Living in the Twin Cities is heavy right now. Most days, I’m scared to open my phone when I wake up — wondering what I might bear witness to on that tiny screen.
And when I put the phone down, as we all need to do more often, I still worry about the small businesses I cover and hope they make it through this mess.
Many immigrant-owned restaurants are struggling or closed right now, with staff members of color afraid to come to work and customers leery about leaving their homes.
With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite spots that are still open. Friends, family and I had a nice week visiting these four restaurants, which are providing much-needed sustenance and comfort to their neighborhoods.
King and I Thai
Gaeng Puk curry at King and I Thai in Mendota Heights. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
I was ecstatic when this Thai restaurant (originally in downtown Minneapolis) relocated to Mendota Heights because it’s so close to where I live.
Original owner Pu Haanpaa is still in the kitchen, and the food is as good as it ever was. My entire family loves the flavorful curries here, which contain so many vegetables that they are basically health food (the gaeng puk red curry, loaded with broccoli, cauliflower, pea pods and more, is our current obsession). My adult children are huge fans of the pad Thai, pineapple fried rice and egg rolls, too.
The dining room has a lovely ambiance and is great for a date night or just meeting friends to decompress. They close early, though, so be sure to check the hours before you go.
King and I Thai: 760 N. Plaza Drive, Mendota Heights; 612-332-6928; kingandithai.com
Bole Ethiopian
Super veggie platter at Bole Ethiopian in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
My 19-year-old is very curious about other cultures, and especially food from other countries. He’s been asking to go out for Ethiopian food for a while now, so we chose this spot near the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
My heart was warmed to see how absolutely packed it was, so be sure to make a reservation.
We all ordered well-balanced non-alcoholic cocktails (they also offer regular beer and wine), which are available year-round, not just during Dry January.
We started our meal with beef sambusa dumplings — their shatteringly crisp exterior gives way to deeply flavorful, tender meat. My son ate the majority of them.
For our main course, we ordered the super veggie platter, a massive plate littered with colorful dollops of yellow and brown lentils, greens, green beans, potatoes and carrots, beets and more. And because my son wanted meat, we ordered some chicken tibs — bite-sized pieces of chicken bathed in a flavor-packed, deep-red sauce. We ate it all with spongy, tangy injera bread, torn into little pieces and used to pick up the vegetables and meat. It’s such a fun and interactive way to have a meal, and I was so glad to introduce my kid to it on a night when everything felt like it was going sideways in our cities.
Bole Ethiopian: 1341 N. Pascal St., St. Paul; 651-330-2492; boleethiopiancuisine.com
Em Que Viet
The Pho Dip special at Em Que Viet in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
My girlfriends and I love this Vietnamese restaurant, partially owned by the children of the owners of Northeast Minneapolis restaurant Que Viet, because it offers a full cocktail menu in addition to delicious traditional and non-traditional fare in a floral-themed space.
Three of us dined here last week, the day after the restaurant briefly closed because of ICE activity. Neighbors packed the dining room, so I’d recommend reserving a table or expecting to wait a bit if you’re a walk-in customer.
I usually order the egg rolls here (the family also runs the eggroll-on-a-stick stand at the State Fair), but we decided to switch it up and check out the veggie potsticker dumplings, which were crisp-chewy like all good versions of the dish, and stuffed full of soft vegetables. Dumplings are my go-to comfort food in any cuisine, so it felt appropriate.
My friends ordered spicy soup and egg foo young (to each their own), but I could not resist one of the specials — the pho dip sandwich. Thinly sliced ribeye and greens are piled onto a banh mi baguette and served with a side of pho broth for dipping. I last had this phenomenal sandwich over the summer and couldn’t believe my luck that it was on the menu again. Honestly, Em Que, you should just make it permanent.
Em Que Viet: 1332 Grand Ave, St. Paul; 651-330-4363; emqueviet.com
Boca Chica
Zacatepec enchiladas at Boca Chica on St. Paul’s West Side. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
Guillermo and Gloria Frias founded this restaurant in 1964, and it’s now run by the third generation of the Frias family.
I love the dining-room murals of pastoral Mexico and the furniture that looks like it was transported straight from a shop south of the border.
And the food is pretty great, too. My favorite dish is the simple, homey Zacatepec enchiladas, stuffed with tender chicken and topped with a bright, slightly spicy green sauce. And since I was all about comfort this week, it’s what I ordered. My friend, whose love for fajitas knows no boundaries, chose the chicken version of that dish, and we talked and sipped tasty margaritas and lamented the fact that the restaurant felt it necessary to post a few men outside, who sat on folding chairs and warmed their hands over a propane heater, greeting customers and hoping ICE didn’t show up.
The restaurant did close for a few days early last week, but they’re persisting and serving the neighborhood that has supported them for 61 years.
Boca Chica: 11 Cesar Chavez St., St. Paul; 651-222-8499; bocachicarestaurant.com
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