Hot stove takeaways for a lukewarm holiday season.

When Craig Counsell talked about “solving for wins” at the MLB winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn., I thought I had misheard him.

Then I realized the new Chicago Cubs manager was simply speaking a different language, like Theo Epstein when the former Cubs president arrived on the scene in 2011 and began using terms such as “parallel tracks” and teams “evolving” like “Galápagos Islands — that type of thing.”

“If you can get one player that adds up to a lot of wins, that’s helpful,” Counsell said. “There’s no question about it. But you’re solving for wins and that’s a puzzle you’re putting together. That’s the hard part about roster building, and it’s the challenge that every team faces in an offseason with player movement.”

That puzzle-solving ability is what helped make Counsell one of the game’s most respected managers in Milwaukee — and now the richest in Chicago. But if the Cubs don’t bring in a star starter or help at first, third and center, it simply would put more focus on Counsell’s “solving” ability come opening day.

Doing more with less was kind of his thing in Milwaukee. Would he have to follow the same script in Chicago?

Cubs fans don’t want to find out.

The Cubs had yet to make a significant signing or deal as of Saturday, despite the pursuit of Shohei Ohtani and interest in Tyler Glasnow, both of whom will be employed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There’s plenty of time for President Jed Hoyer to make moves, and free agents Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery remain available.

But after so much talk about Ohtani, fans expect Hoyer to make at least a couple of “name” signings as a consolation prize, and their impatience was showing on social media.

Since MLB has no deadline for signings, free agency could drag on into spring training for some players, particularly those represented by agent Scott Boras.

Bellinger, Chapman, Snell and Montgomery all happen to be in that exclusive club.

Hoyer said at the winter meetings that players “always want to have a job before Christmas,” which he called a “natural” deadline. But that’s one week away, and the movement has been slow, so don’t expect a mad rush of superstars like the week before the owners lockout.

Hoyer dreamed of a winter in which a specific free-agency signing period would be in place to help move along the process. The artificial deadline before the owners lockout in December 2021 spurred much movement.

“I’m sure the union would balk at it, but I know everyone would love that if there was a date beyond you couldn’t sign a major-league deal or couldn’t sign a multiyear deal,” Hoyer said. “I’m sure that would spur activity and would give us our lives back.”

Hoyer laughed, knowing the truth: Being in charge of the Cubs means never getting your life back.

After a lifetime of listening to baseball people speak — and sometimes misspeak — I’ve learned quite a few of them seem reluctant to admit when they’ve said something stupid.

But it happens, even to the smartest men in the room.

Former Chicago Cubs manager David Ross ran into such a situation in September when the Cubs lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates to drop a crucial series in their stretch run for a wild-card spot.

“That’s not a good team that just took two out of three from us,” Ross said afterward. “Or not our caliber of team, I believe.”

Ross was correct in his analysis, but it was also something better off left unsaid.

The remark was all over social media and quickly found its way to the Pirates clubhouse, where outfielder Brian Reynolds told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “If we’re such a bad team, maybe he should have managed his team a little better and beat us.”

Ross went into apology mode the next day, saying he texted Pirates manager Derek Shelton to let him know he was just “frustrated after a game.”

Ross told reporters he respected the Pirates and “thought I corrected myself within the context of talking to you guys,” adding: “Part of this job, you’re not always going to be perfect in these (media sessions) and sometimes after a game postgame, you’re going to say things that probably don’t come out the right way and what you’re really truly feeling and the respect you have for everybody in this league.”

Uh, sure.

The news story had an appropriately short shelf life, but you know what happened next: The Cubs’ late-season collapse continued, they missed out on the postseason, Ross was fired and Counsell was hired on a record five-year, $40 million deal.

That shocking chain of events led to Pat Murphy, a baseball lifer and longtime bench coach under Counsell in Milwaukee, to get promoted to Brewers manager. Murphy, 65, has the difficult task of going from wing man to leading man, one seat over in the same dugout, and trying to keep the status quo in the National League Central.

It was a small victory for those in baseball who wait their turn in a sport in which hiring managers with no experience has become commonplace.

But if didn’t take long for Murphy to make his first verbal miscue. While praising the Brewers re-signing veteran lefty Wade Miley during the winter meetings, Murphy told reporters: “A lot of these guys aren’t that smart, and he’s one of those guys getting smarter.”

Again, it might have been true but probably was better off left unsaid. If he had said it in an office with a few beat writers, Murphy could’ve caught his mistake and asked them not to use it in their reporting. But there was no safety net here, and the comment would soon be dispersed on the internet.

