WE DON'T HAVE A CHINATOWN, BUT SO WHAT?

INDIAN
Vishwanatha Nadig, chef-owner, Dancing
Ganesha and NalaPak
When a cuisine starts popping up in contemporary form, prepared by highly trained chefs, it’s a sure sign that it’s evolving within its locale. Such is the case with Indian cuisine and the recently opened Dancing Ganesha in downtown Minneapolis. Owner Vishwanatha Nadig, who also owns Nalapak in Columbia Heights, has found an audience of repeat customers in tune with the nuances of Indian cuisine, and plans to replicate Dancing Ganesha in St. Paul and Woodbury sometime next year--though he says it can still be a challenge finding qualified Indian chefs. These restaurants feature a few of his favorite Indian dishes around town:

• Nalapak
  With a name derived from Hindu mythology, Nalapak is a purely vegetarian restaurant serving South Indian cuisine. Nadig recommends house specialties like masala dosai, vegetable korma, upma (an Indian cream of wheat) and vada (a lentil doughnut). The weekday buffet gives you a lot of bang for the buck, and you’ll likely walk out feeling comfortably stuffed.
  [4920 Central Ave. N.E., Columbia Heights; 763.574.1113; nalapak.com]
   
• India Palace
  While spending time living in Eau Claire, Wis., Nadig grew fond of the Woodbury location of India Palace, where he loves the way the dishes are seasoned. His typical order includes the aloo gobi and chicken tikka. The generous platters of food served here make this suburban favorite a sure winner for groups.
  [2570 N. Cleveland Ave., Roseville, 651.631.1222; 8362 Tamarack Village, Woodbury, 651.731.6300; indiapalacemn.com]
   
• Hyderabad House
  The prices at Hyderabad House, a humble, mom-and-pop stop attached to Patel Groceries, make dining there a steal. The menu is truly regional, not just the same old list of Pan-Indian standards, with plenty of vegetarian options. The buffet is filled with home-cooked delights like dal, masala dishes like chickpea or okra, paratha (whole wheat, fried flatbread) and a selection of hot pickles.
  [1831 Central Ave. N.E., Mpls.; 612.706.3292] -TSK

 THAI
Supenn Harrison, chef-owner, Sawatdee
To say Supenn Harrison--the 30-year owner of Twin Cities Thai institution Sawatdee--is a spitfire would be like saying Minnesota winters can be “a little cool.” The 62-year-old native of Uttradit, a small village between Bangkok and Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand, is credited with bringing Thai food to the Twin Cities when Minnesotans didn’t know Thai from Taiwanese. “I’m the first one in the Twin Cities, and I’m going to be the last one on the planet!” Harrison says with piercing conviction. She says the Twin Cities is a good place to find Thai cuisine, but only in the past 10 or so years. She points out that many of the restaurants currently in business are owned or operated by alumni of Sawatdee. And she takes great pride in the cooking she learned from her mother, who still lives in Thailand. Harrison says you can determine the authenticity of a Thai meal by its balance of hallmark flavors: sweet, hot, salty and sour. No single dish should tip in the direction of one or the other, but rather maintain an easy balance between them all. The staples a Thai cook can’t do without include Jasmine rice, rice noodles, green vegetables, lemongrass, galanga (a type of ginger), fish sauce and chilies.

• Royal Orchid
  “They have a dish there that I don’t have on my menu called crispy noodle. It’s really crisp and a little sweet. Other dishes I recommend are keow teow rad na—a big thick noodle that’s stir-fried and topped with a choice of meat and broccoli and a thick soybean sauce. People love this. They also make their own Thai sausage with ground pork, rice, curry paste and Kaffir lime leaves. Yum!”
  [2401 Fairview Ave., Roseville; 651.639.9999]
   
