It’s officially patio season!
That means I’m scrambling to visit new, or new-to-me, patios throughout the metro before our big guide comes out May 22.
But this year, I’m also endeavoring to visit some of my favorites, you know, to make sure they’re still good.
Spoiler alert: They are!
And bonus: One newbie that deserves more than a patio-guide blurb.
Herbst Eatery and Farm Stand
Grilled prawns at Herbst Farm Stand & Eatery in St Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
I love the hidden terrace behind this farm-to-table gem in St. Paul’s St. Anthony neighborhood.
They don’t take reservations for the patio, so no need to plan ahead. Just drop in for creative vegetable, pasta and meat dishes that are perfect for sharing.
I was with a friend who cannot eat gluten, and I chose Herbst partially because their menu is very clear about what’s gluten- and dairy-free and what can be modified to be made so.
Unlike a lot of places, there are a ton of options for people with dietary restrictions here.
We started with some lovely grilled prawns, enhanced by both chermoula (an African condiment made up mostly of fresh herbs) and a cilantro aioli.
We followed with some rich, tender artichoke hearts, lumache pasta with a Mediterranean-spiced lamb ragu (for me) and risotto topped with pickled and roasted beets.
I love the European-heavy wine list here, but the cocktails are innovative and fantastic, too.
Herbst Eatery and Farm Stand: 779 Raymond Ave., St. Paul; herbstsaintpaul.com
Meritage
Spring pea pancakes at Meritage in downtown St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
We had a concert downtown this week, and the weather was perfect, so an hour or two on this very European terrace with views of the beautiful Landmark Center sounded like just the thing.
We sipped on some stellar cocktails — mine had Spanish brandy and sherry and very much made me want to return to the Iberian peninsula, stat.
We noshed on little spring pea pancakes topped with a dollop of caviar, ribbons of fantastic ahi tuna, bathed in a spicy Thai vinaigrette and topped with a beautiful, tasty peanut tuille. An asparagus salad with dehydrated strawberries was spring on a plate, and moules frites, with the best fries in the Twin Cities (maybe the world? I honestly have not found any better, anywhere), served with the restaurant’s slurpable bearnaise.
It warmed my heart to see all the patrons who were headed to The Palace after dinner on the terrace for a rock concert. I’m not the only one who knows how to have a perfect St. Paul night!
Meritage: 410 St. Peter St., St. Paul; 651-222-5670; meritage-stpaul.com
El Cubano
Ropa vieja at El Cubano in West St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
I had been craving the black beans at this little restaurant in my neighborhood for weeks.
So on a beautiful Saturday, we stopped for lunch. The front patio here has long been a favorite due to the colorful tables and cute palapa-covered huts outside, and now the restaurant has built a few more huts in the back! It’s not a secret, either, as many of the tables were full.
My husband and I shared the restaurant’s signature sandwich, El Cubano, which is stuffed with pulled pork, ham, cheese, pickles and mustard. Bonus: It comes with a few yuca fries, served with a tasty, garlicky dipping sauce.
And to fulfill the black bean craving, we ordered the ropa vieja, shredded flank steak stewed with tomatoes and onions and served with rice, beans, fried plantains and a little salad. The steak is so tender and flavorful — and those beans! They must put a little magic in them while they cook, because I can’t get enough of them.
El Cubano: 870 Dodd Road, West St. Paul; 651-508-1173; elcubanorestaurante.com
Khue’s Kitchen
Sticky jicama ribs at Khue’s Kitchen on St. Paul’s Raymond Avenue. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
I was so sad when the former Ngon Bistro space burned down before chef Eric Pham could move in to start Khue’s Kitchen.
But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Pham moved into the Mid City Kitchen space, which is home to a commissary kitchen during the day and now serves as Khue’s in the evening.
Pham’s family owns Minneapolis Vietnamese restaurant Quang, and his mother is a chef there. But he took his own path to owning a restaurant, cutting his teeth in the Spoon and Stable kitchen.
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Khue’s is somewhere in between those two restaurants, with beautifully plated dishes in a fairly casual atmosphere.
The patio here is small but cute and popular with bicyclists making their way down nearby East River Parkway.
Every bite we had here was fabulous, from the fried chicken sandwich that went viral in Pham’s pop-up phase to the chicken and cabbage salad that I loved so much I replicated it at home the very next day. Also, don’t miss the sticky jicama ribs, which are not ribs at all, but instead a combo of jicama and tofu that is so texturally perfect and punch-you-in-the-mouth flavorful that I’d eat them over a plate of real ribs any day.
Khue’s Kitchen: 693 Raymond Ave., St. Paul; 612-600-9139; khueskitchen.com
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