Diane’s Place is open for breakfast and lunch, with dinner service planned for the future. | Gemma Weston At Diane Moua’s Minneapolis restaurant, the Beard-nominated pastry chef delves into the savory world Pastry chef Diane Moua’s new Hmong American restaurant, Diane’s Place, is finally open in Northeast Minneapolis. It’s a big moment for a few reasons, the first being that Moua, who has spent decades at the apex of the Twin Cities’ pastry scene, is now leading all realms of the kitchen, serving bright papaya tamarind salads and slow-simmered noodle soups alongside her pastries. But it’s also ..read more

Oro by Nixta’s wild boar tamale. | Tim Evans/Eater Twin Cities Three local chefs and restaurants are on the Beard Foundation’s short list this year Out of a pool of seven 2024 semifinalists, three Twin Cities chefs and restaurants have been named James Beard Award finalists this year. Oro by Nixta is nominated for Best New Restaurant, a national category, while chefs Ann Ahmed of Khâluna and Christina Nguyen of Hai Hai are nominated for Best Chef, Midwest. This is a first-time nomination for chefs Gustavo and Kate Romero of Oro by Nixta, who expanded their tortilleria and takeout operation int ..read more

Diane’s Place is set to open April 6 after huge anticipation. | Libby Anderson Diane’s Place, who honors her Hmong heritage with bold Southeast Asian pastries, will open its doors April 6 At long last, diners in the Twin Cities can get a reservation to James Beard-nominated chef Diane Moua’s debut restaurant, fittingly dubbed Diane’s Place. A few details emerged last fall, tidbits like the restaurant’s name, size, and a few of the incoming staff, all of whom previously worked dazzling gigs at the likes of Meteor Bar and La Belle Vie. Now a press release says the chef will open the doors to her ..read more

Murray’s Steakhouse in downtown Minneapolis. | Murray’s Steakhouse Iconic steakhouses, pristine omakase, and tasting menu destinations around town Certain special occasions warrant a true restaurant splurge — birthdays, anniversaries, and promotions all taste a little sweeter with an excellent meal on the table. But every splurge involves some level of risk, especially if you’ve been saving for months to finally try that seven-course tasting menu, or to go all-in on a once-in-a-lifetime steak. This map highlights restaurants that are more than just “fancy” or “upscale” — they’re spots where yo ..read more

Dave’s #3 combo with an extra side of kale slaw. | Justine Jones Two rapidly expanding coastal chains are finding their footing in the Midwest Two coastal chain restaurants landed in the Cities last week, bringing Nashville-style hot chicken and saucy chicken wings in tow. Los Angeles-based Dave’s Hot Chicken, franchised by former NBA player Kris Humphries, is now open on St. Paul’s Ford Parkway; out in the south suburbs, New York City’s Atomic Wings is setting up shop in Edina. Dave’s Hot Chicken is a truly prolific chain: It has more than 50 locations in California alone, and many more — lik ..read more

Custard buns and more at the new Keefer Court. The iconic bakery is back with all the same Hong Kong-style pastries — plus Vietnamese desserts Keefer Court, the enduring Chinese bakery that Sunny and Paulina Kwan first opened in Minneapolis’s Cedar Riverside neighborhood in 1983, has reopened at Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall under new owners Michael and Mai Bui and Peter Do. The Kwans, joined by their daughter Michelle, attended the bakery’s opening on March 14, serving steamed barbecue pork buns and curry beef puffs from behind the counter. They’ve passed all of Keefer’s pastry recipes — for Hong ..read more

Ohio State and Iowa are in town for the Big Ten women’s tournament. | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Easy breakfasts, casual dinner spots, late-night eats, and more near Target Center in downtown Minneapolis The 2024 Big Ten women’s basketball tournament has officially kicked off, bringing thousands of out-of-town fans to downtown Minneapolis. If you’re one of them, you probably want to know where to eat. Downtown isn’t quite the culinary heart of the city, so for a broader view of the Twin Cities’ food scene, peek at the 38 essential restaurants map; the Eater’s Guide; essential bars in Min ..read more

A Saint Dinette omelet. | Saint Dinette Dim sum, French omelets, and sugar-dusted beignets at the Cities’ enduring brunch restaurants Below are some of the Cities’ most essential brunches, from dim sum feasts to Mexican buffets to classic steak-eggs-and-hashbrowns spreads. While this map highlights longstanding brunch spots that have stood the test of time, our brunch heatmap covers exciting new brunches on the scene. Our breakfast map highlights restaurants that open earlier in the morning, though of course many of these also serve brunch — so if you don’t find a perfect fit here, give that a ..read more

Toma Mojo’s value menu launches Friday, March 1. | Toma Mojo Grill As fast food prices balloon, Toma Mojo Grill is adding snack wraps, value-sized French fries, and $2.99 cans of Hamm’s to its menu There’s an antidote to the hyper-capitalist tailspin that is the Wendy’s surge pricing debacle, and its name is a Mango Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap That Costs $3. Toma Mojo Grill, the fast-casual, Spanish-style restaurant by Minneapolis fine dining veterans Paul Backer and Michael Knox, is adding a value menu to its already-pretty-reasonable pricing this Friday, March 1. All 12 items are $2.99 and und ..read more

Smoked goat, mushroom egusi, fufu, and dried collard from Bos and Sherman’s dinner at the James Beard Foundation space. | Shane P. Liao Wild rice jolof, elk tamales, and smoked duck and crawfish gumbo are on the menu for chefs Mecca Bos and Sean Sherman’s February pop-up dinner In celebration of Black History month, chefs Sean Sherman and Mecca Bos are joining forces to collaborate on a pop-up showcasing Black and Indigenous foodways. The five-course dinner will take place at Sherman’s restaurant, Owamni, on February 27. A follow-up to the duo’s dinner at the James Beard House in May 2023, the ..read more