Restaurant of the Year
Bar La Grassa
Bar La Grassa is the fruit of a seed planted 13 years ago. Isaac Becker (co-owner, with his wife and business partner Nancy St. Pierre, of the can’t-miss, always-full 112 Eatery) and Josh Thoma (the business mind behind La Belle Vie, Solera, and six other restaurants) were cooking at the original D’Amico Cucina at the time, and talked of opening a place together. Fate ultimately led Becker and Thoma in separate—though wildly successful—directions, and that dream restaurant remained just that: a fantasy. Until now.

Becker, St. Pierre and Thoma opened Bar La Grassa in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis to rave reviews two months ago. Considering the trio’s proven knack for running a dining room, and their uncanny sense of what the public desires, it’s safe to say La Grassa will become, like sister eatery 112, yet another institution that thrums with authenticity, affability, polish and value.

Becker’s descriptions of La Grassa’s goals are astonishingly simple. “Nancy and I just want to create a restaurant that we would like to eat and drink at,” he says. And why Italian? That’s simple, too. “Italian food is something that people crave. There are big flavors. There are noodles. People understand it.” The menu reflects that sensibility, with its list of fresh and dry pastas, a smattering of bruscettas and Becker’s signature takes on small and large plates, from soft eggs with lobster ($13) to bagna cauda cauliflower ($7) to a prime New York steak ($35).

La Grassa mirrors 112’s understated elegance in its stylish-yet-comfortable room that seems somehow appropriate for any occasion. The pasta bar allows you to watch the action from the best seat in the house, and whether you’re packing $20 or $200, you can eat here. Overall, it’s just the kind of restaurant we need right now. —M.B.W.

800 N. Washington Ave., Mpls.; 612.333.3837

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Best Organic Baby Food
Sweet Cheeks
Babies are the original locavores—hey, it doesn’t get much more local than breast milk—and now a Minnesota company is helping local mothers get back to those roots. Sweet Cheeks is made from 100 percent organic fruits, vegetables and Minnesota-grown grains. Our favorite: The “Baby-roles,” casseroles for one-year-olds. Owner Lori Karis works with local farms and hawks her wares at farmers’ markets and local co-ops. (We get ours at the Seward Co-Op on Franklin.) It’s even on the menu at the 128 Café in St. Paul.

Best Saki Bloody Mary
Chatterbox
When your liquor license forbids you from serving the hard stuff, you have to get creative with your Sunday brunch. The Chatterbox does just that with their Saki Bloody, using sake instead of vodka and giving it a kick with an infusion of herbs, spices and jalapeño peppers. Get a tall for $7 (half price during happy hour) and order it spicy.

Midtown Minneapolis: 2229 E. 35th Street; 612.728.9871 // St. Paul: 800 Cleveland Ave. S.; 651.699.1154 // Linden Hills: 4501 France Ave. S.; 612.920.3221

Best Locally Made Peanut Butter
Parkers Farm Peanut Butter
If you’ve given up on all-natural peanut butter for being too oily, gritty or unpalatable, we’ve got a hometown label that will set you straight. Parkers Farm, a little outpost in Coon Rapids, churns out delicious natural peanut butter—yes, both creamy and chunky—that’s easy to stir and spread and offers up a sweeter taste than other naturally sugar-free PBs.