The latest from Twitter: @BirchwoodCafe is featuring artwork by WACSO (check out his lively contributions to some of our stories), @fultonbeer’s Sweet Child of Vine is only $3 a pint @ZenBoxIzakaya, @RickNelsonStrib wants to know how you tip, and @MNBeerActivists ask about the best beer for breakfast time.

Spiced Cubano, pretzel bites with spicy cheese dip, coconut curry soup with tomatoes and pumpkin, Drunken Pig chocolates, Wisconsin Swiss / gruyere fondue, and wild rice and honey sprouts.

Becca Dilley / Heavy Table / File

Do you prefer your wedge of cheese to be semi-hard or soft ripened? Mild or sharp? These and several more, all of them made locally by artisanal cheese makers, will be available for tasting at Ferndale Market, Cannon Falls, MN on Saturday, February 18 from 11 to 2 during Local, Artisan Cheese Day.

“We are so lucky to have a diverse mix of award-winning cheeses made right in our region,” said John Peterson, Ferndale Market’s General Manager. “One of the real joys of local food is having the chance to meet the producers behind these great products, and that’s what this day is all about.”

The cheeses to be sampled at this free event include Amablu Gorgonzola , St. Pete’s Select Blue, and Fini Cheddar, all aged in Faribault Dairy Company’s historic caves (below). LaClare Farms’ Evalon aged goat cheese (top) from Chilton, WI, bears a hint of asiago flavor, according to some tasters. The popular Juusto baked cheeses from Cashton, WI, bring back memories of old-style Scandinavian specialties to some of Ferndale Market’s regulars. The cheese makers themselves will offer up tastes from 11-2 and then, at noon, a few remarks and a Q & A session. They are Katie Hedric of LaClare Farms, Jeanne Kenevan from Faribault Dairy, and Bentley Lein, Pasture Pride Cheese, making them a sort of three-way summit of local cheese experts.

Becca Dilley / Heavy Table / File

Widmer’s aged cheddar and traditional Wisconsin brick will be sampled by Ferndale staff, as well as the Bent River Camembert using milk sourced from Cedar Summit Dairy in New Prague. In addition to the sampling, Ferndale Market has promised to have a little fun with a cheese trivia contest that day, and a few lucky winners will take home (what else?) local cheese!

If you’re making the short drive to Cannon Falls on February 18^th for Ferndale’s Local, Artisan Cheese Day, be sure to leave time for a stop at Cannon River Winery’s annual Artist Gallery that happens to be the same day. There’s nothing like a quick road trip of cheese, wine, and art to brighten the winter blues!

WHAT: Local, Artisan Cheese Day at Ferndale Market
WHERE:
Ferndale Market
31659 County 24 Blvd
Cannon Falls, MN 55009
One block west of 52 in Cannon Falls. If coming from the metro, take a right at the first set of stoplights.
WHEN: Saturday, February 18, 11am – 2pm

Two central Wisconsin butchers rise to the level of Master Meat Crafters, Dara previews Sparks in Bryn Mawr, the first page of locally produced gastronomic graphic novel Cocotte, a pancake breakfast to benefit the Women’s Prison Book Project, Rick looks for feedback on whether servers should confront customers who radically undertip (prepare to enjoy commenter chadmg7, who channels the spirit of Mr. Pink), a taste of Rush River Unforgiven Amber Ale, and a profile of Wisconsin-made Gail Ambrosius truffles.

The latest from Twitter: @BlueOxCoffeeCompany plugs their peppermint mocha garnished with a Thin Mint from the Girl Scouts (it’s that time of year!), @ngonbistro announces their Valentine’s Day tasting menu, @RogueChocolate marvels that every one of their bars is hand-inspected by the founder himself, and @france44 is serving a decadent-sounding fig salami with blue cheese.

Cranberry pecan boule, pavlovas, chicken with wild rice soup and bacon, homemade yogurt, curried wild rice with lentils, sweet basil cheesecake with honey, and cut out sugar cookies.

