Recommendations

Sublime Slow-Roasted Pork

Brasa Rotisserie For years, Brasa Rotisserie has been the go-to for Creole-style rotisserie chicken and Southern-inspired sides. From the mind of James Beard award-winning chef Alex Roberts, Brasa is a casual, convivial spot where meals are best had family style. They’re known for a mash-up of Southern-Caribbean-Mexican-Creole dishes, like slow roasted pork doused with fresh…  Read More

A Pho Lover’s Paradise

Authentic Vietnamese Food at Quang Home to a vibrant Vietnamese community, the Twin Cities are a pho-lover’s paradise. Quang Restaurant is family owned-and-operated, always packed and serves some of the best traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup in America. Don’t let the line out the door scare you away—even at their peak hour, the wait will…  Read More

Deep-Fried Pizza Perfection

Mucci’s Italian Owned by local restaurateur Tim Niver, Mucci’s Italian is one of the best new restaurants to come to the Twin Cities. In a tiny, unmarked brick building in St. Paul, you’ll find incredible food and service in a beautiful, yet unpretentious setting. With lacquered wood tabletops, black leather banquettes and chairs, the cozy…  Read More

Minneapolis’ Best Latin American Street Food

Hola Arepa One of the most popular Latin American restaurants in the Twin Cities, Hola Arepa started out as a food truck, slinging their take on the satisfying Venezuelan sandwiches on the streets of Minneapolis. For those unfamiliar with their eponymous arepas, think hefty griddled cornmeal cakes stuffed with all sorts of ingredients, from Argentinian-style…  Read More

Authentic Neapolitan Pizza in the Twin Cities

Punch Pizza There are plenty of great pizza places in the Twin Cities, but Punch will always have a special place in my heart. Now with eight locations across the metro, their first location, which opened back in 1996 in St. Paul’s Highland Park, is my favorite. Co-founders John Soranno, who grew up in Milan,…  Read More

The Bachelor Farmer

Modern Scandinavian-Influenced Fare Located in a historic 19th-century brick-and-timber warehouse in Minneapolis’ North Loop neighborhood, The Bachelor Farmer celebrates Nordic-inspired cuisine made with ingredients sourced from local farmers or grown on the rooftop garden. They created small masterpieces on top of a humble piece of toast before it became a culinary craze, so order a few toasts as an…  Read More

Uptown’s Favorite Neighborhood Eatery for Every Occasion

Heyday A Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2015, chef Jim Christiansen’s thoughtful food is hyper-seasonal (often foraged) and speaks to his stint at Noma, with dishes such as grilled lamb with winter radish and stewed local oats, and hake with cauliflower, smoked cod roe emulsion and herbs (pictured above). Christiansen skillfully balances flavor, texture,…  Read More

Gavin Kaysen’s Splurge-Worthy Fine Dining

Spoon and Stable After rising to chef stardom working for Daniel Boulud in NYC, Gavin Kaysen returned home in 2014 to open his first restaurant Spoon and Stable. Located in a beautifully renovated stable in the North Loop, it was the local restaurant opening of the decade. The hometown hero is one of the best…  Read More

One of the Most Unique Dining Experiences in the World

San Francisco’s In Situ By Bob & Sue By offering the signature recipes of many of the world’s greatest chefs, Michelin 3-star chef Corey Lee of Benu and his executive chef Brandon Rodgers have made In Situ, located in the renovated Museum of Modern Art, one of the most unique dining experiences in the world. The…  Read More

Surly’s Destination Brewery & Restaurant

Great Food Paired with Great Beer The folks behind Surly Brewing Co. are geniuses. Their new-ish destination brewery is an architectural stunner, with a wood and metal adorned taproom, glass-enclosed brewing facility, and a massive patio with fire pits and the occasional live music act. If I drank, I would be there all the time.…  Read More

World Famous Chicken Fried Steak on Route 66

Authentic Americana Cuisine Tune in for Bizarre Foods: Route 66 on Tuesday, February 21 at 9|8c on Travel Channel. Stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 is the most historic road in the country, an emblem of the American Dream. The fabled highway, also known as “the mother road,” is not just a means…  Read More

The Twin Cities’ Best Fried Chicken

Southern Soul Food Takes Root When you think about Minnesotan food, the first thing that comes to mind is… well, anything BUT fried chicken. Lucky for us Northerners, chef Thomas Boemer filled the city’s Southern-food-void with crunchy, succulent Tennessee hot chicken, Johnnycakes and crispy pigs’ ears. They’re also serving one of the best burgers in town…  Read More

Paris Bistro Favorites

A Few Paris Gems By Bob & Sue In addition to our favorite Michelin 3- and 2-star restaurants (L’Astrance, Le Cinq, L’Ambroisie, Pierre Gagnaire, Jean Francoise Piege, and L’Atelier Robuchon), we enjoyed some exciting meals in smaller venues and bistros:   Chez Georges This old fashioned bistro delivers classic dishes as well as anyone in…  Read More

An Epic Post Super Bowl Meal in Houston

The Best Thing I Ate Last Week One Fifth is a new concept in Houston owned by my pal Chris Shepherd. Housed in a teeny old church that became an adult film studio before facing the wrecking ball, Chris got a stay of execution and is now putting a new restaurant in the space each…  Read More