When asked a few minutes later what he meant by “a lot” of players not being “that smart,” Murphy admitted he had stepped into a pile of his own making.

“I was just throwing stuff out there,” he said. “It was probably a stupid comment, to be honest with you.”

The admission of guilt was refreshing to hear. Everyone says something dumb sometimes and wishes they could have it back. Murphy didn’t make any excuses and took responsibility for what he said.

Here’s hoping many others follow his lead in 2024.

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We’re not quite done finished talking about last year — so many great new restaurants opened that we have split our list of outstanding newbies into two.

(Our first list focused on global eats.)

So, as promised, here are 11 more restaurants that opened in 2023 that you should put on your list to try.

Herbst Eatery & Farm Stand

Chicken liver mousse at Herbst Eatery & Farm Stand in St. Paul’s St. Anthony neighborhood. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

This stylish eatery and market puts most current farm-to-table restaurants to shame, both in its close ties to the driftless-region farmers who supply it and in the quality and creativity of its menus.

It’s where I took my chef friend when she visited, and she admired both their sleek furnishings and chef Eric Simpson’s attention to detail. Every dish had layers of flavor and technique. The cocktail list, with its full-, low- and no-proof options and a stellar wine list add to the experience. Take your food-lover friends, or anyone you want to impress, here. Just plan ahead, because reservations can be scarce, for very good reason.

The menu rotates seasonally, but we’ve enjoyed the chicken liver mousse twice, and all the handmade pastas and entrees have been outstanding.

Herbst Eatery & Farm Stand: 779 Raymond Ave., St. Paul; 651-340-0254; herbstsaintpaul.com

— J.F.

Mandalay Kitchen

Mohinga, a traditional Burmese fish soup, is served with catfish cake, egg, and crispy chickpeas at Mandalay Kitchen in Frogtown on Nov. 14, 2023. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

For years now, St. Paul has been home to one of the world’s largest diaspora groups of Karen people, an ethnic group native to Myanmar. And just in the past year alone, the community has celebrated a new grocery market, shared folktales in one of the nation’s first professional Karen theatrical productions, and now, added a restaurant serving traditional Karen and Burmese foods.

Mandalay Kitchen, in the former Marc Heu Patisserie spot on University and Western avenues, serves classic dishes like sugarcane juice, a green tea-leaf salad called lahpet thoke, and a Burmese fish stew called mohinga.

And for the restaurant’s owner, Chris Tunbaw, food is clearly a family affair. The restaurant is dedicated to Tunbaw’s late grandmother Daphne, who is also honored in a new mural on an exterior wall. And during one afternoon a few weeks after the restaurant opened, in November, who was cooking in the kitchen? Tunbaw’s own mom, Pandaw.

Mandalay Kitchen: 383 W. University Ave., St. Paul; 651-219-5887; mandalaykitchenstp.com

— J.K.

King Coil

Fancy sausage pizza at King Coil Spirits in St. Paul’s Vandalia Tower. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

I love this new spot in the Vandalia Tower development for meeting friends from the other side of the river.

The sleek, modern space from the folks behind Lake Monster Brewing features tasty Roman-style pizzas, plenty of seating and a really staggering cocktail list, considering they make every component in every glass in house.

The pizzas here have a thicker crust than the usual Midwest version, but thinner than Detroit-style. Specialty pies vary from the ubiquitous pepperoni and hot honey to the Lake Monster, which features whitefish pate, capers, dill and more. And trust us when we tell you to order the carrots.

King Coil: 550 Vandalia St., Suite 140, St. Paul; kingcoilspirits.com

— J.F.

Bar Cart

The menu at Bar+Cart Lounge and Restaurant is divided into four categories; the lamb chops with red lentil dal, shown here on Feb. 10, 2023, fall into the ‘homey’ category of entrees. In addition to an excellent cocktail program, the new restaurant also serves lighter fare, appetizer spreads, and footlong hoagies, including the Alabama chicken with arugula in the background. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

Bar+Cart Lounge is one of my favorite recent additions to the St. Paul dining (and drinking) scene. And since opening almost exactly one year ago, it’s only gotten better.

The star of the show is the cocktail list, which has graduated from the back of the menu to its own booklet, with several pages’ worth of complex drinks. Too many options? Maybe. But somehow, each listing manages to feel worthwhile and high-quality. There are no throwaways here, no cheap shots — literally or figuratively — and the drinks themselves are strong and bold, just as they should be.

