REGIONS: MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL TWIN CITIES CULTURE AND CULINARY ADVENTURES By Mecca Bos When I show off my Minnesota to a visitor, they come away with the impression that they’ve visited an entire world. And it’s true–the Twin Cities has worlds within its border, worlds most easily explored through food. Take a tour with me, won’t you? LET’S GO TO: SOUTHEAST ASIA It can be argued that every region has a sandwich and that ours is the Banh Mi–cold cuts, pâtés, shredded veggies and herbs layered between French-style rolls. Find them all over the cities, or do a side-by-side comparison down Eat Street (a stretch of Nicollet Avenue with numerous international restaurants), where some of the most lauded spots do business. Lu’s Sandwiches is the gold standard, building them to-order “your way,” cafeteria style. Some of the tastiest pho in town can be found here, too, at Pho 79 or Pho Tau Bay , old-school eateries light on frills and heavy on flavor. LET’S GO TO: EAST AFRICA Minnesota’s African population now tops 90,000, and this community–hailing from Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea–has brought rich culinary traditions along with it. I always say Ethiopian is the ideal meal for a party–if your idea of a party is conviviality, sharing and participation, which mine is. I recommend starting at Fasika , St. Paul’s foundational Ethiopian spot, located in one of the three Twin Cities areas that compose “Little Africa.” Nearby, Snelling Cafe offers a mashup of East African and American classics, so you can enjoy beef tibs and a cheeseburger in one sitting. LET’S GO TO: PRECOLONIZED MNI SOTA Sean Sherman had an epiphany after a trip to Mexico, where natives maintained their original languages and food traditions. Here in his own native Minnesota, he realized, there were “zero indigenous restaurants representing the Indigenous land they are sitting on.” So Sherman, aka the Sioux Chef, opened Owamni , where diners can experience true Minnesota cuisine, free of colonial ingredients such as wheat, beef, chicken, pork, cane sugar and dairy. While enjoying perhaps the finest resto view in Minneapolis, you can order bison tartare or smoked trout, sip wine from an all-Native American wine list, listen to a playlist by Native artists and leave with a deeper understanding of Mni Sota Makoce, “Land Where the Waters Reflect the Clouds.” Bison with hazelnut crusted carrot at Owamni All food photos courtesy of Mecca Bos Bison tartare at Owamni, Minneapolis 46 | EXPLORE MINNESOTA .COM
Explore Minnesota Travel Guide 2022 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide: Page 46
