Ah. Mothers. The women who truly keep the world spinning. Celebrate the mothers in your life by treating them to one of the Sunday brunches below. Whether you’re looking for something fancy or something a little more on the casual side, Minneapolis and St. Paul have plenty of options for you and your loved ones.

Café & Bar Lurcat

For an elegant brunch, enjoy a three course brunch at Café & Bar Lurcat in Loring Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.—the special is $35 for adults and $12 for children.

Nicollet Island Inn

Make a reservation at Nicollet Island Inn in Minneapolis for a five course brunch that includes items like fresh pastries, eggs benedict, mushroom gnocchi and chocolate mousse. The brunch is $48 for adults, and a three course kid’s menu is available for $18.

St. Genevieve

St. Genevieve in St. Paul will be offering a two course brunch menu ($31 for adults and $12 for children) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Menu items include parfait of king crab and avocado, hen egg en cocotte or a grilled hanger steak. View the full brunch menu here.

McCormick & Schmick’s

For a classy buffet-style brunch, book a table at McCormick & Schmick’s in downtown Minneapolis for $59 for adults and $19 for children. Buffet includes a seafood bar, carving station, omelet and crepe station, and desserts such as chocolate dipped strawberries, carrot and vanilla cupcakes, and house-made biscotti. View more menu options here.

The Copper Hen

For those with a busy Mother’s Day schedule, make a reservation at The Copper Hen which will be serving a brunch buffet from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Brunch items include cheddar biscuits and sausage gravy, a farmhouse salad, bread pudding, and chicken pot pie and baked macaroni and cheese, both served after 3 p.m. View the full brunch buffet menu here.

Groundswell

For more of a laid-back option, Groundswell in St. Paul will be serving a special Mother’s Day brunch featuring sweet and savory menu items along with some chef specials from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are available for groups up to 12 people. 

Psycho Suzi’s

Treat your mother to bottomless tropical mimosas or a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar plus a Mother’s Day brunch buffet at Psycho Suzi’s in Northeast Minneapolis from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Psycho Suzi’s recommends reservations, but buffet tickets will be available upon arrival as well.

Esker Grove

For a floral twist to a Mother’s Day brunch, visit Esker Grove (voted one of the best brunch spots in Minneapolis) inside the Walker Art Museum which will also be featuring a floral pop-up shop from Honeycomb Collective, adjacent to Esker Grove. Brunch will be served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Betty Danger’s Country Club

Psycho Suzi’s sister restaurant, Betty Danger’s, will be offering a brunch buffet special for $19.95 for adults and $9.95 for kids. Besides enjoying brunch staples, guests are invited to ride the Danger (Ferris wheel) and play mini golf. Buffet tickets will be available at the door, but Betty Danger’s strongly encourages guests to make reservations. You can make your own here.

St. Paul Grill

The classy St. Paul Grill will be offering mothers and their families a la carte brunch between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Brunch items include salted caramel bourbon banana waffle, lemon ricotta pancakes, lobster scramble and vanilla bourbon French toast. You can view the full brunch menu here.

Even though Easter feels a little early this year, none of our Twin Cities restaurants were caught off guard. Check out 28 Easter brunches happening in 2018. They’re all fantastic, but we couldn’t help but tell you a little more about four of our favorites:

Nicollet Island Inn Easter Brunch. Even on a normal day, the Nicollet Island Inn is one of the most quaint and idyllic places you can eat in Minneapolis because of its Mississippi River views and antique detailing, and on Easter they tailor the menu and the atmosphere to create the sunny and charming brunch you’ve been looking for. Enjoy a five-course Scandinavian meal (three course for the kids!) that begins with fresh pastries, has multiple options for each course that include quiche, creamy cauliflower soup and Swedish meatballs (of course), and ends with chocolate mousse or almond genoise cake.