The food menu is great too, of course; every flavor feels carefully considered. There were a few stumbles during a visit in February, but those have been evened out by now. The coconut curry sea bass is really incredible. The fish is cooked perfectly — crispier and juicier than I thought possible — and the sauce is rich and silky. The moist chicken schnitzel and the lamb chops (with red lentil dal, one of the most creative side dishes I’ve had in recent memory) are also both standouts. And I’m admittedly a burrata agnostic at best, but the roasted beet and burrata appetizer could convert me into a believer.

Bar+Cart Lounge: 1571 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 952-600-7920; barcartlounge.com

— J.K.

Wrestaurant at the Palace

Meatball pizza at Wrestaurant at the Palace. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

For selfish reasons, this might be my favorite opening of the year. I love going to shows at the Palace, and this is the perfect place to pre-game with a fortifying Detroit-style pizza and some excellent cocktails.

But the menu has much more than just pizza — it has one of the better Caesar salads in the metro, a killer smash burger and lots of fun, shareable appetizers, including tender, juicy wings (we loved the dry rub) and Pizza Rowls, which are adorably shaped like egg rolls. If you know the history behind the pizza roll (and every good Minnesotan should), you know that the first of these snacks were made by Duluth entrepreneur Jeno Paulucci from egg-roll wrappers and pizza ingredients.

Anyway, Wrestaurant is a great addition to downtown St. Paul in general, and the cute interior is a vast upgrade from Wild Tymes, which had definitely run its course.

Wrestaurant at the Palace: 33 W. Seventh Place, St. Paul; 952-600-5611; wrestaurantatthepalace.com

— J.F.

High Hat

The High Hat, a new breakfast cafe in Cathedral Hill, serves Southwest-inspired fare like the huevos divorciados, shown here on Sept. 17, 2023. The restaurant is owned by Michael Noyes, a former manager at W.A. Frost & Co. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

Cathedral Hill mourned the losses of Bon Vie Bistro and A Piece of Cake bakery when the twin businesses closed earlier this year, but The High Hat is a worthy successor.

The jazzy breakfast spot still serves fresh-pressed juices, coffee drinks and delicious pastries like caramel rolls and cinnamon rolls. The food menu is Southwest-inspired, with twists on traditional diner fare like chorizo-and-cornbread eggs Benedict and hearty blue corn pancakes with fried plantains baked inside.

With walls painted a moody teal and floral wallpaper behind the bar — plus a constantly spinning turntable; diners themselves can cue up the next record — the High Hat is exactly the kind of place I want to let the morning slip away over brunch with friends.

The High Hat: 485 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-528-7941; thehighhatmn.com

— J.K.

Soul Lao

Several dishes from Soul Lao including a steak salad, green beans and tofu are shown at the restaurant in Highland Park on Dec. 10, 2023. Previously a food truck, Soul Lao opened its permanent home this year. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

To be perfectly honest, we didn’t really need to visit Soul Lao’s new permanent home in Highland Park to tell you their food is great. We already know: Eric Phothisanh and Sabrina Boualaphanh have been operating the business as a popular food truck and pop-up kitchen for several years.

But for you, dear reader? We’ll go to the ends of the Earth — or at least West Seventh Street — to do our journalistic duty.

Soul Lao is particularly well-known for chicken wings, which are based on Phothisanh’s grandmother’s recipe, but don’t overlook the rest of the menu. Their sauteed green beans and snow peas are tossed with a fermented soy sauce that gives the vegetables a sweet, funky richness I cannot get enough of. And in the laab seen, a steak salad, the house-made padaek fish sauce brings out a delightful earthiness in the beef.

There are a few seats at Soul Lao, but the real move is to bring your food to the attached brewery, Wandering Leaf Brewing. Find a table amid the jungle of vines and plants, grab a beer (some of which are Soul Lao collabs) and dig in.

Soul Lao: 2465 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-363-3469; soullao.com

— J.K.

Station No. 6 at Rosetown American Legion

The burger at Station No. 6 at Rosetown American Legion. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

These are burger cities, and this is a burger joint — inside a very old-school American Legion.

As with 328 Grill, an established space with regular customers has received the gift of good bar food in this partnership with Josh Matthews. Station No. 6 started as a food truck, but quickly outgrew his wheeled home, regularly selling out while parked in suburban strip-mall parking lots.

The menu is very food-truck-like, meaning succinct and singularly focused. Choose from a variety of smash burgers, a few fried chicken sandwiches and smoked wings. All are executed well.

It’s a great partnership, too. The legion gets more customers, and Matthews has room to grow and a new and appreciative customer base. As a thank-you, veterans were offered a free burger on Veterans Day.

