Food Bites
Lyn-Lake Eateries
Park once, eat globally. No passport needed, and not much damage to your credit card. That’s the draw of Lyn-Lake in Minneapolis, a once-dingy-to-outright-dicey crossroad, now reclaimed by avant arts, retail, and dining ops, from fine to funky.
Falafel King, a longtime anchor of the crossroad, reigns as monarch of that Middle Eastern favorite. Domas and pita sandwiches, too, but no booze.
Fuji-Ya successfully melds demographics by offering sublime sushi at its raw seafood bar, while ushering more sedate diners to lounge on the backroom’s tatami mats to enjoy tempura and teriyaki treats.
Galactic: Can’t last a day without pizza? We hear you, so we steer you to this establishment with decor in comic-book colors, and proudly organic local provender piled atop its pies. Live entertainment consists of delivery bikers in superhero costumes.
Heidi’s shines as the new site showcasing the beyond-tasty fare of creative-culinary-genius Stewart Woodman, and just-as-out-there pastries of his wife, Heidi, from the open kitchen facing the classy cocktail bar.
Herkimer’s brews its own beer: Need we say more? Putting pub-crawling to a halt (who’d want to leave those deep, dark booths?), the resident spigot-meisters are happy to side those foaming pints with pretty tasty burgers, too.
It’s Greek to Me is the granddaddy of this intersection, a taverna where extended families of Greek heritage convene to celebrate, joined by the neoartists of the ’hood who’ve learned to yelp “Opa!” with the best of ’em. Lamb rules, from kebabs to dill-sauced shank.
moto-I, the city’s first and only sake brewery, is owned by the brewing guru behind Herkimer’s. Samplers are the way to go, sided with Asian street fare like dumplings, potstickers, and other finger fare.
Risotto, marketing Northern Italy’s claim to culinary fame, serves this glorified rice specialty in several renditions—seafood to veggie and more—along with a few more nods to the homeland’s fare and a primo wine list.
Szechuan Spice represents the best and brightest of the site’s Asian occupants to date. Heed your server’s prompting when he suggests the juicy buns, which (be forewarned) require dexterity, or a big bib. Follow up with the fab scallion pancakes.
The Egg & I, for those who’ve partied all night, and crave a breakfast nosh before hitting the pillow, is at your service. It offers fruit cups for the fastidious, plus that famous, fully-loaded kamikaze pancake for those of more forgiving habits, along with refills of joe and chatter from the kindly waitstaff.
