Jon Cheng

Oct 3, 2024 | startribune.com | Jon Cheng

I rarely answer such pointed and specific questions, but it is my duty to re-establish Krewe, in St. Joseph, as my go-to for peerless renditions of New Orleans classics. I think fondly about the jambalaya, gumbo and Key lime pie. Comparing the Twin Cities dining scene with New York City’s dining scene, are we in the infant or teenager stage? What are we missing? Rather than assess maturity, I’d instead assess breadth.

Oct 1, 2024 | startribune.com | Jon Cheng

There's no shortage of terrific tacos in and around the Twin Cities. Over the past few weeks, I scoured the metro area — as far as Lake Elmo — to try dozens of taquerias recommended by friends, trusted confidants and readers. But there were rules: In the spirit of fairness, anywhere with table service was eliminated from this list. And yet these taquerias stand tall not just among any that serve tacos in the Twin Cities, but nationwide, too. Here are my top 10.

Sep 5, 2024 | startribune.com | Jon Cheng

Tea Leaf Salad and Mohinga Soup from Mandalay Kitchen in St. Paul. (Jon Cheng/The Minnesota Star Tribune)Mandalay KitchenMandalay Kitchen made headlines for its chapli-patty Juicy Lucy ($14.95), and while a fantastic burger, it shouldn’t be emblematic of food that chef/owner Chris Tunbaw cooks at this newish Frogtown eatery. His tea leaf salad (Lahpet Thoke, $13.95) is, though.

Aug 8, 2024 | startribune.com | Jon Cheng

This, happily, encourages more grazing, more frequent dining at Gia, where the menu changes each week in accordance with the seasons. In early July, I had bright, ruby-colored grape tomatoes on bruschetta; the next week, tomatoes were roasted instead, and featured in a panzanella salad. Juices from the grilled scallop and halibut seeped into the salad, and the Salmoriglio sauce — oregano, lemon, olive oil — tied it all together very appealingly.

Aug 8, 2024 | startribune.com | Jon Cheng

This, happily, encourages more grazing, more frequent dining at Gia, where the menu changes each week in accordance with the seasons. In early July, I had bright, ruby-colored grape tomatoes on bruschetta; the next week, tomatoes were roasted instead, and featured in a panzanella salad. Juices from the grilled scallop and halibut seeped into the salad, and the Salmoriglio sauce — oregano, lemon, olive oil — tied it all together very appealingly.