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

Pani puri shots from Curry Corner

I have a confession: My co-worker and I downed shots on our lunch break, but it's much more innocent than it sounds. Instead of liquor, these shots were of the culinary variety.

Curry Corner on E. Hennepin in Minneapolis, which opened in 2023, recently added Indian street foods to its offerings. That means potato patty sliders and puffy breads for dipping into chickpea stews now share space with staples such as biryanis, tandoori, curries and masalas.

Also available on the street food menu are pani puri shots ($11, six pieces), round, crisp semolina shells filled with chickpeas and potatoes that alone would have been delightful. But a spiced water poured on top led to some great consequences.

Flavor wise, it has a bit of a kick courtesy of the bold, tamarind-forward liquid concoction that had sweet, sour and tang. And, because the liquid is poured on top, it's best to consume the light bites like a shot or the liquid spills all over. Trying to get it all down in one swoop was a challenge that, like my dining mate who said it's a favorite street food when visiting family in India, is part of the fun. No argument here, as there sure was plenty of fun and laughter during this recent lunch outing. (Nancy Ngo)

201 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls. currycornermn.com

Mediterranean grain bowl at the Buttered Tin

Grain bowls are the ideal meal for the shoulder season. We're not quite ready to fully embrace salad season, but we are ready to put heavier soups and stews on hiatus.

The Buttered Tin's Mediterranean grain bowl ($18) fit the bill on a week that saw all the seasons. A base of brown rice and quinoa held a garden's worth of vegetables — cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers, edamame, giardiniera and seasoned roasted cauliflower — providing a medley that was perky in both color and flavor. A handful of olives and a shower of feta added salinity, and crispy chickpeas brought crunch and texture. The flavors were so robust, I was about a third of the way through before I remembered there was creamy dill-packed tzatziki, too. Protein is an optional add-on (chicken $6, salmon $9), but worth it if you're looking for extra fuel. Bonus: It's gluten-free.

I enjoyed the savory side of Alicia Hinze's daytime cafe, but I couldn't leave without a Lowertown Twinkey ($3.50) and a towering cheddar buttermilk thyme biscuit ($4.50) to augment that night's dinner at home. In case you're missing out, the Buttered Tin's Freshly Frozen line of rolls and pies is available in the freezer section of many local supermarkets. You'll have to visit one of the two locations for your savory fix. (Nicole Hvidsten)

237 E. 7th St., St. Paul; 2445 NE. Marshall St., Mpls.; thebutteredtin.com

Maple-soy chicken wings from Angry Line Cook

Part of what makes dining at a food truck so fun is the adventure of tracking a favorite mobile vendor's location. It's also one of the biggest challenges.

What is so great about Mona Negasi and Jesse Hedman's Angry Line Cook is that they are out and about with great regularity. Our crew was thrilled to also find them selling pickup orders out of the historic Schmidt Brewery Rathskeller on W. 7th Street through the chilly season. Order ahead, text upon arrival and a decidedly not angry (rather chipper, actually) person delivers the food right into your outstretched arms.

That was how we ended up with an impromptu picnic that kicked off with their maple soy wings. Because while there's something of a cult built around their ever-changing burgers, these wings ($15) deserve a little commotion. Sweet, salty and spicy, eight flats and drummies are coated in the sauce and served with a side of burnt green onion sauce — but I'd recommend upgrading to a side of the zesty berbere-spiced aioli for a buck more.

Order for pickup Wednesday through Sunday evenings, or track the truck around the metro for the OG experience. (Joy Summers)

882 W. 7th St., St. Paul, theangrylinecookfoodtruck.com

Beef salad at Nong's Thai Cuisine

If you've been dwelling over "The White Lotus" as much as I have this week, here's something you can do that's just a bit easier than getting on a plane to Koh Samui: Thai food.

Nong's, in a strip mall just of Hwy. 169 in Golden Valley (next to Funner Brothers bakery with their iconic doughnut holes), is a favorite in these parts of the western suburbs. A recent workday lunch hour was absolutely packed. The server told me the most popular dishes (pad thai, mixed vegetables and red curry), but I was craving something cold and crunchy, sour and spicy, and something that might have resembled the health food being served at the fictional wellness hotel on the high-drama Max show.

The beef salad ($16) had all the fresh vibrancy of a resort-in-the-jungle lunch, with thin slices of beef tenderloin dusted with spices (I went with "hot" and it was), served over raw veggies mingling with peanuts, herbs and a pucker-inducing lime dressing. Transporting though it was, it may not have taken me all the way to "The White Lotus" — but honestly, this seems safer. Cue the eerie theme song. (Sharyn Jackson)

2520 Hillsboro Av. N., Golden Valley, nongsthaicuisine.com

Wine and rye crisps at Bar Harmony

"The key word is 'weird,'" said Bar Harmony owner Erik Hamline. Just a few weeks ago, he expanded hours at the Northeast sound and coffee bar to include wine hours on Thursdays through Saturdays. Walking around the aged brick building to the back alley entrance, into the low light, and settling in with a smooth sonic welcome makes it feel exactly like the kind of big city urban retreat he's purposely creating.

Wines poured here are offered only by the glass. On our visit, we began with a $8 Grüner Veltliner, crisp and summery. But the offerings change regularly. Wines are sourced exclusively through the Libation Project, a wine importer known for finding interesting bottles from small makers. Hamline buys several of each variety he's interested in pouring at Harmony, and when it's gone, it's on to something new.

The food menu is a mix of snacks: grilled cheese, premium meats and crackers, but the evening begins with a little bowl of complimentary rye crisps. Imbued with Worcestershire savoriness, they were exactly the kind of little surprise that set the mood for a soothing evening. (J.S.)

At the back of 501 1st Av. NE., Mpls., bar-harmony.com