By Rick Nelson

Best New Restaurants

112 Eatery Early-to-bed Minneapolis now has a reason to stay up, with the advent of this spot from the husband-and-wife team of Isaac Becker and Nancy St. Pierre. Becker, formerly of Café Lurcat, favors bold flavor contrasts: roasted monkfish with a red wine-ham hock sauce; lamb with herbed goat's-milk yogurt. DETAILS 112 N. 3rd St.; 612-343-7696.

Mission American Kitchen & Bar At lunch, downtown dealmakers descend upon the former Aquavit space to try chef Jordan Smith's clever remakes of all-American comfort foods: curried deviled eggs, lobster potpie, kobe pastrami. At night they return, loosen their ties and dive into chicken livers, house-made potato chips and other snacks off the bar's small-plates roster. DETAILS 77 S. 7th St.; 612-339-1000.

Corner Table Chef Scott Pampuch honed his skills at the Modern Café, the city's pot roast capital, before becoming his own boss. Now he focuses on finding first-rate local ingredients for dishes that range from slow-cooked bison to cilantro-stuffed trout—all under $25. DETAILS 4257 Nicollet Ave. S.; 612-823-0011.

Most Anticipated Opening

Five Stewart and Heidi Woodman, formerly of Levain, are launching a new restaurant. At Five, slated to open in July in the former Fifth Police Precinct house, they will serve dishes like a porcini-white wine daube. DETAILS 2917 Bryant Ave. S.; no phone number yet.

Shops

Franklin Street Bakery Charlie Trotter vet Michelle Gayer-Nicholson left Chicago to launch the retail side of this decade-old wholesaler. Her haute-cuisine skills are on display in her glistening seasonal fruit Danish, moist brioches and crunchy dark-chocolate meringues, and in exquisite cakes like the vanilla-bean with orange marmalade and caramel-burnt orange buttercream. DETAILS 1020 E. Franklin Ave.; 612-879-5730.

Clancey's At their cheerful Linden Hills butcher shop, owners Kristin Tombers and Greg Westergreen sell products from more than a dozen quality-obsessed Minnesota family farms that use sustainable agricultural methods. Some of the most outstanding items from the cooler are the foie gras, grass-fed beef and lamb-blueberry sausages. There's also a take-out counter where you can buy mile-high roast beef-horseradish sandwiches and pickled vegetables. DETAILS 4307 Upton Ave. S.; 612-926-0222.

Rustica Only early risers get a crack at the popular Cañadas de Azucar, a thin, soft, Spanish-inspired flatbread drizzled with olive oil and flecked with sugar—and it's not unusual for the other 10 or so varieties of hand-formed, hearth-baked breads to sell out on weekends. Sublime Braeburn-apple tarts, crumbly cherry-chocolate scones and crisp lemon cookies are just a few examples of the superb craftsmanship on display behind the bakery's bright orange door. DETAILS 816 W. 46th St.; 612-822-1119.