I’ve had this post in mind for a while but have been spending much more time behind the scenes – learning about all things web design through an online class – than writing something fun for my blog. Our dinner Friday night, though, give me the inspiration I needed to sit down and write. I’ve been doing a lot more cooking at home, specifically Mexican food (carnitas in bulk), so we haven’t hit our favorite taco joint for a while. But when the weekend rolled around, Ian and I were on the same wavelength and phoned in an order to Pineda Tacos on Lake Street.

We’ve tried a few things on their menu but fell in love with the suadero tacos (photo at top of page), and now we get that on the reg. For those not in the know, suadero refers to slow-cooked beef brisket. The platter includes two tacos, a can of soda, chips, a side of rice and some of the best refried beans I’ve had. (This week, I indulged and threw in an extra order for chip-dipping) – all for under $10/person. Sometimes we splurge and get the horchata, which knocks up the bill a few bucks. If you like heat, opt for the spicy salsa. Otherwise, the mild green sauce adds a nice tang.

Here are a few other joints that have entered our take-out lexicon.

Tea House Chinese Restaurant
There are three locations in the Twin Cities, but we prefer the one on University, which draws a lot of students from the U. The menu is gigantic, and I feel like we’ve barely made a dent in exploring it. That’s probably because, much like with Pineda, we’ve found a handful of items that we love and now are loathe to veer from the standards. (When dining in, if that ever happens again, it’s best to go with a group so that you can order tons of dishes and share.)

[Side note: It’s a failing I have: If I’m only eating out once a week, I want to be wowed by everything that I order. Granted, we’ve taken some chances and know that’s when the magic happens – like when we discovered our most recent menu must-have – and that’s always a good reminder for someone like me who can get stuck in her ways. Yeah, sometimes you get things that don’t quite hit your taste buds like you had hoped, but other times you find things that blow them away.]

Back to the menu …. Our trio of culinary love includes:

• the house beef roll (香园牛肉卷饼), spiced and sliced beef and scallions hugged by a crispy scallion pancake


• classic dan dan noodles (担担面), noodles topped with ground pork, scallions and green onions, swimming in a spicy chili broth


• pork with tofu sticks (腐竹烧肉), chunks of seasoned (maybe five spice?) pork belly and thin slices of tofu skin

That last dish (shown above) may be the best combo of ingredients I’ve eaten all year, and I find myself craving it. I actually thought about trying to make it myself – but when the real thing is only 10 minutes away, why? Frequent eater tip: Order extra rice (all you typically get is a small carton, and you’ll want more to soak up all the delicious sauce).

India Palace
For meal deals, you can’t beat Dinner for Two from this spot nestled in a strip mall on the Uptown end of Hennepin Ave. Choose from tandoori, biryani or vegetarian, and then wade through the options. We always go veggie, and there’s a ton of food: two entrees, two naan of choice, a side and a dessert, plus sauces and raita. The grand total? $36. Sign up for the loyalty program and you’ll earn points toward free meals, too.

For the main dish, I love the paneer makhani, a creamy tomato sauce dotted with chunks of Indian cheese, served over rice. The Peshawari naan is a nice contrast to the garlic version we usually opt for as our first choice. It’s sweet and stuffed with raisins and nuts. Dessert is tasty but small, and you may want to supplement with a mango or strawberry lassi. Frequent eater tip: The place does killer take-out business and the cramped parking lot is typically full, so don’t even try; park on Hennepin instead.

Sushi Train
The name refers to the conveyer belt “track” that ushers sushi around the room. Obviously, getting take-out means missing much of the fun. We love this restaurant, though, and want it to succeed, so we’re happy doing pick up and moving the sushi along to our own house during the pandemic. After all, the sushi is amazing, conveyer belt or not.

There is so much good here! I could eat the salmon sashimi until, well, forever; it’s slightly sweet, super tender and has a nice fattiness. In much the same vein, the salmon lover roll has always been a hit with us, too. Honestly, we haven’t had anything that we haven’t liked. I mean, it’s sushi – you do you. Frequent eater tip: When doing take-out, call the restauarnt directly instead of using one of the delivery services.