• Spice Thai Cuisine
  “This is just a simple but good little place in the suburbs. Many of the restaurants in the city are overpriced, and this one isn’t. They have the best fried rice with shrimp.”
  [3898 County Rd. 42, Savage; 952.882.9272; spicemn.com]
   
• King and I Thai
  “I like King & I for their beautiful presentation and décor. I like their cocktails and desserts--try the ice cream.”
  [1346 LaSalle Ave., Mpls.; 612.332.6928; kingandithai.com]
   
• Amazing Thailand
  “They have a good real Thai chef! They have very good green papaya, pineapple ribs and Thai dancers.”
  [3024 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.; 612.822.5588]
   
• Sawatdee
  “Our most popular dishes are rama Thai delight (shrimp or chicken sautéed in curry peanut sauce and coconut milk), pad Thai, my famous fresh spring rolls, chicken coconut milk soup, beef jerky, spicy laab and many more. Other Thai restaurants have many of the same dishes as Sawatdee, but … I don’t only serve food; I have beautiful décor and service.”
  [Sawatdee has five metro locations; sawatdee.com] --MBW

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MEXICAN
Maria Silva, owner, El Burrito Mercado
Craving a rich barbacoa that, honest to God, melts in your mouth? How about roasted corn, dusted with chili powder, lime, butter and queso fresco that’d make you swear you were strolling the bustling streets of Guadalajara? For the last 30 years, the exuberant Maria Silva has been introducing curious Twin Citians to these and other wonders of Mexican cuisine at St. Paul’s El Burrito Mercado. A native of Aguascalientes--a city in west-central Mexico known for its namesake hot springs and cactus production--Silva continues to develop her culinary obsession with her native land with the help of old family recipes, a creative spirit and, when the going gets tough, the occasional Diana Kennedy cookbook and cooking class (guess where Kennedy shops for ingredients when she’s in town to teach a class at Cooks of Crocus Hill?). So who better to ask to name the best authentic Mexican food around? Nadie.

• El Burrito Mercado
  “I take a lot of pride in thinking that we are the ones offering real, authentic Mexican food,” Silva says. “What makes the food authentic is the seasonings, the spices—I’ve seen people put cumin in Spanish rice before; there is no cumin in Spanish rice!--the peppers, knowing whether a tomato is to be boiled or blended raw.” To say Silva is committed to authenticity would be an understatement, and you don’t have to look far in El Burrito for proof. There’s menudo (spicy beef tripe soup) on the weekends, specials like ribs in green sauce, tlapeño--a chicken soup with tortilla strips, queso añejo, avocado and chipotle--and fresh juices of tamarind and jicama. And that’s not to mention a varied regular menu that allows you to create your dish with items from the many regions of Mexico, all rooted in their own culinary traditions (Veracruz-style tamales, Oaxaca mole, mole ranchero, etc.). Don’t miss El Burrito’s Friday night Mexican barbecue, featuring a mariachi band and taquisa, or taco bar, from 6–8 p.m.
  [175 Cesar Chavez St., St. Paul; 651.227.2192; elburritomercado.com]
   
• Boca Chica
  Though some items seem to cater to a more Tex-Mex palate, Silva raves about 15 items at Boca Chica that are straight-up authentic Mexican. She’s particularly fond of the sopes (a Mexican street food, or antojito, anchored by lime-soaked fried masa and topped with salsa, cheese and cream), gorditas and fajitas--though Boca’s shrimp Veracruz, served on a bed of rice, and Bistek a la Mexicana are other sure bets. “And I love their enchiladas--the cheese and onion,” Silva says. “To me they’re just wonderful. I got my grandkids hooked.” The restaurant also offers traditional menudo and pozole (rich pork stew) on the weekends. “They are very good at what they do,” Silva assures.
  [11 Cesar Chavez St., St. Paul; 651.222.8499]
   
