I and my husband stayed in Minneapolis for 10 days in October, in an apartment on 9th Street above Hell’s Kitchen. On my last day (Sunday) I needed to grab some brunch before our performance at The Cowles Center. It was around 11:30am, and the wait at Hell’s Kitchen was 90 minutes. Key’s Cafe down the street was no better - 30 minute wait. Both places were totally packed and so loud. When it seemed almost impossible to grab a seat or any food, my friend who invited us to the brunch had a brilliant idea to go to a hotel near The Cowles Center - Graves 601. We headed to the 4th floor and voila, there was no wait and their brunch was one of the best I have had in a long time. (Later I found out that this is a very well rated and highly favored hotel/ restaurant.)

My husband ordered Eggs Benedict with breakfast potatoes; I ordered Eggs Benedict and a half order of Belgian waffles.  We also had coffee. Our dishes came with a complimentary shot of fruit smoothie.

Food: Eggs Benedict often comes with overcooked or runny eggs, rancid or sour tasting Hollandaise sauce, and almost burned muffin. But not here! Our Eggs Benedict had very delicate Hollandaise sauce. Eggs were beautifully poached, and the English muffin was soft and warm. Canadian bacon was delicious and juicy. Belgian Waffle was also very satisfactory - not too big or soggy, crispy outside and buttery inside. I think the blueberry compote and mango creme fraiche were almost unnecessary, but the waffles were still delicious with some maple syrup and butter. The coffee was also very good - much, much better than what you can get at any regular brunch joints. And the waiter kept refreshing the pot, which was nice.

Price: Eggs Benedict for $12/ Belgian Waffle for $12. (Our friend paid for it, so I don’t know how much the half order waffle was.) Everything on the menu seemed reasonable. It’s a restaurant in a high-end hotel, and the menu was much better (and better priced) than other hotels in downtown Minneapolis.

Service: A bit stiff, but still very good and professional.

Atmosphere: Sleek and modern. Nice dishes, silverware, and furniture. Not too pretentious.. maybe a bit “cold”

Overall: A great place for a quiet brunch - what a nice surprise and a find! I just hope I am not spilling the beans or anything.  Great food at a reasonable price with good atmosphere and service. I checked out their dinner menu, and it looks great. A lot of restaurants in downtown MSP are over-priced (Vietnamese spring rolls for $11?!) and sub-par, but this restaurant seems different. I would definitely go back for their dinner.

Phone: 612-312-1168/ Website: http://www.cosmosrestaurant.com

I lived in Fargo-Moorhead area for 4 years and visited Minneapolis as much as I could. One of my husband’s cousins lives in MSP, and he gave me a few recommendations including Rustica, Quang’s Vietnamese restaurant, Little Szechuan, Tampopo, and La Belle Vie. I have visited most of them, and finally decided to write about some of them as well as other favorite spots that I discovered on my own. I am starting with the Rustica Bakery.

This bakery is now quite well known to MSP residents. Sometimes the line is too long and the service gets slow, but it’s a pleasant place to visit and enjoy great breads, very good desserts, and simple and good sandwiches. It also serves good coffee- not my favorite, but good enough. The Dogwood coffee used to run a bar here as a part of “Bull Run Coffee”. They used to serve Hario drip and Syphon. Now Dogwood Coffee has their own coffee bar, and Rustica serves only espresso drinks or brewed coffee with a Clover machine. I used to be curious about Clover when it was getting a lot of hype, but I think any coffee brewed with Clover has a bit of muddy texture and unclean flavor.  I think single-serve coffee using Hario or Bonmac has far superior flavor, aroma and texture. Their baristas are well trained and skilled, but the Dogwood espresso blend is not my favorite. (too sour and, strangely enough, soy-bean like flavor..! I think it’s a personal thing.)

If I had to choose, I would pick croissants from the Patisserie 46 (will write about this soon), but Rustica’s croissants are still very flaky and subtly sweet. Any of their breads would make anybody’s day happier. I like their baguette and multi-grain loaves. Try their bread with butter option - you get to choose what you want to eat, except the baguette.

I also like some of their sandwich selections and dessert selections. (Eclairs are good, but a bit too big/ pies good, cookies good.) All in all, this is a great place and I would make sure to visit if I am driving into or leaving MSP. Oh, and don’t forget the fresh squeezed orange juice!

Rustica Bakery: 3224 West Lake Street, Minneapolis/ Tel: 612-822-1119

Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday - Sunday: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Website: www.rusticabakery.com