Station No. 6 at Rosetown American Legion: 700 W. County Road C, Roseville; stationno6foodtruck.com

— J.F.

Little Brazil

The panini-pressed hot dog sandwich at Little Brazil, shown on Dec. 15, 2023, also includes corn, shoestring potatoes and a sweet and herbaceous tomato sauce. The cafe and market opened this fall to give Brazilians a taste of home and introduce the country’s food to Americans, owner Charles Spies said. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

In opening Little Brazil a couple of months ago, Charles Spies set himself a goal: Serve affordable Brazilian street food, both to give Brazilians a taste of home and to share the country’s food culture with Americans.

Indeed, the small cafe and market was buzzy on a recent weekday afternoon, with conversation flowing in both English and Portuguese. And get this: Lunch — enough food for two, plus imported Brazilian coffee that’s nutty and oh-so-strong — came in under $25.

On the food menu, you’ll find plenty of frequent-flier ingredients like shredded chicken, potatoes, creamy cheese and corn. The empadão de frango brings these together in a pot pie-style dish; the coxinha reimagines them (sans corn, and a little more plainly) as a breaded and fried croquette.

The sandwich list is the centerpiece of the menu, with options like a classic Brazilian mortadella sandwich and another with roasted pork loin. The panini-pressed hot dog sandwich, unexpectedly, feels like Brazil’s answer to the meatball sub: A snappy dog that’s sliced up and mixed with cheese, corn and shoestring potatoes in a sweet and herbaceous tomato sauce.

Little Brazil: 230 Spring St., St. Paul; 612-709-9190; littlebrazilmn.com

— J.K.

Momento

The 378 Maria (the former Strip Club Meat and Fish address) is a grassfed New York Strip at Momento in downtown St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

The first iteration of this restaurant in the former Pazzaluna space was a little all over the place, and I think downtown diners were really missing an upscale Italian restaurant.

So owners Morrissey Hospitality, who are never afraid to pivot, closed the restaurant for a few weeks, changed the design to be a little warmer and less cafeteria-like, and got a chef (Aaron Uban, formerly of Strip Club Meat and Fish, Heartland and Kincaid’s) who could pull off an Italian menu.

The result is pretty good — we enjoyed the peas and toast (a fresh take on fancy toast), fresh pastas and the grass-fed New York Strip (an ode to Strip Club Meat and Fish). However, garlic-sensitive folks, beware of the multitude of menu items that contain toum, a Lebanese garlic sauce that here is more garlicky than any other version I have tried.

On the bright side, the restaurant (and all Morrissey Hospitality eateries) has an extensive and very good selection of alcohol-free cocktails, something my husband and I appreciated very much during the first week of dry January.

Momento: 360 St. Peter St., St. Paul; 651-467-0000; momento-stp.com

— J.F.

Big E

California Love, an egg sandwich from chef Justin Sutherland’s new eatery Big E on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

There was a bit of controversy over the prices at this egg-sandwich-focused eatery on Grand Avenue, but I think that social media commenters discounted inflation and the cost of labor in these times.

Granted, $14-$17 for an egg sandwich isn’t cheap, but these are quality, filling sandwiches that rise above the usual meat-egg-cheese offerings.

We especially love the steak-and-egg sandwich It Was All a Dream, which is slathered in grape jelly for a little touch of sweet and sour. And the California Love, which we expected to hate because it eschews the egg’s tasty yolk, is so chock full of fresh veggies that we didn’t even notice.

And for those on a budget, the restaurant is now offering a smash burger for just $5 from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Big E: 750 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-212-5390; eatbige.com

— J.F.

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Top Hill Democrats want more information about the controversy swirling around Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization — and they don’t have it yet.

The party’s top member on the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith of Washington, said he’s already heard from the White House. Smith said in an interview that the Pentagon chief still needs to answer key questions about his decision to keep his illness and treatment secret from the White House and Congress for days before revealing his prostate cancer diagnosis.

But for all their confusion and angst, Democrats largely aren’t worried about political blowback from Austin’s undisclosed absence and his failure to inform the Biden administration about the complications from his cancer surgery. The revelation of Austin’s illness is prompting sympathy from Democrats who appear willing to wait — for now — before fretting about the broader consequences from the episode.

“He should recover and return. And then what we have to look at is the impact of what happened and, I think, make a determination: Was there any serious gaps in coverage?” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.), though he didn’t rule out hearings on the matter. The White House appears to be treating the firestorm similarly, with little evidence of much damage control on the Hill.