The always excellent Tanpopo is offering a lunchtime bento option called Bento Taro (eight box minimum order; on twitter as @bentotaroMN), an “Evening at the World Championship Cheese Contest” event in Madison [PDF with details], thoughts on the Crispin purchase by Miller, there’s a cool-looking local food-based webcomic called Cocotte coming up, a blah review for Lucky Bucket Snowsuit beer, a Wisconsin cheeseboard, the Suburban World theater is up for sale (here’s our review of their breakfast with cartoons), a look at El Amin’s Fish House in North Minneapolis, details on Indeed Brewing and its taproom, some cool photos from North Coast Nosh III, a grand V-Day event and meals roundup from Stephanie March, and the Well Fed Guide to Life brunches at Nick and Eddie’s.

Crystal Liepa / Heavy Table

In the growing maze of Eden Prairie strip malls, there are numerous restaurant choices, but few that seem genuinely appealing — especially for a quick lunch. Red Moon Chinese Cafe proved a lively surprise, and Little Sushi on the Prairie is a reliable option. Now there’s a third hidden gem: India Spice House.

Tucked into a stretch that features an insurance office and an oil change shop, the restaurant is easy to miss. But it boasts some standout dishes that are well worth the visit.

Redecorated just a few months ago, the restaurant is surprisingly cozy for a lunchtime visit, but that could be just because it’s dark. Standard Indian restaurant decor blends with warm colors and low lighting to make it a soothing, laid-back experience, complete with highly attentive servers.

Crystal Liepa / Heavy Table

The buffet (8 weekdays; $10 weekends) is on the small side, but since many of the dishes pop with flavor, it seems more than enough. The paratha bread — aggressively flattened and slightly oily — makes a palate-cleanser for the high spice level of the other dishes. The dal makhani, in particular, sneaks up on you in stages, until you’re feeling like a fire eater by the meal’s end. But in a good way.

Other well-balanced and nuanced selections include the chicken tandoori, chilli gobi, and egg masala. Unlike some other Indian buffets in town, India Spice House puts a good deal of effort into its sauces, and that’s a boon for either cooling down the meal or heating it up even more. The yogurt-based raita is a refreshing pick to dial down the spice, for example, while the coconut chutney is wickedly hot.

Crystal Liepa / Heavy Table

There’s also a mango puree, but if you’re looking for a stronger flavor pairing, opt for the mango milkshake ($2.99), which is similar to a mango lassi, but with a thinner consistency.

There are a few false notes in an otherwise delicious buffet. The inclusion of eggrolls is mystifying, considering that there are no other non-Indian selections. The eggrolls themselves are greasy and lackluster, and certainly don’t benefit from languishing in a steam tray. The goat biryani, too, is disappointing, since the meat is a little dry and flavorless.

But then there’s the paneer. Homemade, perfect in texture, this cheese elevates and balances the spicy tikka masala sauce that accompanies it.

Crystal Liepa / Heavy Table

My dining companion, on her second buffet round, chose to get only this option, piling the plate high with paneer. Small wonder: the cheese’s freshness is so satisfying that it puts many of the metro area’s Indian restaurants to shame. The consistency is sublime — firm as a well-made cheese curd, but without the squeak when you bite it. Are you tired of hearing about the paneer yet? Believe me, after you make the trek to EP for lunch, you won’t shut up about it either. Like the baklava at FilFillah, this is a signature item that alone is worth the effort.

Another distinctive aspect to the restaurant is its association with the grocery next door. With long aisles of Indian foodstuffs and advertising posters of happy Indian babies, it’s a nod toward an increasingly suburban Twin Cities Asian population. According to U.S. Census data (via the Metropolitan Council), the number of Asian residents in Eden Prairie is nearly 9.2 percent of the city’s total population, compared to about four percent in Minnesota overall (and up from the city’s reported 4.81 percent Asian demographic ten years ago). So, you might as well stock up while you’re there, particularly for goat meat and unusual fish (rohu, pomfret, and hilsha, for example).

With its intimate dining room and attached grocery, India Spice House is a modest, sweet find in the midst of Applebee’s and other chain restaurants. Just be sure to load up on the paneer.

