The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week

Duck congee from Khâluna

It was the kind of night when the party was playing behind my eyes as I sank into my pillow, the clatter of dishes, thumping bass and peals of laughter still ringing. It was a night so epic we needed a post-mortem.

Our intrepid crew reunited the following morning with the benefit of Advil and elastic-fortified clothing to recap an evening that had resulted in minor injuries, lost voices, missed connections and stories best told in snippets between bites. We were laughing again before anyone said a word.

One of the many benefits of brunch is that it's a meal that celebrates merely leaving the house on a weekend, and the reward is simultaneous coffee and cocktails.

Khâluna already feels like stepping into a luxurious, tropical resort spa. With a decor of muted earthtones and pillow-fluffed seats, it's also a soothing re-entry into the modern world for folks who may have stayed up too late last night. Plus, there's breakfast soup.

Congee soothes all the rough edges. At Khâluna, the rice porridge ($21) is made with long-grain rice and broth enriched with calming ginger. Topped with crispy-tender confit duck leg, with that salty, crackling skin and long, slow-cooked meat, it is everything. Vibrant herbs and edible flowers with pops of puffed rice garnish the top, each bite a playful mix of flavors and textures.

The stories told will fade from memory, but this feeling of sharing the best with a crew of incredible humans who treasure it as much as you do — that's the marrow of life. (Joy Summers)

4000 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., 612-345-5199, khaluna.com

Ramen from Tenka Ramen

There's something about ramen that warms the soul. While that may seem obvious now, as we're at the end of a ridiculous cold snap, it's really the case at any time of year. The right ramen is the culinary equivalent of a big hug, and there are stellar ramen shops throughout the Twin Cities metro area waiting with open arms.

That includes the bustling Tenka Ramen on W. Lake Street, which in addition to its namesake dish also has a slate of worthy appetizers (bao, takoyaki, gyoza), rice bowls and boba. But we were there for ramen. The Tonkotsu should be at the top of your list ($13.95). After one slurp of the deeply flavorful pork broth, the stresses of the day started to melt away. Soaking up that broth — which is drinkable on its own — were tender pork belly, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, roasted seaweed, scallions and, of course, noodles. The Shoyu (chicken and pork broth, $12.95) was a close second.

If you're a winter hibernator, the restaurant also does a robust takeout and third-party delivery business, but we preferred to dine in. This ramen deserved immediate attention. (Nicole Hvidsten)

1404 W. Lake St., Mpls., 612-825-4128, tenkaramen1404mn.com

Pizza and cheesesteaks from Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks

When a member of the Andrea Pizza clan set out on his own to open Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks in 2019, the dream was to bring Philly-style sandwiches and Sicily-style woodfire pies to more of the Twin Cities area. The shop debuted in Maplewood, and as new ones opened in other parts of the east metro, I kept hoping one would pop up in the western suburbs near me. That day has come.

Tono is newly launched in Maple Grove, and it has all the same charred-crust, savory-sauced, cupped-pepperoni goodness as the other five shops. There are a couple of new combinations to try, including a pepperoni pie topped with torn burrata and hot honey that I'll be going back for. This visit, I went for the Goodfella ($17), which tops the signature bubble-edged crust with pesto cream sauce, grilled chicken, caramelized tomato, bacon and hot honey — it's like a Cobb salad meets pizza in the best way. On the cheesesteak side, the Mushroom American ($15) goes super gooey with a thick drizzle of garlic aioli over a beefy, mushroomy middle. Dessert is Sweet Troo-vi cookies and Minnesota Dairy Lab ice cream.

If you're meal planning for the week, take note. I stopped in on a Tuesday, which was good news for me. There's a weekly special: Buy one pizza and soda, get one pizza and soda free. (Sharyn Jackson)

7767 N. Main St., Maple Grove, 763-200-6086, tonomn.com

Baklava rolled ice cream from Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir

While checking out Hai Hai's newly unveiled happy hour, I noticed a new sign had unfurled over the former Crepe & Spoon marquee across the street. It was for Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir, a Middle Eastern pastry shop serving sides of potatoes.

The bright little shop has a wide variety of the honey-drenched and nut-dusted sweets you'd find in any Middle Eastern market: baklava, kanafeh, basbousa, a Lebanese parfait, even a Turkish-style tres leches cake. And you can get them with a twist, in flavors like raspberry, Oreo and Biscoff. There are also French and Italian pastry classics such as macarons, crêpes and tiramisu.

Almost anything can be turned into ice cream ($9.50-$11.50), and my companion and I selected the pistachio baklava, which a staffer coated in cream and attacked with cleavers on a cold-plated contraption that froze the mixture enough to be able to roll it up with a scraper into a nest of sweet and nutty florets.

Though I didn't partake this time, there's a savory side of the menu, too. Kumpir is Turkish street food, essentially a loaded baked potato with fillings as simple as butter and salt and as over-the-top as hot dogs and beets, or chicken and — yes — Doritos. (S.J.)

339 22nd Av. NE., Mpls., 763-208-3588, mrsdessertandkumpir.com

Brisket plate from the Fabled Rooster

Since it's not exactly the height of food truck season, it's good to seek out the eateries we enjoyed on four wheels somewhere inside. One of them is the Fabled Rooster, the brainchild of chef and veteran Shaun Holley.

Trained at Le Cordon Bleu and an alum of several restaurants around town, Holley launched his food truck in 2016 before moving operations into the Minneapolis food hall Graze Provisions + Libations in March 2021. The menu is filled with Low Country classics, many of which are smoked low and slow overnight, resulting in a bountiful pile of juicy meat that's just the ticket on a chilly midwinter day.

Brisket ($21) is served in thick, jiggly slices with a choice of sauce, a decision that isn't as easy as it may sound. The Carolina Gold is a lively rendition of the mustard-based sauce, with just the right amount of Southern-style twang. But, with this rich meat and its peppery crust, it's best to hit the sweet heat with the Yeehaw Mesquite sauce. The smoke enhances that rich beef unctuousness and the little bit of sweetness rounds out those spicy kicks. (J.S.)

520 N. 4th St., Mpls., 612-470-4820, thefabledrooster.com