Pick Your Pleasure For Minneapolis' Restaurant Week

Hear that growling? It sounds soft, almost distant—yet it's coming from below.

It's your stomach telling you we're in the middle of Restaurant Week, and you haven't even been out to a single neighborhood joint to test their great—and affordable!—offerings. The full list of participants can be found at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's website, but here are some highlights from the local restaurant scene:

Price: $10 Lunch/$30 Dinner

Our attention was immediately seized by the sound of the Lomo entre (pork tenderloin with a caramelized fennel ragout and braised sweet potatoes, in a creamy asparagus sauce and a tomato relish) and the Queso Fundido appetizer (pan-seared panela cheese served with a tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, & homemade tortilla chips).

El Meson

Price: $30 Dinner

Cafe Ena's sister restaurant is looking tantalizing with its herb crusted pork tenderloin entre served with a wild mushroom/asparagus risotto in a red wine demi glaze, topped with a pear compote. And with a vanilla tres leches cake and strawberries and cream for dessert? Great!

Price: $20 Lunch/$30 Dinner

The idea of cauliflower ravioli tickles our fancy, and the associated curry emulsion, gold raisin, and citrus essence sounds tasty. We just might try the peanut butter beignets on offer for dessert, served with banana mousse and bitter chocolate (with or without bacon). Shouldn't all great things sound so sinful?

Pat's Tap

Price: $10 Lunch/$15 Dinner

The pork belly skewers with Pinchito spices sounds like a winning starter, but it's a real toss-up between the warm spinach salad with smoked chicken, egg, feta, and a mustard vinaigrette and the linguini with mussels. Which one should we pair with a game of skee-ball?

Price: $30 Dinner

We normally don't dig chain restaurants (and this one is 30 feet inside Edina) but we can make an exception for this local hit. That, and their grilled mahi-mahi Veracruzano with razor clam tamale and citrus-tequila butter sounds worth trying. Finish it off with a flourless chocolate cake and bananna ice cream.

So, dear readers: go forth, and try before this ends on Friday! What should we hit up?