Crystal Liepa / Heavy Table

India Spice House
Indian food & buffet in Eden Prairie

8445 Joiner Way
Eden Prairie MN 55344
952.942.7510
HOURS: 11:30am-9pm Mon-Thurs & Sun; 11:30am-10pm Fri & Sat
BAR: No
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes / Yes
ENTREE RANGE: $5.99-10.99

“Harira for Haters,” smoked mozzarella flatbread pizza, beet, fennel, and apple salad with honey-mustard dressing, and sun-dried skillet pizza.

A recap of the Minnesota Food Bloggers meetup / Brother Ali video shoot, the Northstar Bartenders’ Guild creates buzz for their upcoming “Imbibes of March” event, Zimmern swings by :D-Spot and wants to be impressed by your Mexican restaurant recommendation, and MillerCoors acquires Minneapolis-based Crispin Cider and its affiliate, Fox Barrel Cider, in an effort to benefit from the fast-growing cider sector of the beverage industry.

Debra Fisher Goldstein / St. Louis Park Patch

That’s right, Nordic Ware, Minnesota maker of the iconic Bundt® pan, offers classes in its beautiful Factory Store kitchen in St. Louis Park. The two-hour, Tuesday evening demonstration classes are $25.00 per person plus tax and include tastings, take-home recipes, and store discount the night of the class. In the classes, local chefs, cookbook authors, bloggers, and experienced cooking instructors teach cooking and baking techniques and sample delicious recipes.

Debra Fisher Goldstein / St. Louis Park Patch

There are great classes coming up this spring. A list can be found on the Nordic Ware website at happenings /class-schedule, and new classes are being added all the time. While you’re on the website, don’t forget to sign up to receive Nordic Ware Factory Store emails about classes and Factory Store sales.

The Nordic Ware Factory Store is also a great place for private classes. You can create your own class with a special theme or have the chef surprise you. Bring your book group, plan a bridal shower, have a company event, or just a girls’ or guys’ night out enjoying great food and learning cooking techniques from an experienced chef instructor in the intimate setting of the Nordic Ware Factory Store. Private classes range from $25.00 to $50.00 per person, not including tax, and pricing is set depending upon the selected menu and length of class.

Debra Fisher Goldstein / St. Louis Park Patch

Need to do a little shopping? Information on upcoming classes is also available at the Factory Store which is located adjacent to Nordic Ware’s St. Louis Park corporate headquarters and factory at 4925 Highway 7 in St. Louis Park (at the intersection of Highways 100 and 7). The store is frequented by home cooks, chefs, and restaurant owners and features first quality cookware and bakeware, microwave and barbeque products, and kitchen tools and accessories. as well as factory close-outs and irregulars.

Nordic Ware is a well-known name here in Minnesota and around the world. This family-owned, American manufacturer of kitchenware products was founded in 1946 and just celebrated its 65^th anniversary. Today, two out of three American households own and use Nordic Ware products. The Nordic Ware website offers a complete line of products and feature recipes that focus on current food trends using Nordic Ware’s products.

Whole grain banana ricotta bread, pineapple buns, winter salad, pasta with toasted bread crumbs, and pizza with whole eggs and sopressata.

The latest from Twitter: @PizzeriaLola’s Monday special is Pork Belly Pie, @MPLSswappers shares an update on their dealings with the Minneapolis Department of Health, and @mnbeer helps announce the addition of Indeed Brewing to Northeast Minneapolis.

Reviews of Dickey’s BBQ Pit in Eden Prairie and C&G’s Smoking BBQ (which we really enjoyed), the City Pages story of how milk cooperatives work together to drive up milk prices, photographic birthday wishes for Harriet Brewing, and a (partially gastronomic) tribute to Downtown West in Minneapolis.

A gorgeous Minnesota-cheese based Valentine’s idea from the Caves of Faribault, Chowgirls Killer Catering is doing a Locavore Love Affair pop-up dinner for V-Day, how Boulevard Brewing‘s chocolate ale sets Kansas City hearts a-flutter, and Rick’s picks for V-Day dinner.

