled ceiling in the auditorium is still there) back to its 1920s-era gorgeous, gilded glory — just in time for the mess that was 2020-21. The venue made it through with a smaller scope than was originally intended but is now offering a full slate of events (check out the candlelit shows and dance nights) and dining in its chandelier-bedecked restaurant, Uptown Lobby. The Spanish-inspired menu features tapas, tacos, burgers, shareable sampler plates, and larger entrees at night, as well as lunch on the weekends and brunch on Sundays. There’s a full cocktail program to accompany your meals, as well.

This Downtown Minneapolis storefront is celebrating a decade of serving ramen-y goodness this year. Four versions of the Japanese staple grace the menu: tonkotsu, kimchi, a brothless vegan option, and a chicken-based tori tantanmen, all of which can be gussied up with extra toppings (like a perfectly cooked soft egg). Bento boxes, Japanese curries, rice bowls, sandwiches, and a variety of appetizers fill out the offerings, as well as a new green tea tiramisu. Lovers of the restaurant’s homemade chili crisp will be happy to know that they can now pick up a jar of the hot sauce to take home.