Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: During a wintry mini-vacation in Minnesota this past weekend, our dinner at Saffron in downtown Minneapolis emerged as the clear dining highlight. In each shareable dish, we could detect a wealth of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences, down to details such as caramelized paprika butter or feta fondue. But the most impressive was this tagine, a North African stew with layers of bold flavors that had slowly melded together in the dish’s eponymous cooking vessel. The blurriness in the photo is from the steam that came off as the server removed the conical lid; we then broke and stirred in the egg yolks to make the sauce even silkier. The duck meatballs (kefta) were moist and well-seasoned, chickpeas added contrast, and the whole thing was both comforting and exotic. I’ll share more about my Minnesota adventures in an upcoming post!
The details: Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, 123 N 3rd St., Minneapolis, MN.