The Grand Sandwich closes its doors (our review here), vintage photos of the Triangle Bar, Fransen’s Bar, and Jack Clark’s Bar, a case for the Crescent Moon Bakery’s kee-razy website, and David Anderson of Dave’s Brew Farm gets a knee replaced.

Sarah McGee / Heavy Table

“Minnesotans need to do more of this,” Jack Riebel said. Riebel, late of the Dakota and now chef at the upcoming Butcher and the Boar, gestured across a room of more than 150 people, seated shoulder to shoulder at beer-hall tables, plates piled high with sausages and cured meats. There was a low hum of conversation and a pleasing number of casual elbows on the table — a room saying, “We’re all friends here.”

I’m pretty sure Riebel meant more community meals, more family-style dining, more old-fashioned potluck block parties. But he also might have meant eating more fantastic sausage made by the area’s favorite chefs. And Sausage Fest, hosted last Thursday at the Summit brewery in St. Paul by the Twin Cities Daily Planet, offered a lot of both.

L to R from top: Sample Room, Modern, coppa from Green Ox, Natedogs, Clancey's. Sarah McGee / Heavy Table

The event was the Daily Planet’s second annual community fundraiser. Or, as Jeremy Iggers, executive director of the Twin Cities Media Alliance, likes to call it, a “friendraiser,” bringing together readers and supporters of the community news site. A little sausage — and a little free beer provided by Summit — can translate into a lot of good will.

The evening also marks the official merger of two of Iggers’ projects: The 3-year-old TCFoodies.com has now become part of the Daily Planet. Iggers is promising a fresh food story every day, in addition to a food-centric newsletter.

Sarah McGee / Heavy Table

But, why sausage? “I was thinking about beer, winter, Mardi Gras, the German festival Fasching. Sausage is a good winter food,” said Iggers (above, right, with Twin Cities Daily Planet arts editor Jay Gabler) . “There’s also been a sausage explosion in the Twin Cities, with the [upcoming] Butcher and the Boar, with Green Ox.”

Think of it as a mini-explosion, or an augur of things to come. There were eight vendors at Sausage Fest — Kramarczuk’s, Black Forest, NateDogs, Clancey’s, the Modern, the Sample Room, Green Ox, and Butcher and the Boar — and that’s a pretty fair representation of the current crop of artisanal sausage makers in the Twin Cities right now.

Sarah McGee / Heavy Table

The highlight of an evening when I didn’t put anything even mediocre in my mouth was easily the wild boar sausage from Riebel’s Butcher and the Boar. The pile of bright carmine links on the table looked promising even before I stabbed one with my fork and took a bite: almost impossibly juicy, with a sweet heat and pleasant, faint gaminess.

One of the cooks looks aghast: The barbecue sauce. I was supposed to eat it with the barbecue sauce. “No! It needs absolutely nothing!” I hear myself nearly shout. Then, I remember my manners, regain my composure, and find it in me to say, “Yes. Of course. I would love to try your house-made barbecue sauce.” It was tangy, smoky, and also an otherworldly red. But, I still maintain, that boar sausage needed nothing at all.

That sausage will be on the menu at the Butcher and the Boar when it opens late this month. As will a deconstructed ham sandwich Riebel was showing off: dense rye bread, whipped butter, thin-sliced sweet pickles, and wild boar ham. It made a lovely bite.

Sarah McGee / Heavy Table

Green Ox, run by Mike Phillips, who has cooked at the Modern, Chet’s Taverna, and Craftsman, was showing off a impressive spread of cured meats, from a whole leg of prosciutto to pancetta, Genoa, pepperoni, coppa, loma, and lonza. Tyler Montgomery, who works with Phillips, said guests were snapping up the prosciutto, but his favorite is the coppa. “It’s got great flavor, with a fruitiness from juniper berries and spice from crushed red pepper.” This coppa — a dry-cured whole pork neck, was nearly devoid of marbling and yet still melted the moment it hit your tongue.

