Food & Drink

Cocoa powder.

While studying abroad in Venezuela, I, along with other students, would take overnight buses to the coast. It was there where I discovered cacao trees, which give us chocolate and is found growing as an understory tree.

The bar at Birch's on the Lake.

What’s to love about the area’s best restaurant.

A glass of Cloudline pinot noir.

Cloudline pinot noir has French oak, great fruit flavors, and it’s light and easy drinking.

A bloody mary from Benedict's in Wayzata.

Take a sip of some of the best bloody marys in the Lake Minnetonka area and beyond.

Jules Meyer cooks a dish in her kitchen.

When Jules Meyer completed her cookbook titled Passion: My Journey through Food, she realized she'd written her life story.

A glass of zinfandel.

What you can expect is what a good zinfandel should taste like: loads of brambly berry fruit, a touch of American oak, a healthy ABV, and a rich array of spices.

Cooked mushrooms

May brings the hunt for morels, the most coveted of Minnesota mushrooms. With their honeycombed caps and hollow stems, morels are easy for even a beginning forager to recognize.

Fans gather in front of the Nautical Bowls food truck.

Minnetonka’s Nautical Bowls launches a mobile spot for acai goodness.

Sushi from Kai's Sushi & Grill

Sushi's popularity in the Twin Cities western suburbs has been blossoming, thanks in large part to Kai's Sushi & Grill.

A glass of rosé

Triennes rosé is nice and dry with bright, crisp strawberry and melon flavors, and great acidity.

Gavin Kaysen, owner of Demi, Spoon and Stable and Bellecour

Five Twin Cities chefs are among the contenders for Best Chef: Midwest, and the full list of James Beard Award semifinalists features several other local chefs and restaurants.

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