More than a half-dozen Democratic lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, told POLITICO in interviews Wednesday that they haven’t heard much of anything from the Biden administration so far. In addition to Smith, Reed said he’d spoken to Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan about the situation but added that he’s not aware of the White House doing any widespread outreach.

Despite the brouhaha over Austin’s absence, Hill Democrats have largely eschewed calls for his resignation as they eye oversight efforts. Only one swing-seat first-term Democrat, Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, broke from that pack on Wednesday to say Austin should step aside over his handling of his hospital stay.

The party’s relative silence suggests that Democrats may be placing a bet on the controversy over Austin’s absence: With Republicans already pursuing impeachments of Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, they’re less likely to try to turn the revelations about Austin’s treatment and complications into a political cudgel.

The gravity of Austin’s cancer diagnosis is also potentially cooling some congressional appetites to battle over the matter. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, echoed others in the party by sharing concern for the defense chief’s situation.

“You don’t want to stigmatize it,” he said, noting the prominence of prostate cancer in the Black community. “But at the same time, you don’t want to downplay the significance of him not revealing that he was struggling with this to the president immediately.”

He chalked the secrecy up to Austin’s “introverted” nature: “He probably didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. But he is the Secretary of Defense.”

Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) echoed that sentiment, telling POLITICO that “a private man kept something private,” though Austin “should have disclosed” given his public-facing position.

“I don’t think there’s much more to the story than what should be the repercussions. That’s up to the president,” Welch said.

Though most Republicans aren’t willing to press for Austin’s ouster yet, GOP lawmakers still want answers and many are pushing for a public hearing to air out the details of how the incident transpired. And the GOP-led House Armed Services Committee has already launched a formal investigation into Austin’s hospitalization.

Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) isn’t committing to a hearing either, however, as his panel begins the probe. He said he aimed to keep the investigation bipartisan, adding that Smith is “as upset about this as I am.”

“The good news is, it’s very bipartisan,” Rogers said. “I’m not going to lead some kind of an effort [that] doesn’t have Adam involved.”

Smith isn’t the only committee Democrat who wants to see a bipartisan effort to get more answers from the Pentagon: “I certainly think it bears looking into,” seconded Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), a panel member.

Senate Armed Services Committee Republicans, led by ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), are also pushing for more information. All 12 Armed Services Republicans sent a letter to Austin with 17 questions on his hospitalization and transfer of responsibilities, arguing that the Pentagon violated federal laws governing vacancies.

“[T]he apparent failure to even notify your lawful successor in this case is a massive failure of judgment and negligence,” the Republicans wrote to Austin. “It is an intolerable breach of trust with the American people at a dangerous moment for U.S. national security.”

No matter how outraged Republicans may be about the handling of Austin’s secretive treatment, there are major barriers to action.

The congressional to-do list is already packed — including with impeachment inquiries into Biden and Mayorkas. House Republicans’ supremely thin majority and a gaping divide between the House and Senate GOP doesn’t help the case for impeaching Austin either.

Given Republicans’ shaky control over the House, any high-pressure vote like an impeachment will need Republicans to be in lockstep — which is a tall order for the deeply divided conference. As concerned as Democrats are about Austin’s conduct, it’s almost unthinkable that any would join a GOP push to punish him.

The most likely path for Congress, then, is a series of high-profile hearings in both chambers where lawmakers dig into the communication breakdown while Austin underwent a medical procedure and later returned to the hospital with complications. Lawmakers want to probe Austin and his staff and deputies about the decision not to inform the White House that the Cabinet secretary was ill and unable to perform his duties for a period.

While the Democratic-controlled Senate may well hold its own hearing, the chamber’s Republicans aren’t biting on bids to impeach Austin. Though some are calling on him to resign, many said this week that they’re skeptical of trying to out Austin before Congress has its chance to conduct oversight.

“With Austin, I think we need to hear the whole story,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who noted that it isn’t top of the agenda. “We have so many other things we need to spend time on,” she said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) called Austin’s handling of the situation “just a really sloppy failure” that may raise “some protocol issues” but warned that her House colleagues’ “instinctive reaction is knee jerk: let’s just impeach.”

Whether or not he agrees to testify at any hearings about his hospitalization, Austin is due to appear in Congress a handful of times each year. Those testimonies are a routine part of the appropriations process for funding government agencies and departments.

So no matter what Austin does, his illness is likely to haunt him in any future interactions with Congress.

“If I were the president, me and Secretary Austin, after he recovers from his surgery … he’s got some ‘splainin to do. If he’s working for me,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Joe Gould contributed to this report.