Andrew Zimmern: Escape from the Bizarre

I have a day job as a food professional. Several, in fact. But most often when I dine out, I do so as a civilian, not as a food writer, chef, or TV travel dude. These days I find myself eating out out of necessity and nearly exclusively as a hungry husband, harried multitasker, and starving father. What used to be a five-night-a-week restaurant habit has dwindled to once- or twice-a-week, and rather than hitting the new hot spots and looking at my meal with a critical eye, I frequent restaurants that my family and I love. But I only have one vote. Check that.
I am just the driver and reliable payment resource. So here is a list of my favorites, tempered through the prism of my new criteria. We like restaurants with honest, well-made food, we like to be served in a manner consistent with the food style, and we all must find something to eat, and that means our three-year-old too.

Our favorite Middle Eastern deli, Abu Nader, is in our neighborhood, and we eat there about once a week. Our son loves the tabbouleh, the falafel, and the pita—handmade and baked twice daily. Sandwiches and the homemade turnip pickles are delicious and the Ailabouni family makes a killer panoply of hand pies. The sfeha (made with ground meat and raisins), the feta and hot pepper, and the spinach pies are faves. (One pie is perfect for a kid’s meal.) Hummus is light and airy. Baba gannouj is so smoky and intense you can’t believe it’s made from eggplant. No meal is complete without honey-drenched, nut-tastic baklava.

Brasa is my favorite new restaurant of 2007, and my son and I hit it for lunch as often as we can. This is the only place I have ever been where the chef/owner (Alma’s Alex Roberts) encourages young customers to crawl on the wooden banquette seats. We love the convenience of takeout, available by the plate or pound. Latin American spice-rubbed roasted chicken and pulled pork are centerpieces of this humble eatery carved out of a gas station, but the collards, grits, and other traditional rotisserie sides are stellar.

A longstanding date night for my wife and me, Café Lurçat has everything we like in a restaurant—simple, well-prepared food that is easy to decipher, a wonderful view, crisp twinkly décor, and great service. We like the à la carte–style menu—sides are a must. Apple-manchego salad (a classic), pot roast, miso-glazed sea bass, seared ahi with lemon confit . . . the list of favorites goes on. The room is well run, and we never feel lost here—nothing is worse than feeling like no one cares about you once you’ve ordered.

Corner Table, despite the amazing amount of press it garners, is still the best-kept secret in the Kingfield neighborhood of south Minneapolis. The room is simple and spare, and chef-owner Scott Pampuch’s food showcases the best of Minnesota field and farm. Pampuch delights in weekly and seasonal special events that are justifiably famous, from beer dinners to Sunday vino + vinyl nights to fancier wine events that the restaurant hosts, but it’s the stellar burger, the grass-fed beef, and the superior gnocchi that keep the cognoscenti coming back.

Wandering through El Burrito Mercado is as much fun as dining there. Where to begin? There’s a deli where I can buy tamales to load up my freezer or grab some guacamole and salsas to throw on a buffet. There’s a market with miles of aisles of Mexican and Latino products, a butcher shop, a bakery, a restaurant, and most importantly a café that serves some of the best Mexican food in town. I like it for a late breakfast of chilaquiles, the puerco cuisado verde and moles are top notch, and the “come for lunch, leave with marinated skirt steak for dinner” options make it a winner.