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

Angie Lee relocated from New York City to Minneapolis during the pandemic to pod up with her sister — and just happened to find herself in proximity to a fantastic doughnut shop. “New Yorkers think they have the corner on great bakeries, but they’ve got nothing on Minnesotans,” she said.

Years later, she crossed paths with a woman who struck her as a kindred spirit. Turns out, she’s the entrepreneurial force behind those doughnuts: Anne Rucker. The two became fast friends. As Lee contemplated a new career path, it was Rucker who kicked the dream into action in that way your best girlfriends confidently cheer bigger horizons. “I could think of a thousand reasons not to do it, but she saw the vision,” said Lee.

The vision was a little store that sold home goods and beautiful stationery while hosting a cafe space stocked with delicious things and Rucker’s Bogart’s Doughnut Co.

So before shopping, do as Lee did and start with doughnuts ($5). Rucker devised the flavors that are just familiar enough, but still so special and new. Tart yuzu citrus stands in for familiar lemon when paired with poppyseed. It’s bright, savory, light and envelops an old-fashioned doughnut that’s a perfect balance of crumbly cake and crackly, tart glaze.

Lee’s store celebrates the way Asian and Western aesthetics and art have blended into a global pop-culture moment. Since opening its doors two weeks ago, the Uptown shop has been thrumming with activity. Mother-daughter groups of all ages come in and share doughnuts, oohing over all the goods and taking home blind boxes filled with little toys. “It’s best as a shared experience,” said Lee. (Joy Summers)

3048 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.; moonamoono.com

There’s a reason why a wedge salad has long been a menu staple. The fork-and knife salad of an iceberg lettuce wedge topped with bacon bits, tomatoes and blue cheese is a great way to start a composed meal. So when a fresh modern supper club recently opened in the north suburbs, chef Adam Johnson, whose local restaurant résumé includes Kincaid’s and Public Kitchen, dared to mess with the beloved classic starter with an updated interpretation. And it works.

At Stone and Oak in White Bear Lake, the Wedge Salad ($14) maintains a traditional profile with crisp iceberg lettuce and blue cheese, but then takes you on a detour by swapping in heirloom tomatoes and a tangy, herb-laden, creamy green goddess dressing. Finished with a sprinkling of chives, it’s a pleasant stroll through the garden in plated form. To round out our meal, we ordered a burger and the bone-in chicken dishes, which we also recommend.

The brainchild of Lisa Stonehouse, who has been running a Shoreview-based catering company for 15 years, Stone and Oak debuted in March. Stonehouse envisioned a community gathering spot serving up “elevated American comfort food.” To make that happen, she transformed a former car wash into a quaint and cozy modern hangout with an open kitchen, sprawling bar and tufted booths. The drink program is just as ambitious as the food. Stonehouse, a mixologist, has joined forces with Tattersall Distillery’s Dan Oskey to design the craft cocktail and mocktail menu. Open 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. (Nancy Ngo)

4466 Centerville Road, White Bear Lake, stonehousemn.com

A reader brought this Bloomington neighborhood spot to our attention, saying their burgers are worth the stop. And they are, as our server verified. “But people also really like our broasted chicken,” she said. Sold.

For those who’ve never enjoyed broasted chicken, it’s cooked in a pressure fryer, which gives you the best of both worlds: tender, juicy meat on the inside and crispy skin on the outside. It rarely disappoints, and that was the case at Zeke’s. It’s nothing fancy; it’s just really, really good chicken. What made it even better was the price. A three-piece meal with toast, Jo Jo potato wedges and coleslaw was $13. It was more than I could eat, so the next day’s lunchtime salad got a flavorful protein boost.

The chicken is available after 2 p.m. on weekdays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays, so time your visit accordingly. Located across from Dred Scott Playfield, this laid-back, family-owned restaurant would be a great place to feed hungry athletes. Or order takeout and take it back to the game: Nothing travels like broasted chicken. (Nicole Hvidsten)

7700 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, zekesplacemn.com

South metro residents — like way south — are in the know about this charming bakery on an even more charming street facing the Cannon River in Dundas. Baker Martha Schuetzle opened her cafe in 2012, and has had a presence at area farmers markets for even longer. Her raspberry custard turnover is legendary, as are the plentiful scones and laminated pastries piled up behind the glass at the counter, like puppies with their noses up against the window at the pet shop, just begging to be chosen and taken home.

On a meandering road trip in and around Northfield, I wound up here for the first time and bought all I could with the bills I found scrunched up in my pocket. (The cafe takes only cash or check.) That limitation stopped me from getting heartier lunch fare, like sandwiches and a lentil soup with a kind of pesto that my table-neighbors said was divine. But we were in no way deprived. This savory Danish ($6), filled in the center with a whole egg, chopped sweet peppers suspended in the whites and everything seasoning on the edges, hit the spot. (Sharyn Jackson)

236 N. Railway St., Dundas, marthaseatsandtreats.com

This isn’t the first time this sandwich has made the pages of the Star Tribune, and it certainly won’t be the last. It is, after all, one of the most iconic sandwiches in all of Minnesota, and a personal favorite in my family. But if you haven’t been to Duluth in a while, and I hadn’t, there’s something new about the experience of eating it.

No, Northern Waters Smokehaus hasn’t changed the recipe; they wouldn’t dare. The Cajun Finn ($16) — developed long ago to sate the craving of music legend Alan Sparhawk — is still that same fluffy ciabatta slathered in scallion cream cheese and topped with chunks of their hot-smoked salmon, with shreds of pepperoncini and roasted red pepper for a briny kick. But in late 2023, Northern Waters Smokehaus moved downstairs in the DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace in Canal Park, from a tiny little slip of a shop into the former Amazing Grace space. Now, they have a sprawling market, sandwich counter and room to sit and eat, complete with a guy-with-a-guitar on the corner stage.

The sandwich tasted every bit as good as it did on previous visits, when I would have to stand outside on the deck to take that first bite, then scarf the rest in my car. Dining in is a game-changer. (S.J.)

294 S. Lake Av., Suite LL1, Duluth, nwsmokehaus.com