COSMOS
Jane Sherman
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I've always loved Cosmos for its Charles and Ray Eames do the Matrix decor, for the rich, savory, powerfully surprising cooking, as led by Seth Bixby Daugherty, and for the deeply competent service, but when I heard that Cosmos has recently morphed its everyday breakfast and lunch into an all-day brunch extravaganza, I truly began to worry about the likelihood of anyone getting any work done downtown, ever again. (Cosmos, Le Meridien Minneapolis, 601 First Avenue N., Minneapolis, 612.677.1100.)
TANPOPO
Having Tanpopo in your world is like possessing one perfect glass bowl, one exquisite vessel that is just exactly right for every occasion, for flowers in summer, fruits in winter, for heart-joy every time you observe its vast simplicity. As a restaurant, the place fills every need: It provides peace and serenity through the high-ceilinged, templelike room with its distantly spaced tables; it provides filling, hearty multi-course teishoku meals for an evening's deep and diverse sustenance (at around 10 bucks); it restores with steaming bowls of noodles; rejuvenates with a hearty, sturdy, glass of wine; and, generally, performs the magical act of returning you to the world feeling much less like an empty vessel, and much more like an exquisite one. (Tanpopo Noodle Shop, 308 Prince St., St. Paul, 651.209.6527; www.tanpopo-noodle.com.)
A REBOURS
I recently wrote a full review extolling the virtues of St. Paul's newest bistro, so I'll make this brief: The big news here is that some of the Twin Cities' most talented restaurant folks learned deep lessons from previous stumbles and put it all together in a glorious way. Roger Johnsson, executive chef and partner, put behind him the stratospheric prices and weird inconsistencies of closed gastronomic destination restaurant Aquavit to unveil a menu both bold and clever, and also priced to move. Doug Anderson, emcee and part owner, and Jessica Anderson, brilliant baker and part owner, left behind the madhouse art-clique vibe of Bakery on Grand to embrace service that clicked along like the insides of a Swiss watch. It's said that you learn more from your failures than from your successes, but glittering, reliable A Rebours proves that you learn more from both. (A Rebours, 410 St. Peter St., St. Paul, 651.665.0656.)
MAI VILLAGE
I never dreamed I'd see a million-dollar Vietnamese restaurant that maintained its $7 price point, but then we got Mai Village. On further reflection, Mai Village, with its hand-carved interior pagoda, bridge, and waterfall, wine list and full bar, and proud family vibe is in many ways a dream come true: an American dream of what immigrants can do with ceaseless hard work and a little community support. (Mai Village, 394 University Ave., St. Paul, 651.290.2585.)
HEARTLAND
It looked touch-and-go for a while there at Heartland, a restaurant with a brilliant vision (all proudly Northern Heartland ingredients, prepared with excruciatingly detailed French technique) but without much of a marketing budget. Luckily, folks with taste rallied round the little Macalester-area restaurant, and now the future looks more secure. So why not treat yourself to dinner in a dining room where many of the servers have been there since the place opened, where most of the 270-bottle wine list is priced at retail, and the applewood-smoked Pequot Lakes Chukar Partridge with preserved cranberry glacé de viande and Canadian wild rice cake is beyond compare? (Heartland, 1806 St. Clair Ave., St. Paul, 651.699.3536; www.heartlandrestaurant.com.)
LUCIA'S:
Chef Lucia Watson is so important, so brilliant, so integral to the entire idea of a Northern cuisine and a good Minneapolis restaurant that it's sometimes hard to remember to give thanks. Just as Americans should probably think about Thomas Jefferson at least once a day, Twin Cities diners should give a nod of thanks to Lucia Watson whenever they approach a restaurant soup that wasn't made with beer and cheese. That said, I had a fettuccini special there a few weeks ago in which each ribbon of pasta was as light and ethereal as a dandelion puff on the wind. I washed it down with an Alsatian Riesling that trilled with the chill energy of the cold night sky. I was waited on by a server as invisible as she was competent. And I almost failed to notice any of it, because that's just what you expect from Lucia's. What's fair about that? (Lucia's, 1432 W. 31st St., Minneapolis, 612.825.1572; www.lucias.com.)
OCEANAIRE
If there's a more satisfying sight in the Twin Cities than the chalkboard bearing the oyster list at the Oceanaire, I don't know it. Kumamoto? Wellfleet? Blue Point? I'll take all of them. Servers who have been there for years and years, a wine list that has recently grown much more inclusive and accessible, daily specials that demonstrate both the chef's creativity and brilliant sourcing only heap more glitter upon this seafood citadel, which was pretty darn sparkly to begin with. (The Oceanaire Seafood Room, Hyatt Regency Center, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 612.333.BASS; www.theoceanaire.com.)