Smoked Meat Heaven Along the Bizarre Foods Southern Barbecue Trail

Highlights from the Southern Barbecue Trail I’ll line up at Aaron Franklin’s a thousand times to eat his brisket, but traveling through Georgia and the Carolinas along the Southern barbecue trail was truly unforgettable. Barbecue has humble beginnings. It’s essentially American, a meal for gatherings that has a diverse range of styles, techniques and influences.…  Read More

Seafood Tower for One at Balthazar

The Best Thing I Ate Last Week Lucky for me, last week’s press junket for the season premiere of Bizarre Foods included lunch at Balthazar in New York City. Did I spring for the Plateau de Mer for one??? Yes, yes I did. This restaurant is one of my favorites in New York, serving French…  Read More

Memorable Comfort Food in Chicago

Where to Find Great Comfort Food in the Windy City By Bob & Sue In addition to three of our favorite fine dining restaurants in Chicago—Grace, Alinea and 16 at the Trump—we enjoyed several first time places for memorable comfort food: Credit: Huge Galdones Momotaro This large Japanese restaurant offers delicious sushi and high-quality small…  Read More

The Only Buns On My Bucket List

The Best Thing I Ate Last Week By Andrew Zimmern Home to a vibrant Vietnamese community, the Twin Cities are a pho-lover’s paradise. Located on Eat Street, family owned-and-operated Quang Restaurant serves some of the best traditional Vietnamese food in America. And their dining room is always packed with loyal patrons. The barbecued pork broken rice salads are great…  Read More

Amazing Dosas in Hyderabad, India

Street Food at Its Best Tune in for Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food: Hyderabad on Thursday, September 22 at 4|3c. India’s fourth largest city, Hyderabad is home to a diverse mix of cultures and an extraordinary, complex cuisine. From dosas to biryani to 400-year-old recipes renewed, Hyderabadis pride themselves on their food. Whether you’re looking for…  Read More

Berlin’s Best Cheap Eats

Where to Eat Doner Kebabs & Burgers in Kreuzberg No neighborhood exemplifies a city transformed quite like Kreuzberg. Located in the heart of Berlin and formerly surrounded on three sides by the Berlin Wall, this area was once one of city’s poorest and known to attract artists, punks, squatters and immigrants. Today, it’s one of…  Read More

Where to Find the Best Caribbean Food in London

Caribbean Brilliance at Fish, Wings & Tings London is fast becoming one of the best restaurant cities in the world, and it’s not just because of Harrod’s Food Hall or stalwarts like Fergus Henderson’s St. John (although I can’t go to London without eating at both), there is culinary brilliance happening in unexpected places. If…  Read More

The Southern Comfort Food of My Dreams at Monell’s in Nashville

A Nashville Institution Located in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood on the bottom floor of a 150-year-old Victorian house, Monell’s is an old-world charmer serving the Southern comfort food of your dreams. Diners share large communal tables and a seemingly endless parade of family-style food, so be prepared to get to know your neighbors. And never fret, if…  Read More

Go Eat Kyrgyz Dumplings at Jibek Jolu

Central Asian Comfort Food in Chicago You’ve probably heard me say that you can understand the history of a country and its people by looking at its food. No where is this more true than the countries of Central Asia, where the Silk Road impacted all parts of culture. Dive into the meat-centric culinary traditions of…  Read More

This Might Be the Best Deal at the Minnesota State Fair

Morning, Noon & Night at Tejas Express Located at the corner of Underwood Street and Dan Patch Avenue in The Garden, Tejas Express is an institution at the Minnesota State Fair. They’re serving restaurant quality food reminiscent of the Southwest-inspired menu at the original location, which closed in 2009 after whopping 22 successful years in…  Read More

Rotisserie Chicken Worth Traveling For

A Local’s Top Recommendation for Medellin Tune in for Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food: Medellin, Tuesday August 30 at 9|8c on Travel Channel. Nestled in the gorgeous Aburra Valley in northwestern Colombia, Medellin has come a long way since it was dubbed the most dangerous city in the world during the reign of Pablo Escobar.…  Read More

The Best Bite at the Minnesota State Fair

The Best Thing I Ate Last Week By Andrew Zimmern I wait all year for the first foot long hot dog from my favorite booth. The first bite is a toe curler. The snap of the skin, the peppery frank, the well done caramelized onions and kraut. It’s simply the best bite of the year…  Read More

Eat Your Way to Victory in the #AZfairfavs Instagram Giveaway

Eat Andrew Zimmern’s favorite fair foods and share your pics for a chance to win. There’s a reason Andrew finds himself at the Minnesota State Fair for every one of its 12 days: the food. Sure, every year brings new booths to peruse and novelties to try, but nothing beats traditional state fair chow from…  Read More

All the Food Worth Trying at the Minnesota State Fair

We tasted new food at the Minnesota State Fair – here’s our take. By AndrewZimmern.com Staff Tasked with sampling a slew of new foods at the State Fair, we skipped breakfast and headed out early Thursday morning with empty stomachs and open minds. There were pleasant surprises (maple bacon shaved ice!), a few safe bets (anything with…  Read More

My New Favorite Restaurant in Bangkok

Mind Blowing Thai Food at Soei Catch Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food: Bangkok, Tuesday August 23 at 9|8c on Travel Channel. Located along the railroad track in the Dusit neighborhood, Soei is my new favorite restaurant in Bangkok. Our meal at this casual, open-air restaurant simply blew me away. Nearly every single thing I ordered…  Read More