St. Genevieve Easter Brunch. A two-course prixe menu provides the perfect meal to fill you up without leaving you too drowsy while you’re visiting with family. Besides spring-focused dishes like salmon tartare, terrine of spring hen and stewed chick peas, other accompaniments include Spyhouse coffee, sparkling beverages, oysters, beignets, carrot crepe cakes and more.

Surly Easter Brunch 2018. Surly knows just how to blend an endless buffet, comfort and festivities for their Easter Brunch. From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., you have your choice of food from pastries, cheese and meats, a carving station, a seafood station and a huge main buffet area that includes breakfast and side favorites. Everything goes down easy with the Surly brews on tap plus some specialty infusions. To make the brunch even better, at 12:30 p.m. there’s an Easter Egg Hunt with, as they eloquently put it, “a guy in an Easter Bunny suit.”

Windows on Minnesota at the Marquette Hotel Easter Brunch. Windows on Minnesota event space is aptly named for its floor-to-ceiling windows that provide expansive views of the Minneapolis skyline. To add even more ambiance, the Marquette has slotted live music, and for fun, they made sure the Easter bunny would be there, too. Enjoy a suite of options that include truffle risotto with mixed mushrooms, assorted cheese cakes, and lamb leg stuffed with pine nut, garlic and pesto.

Pre-Easter Bunny Brunch: Lakeshore Grill at Macy’s, American, at Ridgedale March 24, 35 and 31; at Southdale, March 25

Afton House Inn Holiday Brunch, American, Afton

Axels Easter Brunch, American, metro locations

Betty’s Eggstraordinary Easter Brunch at Betty Danger’s Country Club, Mexican, Minneapolis

Birch’s on the Lake Easter Brunch, American, Long Lake

Bonfire Easter Brunch Buffet, American, metro locations

Buca di Beppo Easter Weekend, Italian, Minneapolis

Cafe Lurcat Easter Brunch, American, Minneapolis

The Capital Grille, American, Minneapolis

Citizen Easter Brunch Buffet, American, St. Paul

Cosmos Easter Brunch at the Loews Hotels, American, Minneapolis

Crooners Lounge & Supper Club Easter Joy, with gospel and R&B singers Robert Robinson and Gwen Matthews, American, Minneapolis

Fogo de Chao, Brazilian steak house, Minneapolis

It’s Greek to Me 2018 Easter Brunch & Dinner, Mediterranean, Minneapolis

Hazellewood Grill and Tap Room Easter Brunch, American, Tonka Bay

McCormick & Schmick’s, seafood and steaks, Minneapolis

Mercury Dining Room and Rail Easter Brunch family style, American, Minneapolis

Ninetwentyfive Easter Brunch Buffet at Hotel Landing, New American, Wayzata

Pazzaluna Easter Brunch, Italian, St. Paul

Public Kitchen + Bar Easter Brunch (with Easter bunny), American, St. Paul

Rudolphs Easter Sunday, barbecue, Minneapolis

St. Paul Grill Easter Brunch, American, St. Paul

Stella’s Fish Cafe Easter Brunch, seafood, Minneapolis

Urban Eatery Easter Brunch, American, Minneapolis

Monday

7th Street Social
7 p.m.
Head to this St. Paul restaurant to exercise your brain muscles with Trivia Mafia, one of the largest and most popular bar trivia groups in the Midwest. Enjoy happy hour pricing on craft beer, cocktails and appetizers (we’re talking $5 homemade Reuben bites, beer cheese fries and more).

Tuesday

Republic
9 p.m.
Trivia Mafia is at it again at this craft beer bar—one of the Top 100 Beer Bars in the country three years running—located a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis. With just about every beer you could ever wish for on tap, there is also a dinner menu that goes well beyond the typical pub fare. Play for prizes, gift cards and (most importantly) bragging rights.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Company
7 p.m.
Tuesday nights are trivia nights at Lakes & Legends; join the brewery for Trivia Mafia, food and its latest craft beers in the taproom.