Malcolm Kaplan, head butcher at Clancey’s Meat and Fish, had brought a platter full of the popular duck sausage, made with meat from Au Bon Canard and a wintery citrus marmalade. Kaplan makes about a dozen kinds of sausage a week, including a fantastic lamb merguez, and he always makes sure there’s a duck sausage in rotation. “We take our sausage seriously,” Liz Kaplan, Clancey’s manager interjects emphatically. “We love it. And we love our duck farmers.”

Nate Beck of Natedogs — a bright orange food cart you can still find on the streets of St. Paul and Minneapolis, despite the winter chill — doesn’t make his own sausages, but he does make his own fresh sauerkraut to top them. Instead, Pastures A Plenty makes the dogs to his specifications. You’ve got two choices: a classic wiener or — why have I never found this before? — a Bratdog. That’s right: a bratwurst you don’t have to unhinge your jaw to eat because it’s cased in a skinnier hot dog casing.

Sarah McGee / Heavy Table

You may have heard that Matt Paulson, head chef at the Sample Room, is on a quest to create 100 unique sausages. He’s on track to finish the project in about two years and he brought sausage #11 to show off: a green curry chicken sausage (above). The chicken was silky and smooth (added pork fat helps) and the curry added just enough heat. Up next: Watch his specials board for a rabbit and plum sausage.

Even while he was handing out free sausage on a night when he could have been in his own kitchen, Paulson was clearly glad to be at Sausage Fest. “To get to a point where somebody like Jeremy Iggers calls you up and says, ‘We like what you do and we want you to keep doing it,’” Paulson said, “Well, I really appreciated that.”

Jim Grell, chef and owner at the Modern Café, was equally appreciative. “It’s just great to be around your peers and talking technique,” he said afterward. “I walked away learning a few things, which is great.” Grell claims his pork and fennel sausage is the product of his advancing age. “I’m getting to be an old man and I can’t cook on the line anymore,” he said. “Making sausage is one of the few things I can do that’s nice for our kitchen.” But the links on his cutting board belied his modesty. Flavorful and juicy, this was not amateur sausage. For that, too, Grell gave much credit to Mike Phillips, whom he claimed as a sausage mentor and the source of valuable critiques.

And there we were, having made most of the circuit around the hall at Sausage Fest and yet all the potential bad puns were left hanging in the air. So far no one was going there. Really? Were we all so very grown-up?

Apparently not. There on the Modern Café’s table, next to the forks was a pile of … condoms? “Natural casings,” explained Grell and smiled wickedly. An older woman, he said, had picked one up early in the evening and said, “Oh! Handi-wipes!” “I just couldn’t say anything,” Grell said. “She came back later and picked up a few more for her friends, adding, “We don’t need these anymore, but … .”

The latest from Twitter: @chowgirls is planning a Valentine’s Day Dinner featuring loads of local farmers, @BlackDogStPaul is serving limited edition Lift Bridge Biscotti Ale tonight only, @SaffronMpls will reward the person who guesses how many pounds of lamb bacon are piled on their counter, and (though not from Twitter) Beez Kneez Bicycle Delivered Honey tragically lost a hive yesterday.

Perfect hot chocolate; granola; braised halibut with leeks, mushrooms, and clams; and sweet and spicy pork roast.

WACSO sketched iPho by Saigon, praise for Ted Cook’s 19th Hole, how the Summit Hill Association successfully fought off a new wine-bar equipped location of Cupcake on Grand Avenue, the Fridges of Hennepin County, a snapshot of some of the most notable ongoing restaurant delays, Lift Bridge Biscotti Ale, love for Cheeky Monkey Deli, and pull tabbin’ it at Dempsey’s Public House in Fargo.

James Norton / Heavy Table

Nineteen miles over the border into Wisconsin on Hwy 94, mere yards from the exit marked “Baldwin,” there is a Mobil station.

If you stop at this Mobil station and fill up, you may glance over and notice a sign in the window that is unlike any other sign on any other gas station (Mobil or not) between St. Paul and Chicago.

It reads: “WE SERVE AMERICAN AND EAST INDIAN FOOD IN RESTAURANT — CURRY TANDOORI SHAKES LASSI VEG SPECIALTY CHAI.”

