These restaurants are marking their 20th birthday this year, a milestone worth celebrating.
Alma
James Beard award-winning chef/owner Alex Roberts offers a pair of dining options at his four-star landmark. In the restaurant, it's all about selecting your own three-course ($62) dinner, with a $36 wine pairing that's curated by one of the city's top wine enthusiasts, wine director James Hirdler. Pastry chef Carrie Riggs' desserts are served a la carte, an expenditure that's worth every penny. Drop into the casual, appealing cafe for daily brunch, dinner, cocktails and coffee, or peruse the counter stocked with more of Riggs' handiwork.
528 University Av. SE., Mpls., 612-379-4909, almampls.com
New Scenic Cafe
Chef/owner Scott Graden has been making North Shore diners happy since April 1, 1999, and this spring he's celebrating two decades of great cooking by assembling a greatest-hits menu of past customer favorites. Graden is also collecting recollections — stories, photos, drawings — and will post them in his newly renovated restaurant. Share your New Scenic memories via e-mail at hello@newsceniccafe.com.
5461 North Shore Dr., Duluth, 1-218-525-6274, newsceniccafe.com
Hong Kong Noodles
It's a campus prerequisite, a casual, affordable, no-frills destination with a something-for-everyone menu and late-night (to midnight) hours. No wonder this hardworking Stadium Village noodle house has thrived for all of these years.
901 Washington Av. SE., Mpls., 612-379-9472, mnhongkongnoodle.com
Prima
When co-owners Jennifer and Eliot King opened their charmer of an Italian restaurant, did they realize that they were helping to kick-start the wave of well-run neighborhood restaurants that have since sprouted across the Twin Cities? Go for the meatballs, stay for the pastas (and the fabulous Key lime pie). Another bonus: During the growing season, the Kings' farm, about 45 minutes west of Minneapolis, keeps their kitchen stocked with all kinds of just-harvested goodness.
5325 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., 612-827-7376, primampls.com
