The 5 Best Things Our Food Writers Ate This Week in the Twin Cities and Beyond

Crepe cake from Oh Crêpe!

Liberty, equality, fraternity… and pancakes. That’s how I celebrate the French national holiday.

For the past few years, I’ve stood in a serpentine line at Alliance Française’s annual Bastille Day celebration, waiting for one of Breizh Crêperie’s Claire Corvaisier’s excellent crêpes. The wait has always been worth it. But this year, there’s no need for the line (though I still won’t miss the celebration).

Corvaisier, who hails from France’s crêpe center of Brittany, recently opened Oh Crêpe! in Edina. The narrow shop, once the world’s first Caribou Coffee, is a day-and-night crêpe party. Corvaisier’s deep-brown buckwheat galettes (savory crêpes) are a hit at lunchtime, while sweet crêpes are an anytime treat. Plus, there’s a spectacular crêpe cake in rotating flavors ($12 each).

The labor-intensive construction involves 25 wafer-thin pancakes topped with cream and homemade chocolate ganache and, when I stopped by, a hint of coffee; the flavor was tiramisu. It’s a real show-stopper, literally. My table neighbors couldn’t stop talking about it.

Oh Pancake! will be back on the national holiday of 2024 on July 14th. Bonne fête! (Sharyn Jackson)

4408 France Av. S., Edina, 612-440-8998, ohcrepemn.com

Pha ram long song with shrimp at Ruam Mit Thai + Lao Cuisine

Greenery and flowers hang from the ceiling, gently swaying as customers enter and exit Ruam Mit’s newest location, bringing a welcome rush of cool air.

After four decades, three addresses and several owners, the Thai and Lao restaurant is now under the stewardship of Nia Rasavong and Mark Khaopraseuth in what was once Dunn Brothers in downtown St. Paul. With floor-to-ceiling glass in the dining room and a new shaded patio out front, it’s a tempting evening draw.

While much has been updated, the menu still has classics for loyal fans. That night, we ordered dish after dish of spicy, citrusy, and spicy dishes, but the standout had to be the pha ram long song with giant shrimp ($19). The curry is a long-standing Ruam Mit staple, a red curry with coconut milk so rich and deep it becomes a nutty, smooth sauce, and the barely wilted spinach makes a delicious blanket around the shrimp. It can be ordered with chicken, mock duck, or other options, but this classic is my classic for a reason. (Joy Summers)

367 Wabasha St., St. Paul, 651-222-7871, ruammitmn.com

Banh mi eclair from Scenic 61

The Star Tribune Taste team met and greeted readers at Taste of Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis this past weekend, and I couldn’t resist stopping for a few minutes to sample the food. Scenic 61, the food truck version of Duluth’s famed New Scenic Cafe, was on hand with an array of éclairs featuring both sweet and savory fillings. I had a hunch that such a culinary fusion would be a natural addition to their State Fair 2024 menu, and my hunch was correct. I now have a one-bite head start on our State Fair opening day dining expedition.

I chose the banh mi éclair, a light but chewy choux pastry with chicken liver pate, before it was loaded with savory pork confit, cucumbers and pickled carrots and daikon to cut through the saltiness, and a drizzle of Sriracha mayonnaise. I’m excited to try their other flavor, “the lobster,” at the show later this summer (prices not available). Their lobster roll twist was a popular choice with many who visited our booth. And speaking of those visitors, thanks to everyone who stopped by and gave us restaurant recommendations! (SJ)

Scenic 61 by New Scenic Cafe takes place at the State Fair, on the east side of Underwood St. between Lee & Randall Avs.

Hush Puppies by Krewe

Speaking of Taste of Minnesota, Krewe, Matteo Mackbee’s Creole restaurant in St. Joseph, has been on my bucket list since it opened four years ago. And while I’ve driven past the I-94 exit many times, timing has never helped me stop.

So when Krewe came to Minneapolis, courtesy of the downtown Minneapolis festival, I jumped at the chance to try it. Mackbee’s mobile menu was short and sweet: hush puppies, boudin lumpia, and classic New Orleans pralines. I’ve long been a fan of hush puppies, and none come close to Krewe’s. A mix of (among other things) cornmeal, onion, garlic, parsley, and a dash of herbs goes into the deep fryer with delicious results. They’re deliciously crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. Served with a side of remoulade, the super-sized portion of five was a steal at $10. The second day, we split an order so we could sample the equally delicious lumpia—Creole braised pork and rice, wrapped in a wafer-thin lumpia wrapper and deep-fried.

The Taste of Minnesota may be a memory, but the hush puppies and lumpia may still be a reality — they’re both on the restaurant’s menu, too. Time for a road trip. (Nicole Hvidsten)

24 College Av. N., St. Joseph, Minn., 320-557-0083, krewemn.com

Sausage and Pepperoni Pan Pizza at Two Inlets Country Store

The call of the diver echoes off the tree-lined shore and carries across the water on an early morning to the north, reinforcing the certainty that this is life in the countryside. When the wind pushes the waves up along the shore, it sounds like an invitation. It’s hard not to want to make this a daily wake-up call.

Most of us find our way back to metal, concrete and looming deadlines. Robb and Claudia Peterson decided to take a different path. That’s where I found them last week, at Two Inlets Country Store. They’d left Chattanooga, Tenn., for this small town near Itasca State Park. They’re living their dream, which in turn fueled mine: finding culinary adventures in every corner of the state.

What was once a simple roadside shop is now a place that serves up fantastic Detroit-style pizza and craft cocktails. There are also smash burgers, and Robb often fires up the smoker and serves up all sorts of goodies. The shop still sells paper plates and cinnamon rolls for the cabin, but there’s also a full bar and an outdoor living room that’s popular with snowmobilers in the cold months.

We pushed tables together, dragged in chairs, and toasted our gin drinks (lemonade for the kids) in Mason jars. The thick, pan-fried crust bubbles with that familiar focaccia-like chew and burnt-cheese edges. Knots of fennel and garlic sausage mingled with tangy pepperoni and cheese that alternated between fluffy, stretchy, and crunchy blanketed the expanse of the large pie ($24.96).

It’s almost enough to make anyone succumb to the romance of wild country life. (JS)

55735 County Hwy. 44, Park Rapids, Minn., 218-732-5235. Visit Them on Facebook.