Six months ago I noted this with interest. There is no commercial reason to be serving Indian food off the side of Highway 90 / 94, a notorious food desert. Locals won’t clamor for it. Passers-through are close enough to or from Minneapolis-St. Paul that they won’t pull over and eat a sit-down meal. The only real explanation for the sign is this: Somebody is so bloody determined to serve Indian food that they’re doing it, commercial imperatives be damned. The sign smacked of hopeless, pointless, beautiful love.

I promptly forgot that the sign and the Mobil station existed. But this week, driving back from Madison and half-mad with both curiosity and hunger, I pulled over to check it out. The assumption was that whatever quixotic impulse had led to its construction had burned out. But, no. The sign was still there.

The Mobil station’s restaurant is called Ray’s Southside, and it’s a tired-looking place. Swinging wooden shutters separate the counter from the kitchen; one shutter dangles half off of its hinges, and swings at a 45 degree angle. On a Tuesday afternoon, multiple groups of old men in overalls were eating chicken wing “wing dings” and hamburgers. One of the waitresses was aware that the Super Bowl was being played the next weekend, but couldn’t think of who was in it; the old man at the counter only knew that the Packers weren’t, so he didn’t much care.

But there on the specials board — right below “wing dings” — was the Indian special of the day, “Chicken Shahi Korma,” for $6.99.

I ordered it, and was asked if I’d like my dish mild, medium, or hot. I blurted out “mild” without thinking, and then immediately regretted my answer. Ordering a “mild” anything in a bad-to-mediocre Indian restaurant is the kiss of death, and will result in a castrated dish, devoid of flavor.

So when I put the first bite to my lips, I was braced for blast of bland. But no; the food had depth of spice, it had balance, and it even had a mild but pleasant kick of heat at the back of each bite. The dish was rich without being caked with an artless, cream-based sauce — much of the pleasure from the plate came from the full-flavored paneer, the raisins, the almonds, and the multidimensional sauce that brought all the various elements together. And when the dish hit my table, it was not barely warm, congealed from hanging out under a heat lamp, but delightfully piping hot.

Korma is often creamier and more almond-driven — this version had a tomato base, and consequently more acid than you might expect. Still: legitimately delicious. And serendipitous. (Hunger is the best sauce; serendipity is the second best best sauce, and they layer beautifully.)

I talked to my waitress about the dish and my experience. The dish, she said, was a “team effort,” put together by everyone in the kitchen. The Indian food isn’t typically available on weekends. It has been served at Ray’s Southside “for some time now.”

Clearly getting nowhere, I settled my check and tried the East Indian woman working the counter at the gas station half of the establishment. She was pleased but slightly bemused to hear that I enjoyed the food. She said that she had no idea if it was a family recipe, or, even, what exactly it was doing there. “My husband makes it,” she said, disclaiming responsibility with what may have been a faintly detectable rolling of eyes.

Next time I’ll talk my way into the kitchen and shake the hand of the chef. But he probably won’t need to hear my words, as he is clearly cooking for himself.

Ray’s Southside
American and East Indian Food in Baldwin, WI
501 US Highway 63
Baldwin, WI 54002
715.684.4729
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes / Possibly
ENTREE RANGE: $5-10

The latest from Twitter: @piccolo_mpls debuts new menu items, @PizzeriaLola informs @FreshTartSteph of a forthcoming gluten-free crust, @spclassiccookie is having a New Oven Bake Sale on Saturday, and @DearDara and @MNMOmag will be at France 44 tonight.

Maple sugar candy, orange and olive oil cake, roasted beets with skordalia, coconut waffles with chunky pineapple syrup, green smoothies, and raw corn tortilla chips.

Emily Schnobrich / Heavy Table

Ryan Taylor loves cake so much he used to make a weekly pilgrimage to Cub for a big fat personal slice. In 2011, Taylor’s enthusiasm morphed into a company called Cakedy (pronounced cake-uh-dee, a sound that mimics Taylor’s playful attitude) and a mission to create a candy bar that equals the joy of a dense piece of your favorite cake.

