Courtesy of Lagos

Tunde Wey, Nigerian chef, innovator of press releases

We'll admit, our spam filters have been a little leaky lately. So when the phrase "hot ass dish" appeared in our inbox yesterday, we had our cursor hovering above the trash can before pausing to take a second look.

Tunde Wey. We'd seen that name before.

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Sean McPherson

The Start of a 3-for-1s at the EagleBolt Bar

You aren't really a Minneapolitan until you've done 3-for-1 Fridays at the EagleBolt Bar.

A Minneapolis institution, the EagleBolt is proudly "Gay Owned and Operated for 16 Years." The main floor bar, known as the Eagle, has always been hospitable and down to earth and doesn't carry the "it's always 4 a.m. at a badly attended but overstaffed rave" vibe that some gay bars in town seem to specialize in. Instead, the EagleBolt Bar feels like the kind of place that would have one of the most kick-ass happy hours in all of existence. And indeed it does.

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courtesy of Pork & Pickle

A cheesy Cheeto brat from Pork & Pickle

UMAMI started it. Fried chicken and champagne refined it. And a brief brunch service sealed the deal: Travail is officially the cradle of pop-up culture in the Twin Cities. Up next? A meaty brat and beer fest by Pork & Pickle.

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Suzy Piper

Uhhh...anybody home?

It was Friday night and we were ready for some spooky thrills and ghoulish grub, so we did what anyone would do: We googled haunted restaurants in the vicinity. There are a few in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area (Forepaugh's and Cuzzy's to name a couple), but we wanted an adventure. So we chose Anoka, the self-proclaimed capital of Halloween and all things scarifying. The haunted establishment we set out for was Billy's, a popcorn-littered sports bar stuffed into an old Victorian hotel -- which was once a scarifyingly scandalous brothel.

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Loren Green

Imperial stouts are known for being big, bold, and powerful beers. The alcohol by volume is higher than other beers and they often don't try to mask that, instead offering a complex depth of flavors for those who can sort through the booziness. Ten Fidy from Oskar Blues in Colorado definitely fits the criteria, but the beer itself is smooth and calm, replacing the black cherry tartness in many imperials with a milky, chocolate smoothness.

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Try a New, But Familiar, Fall Seasonal From Steel Toe

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Sean McPherson

A deep fried Snickers bar from Deep Fried Goodness

Deep Fried Goodness is a new fast-food style store dedicated to the noble pursuit of frying every single thing. Appetizers? Fried. Entrees? Fried! Dessert? Yeah, fried. And though it isn't fried, the salad they keep in their display case looks like it's older than their three-month lease, so don't look there for intestinal relief.

If on your last trip to the State Fair you calculated how many hours it would be until you returned, this place will be a godsend. But there are some highlights even for those who aren't so sure about deep frying dessert.

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Tony Nelson

Soba noodles at Verdant Tea Tasting Room

The English may have a well-established tradition of serving a light meal at their tea rooms -- tuna tartines and scones with clotted cream are commonplace -- but in Minneapolis? Not so much. Maybe our strong coffee culture acted as a natural interceptor, but dedicated tea rooms like La Société du Thé, Lady Elegant's, and the Tea Garden really didn't find their way into our local scene until relatively recently.

So when David and Lily Duckler opened Verdant Tea Tasting Room last year, it made sense that patrons weren't entirely sure what to expect. Would it be all petit fours and finger sandwiches? Or more like an austere apothecary?

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Midtown Global Market's chili cook-off

The weather is finally turning, which means snuggies, raging bowls of fiery chili, and the Midtown Global Market's annual chili cook-off.

The event is open to all and features chilis made from several of the Market's most popular vendors. Proceeds benefit homeless and at-risk families in search of transitional housing.

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If you agree that Thanksgiving can't some soon enough, Groundswell, the Midway neighborhood coffeeshop-turned-restaurant, is hosting a family-style harvest feast on Friday, November 7. The team is preparing a singular seasonal menu sourced from regional suppliers for this ticketed event.

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Each week, we'll interview one of the chefs participating in our 2014 Iron Fork competition. On November 6, these six culinary masterminds will go head to head to see who can create the most appetizing and healthful dish using a secret ingredient. Tickets are on sale now.

Pat Weber is one of six contestants in the 2014 City Pages Iron Fork competition

We may think of them as the folks who run the kitchens of our favorite restaurants, but the role of a chef takes many forms: consulting, teaching, writing.

Chef Pat Weber spent his earlier years chasing the dream, working in a variety of kitchens across the country, but now spends his time either teaching students at the local Art Institutes International or consulting for various restaurants around town with his business Mise en Place.

Chef Weber is one of six contestants participating in this year's Iron Fork competition. Here's how he went from kitchen jockey to culinary instructor, and how this could give him an edge in this year's culinary throw-down.

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Erick Harcey of Victory 44 Shares His Ruthless Tactic for Iron Fork 2014

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