Merlins Rest Pub
7:30 p.m.
Merlins Rest has its own type of trivia—Merlins Rest Pub Quiz. “Minister of Culture” Bill Watkins is the quizmaster and his subjects range from sports to things you’ve probably never even heard of before. The event fills up quickly so make sure you arrive plenty early!

Wednesday

Fair State Brewing Coop
7 p.m.
This member-owned craft brewery in Northeast Minneapolis hosts several rounds of trivia every Wednesday night in its cozy taproom. Challenge your memory on one-hit wonders, obscure politicians from the 1970s and more. And don’t forget to bring food from one of the neighboring restaurants–we recommend El Taco Riendo located just a few doors down the street.

Crooked Pint Ale House
8 p.m.
Join the Crooked Pint Ale House for its Sassy Lassy movie and music trivia event every Wednesday night. While correct answers are preferred, “wit, grit or lip” responses may award participants sassy points—the winner takes home a $50 gift certificate to the Crooked Pint.

Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room
8 p.m.
Located in Northeast Minneapolis, pick from Stanley’s selection of 36 rotating craft beer and order some appetizers while you play (and win) Get a Clu Trivia with friends.

Glam Doll Donuts
7 p.m.
What’s better than doughnuts? Doughnuts and trivia of course. Join Glam Doll for its Trivia Against Humanity event every Wednesday night. Participants receive points for factual responses as well as funny answers to questions that go right over their heads. Grab a doughnut and a beer before the questions begin.

Thursday

New Bohemia Wurst + BierHaus
8:30 p.m.
A little bit of Germany right in Northeast Minneapolis and Uptown. Choose from a variety of gourmet sausages like chicken and apple and Cajun andouille, or get adventurous with the rattlesnake rabbit jalapeno. Pair it with a pint of craft beer and Sporcle-style trivia, where you bet points on each correct (or incorrect) answer, and you have the makings for a fun evening.

Sporty’s Pub and Grill
9:30 p.m.
Hosted by Mark and Kyle (Sporty’s dubs them the masters of dry humor and hilarity), Sporty’s invites teams to put their knowledge to the test every Thursday while enjoying food and drinks.

Friday

Adagio’s Pizza Factory
9 p.m.
Sure, it’s a bit of a drive, but this trivia night is well worth a few extra minutes in the car. Adagio’s has long been a local favorite among residents of the northern suburb of New Brighton. Enjoy a slice while you test your knowledge at their bar trivia.

Saturday

331 Club
7:30 p.m.
Maybe you’ve participated in bar trivia before but what about a bar spelling bee? Partnering with Trivia Mafia, 331 Club hosts The Drinkin’ Spelling Bee on the first and third Saturdays of every month. You can buy your tickets here.

Sunday

The Herkimer Pub and Brewery
8 p.m.
This Uptown joint hosts trivia on Sunday evenings. If winning food, drinks and gift cards isn’t enough to get you through the front door, consider the trivia drink specials: $5 Jameson, $7 BFF (beer and a shot) and more.

There isn’t anything better than local history—except maybe a cold drink in an original or historically restored bar. Thanks to the commitment of community members, families, and business men and women over the years, the Twin Cities are home to several preserved and restored restaurants and bars with the hopes of taking their guests on a little trip back in time. From a bar that has proudly served drinks since the 1880s (even through Prohibition) to an elegantly restored art-deco spot that served F. Scott Fitzgerald before his writing career took off, any of these bars are well worth the stop.

Waldmann Brewery and Wurstery

Originally established in 1857, Waldmann Brewery and Wurstery was reestablished in 2017 after years of hard work put in by owner Tom Schroeder and St. Paul architect John Yust. Renamed after the original owner, Anthony Waldmann, the historic building is the Twin Cities’ oldest commercial structure. It once held a saloon that closed over 154 years ago when Waldmann went on to open up a grain and feed store farther down the road. The stone building was used as a house for many of the following years but today it has been turned into a brewery that serves traditional German-style lagers and German food including freshly made sausages, pretzels and limestone potatoes, using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Paul. Visit Waldmann’s blog, run by Schroeder, for more information about the redevelopment process, building history and recovered artifacts.

