The Midwest might conjure visions of dairy, beef, and wheat stalks, but one of its best restaurants is all about ditching those products and instead, using things indigenous to North America. Think dishes like tender bison tacos and spreadable squash custard during a nice Sunday night dinner. The corn taco is a perfect example of Owamni’s vision: it’s a delicious balance of sweet and savory thanks to the Minnesotan sweetcorn, with some popcorn thrown in for extra texture.

With wicker chairs, an abundance of natural light, and a covered patio lined with potted palms, a meal at Khaluna feels like you’ve stepped off Lyndale Ave. into a minimalist island retreat for the kind of people who are somehow always traveling. The decor’s light color palette is just as colorful as most of the dishes, like the tropical fruit salad and multi-hued rainbow rice. Be sure to try the sakoo, pillowy, mushroom-stuffed dumplings made from tapioca pearls, and the bucatini talay.

Spoon and Stable is great for romantic dinners because of the soft lighting, floor-to-ceiling glass wine cellar, and giant cones of cotton candy. The seasonal menu includes housemade pastas and entrees like dry-aged duck breasts, and the desserts are all really good, too. You'll find elegantly-plated riffs on the classics, like a chocolate budino served with sourdough shortbread cookies and smooth crème fraîche.

The extraordinary heirloom masa is the backbone of Oro’s menu, with ground corn kernels doing the heavy work in everything from chips and tacos to tamales and pastries. Order the carnitas taco for perfectly crisped bits of pork paired with a creamy avocado salsa. Anything with mole is also a must, especially the duck enmoladas that get a slight bittersweet taste from dark chocolate in the sauce.

Dinner at Alma reminds us of a fancy Thanksgiving supper without any family drama. The prix-fixe meals go hard on using local produce and start with a spread of antipasti and light bites like chickpea griddle cakes, prawns, and pear-topped endive salads. Then, you’ll get family-style mains such as gnocchi with lobster and duck flavored with smoky poblano peppers and fresh paprika. The wine pairings are worth it, but you also can’t go wrong with the refreshing, aquavit-based dill martini.

Hai Hai is a leafy respite from the snow during winter and the perfect place to sit on the patio for a casual lunch when it’s warmer. There are bright blue chairs, teal walls, and what feels like a constant stream of friends having lively, dramatic catch-up sessions. Start with an order of salt and pepper fried tofu and then try the Hanoi sticky rice topped with glistening bits of ground pork and chinese sausage.

Tenant only has 20 seats and a minimal, whitewashed interior, but your focus and attention should be on the food anyway. The ever-changing, six-course tasting menu takes a homey dish like cheese-stuffed pasta and elevates it with a filling of funky, locally-crafted Camembert-style cheese. Since chefs double as servers, the ingredients and preparation of each menu item are explained with the same level of detail as a hardcore comic fan describing the latest Marvel movie.

Instead of hitting up Young Joni’s main dining room, look for the red light in the alley, settle into the sofa, and order one of their creative-but-still-fantastic pizzas. Their options include the Perfect Pickle Pie, a so-weird-it’s-good version of the Minnesota State Fair specialty, and the flavor-packed Umami Mama topped with three kinds of mushrooms, cheese, and a dash of soy and sesame. A reel-to-reel tape deck behind the bar makes this speakeasy feel a bit like a 1970s basement.

Petite León wears a lot of hats—it’s laid-back enough to be a comfortable neighborhood hangout, but it will impress a date thanks to the fancier flourishes like leather banquettes and a sepia-tone-glowing chandelier. The chef grew up in the Yucatán, so the food draws from that region while blending flavors from around the world that work well together: like steak frites with chipotle butter or clam cream sauce linguine that packs a punch from sambal matah, a spicy Balinese condiment.

This is where to eat a quick bite of excellent Hmong cuisine like salted pork belly and Kua Txob pepper sauce at a counter inside the Graze Provisions & Libations food hall. The build-your-own meals include a choice of protein and a side—get the well-spiced sausage and the chilled khao sen rice noodles—plus purple sticky rice and pickled vegetables. Smaller groups should split the whole fish grilled in banana leaves, but know there’s also The Mini Feast option where you can try the entire menu.