Days are shortening, temps are dropping (well they were at least), and local squirrels are getting so damn fat you wonder how they don’t snap the tree branches.  We all know what’s coming…the inevitable Minnesota deep freeze! But even if your fingers and toes can’t always be toasty, you can keep your taste buds warm with hot dishes (and by hot dish we mean spicy, not casserole) and ingredients from all around the cities. Though our state’s reputation might land more toward the sugar than the spice end of the spectrum (and more toward ketchup than sriracha) the Twin Cities are full of enough hot and spicy options to support your own personal warming trend this fall.

Bibim Naeng Myun @ Hoban Korean Restaurant
Anything at this classic Korean institution can be turned into a taste-bud scorcher with the addition of their house-made hot sauce, made fresh every day. The Bibim Naeng Myun is a spicy buckwheat noodle dish marinated in the hot sauce and mixed with radishes, cucumbers and jalapenos. It comes with hard boiled egg on the side, which serves as a sort of "fire extinguisher" for diners who are overcome with heat, says owner Kim Lim.

When your eyes start to water, you can take a bite of egg, which cools the mouth, Lim says. Hoban also serves giant "hot pots," which are designed to share and arrive quite beautifully arranged. Lim herself favors the Kimchi Jungol, a kimchi-based hot pot that layers rice, 9 or 10 different veggies and spicy kimchi. All hot pots come with a side of house hot sauce, so you can dose yourself with a lot or a little. Soup and spice sounds like the perfect remedy for winter sniffles.

Bibim Naeng Myun: $10.50
Kimchi Jungol hot pot for two: $11.95

Hoban Korean Restaurant
1989 Silver Bell Rd., Eagan
651.688.3447


Wok-fried Green Chili and Thai Holy Basil @ True Thai
Like many Asian restaurants, True Thai offers a scale its patrons can use to choose the heat of their dish. But unlike your typical restaurant, True Thai doesn't use nondescript stars or a one to five scale. Choose from "mild, medium, hot, very hot, and Thai hot," at this popular East Franklin spot.

"Thai hot" is mouth-scorching, but even so, owner Anna Fieser says many of her regulars have gotten used to this level of spice thanks to regular exposure to her fare. Begin your quest to become one of the seasoned pros by ordering the Wok-fried Green Chili and Basil dish, which contains jalapenos and Thai chilis.

There is always the option to make it hotter. But Fieser says if you overestimate your ability to stand the heat and can't make it through another bite don't feel too bad about sending it back. "We don't want you to be tortured," she says. "You should be able to taste your food." Personally, I hope if you do wuss out and send your food back to Anna’s multiple award-winning kitchen (she’s Zagat-rated), your dining companions won't let you forget it soon.

Green Chili and Holy Basil: $8.95

True Thai
2627 E Franklin Ave., Mpls.
612.375.9942


Chicken Suqqar @ Safari Express
This popular dish gets its kick from bebera, an East African spice similar to hot paprika, says Safari Express chef and owner Jamal Hashi. Hashi knows his way around a hot dish - he is the two-time Midtown Global Market Chili Cook Off champ, going for his third win this Saturday. His chili recipe also employs bebera for its heat. You can buy the spice at the market as well and take it home to heat up your own chili or chicken creation.

Hashi says spicy foods from all cultures have become an important and unique part of our Minnesota dining trends, as more global influences have begun to shape our cuisine. He likens spicy foods to a cross cultural expression of love. Visit the market for some hot lovin' from Jamal and the rest of the Global Market crew to keep you warm all winter.

And don't miss the 4th Annual Chili Cook-off this Saturday at 2 p.m. You can sample Jamal's chili, as well as concoctions by a dozen other market chefs.

Chicken Suqqar: $4.99/half or $7.99/full meal


Safari Express
Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake St., Mpls.
612.874.0756

Chips and Spicy Salsa @ Burrito Mercado
There’s nothing like freshly made salsa and chips to invoke that beachy summer feeling in the dead of winter. Just make sure you pick a spicy salsa and have plenty of refreshing Corona with lime to wash it down. At Burrito Mercado, two fine choices are the Habanero Salsa, made primarily with it’s namesake pepper and the Ranchero Salsa, which gets its spicy-smoky flavor from arbol peppers and roasted chilis. You can’t forget the homemade chips, which are made with stone ground corn so they’re extra thick to handle all that salsa piquante. Manager Tomas Silva says all that spicy goodness is made right on site at their St. Paul restaurant and market. Because they offer a dozen different fresh salsas for purchase by the pound, you can get some tamer flavors like the excellent Salsa Verde to satisfy your uber-Minnesotan friends for whom even a healthy dose of garlic can be considered “spicy.”

Burrito Mercado
175 Cesar Chavez Street, St. Paul
651.227.2192


The Thai Sizzler @ Amazing Thailand
Not only does it have a fun name, but this dish takes seafood on in a completely new way, which is so often coddled in gentle butter and white wine-based sauces. The Sizzler starts with a spicy fish paste base and comes with scallops, mussels, shrimp, squid and a hearty helping of hot sauce. Though it’s served on a sizzling platter reminiscent of what you might get if you were to make the mistake of ordering fajitas at an Applebee’s, this plate has tons more kick than anything you’d find at a banal chain. There’s plenty of other sizzling fare to be had at Amazing Thailand. Manager Lak Hannah is partial to the spicy green curry, made with fresh Thai green chilis.

Thai Sizzler: $18.95
Green Curry with chicken: $11.95

Amazing Thailand
3024 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.
612.822.5588