Minneapolis Eats: Cafe Brenda

The nice thing about having family or friends in the town you're visiting is that they can recommend good restaurants to try. It was in this way that I came to Cafe Brenda. Meeting up with my non-veg Minnesota family definitely meant finding a place to eat well with others, and Brenda served up the goods.

I started with the awesome Organic Greens and Chevre Salad, opting for no chevre of course. What sold me on this salad was the marinated figs, and boy were they delicious. They had a nice chewy bite and a sweetness that paired well with the hazelnuts and raspberry vinaigrette. Great start, but it gets even better.

This Croquettes entree is only available Friday and Saturday nights (yippee for good timing!) and every week the patties are slightly different, as are the sides. I had a feeling this weekend-only offering would be yummy, but it exceeded all expectations. My kabocha squash patties and curried tomato sauce were oh-so-savory, pipin' hot, and happily reminded me that fall is really here, while the refreshingly cold beets and artichoke hearts were marinated to perfection. The salad was just more organic goodness - the icing on the proverbial cake... only without all the fat and sugar.

Speaking of fat and sugar (well okay, not so much fat, and zero refined sugar) I had the fruit tart for dessert. This was basically cooked plums with granola, but it was super-yummy and was exactly the right amount of sweetness for me at the end of a meal. It was also perfect dancing fuel, and since Cafe Brenda is so close to all the hot clubs, it makes for a great pre-party nosh. I highly recommend it. Way to go, Minneapolis family - good call on CB! :)

Next up: One more Minneapolis eat, and then some serious talk about Eating to Live.