Neumann’s Bar

Neumann’s in North St. Paul has claimed the title of “Oldest Bar in Minnesota” and has been serving the Twin Cities since 1887. Even the Great Depression and Prohibition didn’t stop the bar from serving—they just served “near-beer” on the first floor and opened a speakeasy on the second. Bill Neumann originally opened the bar to serve Hamm’s beer to the growing community of North St. Paul. Today, visitors can still drink Hamm’s beer on tap and climb the steps to the second floor to see the keyhole window used to monitor people’s entry. Known for its trademark frogs in the front window and Hamm’s bar back (a gift from Hamm’s brewery when the bar first opened), Neumann’s continues to serve the community of North St. Paul, bringing in out-of-towners and locals alike with its history, welcoming atmosphere and American bar food.

Gluek’s Restaurant and Bar

Gluek’s Restaurant and Bar has been serving Minneapolis since 1934 although its origin can be traced back to 1855 when Gottlieb Gluek arrived in Minneapolis from Germany. Over the years, Gluek and his sons opened various breweries and restaurants across the metro, but today Gluek’s Restaurant and Bar is back where it started in the Warehouse District at its original Gluek Building site in 1902. In the 1980s, the restaurant was completely destroyed in a fire, but the owners were quick to rebuild, ensuring that the design was as close to the original building as possible down to the floor plan, detailed woodwork, stained glass and vaulted ceilings. The restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus offer German and American fare.

Forepaugh’s

Named after Joseph Forepaugh, the successful businessman who built the stately Victorian masion in 1870, Forepaugh’s is located in Irvine Park, St. Paul, and yes, it’s just as elegant as it looks. Forepaugh eventually sold the home which fell into deterioration until a private company bought the mansion and reopened it as a restaurant in 1976. In 2007, Bruce Taher renovated the house and redid the menu to create the beautiful restaurant you see today. Forepaugh’s boasts of fine dining in a 19th century setting with the kitchen using locally sources ingredients whenever possible. On a more haunted historical note, it is said that a young maid, Molly, haunts the restaurant. History has it that Molly and Forepaugh had an affair in the 1870s and after they were discovered, Molly hanged herself on the third floor of the house. Employees through the years have heard mysterious noises from the third floor and a few others have even claimed to see her walking around between guests during parties.

Monte Carlo

Originally opened as one of Gluek’s bars (a “G” is still imprinted on the original tin ceiling), the bar has been known as Monte Carlo since 1906. Today it is the oldest bar in the Warehouse District and is characterized by its copper bar top, old-school atmosphere and extensive patio seating in the summer.

Commodore Bar and Restaurant

The original Commodore Hotel and art-deco inspired bar opened in the 1920s in St. Paul and was frequented during the prohibition by the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda along with a few other notable locals. Revamped and restored to its former glory, the Commodore Bar and Restaurant reopened in 2016 and serves an extensive menu of specialty cocktails and mouth-watering appetizers and entrees.

Firehouse Wine Bar

The up and coming Firehouse Wine Bar in St. Paul is a project that has been in the works for a while. Redevelopment is set to begin soon, thanks to community members and developers Brody Nordland and Chelsea Kaeding who joined together to save the 1872 brick building from demolition. The area was originally slated for a singular hotel, but developers have since updated the hotel plan to allow for St. Paul’s oldest firehouse to stay. The wine bar will focus on West Coast California wines, and Nordland and Kaeding plan to partner with local restaurants to provide food pairings for guests to order.

Sometimes a small chocolate after a meal just doesn’t cut it, and we have all eaten an entire row of Oreos at one point or another. For times like these, your sweet tooth just needs some TLC, and these places in the Twin Cities area will give you plenty of dessert options to satisfy whatever sweetness you might be craving.

