As I was enjoying my fragrant Spanish red at the wine bar inside the dual-named At Sara's Table Chester Creek Cafe, here's the thought that flashed through my cortex: I'm glad I made the trek up the hill. Sure, I could have settled for one of Canal Park's cookie-cutter restaurants -- there are plenty of Red Lobsters in the Twin Cities, thank you -- but it's always more gratifying to go native and embrace the when-in-Rome thing. Co-owners Barbara Neubert and Carla Blumberg place a premium on local ingredients -- a new herb garden is blooming just outside the restaurant's front door -- and their abundant breakfasts and lunches keep the neighborhood well-fed; Paul Bunyan himself couldn't finish the divine plate-size pancakes.
At dinner, the kitchen sets itself apart by stretching its creative muscles with travelogue-inspired menus. This spring's food odyssey has taken diners to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, the region's flavors well-represented in broiled Lake Superior whitefish paired with fennel and currants and finished with an eggplant aioli, a lamb-date tagine, lemon-scented couscous with perfectly roasted vegetables, a messy but well-meaning tapas platter and a rib-sticking paella packed with succulent chicken and spicy sausage. Top price: $14. No wonder the place is perpetually busy.