A Cakedy candy bar is thick and stubby and kind of charmingly misshapen here and there. Its “cake nougat” filling has a decadent, under-baked quality and a pleasant stickiness that doesn’t overwhelm the way many candy bars can with their oozing caramel and super-sweet edge. The nougat is flecked with teeny candy chips and covered in a thick candy shell.

We tasted the Peanutter and the RedHead, two of Cakedy’s three current flavors. The third is a double chocolate bar with mint candy chips called Choco Chocatus.

The Peanutter is the company’s best seller, and it’s no surprise. Its soft peanut butter cake nougat has all the allure of those childhood Little Debbie Nutty Bars without the thick, mouth-coating quality. It’s subtle and delicately sweetened by butterscotch chips and a chocolate shell.

The RedHead bar pays funky homage to the red velvet cake craze, with bright strawberry cake nougat, strawberry candy chips, and a vanilla candy shell. The combination leans more toward the cloying and artificial, but strawberry is a devil of flavor to convincingly recreate, and the bar’s moist, center-of-the-brownie texture keeps it from entering crappy candy land.

Emily Schnobrich / Heavy Table

Taylor’s sister Krystal is the woman behind the Cakedy recipes, and it was her idea to add mini candy chips to each bar’s filling. Taylor’s small but enthusiastic team did loads of consumer research (on local and national levels) before getting started, down to holding a large public tasting on Nicollet Avenue last year. “Honestly, we’re always tinkering with new things in the kitchen,” says Taylor.

The production team sources ingredients from grocery store chains and Lynn’s Cake and Candy Supplies, and right now they’re working on a caramel-based bar for release this spring. According to Taylor, a consumer flavor contest yielded 100 fancy flavor ideas, “all of which I would like to explore,” he says, “much to Krystal’s chagrin.”

Although he’s new to the Minneapolis-St. Paul food scene, Taylor’s got a big vision: “I’m very ambitious. My ultimate goal is to have Cakedy bars sold everywhere you can find a Snickers. If Snickers is in the UK, I want the Brits chowing down on RedHead. If Snickers is ‘A1′ in the vending machine, then Cakedy is ‘A2.’” After selling Cakedy at local craft markets, Taylor’s small team quickly headed for a wholesale license and began peddling candy to local retailers. Their current target market is large grocery chains, but they hope to also plant seeds in more specialized spots like Sugar Sugar.

You can buy Cakedy in bulk on the company’s website, and you can also find them on the shelves at Sentyrz Grocery in Northeast Minneapolis, as well as a smattering of convenience stores and coffee shops in the metro area. Ann Yin of Local D’Lish has recently begun test-selling Cakedy products in her shop. As a perennial proponent of the small and local food vendor, Yin says, “I want to be a resource for [Cakedy]” by encouraging them to begin using higher quality and local ingredients. She thinks “they have a fun product,” with the goofy, party-favor appeal of a cake pop, and she’d love to see them succeed as a truly local confection.

While Cakedy is reaching out to franchises in the Carolinas and Florida, Taylor feels his product will do especially well here in Minnesota. His spirited foray into candy land has opened his eyes to all that’s bursting on the local food scene: “I think [Minnesotans] enjoy new and unique food experiences, and that’s just what Cakedy delivers.”

How a woman named Sarah Kowal is working to raise money to found WeatherVane Creamery, a River Falls, WI-based “Wisconsin-only specialty shop and café featuring farmstead, artisan and specialty cheeses”; winter-grown Minnesota sprouts from Pyramid Sprouters; reviews of Baldy’s BBQ in Lakeville and Zamboni’s Pizza in St. Paul; a new WACSO sketch (hangin’ at Starbucks in Minneapolis); Rick weighs in on the controversial Rye Deli; and how to make a Wisconsin (i.e. brandy) Old Fashioned.

The latest from Twitter: @sewardcoop will host Trout Caviar author Brett Laidlaw on Saturday, @bullrunbar is tempting us with an orange-scented latte called The Dreamsicle and Raspberry Habanero Hot Chocolate, and @RickNelsonStrib scoffs at Open Table for excluding Minnesota from their list of romantic restaurants around the country.