T-Rex Cookie

If you happen to be a cookie monster, T-Rex Cookie is definitely the place to go. With half-pound cookies to match its name, the shop specializes in dozens of different flavors to keep you on your toes. Cookies range from classics like chocolate chip and snickerdoodle to one-of-a-kind flavors like margarita and cinnamon fireball. Try something new, and see if you can finish the whole cookie.

Muddy Paws Cheesecake

The Cheesecake Factory is not your only cheesecake destination anymore. Get your fix without the wait at Muddy Paws Cheesecake in St. Louis Park, just 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. Muddy Paws Cheesecake has 25 flavors to choose from daily, with a total of 222 rotating flavors total. Dive into these cheesecakes and don’t worry about keeping your hands clean.

Carlo’s Bakery

None other than “Cake Boss”’s famous Buddy Valastro has opened a new location of Carlo’s Bakery in our very own Mall of America. Simply finish watching Cake Boss and zip over to Carlo’s really quick to get your fix of Italian desserts such as tiramisu, lobster tails, and cannolis. At MOA you can find Carlo’s on the third floor in the Culinary on North.

Rose Street Patisserie

If you’re feeling French today, Rose Street Patisserie is a more sophisticated place to indulge your sweet tooth. Here, authentically French desserts like fruit tarts, macaroons and eclair stun customers. We can see why you wouldn’t want to eat something so pretty.

Dough Dough

You don’t have to sneak spoonfuls of cookie dough from your mother anymore. Instead, Dough Dough allows you to reminisce about your childhood by ordering cookie dough in scoops, cones, or even flights with a classic glass of chocolate or regular milk.  Also located at the Mall of America, try a scoop of S’mores with marshmallow sauce on top, or Salted Caramel with chocolate syrup.

Glam Doll

Three words: dessert for breakfast. Glam Doll Donuts gives you the opportunity to eat something impossibly sweet for your fuel for the day. Arguably Minneapolis’ most popular donut destination, some of the most popular donuts include the Cosmopolitan Girl, the Flirty Frenchie and the Vanilla Darling. My personal favorite—the Cloud Nine—has dark chocolate bourbon filling and chocolate fudge brownie icing. With combinations like these and more, make sure you visit at least one of Glam Doll’s two Minneapolis locations.

Cafe Latte

Although Cafe Latte offers a cafe menu, pizza and wine bar in conjunction with its bakery, no less tender loving care is put into the desserts here. Get a slice of cake, cheesecake, or tart at your convenience with Cafe Latte’s unique cafeteria style. Remember to grab a sweet bread or scone for breakfast the next morning.

Milkjam Creamery

Last but not ever least, ice cream. Milkjam Creamery is known for its unique flavors, with usually at least one flavor named after a celebrity. Those of age can get adult ice cream floats, or make a shake alcoholic for a little extra. If you’re feeling adventurous—or simply indecisive—you can try all of the flavors on a platter. Just be willing to share!

Seattle is the brew master of coffee, Chicago reigns supreme when it comes to deep dish pizza, and New Orleans makes a mean gumbo, but the Twin Cities is home of the Juicy Lucy. If you’ve never heard of this gift from above, it’s a twist on an old favorite: the cheeseburger. Instead of placing the cheese on top of the patty, it’s placed within it, resulting in a melted pool of yellow (or white, depending on the type of cheese) in the core of the burger. Here are some of our favorite places to chow down on one:

Matt’s Bar and Grill: One of two establishments in the metro that claims to be the home of the original Juicy Lucy, this cash-only beer and burger joint has been slinging slices of beef since 1954 and has even been visited by former President Barack Obama.

5-8 Club: The other contender claiming to be the creator of the local favorite, the 5-8 Club just south of Lake Nokomis opened its doors in 1928 and gained national attention when Travel Channel’s Adam Richman and his show “Man v. Food” stopped by to sample the eats.

