The651.com

Salty Tart heads to St. Paul
Fans of Midtown Global Market bakery Salty Tart can now grab some of the bakery’s goods across the river at Golden Fig Fine Foods. Salty Tart is helmed by five-star pastry chef Michelle Gayer, who also does pastries for La Belle Vie and Solera. Look for their fresh-fruit tarts, take-and-bake brownies, and fabulous focaccia bread. (790 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-602-0144.)

Restaurant Week in Roseville
This week, the St. Paul suburb of Roseville kicks off its Restaurant Week. Visit any participating Roseville restaurant and enjoy a three-course meal for just $25 (excluding beverages, tax and gratuity). Participating restaurants include Rosedale eateries Green Mill, Flame, Granite City and Big Bowl, as well as Roseville restaurants Axel’s Charhouse, Charley’s on Centre Pointe, Chianti Grill, Good Earth, Joe Senser’s Sports Theater, Old Chicago, and TGI Friday’s. In addition to this week’s dining deals, take $5 off a general admission ticket to the Roseville Winter Jazz Blast evening concert featuring JazzMN Big Band and guest vocalist Debbie Duncan on Saturday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Maranatha Hall on the Northwestern College campus. Visit www.visitroseville.com for more info.

Kathie Jenkins of the St. Paul Pioneer Press listed her Top 10 dishes in the Twin Cities, and a few of St. Paul’s finest make the list:

Black Dog cuban

1. Cuban Sandwich
BLACK DOG COFFEE AND WINE BAR
Whenever I’m at Black Dog in St. Paul’s Lowertown, I check to see if the Cuban sandwich is on the specials menu. A twist on the traditional Cubano — forget the roast pork and Cuban bread — this sandwich is made with lots of lean pulled pork and served on ciabatta bread along with the usual ham, cheese, mustard and pickle. A 12-year-old neighborhood gem, Black Dog also serves a great cup of coffee and damn fine brownies. (308 E. Prince St., St. Paul; 651-228-9274; blackdogstpaul.com)
(Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

Shrimp Salad at Cheeky Monkey

4. Shrimp Salad
CHEEKY MONKEY DELI
Shrimp salad is pretty much a lazy person’s meal, an easy way of ordering without having to pay any attention to the menu. So, imagine my surprise after taking a bite of the shrimp salad at Cheeky Monkey Deli. Chef/owner Matt McArthur actually put some thought into the mix — chickpeas, cucumber, crisp greens and plenty of shrimp that still have a snap when you bite into them. I was tempted to also list the amazing coconut cream pie as a best dish of 2009. If you can score a slice, go for it. (525 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-224-6066; cheekymonkeydeli.com)
(Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall)

French fries at Cherokee Tavern

5. French Fries
CHEROKEE TAVERN
KFC has its 11 secret herbs and spices. At Cherokee Tavern, it’s all about Tony’s 5-Step Fries. Hot, crisp and greaseless, with plenty of salt, parmesan and potato flavor, these are seriously great fries. Cherokee also serves ugly but delicious hand-battered onion rings. Order both along with one of the Tavern’s juicy burgers — just don’t tell your doctor or your personal trainer. (886 S. Smith Ave., West St. Paul; 651-457-2729)
(Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall)

Brasa's collard greens

9. Collard Greens and Corn Bread
BRASA ROTISSERIE
This Grand Avenue outpost is just as crowded as the day it opened almost a year ago, and that’s because the food is so good. It’s almost all local and organic. I love the juicy pulled pork tossed with citrus, olive oil and garlic sauce; the cornmeal-dusted crunchy tilapia; the slow-cooked braised beef; and the lacquerlike rotisserie chicken. No matter what I get, my order always includes a side of collard greens. Cooked but not mushy and studded with tender smoked turkey, they’re the best greens I’ve ever had. The flavorful and not overly sweet corn bread is another must-have. (777 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-224-1302; brasa.us)
(Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

St. Paul Cheese Shop's fennel sandwich

10. Fennel Salami Sandwich
ST. PAUL CHEESE SHOP
The salami sandwich at the tiny St. Paul Cheese Shop looks fairly ordinary — until you take a bite. While not gargantuan, the handheld feast stacks up nicely with fennel-flavored Tuscan salami and cheddar on ciabatta bread slathered with sweet, creamy garlic confit. While you’re waiting for your sandwich to go, you’ll find it hard to resist the shop’s eye-popping array of cheese, olive oils, vinegars, handcrafted pastas, sea salts and chocolates. (1573 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-698-3391; stpaulcheeseshop.com)
(Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)

Fall 2009 looks from Macy's

Rosedale may be located in our neighbor to the west, Roseville, but we still fondly claim it as “St. Paul’s Mall.” Their Holiday Hullabaloo (much less macabre-sounding than Black Friday, no?) kicks off early at 5 a.m. with goodie bags for the first 250 shoppers, register-to-win opportunities including the chance to win a $1,000 Rosedale shopping spree, gift card and prize giveaways at the mall’s various retailers, and deals galore. Macy’s, for one, will have loads of deals – check out www.macys.com to view a list of the 250 morning specials beginning at 5 a.m. Take a shopping break at Granite City‘s Black Friday Buffet – it’s just $8.99 from 8 to 11 a.m., and bottomless champagne and mimosas are only $7.99. Fancy! (5 a.m.-9 p.m. Rosedale Center, 10 Rosedale Cnt., Roseville. 651-638-3553.)

Jewelry from Picky Girl

All regular priced clothing and shoes at trendy Grand Avenue shop Picky Girl will be 50 percent off. Discounts will continue through the weekend. (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Through Sun. 949 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-698-4107.)

Lingerie from Flirt

Get a free b.tempt’d thong with any purchase at lingerie boutique Flirt, and receive a coupon for a free cupcake at the nearby Sweets Bakeshop. (10 a.m.-7 p.m. 177 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. 651-698-3692.)

Stephanie’s is taking 20 percent off everything, and they’ll also have a few racks of 50 percent off merchandise. (Opens 10 a.m. Fri. Through Sun. 758 Cleveland Ave. S., St. Paul. 651-690-3802.)

BlackBlue

BlackBlue, our fave new local boutique – and probably the hippest men’s boutique in the Twin Cities – is taking 10 percent off everything in store. Check out new arrivals from Hyden Yoo, Fred Perry and more. (Noon-9 p.m. 614 Selby Ave., St. Paul. http://www.blkblu.com/)

Selby & Snelling shop A. Michele is offering 20 percent off your total purchase, and if you spend $150, you can receive a $20 gift card for your next purchase. (11 a.m. Through Sun. 1591 Selby Ave., St. Paul. 651-917-6966.)

Treadle Yard Goods

Treadle Yard Goods is having its biggest sale ever. They’re taking 20 percent off all fabric, plus an extra 20 percent off already discounted merchandise. That includes major pattern lines and trunk show merchandise. (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Through Sun. 1338 Grand Ave., St. Paul. 651-698-9690.)

Eco-friendly beauty shop StormSister Spatique will help you get your fix on luxe, healthful beauty products with 25 percent off everything. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. 635 Smith Ave. S., St. Paul. 651-221-4668.)