Minneapolis makes number six on Organic Authority’s Top 9 Cities to Live Organic, R.A. MacSammy’s plans to debut their mac and cheese truck at the St. Paul Winter Carnival, Moorhead-headquartered American Crystal Sugar and its employees continue to duke it out over contracts, local baker and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day author is invited to be on the Cooking Channel, and the Well Fed Guide to Life visits a halal pizza joint on Central.

Katie Cannon / Heavy Table

You might think that Burger Jones, with its cusp of Uptown / Lake Calhoun / St. Louis Park location, might corner the market for burgers in this part of town, but the November opening of My Burger makes a case that there’s room for more than one burger joint near the Lake Street-Excelsior Boulevard junction. Expanding from its downtown skyway lunchtime hot spot, the newish My Burger serves up fresh burgers and crispy fries in a fast-casual atmosphere that more closely evokes Smashburger or Five Guys than Burger Jones. In fact, starting at $5.45 for a classic hamburger and fries, My Burger beats all three on price. But flavor? That depends on the burger.

My Burger offers its basic burgers ($5.45 for a single, $6.75 for a double) two ways: “original,” with ketchup, mustard, fried onions, and sweet pickles, or “California,” with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. Both feature a well-seasoned patty on the thinner side, with a crust that draws some comparisons to Smashburger, and a hefty golden bun that deftly holds in the inner layers without smushing to bits under your fingers. While it’s a satisfying patty on its own, the meat’s true purpose is to host the variety of toppings you can choose — we liked the addition of pepper jack cheese (50 cents), but you can also select blue, cheddar, American, or Swiss, as well as mushrooms, bacon, a fried egg, and various sauces.

Katie Cannon / Heavy Table

With patties that lean toward the bland side on their own, the non-beef burgers benefit from those toppings big time. The turkey burger ($5.95) features a forgettable round of ground turkey, but adding lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, and ketchup helps it sing. The veggie burger ($5.75) is the same Gardenburger you’ll find in the freezer case at the grocery store; it’s perfectly palatable but won’t inspire you to order it again. Breaded and fried chicken and fish burgers ($5.75) round out the menu, but your best bet is to stick with beef.

Whoever mans the fryer at My Burger gets a double thumbs-up for the tasty, surprisingly non-greasy fries and onion rings (75 cents extra to substitute for fries). The fries offer the ideal contrast between their pillowy potato center and crunchy exterior, making them the ideal carrier for ketchup or a shake. (I know I’m not the only one who likes dipping fries in shakes, right?) Though the rings could use a touch more salt, we dug the crispy batter and sweet onion interior. Definitely choose them over the coleslaw if you want to swap out your fries — the overly sweet, runny slaw dressing did little to pep up the cabbage and carrot.

If you’re grabbing your burger to go and want a frozen beverage to accompany it, you can’t go wrong with a shake or malt ($2.45 small / $4.45 / large). Available in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry with several mix-ins, the treats please with their Frosty-like texture and flavor. But if you’re dining at My Burger, skip the shake and head next door for dessert at The Yogurt Lab for a greater variety of flavors and toppings.

Katie Cannon / Heavy Table

With its simple yet eye-catching, orange-tinted decor, designed by local brand agency FAME, My Burger provides a level of sophistication to your burger binge that others in town can’t match, and neighborhood touches, like the wooden beams featuring the names of nearby streets and landmarks, cement the restaurant’s foothold in the Lake Calhoun area. And foodie voyeurs will enjoy the seats under the “Um Yeah” sign to watch the action in the kitchen.

The rule of thumb at My Burger: Stick to the classics and you’ll leave happy. Your wallet will be, too.

My Burger
Burgers and fries in West Calhoun

3100 Excelsior Blvd
Minneapolis, MN 55416
952.500.9118
MANAGER: John Abdo
HOURS: 10:30am-10pm daily
BAR: Beer and wine
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes / No
ENTREE RANGE: $5.45-6.95

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