Blue Door Pub: This burger bar puts a fun twist on a twist. Choosing to stuff their burger with bleu cheese and dubbing it The Blucy (which seems appropriate given the type of cheese and the restaurant’s name), this is one patty you won’t want to pass up. Luckily, with a location in St. Paul and three in Minneapolis, Blue Door Pub gives you plenty of opportunities to get a bite of Blucy.

The Nook: Home of five different types of stuffed burgers, including the Paul Molitor (an homage to manager of the Minnesota Twins) and Guy’s Big Bite (a tribute to restaurateur Guy Fieri), the humble St. Paul joint serves up generously sized patties with homemade, fresh-cut french fries, and it even houses a bowling alley in the basement.

Groveland Tap: If you’re looking to get really creative with your beef, look no further than Groveland Tap. With concoctions such as the Buffalo Lucy featuring bleu cheese, chicken fingers and buffalo sauce, and the Ellsworth Lucy with cheese curds and Tap Sauce, your taste buds won’t soon forget their visit here.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, nothing could be more romantic than a dinner by candlelight with a beautiful pile of pasta and a glass of wine to clink—even the Lady and the Tramp agree. Here’s an assortment of Italian places around the Twin Cities for you and a loved one to venture to this Valentine’s Day.

Al Vento

Known for its romantic atmosphere, Al Vento is one of the few Italian restaurants with a unique Valentine’s Day menu. For $38 per person, “Taste the Love” offers three courses of their uniquely southern Italian cooking. If you’re not going on Valentine’s Day specifically, Al Vento also has a rotating tasting menu if you’re in an adventurous mood.

Loring Bar & Restaurant

If you’re on or near the University of Minnesota campus, Loring Bar & Restaurant in Dinkytown is within walking distance. Loring’s two stories of eclectic design result from its previous alias as a campus pharmacy. Since then, it has been transformed into a beautiful venue with an open kitchen, a stage for live music and sparkling lights. It even doubles as a romantic venue for weddings and other events, including salsa dancing on Fridays. Loring’s menu includes a classic “Spaghetti and Meatball,” where a single giant meatball sits atop a bed of pasta. If that doesn’t intrigue you, Loring serves other pasta dishes, pizza and entrees such as grilled salmon and flat iron steak, in addition to wine, beer and cocktails.

Cossetta

If you’re looking for an unconventional option this V-Day, Cossetta is the spot for you. Part eatery, part marketplace and part pasticceria, it’s a good thing the restaurant has room for 300. After dining on their pasta and pizza options, explore their authentic Italian pastries, dessert and gelato to satisfy a sweet tooth or shop the market and bring home Italian ingredients like fresh bread, cold cuts and pasta to cook a dish at home.

DeGidio’s

For those who spend more time in St. Paul, DeGidio’s is another option in addition to Cossetta. DeGidio’s serves any Italian entrees but pizza, including spaghetti, Italian meatball dip, arancini, pizza fries and lobster ravioli—plus, of course, a drink menu.

The Old Spaghetti Factory

Mix and match entrees at The Old Spaghetti Factory to make your own three-course meal, finishing with spumoni ice cream. If you’d rather go a little nostalgic for dessert, the restaurant serves classic milkshakes for your liking. Don’t forget about the Italian cream sodas—you can even keep the bottle when you’re done.

Rinata

Rinata’s cozy space makes for a more intimate dinner for you and a loved one—just make sure to book a reservation for the quickest seating. Although Valentine’s Day is on a Wednesday this year, Rinata has specials six days a week, so if you decide to celebrate a few days early or late, you’ll still find the perfect meal for your dollar. On Sundays, Rinata offers four courses for just $25 per person for “Date Night,” and during select times throughout the week, Renata offers half-price bottles of wine.

