The 5 Best Things Our Food Writers Ate in the Twin Cities This Week

Sammich at Nashville Coop

If it seems like fried chicken strips are everywhere lately, that’s because they are. Dave’s Hot Chicken is expanding , Toma Mojo Grill just added them to the menu , Tender Lovin’ Chix is ​​​​on the way in LynLake , and Nashville Co-op just opened its third Twin Cities location in Richfield .

The newest location occupies a retro diner in the former Flynn’s Eats, and its short menu of combos doesn’t stray much from the original locations and a food truck of the same name. Get three chicken strips, tenders with Texas toast, or this “sammich” ($14), which comes with two large pieces of chicken and a creamy, tangy “coop sauce” on the side for drizzling or dipping (fries included). I went for medium spicy and found I could have tolerated a lot more. But for those who hate the true meaning of Nashville hot, there’s an “MN Nice” level.

Nashville Coop is a family business, founded by a father and two brothers (one of whom, Kamal Mohamed, is also the chef and food entrepreneur behind StepChld and Parcelle). A family that has long been around food trucks, they made a fresh start during the pandemic by putting an Ethiopian-spicy spin on Nashville-style hot chicken. The spicy chilies that the Mohamed brothers’ mother would blend at home became the secret that set them apart in an increasingly crowded chicken finger market. (Sharyn Jackson)

6600 PennAv. S., Richfield; 300 S. Snelling Av., St. Paul; 856Washington Av. S.E., Mpls., nashvillecoop.com

Fried Chicken and Eggs Benedict at Inver Grove Brewing Co

It was a rare Sunday morning with zero items on the to-do list and an open road calling. After a stroll through the farmers market, my husband and I experienced the rare kid-free brunch. To fully honor the occasion, we headed to Inver Grove Brewing Co and ordered the fried chicken eggs Benedict with thick-cut bacon on fresh biscuits ($15) that was on the menu at our landing site.

Opened in 2019, Inver Grove Brewing Co. is a large open space with a spacious patio that caters not only to beer lovers, but to just about anyone looking to have a good time. The expansive dining room was packed with families fresh from church, older couples in quieter corners, and friends watching the game on TV. It struck me that it’s special when a restaurant is so adept at welcoming all the people in the neighborhood with equal respect, no matter where they are.

But this isn’t a story about crowd pleasers. It’s about a heaping bowl of breakfast decadence. We’d probably settle for each element of this dish on its own: crumbly biscuits on the bottom, a handful of spinach because greens are important, crispy bacon, and a Southern-fried beauty of a chicken thigh under a blanket of buttery hollandaise sauce and two small poached eggs. We happily shared as he sipped a coffee beer and I enjoyed a plain kombucha. This place really does something to make everyone feel welcome. (Joy Summers)

9051 Buchanan Trail, Inver Grove Heights, 651-370-1565, igbrewing.com

Bucatini all’Amatriciana near Rinata

Now that we’re in the middle of construction season, we want to make an extra effort to support local organizations. That’s why we decided to give a special shout-out to Rinata, one of the many neighborhood gems affected by the heavy construction along Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis.

The staff at the establishment, which has been around for 16 years and serves homemade pasta and pizza, seemed to appreciate everyone who came in. They showed this through their cheerful disposition, attentive service and the dishes that came out of the kitchen at a fast pace.

While we waited for our order, we snacked on the complimentary bread basket, which featured crispy bits of the outside and fluffy squares of house-made focaccia that we dipped in an olive tapenade/olive oil dip. Chef Osvaldo Neave has a knack for pasta and didn’t miss a beat with the pappardelle Bolognese and, our favorite, the bucatini all’Amatriciana ($23), which featured long strands of slurpy noodles cooked to perfection al dente. House-made pancetta and a deep-red tomato sauce lent richness and depth to the dish, while Parmesan cheese added sharp, nutty notes and chili flakes added a slight heat.

If we had to suggest one thing, it would be to go a little easier on the salt. But given Rinata’s casual bistro atmosphere, attention to detail, warm hospitality and the dish in general, we’d do that any day. (Nancy Ngo)

2451 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls; 612-374-8998; rinatarestaurant.com

Egg S’wich at Vitalist by Sarah H

Sarah Ann Haugen grew up around restaurants; her extended family owned Twin Cities Italian eateries Mama D’s and Cafe Biaggio. She worked as a private chef for celebrities and CEOs in Silicon Valley, and when it came time to open her own place in 2017, pasta was the last thing on her mind.

Her menu at Vitalist, the cafe she first opened in San Francisco, featured gluten-free, organic, plant-based “real food that feels somewhat like it’s growing wild in nature and is designed to help people cleanse while they’re hacking junk food,” she explained. She moved Vitalist to Los Angeles during the pandemic and “got hit with the three less-than-positive Cs: COVID, then cancer, then chemo.”

Haugen’s health brought her back to Minnesota, and earlier this year she opened Vitalist by Sarah H in Spring Park, in the former Vann restaurant space on Lake Minnetonka. The menu has evolved to reflect Haugen’s reach as a personal chef, and now features animal proteins, like the perfectly poached eggs atop the $16 Egg S’wich.

Think avocado toast-esque. Haugen piles eggs, avocado, tomato, arugula, and mayo onto something she calls an “S.Cookie” (pronounced “scookie”).

A savory dish Haugen developed specifically for the Minnesota location, the S. Cookie was my dining companion and all I could talk about as we devoured this breakfast sandwich with a twist. To make it, Haugen builds on a gluten-free scones recipe she developed in San Francisco. For this version, she infuses almond milk with rosemary, shallots, zucchini, and parsley, then blends that spicy liquid with brown rice flour and butter for a light green-tinged, fluffy breakfast cookie we didn’t know we needed. And you can get the S. Cookie in sweet versions, too. (SJ)

4016 Shoreline Drive, Spring Park, 612-819-3111, vitalistsuperfood.com

Salty maple latte and cinnamon pecan tote to pull apart at Sunshine Coffee Co.

The door swings open and shut with a country twang. Inside, the walls are a cheerful yellow with rainbows, and it’s immediately clear that this coffee shop’s name is more than just something painted on the outside.

The vibes are intentional. Sunshine Coffee Co. was founded about a year ago by three friends, Erica Marsden, Julie Quinn and Sabrina Tvedten-Swinnea. Coffee beans are roasted on-site and carefully sourced from fair-trade and small farms. The aromas are a heady mix of softly roasted, finely ground and just-brewed coffee. Specialty lattes include a salty maple latte ($6.50) made with amber-colored local syrup and a pinch of salt. There’s usually a full, just-baked array of goodies, but when I arrived, a lone tower of cinnamon-pecan pull-apart bread ($5.50) remained. The rich caramel, meaty nuts and warm baking spices were a perfect combination.

I had every intention of enjoying it alone, but the infectious cheerfulness overpowered me, and instead I accidentally made a new friend. (JS)

3459 Lake ElmoAv. N., Elmomeer, sunshinecoffeemn.com