Best Cherry Dishes and Drinks In Minnesota
February is National Cherry Month and February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day, so grab a spoon, fork and/or glass and celebrate the wonder that is this tart, sweet, red little fruit. Here are five places around the Twin Cities that offer up cherry dishes that you can eat, sip, lick and devour. Enjoy hopping around town and taste testing all that these restaurants, cafes and bakeries have to offer.
Sarah Jane's Bakery
2853 Johnson St. N.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 789-2827
www.sarahjanesbakery.com
Sarah Jane's Bakery in Minneapolis offers up cherry dishes for cherry lovers big and small. Take your pick from the cherry pie, cherry turnover or cherry coffee cake. The cherry pie is about as American as you can get with a warm flaky crust and rich, juicy cherry filling. Sarah Jane's cherry turnover is flaky pasty perfection with its layers of light pastry puff, cherry filling and light frosting. The handmade cherry coffee cake pairs nicely with a cup of coffee on a Sunday afternoon. Head over to Sarah Jane's Bakery to see what all the fuss is about.
Breadsmith
3939 W. 50th St.
Edina, MN 55424
(952) 920-2778
www.breadsmithmn.com
The chocolate cherry bread at Breadsmith is simply delicious. Breadsmith, your neighborhood bakery and place to find yummy baked goods, has a bread on its menu that both kids and adults fawn after. All breads are baked fresh daily with the best ingredients. The chocolate cherry bread is a perfect blend of sweet and tart with cocoa, chocolate chips and dried cherries. If you want to nab a loaf of this specialty bread for yourself, be sure to plan ahead. It's only available on the first Wednesday of every month in the Edina and St. Paul locations. There is also a Breadsmith location in Minnetonka.
Moscow on the Hill
371 Selby Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55102
(651) 291-1236
www.moscowonthehill.com
Moscow on the Hill Russian Restaurant and Vodka Lounge in St. Paul is a mecca for vodka lovers near and far. Since February is Nation Cherry Month, you might as well go out with some friends or your honey and toast the tart little fruit with an order of the cherry gimlet or cherry Manhattan. The cherry gimlet is made with house-infused cherry vodka and lime juice (6.95) while the cherry Manhattan is poured with the same cherry-infused vodka, sweet vermouth and bitters. The cherry drinks at this place are sure to warm you up after a cold hard winter.
Related: Best Hot Drinks in Minnesota
A Baker's Wife's Pastry Shop
4200 28th Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 729-6998
www.facebook.com/aBakersWife
A warm, flaky pastry oozing with cherries and cream cheese sauce is what you'll get when you order the sour cherry danish from A Baker's Wife Pastry Shop in Minneapolis. This little bakery, run by husband-and-wife team Gary Tolle and Margaret Mossberg Tolle, hits all the right spots when it comes to getting your sugar fix. Offering more than just pastries, this bakery sells croissants, doughnuts, danishes, pies and more. If a cherry pie is more what you're in the mood for, you can order that too.
Adele's Frozen Custard
800 Excelsior Blvd.
Excelsior, MN 55331
(952) 470-0035
www.adelescustard.com
Make your way down the streets of Excelsior after a day of shopping and order up a cup, cone or sundae that's cherry flavored. Adele's has been around since 1988 and has been serving up delicious portions of cold, icy goodness ever since. There are numerous cherry custards on the menu to choose from, so you're never at a loss for all things cherry. Try the chocolate-covered cherry, a chocolate and cherry custard with truffle bits and maraschino cherries mixed in; cherry pie a la mode, a yummy vanilla custard with bits of graham cracker crust and cherry pie filling; New York cherry, another vanilla-flavored custard but with dark cherries mixed in; or black cherry-flavored custard. With these flavors and other toppings to choose from, you simply can't go wrong.
Amber Ranzau lives on the edge of Uptown in Minneapolis and is a gal about town. She frequents the local restaurant scene, loves to support new and local businesses, follows the latest and greatest fashion and design trends, and she does all of this while working as an interior designer, spending time with her man, The Specialist, and taking care of her two goldfish Felix and Petunia and their tankmate Huey the Snail. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