Bar La Grassa

With one of the most extensive Italian menus in the Twin Cities, Bar La Grassa has to be a contender for your Italian escapades. An all-encompassing wine menu, even including dessert wine, is perfect for any wine connoisseur. Bruschetta has its own category, offering nine different selections compared to the usual one or two, in addition to other appetizers. While the menu offers proteins such as Arctic char, it’s difficult to say no to more than two dozen dry, fresh or filled pasta dishes. Night owls can stay at Bar La Grassa until midnight on weekdays and until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays—plenty of time to linger over one of the restaurant’s signature desserts.

Fogo de Chão has been busy. Besides unveiling a renovation that made it, as our reporter said, “convey modernism,” a mere six months later it has lifted the curtain on a 140-seat expansion.

I hadn’t been to Fogo for a couple of years, so I was impressed by how established the new addition seemed. There were no unfinished ends where they took the wall out. A seam in the newly expanded bar could have just been to break up the also-expanded marble bar. The tables were set with nothing out of place; there were no remaining construction scuffs. The servers and bartenders moved about their expanded kingdom without a missed beat in the staffing zones.

The only issue the team experienced during the expansion was, according to Fogo senior executive Patrick Greyard, that the light bulbs they were hanging from the ceiling were discontinued and so they had to source a similar style with a different hanging height. The effect? Instead of walking through sterile, industrial lighting, you have a more welcoming, softer depth. Pretty good for a “hiccup.”

As the bar area has expanded again, the focus on Fogo’s happy hour has grown. Most of the menu items have stayed the same, but it’s always good to remember there’s a $12 picanha burger calling your name as well as $4 Brazilian Bites like the braised beef rib sliders. (As their general manager Eliseu Ziger says, it’s Fogo meat on all of these.) I had a bite of their Brazilian emapanadas, which automatically got my approval due to the pastry-to-filling ratio, and I fell in love with their side dish pão de queijo, a.k.a. the cheesy bread rolls that come with every dining room meal.

I was told the pãos de queijo were like popovers, so clearly I’ve just had mediocre popovers up until now. There wasn’t a hard edge to the bite, just a soft cushion that opened up to reveal Parmesan cheese blended perfectly within the elasticity of the dough. Update: Pãos are gluten free due to their yucca flour, and the only things in the entire restaurant that aren’t gluten free are the French bread served by the market table and beer- and brandy-marinated chicken.

Select cocktails are also served at happy hour prices, and the Fogo Caipirinha, made of Fogo Silver Cachaça, limes and cane sugar, drops more than a third of its price to $8. (Cachaça is Brazilian rum made from pure cane sugar instead of molasses.) It was light and refreshing, and I could easily see it at a spa retreat, a special occasion dinner or at, obviously, a happy hour, where it gives you the spring feeling you need to shrug off the day’s worries and take on the evening. I had the normal caipirinha, made with Fogo Silver Cachaça, and couldn’t taste the alcohol at all. During dinner, my guest had the Fogo Premium made with premium aged cachaça, and while we could taste the alcohol mixed in, it didn’t have any burn going down. Although Fogo has a good number of craft cachaça cocktails, they also have other Brazil-inspired cocktails, South American wines and Brazilian beers, also included in their happy hour discounts.

As for the meat and the market table (also known as one of the best salad bars in Minnesota), there’s not much to say other than Fogo is still meeting the high, high expectations it has created since the Minneapolis location opened in 2007 and, really, since the restaurant first debuted in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1979. All of the meat slices were tantalizing, but there’s a reason the picanha top sirloin is their signature steak. Definitely save room for that one.  As is probably every person’s advice for eating at Fogo, pace yourself. There’s a lot of premium meat, a lot of colorful options at the market table and a special meal to be had, whether you’re having a private party behind the hand-carved, three-inch thick Brazilian-wood doors or dining in the new expansion.

The caipirinha and the berry mint cocktail at Fogo. Photo by Lianna Matt.