• La Esperanza
  Its name means “hope,” and that’s no coincidence. “There’s a saying at Esperanza,” Silva explains, “that goes, ‘You hope that when you get here it will be open, and you hope that once you’re here you’ll be served in a reasonable time.’” That’s because there are no servers, and all the food is made from scratch when you order it--including the ground corn masa, no quick task, to be sure. “The owner can be moody,” Silva giggles, “so you have to have some time and patience.” Still, with its beef soup and Bistek a la Mexicana, it’s a place where you’ll find the neighborhood’s Mexican residents reveling in a true taste of home, and you’d be wise (and welcome) to join in. [140 N. Concord, St. Paul; 651.225.8744]

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
 

• El Bravo
  It’s a simpler menu, but it’s good, Silva says. Make sure to try the chile rellenos, tostadas and guisados (meat stews).
  [538 Rice St., St. Paul; 651.291.0363]
   
• Manny’s Tortas
  “For quick food, I love Manny’s,” she says. “They have done some great things with traditional tortas--just great.”
  [Three Minneapolis locations; mannystortas.com]
   
• Maria’s
  No, it’s not a Mexican restaurant, but Silva is still raving about the pastel de elote, or fresh corn pie, that she and her daughter tried at this legendary Columbian restaurant.
  [1113 E. Franklin Ave., Mpls.; 612.870.9842; mariascafe.com] --EM

CHINESE
Tammy Wong, chef-owner, Rainbow Chinese
Trying to keep up with the preferences of a large Caucasian, Hispanic and Chinese clientele, Tammy Wong of Rainbow Chinese has her work cut out for her. With a decades-long cooking career in her own restaurant and others, she has witnessed the public’s changing taste for everything from Cantonese to Szechuan. She keeps many of the Chinese American favorites that appeared on her menu upon opening in 1987, but for adventure-seekers, she experiments with daily specials, using whatever ingredients are in season. Upcoming specials are likely to include her beef stir-fry with bitter melon, a tropical and very bitter vegetable with a bumpy exterior that sort of resembles a cucumber; local Asian farmers grow it, so it’s available at farmers’ markets and is usually harvested in the fall. Though Wong’s hectic schedule as a restaurant owner and mother of two permits only the occasional meal out, here are some of her favorite dishes when she’s not busy behind the line:
 

• Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar
  Don’t shy away from the sweet-and-sour dishes here; owner Tammy Wong stopped using that infamous bright-red food coloring years ago and makes her own sweet-and-sour sauce using squash, pineapple, carrot and/or mango. Also try the sesame noodles, made with chunky peanut butter to give them some crunch, the traditional turnip cakes, and the very-addictive Szechuan wontons in black bean sauce.
  [2739 Nicollet Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.870.7084; rainbowrestaurant.com]
   
• Village Wok
  Wong is bound to have a soft spot for her former employer, the Village Wok, and she usually stops in during late-night hours to satisfy her craving for the wonton noodle soup (available on the late-night menu only). The nearby student population has turned Village Wok into a Stadium Village mainstay since 1975, with great seafood specials, soups and Chinese classics being served until 1:45 a.m.
  [610 Washington Ave. S.E., Mpls.; 612.331.9041; villagewok.com]
   
• Mandarin Kitchen
  When Wong goes out for dim sum, her pick is usually Mandarin Kitchen, where she keeps an eye out for the carts serving chiu chao fun guo (a dumpling stuffed with dried shrimp and Chinese pork sausage), beef tripe and egg custard, which she says must be eaten while it’s still warm. Meanwhile, her kids gobble up a couple orders of sticky rice.
  [8766 S. Lyndale Ave., Bloomington; 952.884.5356; mandarin-kitchen.com]
   
• Little Szechuan
  Wong openly favors Cantonese-style dishes that are light on the sauce to the spicier Szechuan style of cooking. However, she has a couple of favorites at Little Szechuan, like the ma po tofu and pork-ear shreds with chili sauce. [422 University Ave. W., St. Paul; 651.222.1333; littleszechuan.com] --TSK