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Chef without His Own Restaurant
What do the best chefs in town have in common? They were once sous chefs. The fellow to keep an eye on these days is Peter Botcher, who is chef-genius Steven Brown's right-hand man. Frequent Levain diners will recognize Botcher as the bearded redhead standing next to Brown, helping him turn out some of the five-state region's most wonderful food, including one of the year's best meals-a nifty roasted boneless squab, stuffed with its own liver, a Botcher creation, according to Brown. 4762 Chicago Ave., Mpls., 612-823-7111

New Restaurant
Isaac Becker and his wife, Nancy St. Pierre, rearranged the local culinary landscape by opening a small restaurant downtown Minneapolis and offering a deeply personal cooking style. In a world dominated by 200-seat mall restaurants, focus-group-driven eatery concepts, and a risk-adverse dining audience, 112 eatery flew in the face of conventional wisdom and proved that guts, talent, and integrity still matter. At the toughest dinner table in town, you'll feel like you're at a restaurant in a city that's all grown up. Don't skimp-take advantage of Becker's smaller offerings and don't miss the lamb sugo over hand-made stringozzi pasta or the sautéed escarole with anchovies and other unusual side dishes. 112 N. 3rd St., Mpls., 612-343-7696, 112eatery.com

Sweet Delivery
Chocolate chip cookies-warm, gooey, Ghiradelli-chocolatey, with a touch of oatmeal crunch-are delivered straight from the Tank family's oven to your door via Mini Cooper. It's best to order a day ahead, but if you're as addicted as we are, you can pick them up yourself at Tank Goodness. Open weekdays; $20 a dozen (two-dozen minimum for delivery). PS: The Tanks have added cinnamon rolls too (a.m. only, one-dozen minimum). 3002 W. 50th St., Mpls., 612-824-8265, tankgoodness.com

Bakery (Reason To Enjoy a Carboholic Relapse)
Our town has been blessed with several great bakeries, but Rustica is second to none. From its faultless baguette to a focaccia with none of the cakey textural handicaps that plague this loaf at other places, every day brings a great regular menu, and a specialty bread selection. The Cañadas de Azucar, a Sunday and Wednesday sweet bread, and the Friday challah are both worth the trip, but the best may be the daily miche, a dense country loaf. Try the Danish pastries and frangipani tarts when available, and if you see a chocolate tartelette in the pastry case, jump on it. 816 W. 46th St., Mpls., 612-822-1119, rusticabakery.com