Searching for dessert.

Last night I joined some friends for a celebration dinner. Instead of choosing a fancy restaurant, we went to a cozy favorite that one of my friends just loves, Jasmine Deli on Nicollet Ave (that's "Eat Street" for the Chamber of Commerce). It's Vietnamese, smaller and homier than Quang's just down the street. When we got there, the place was jammed, and our faces fell. Would we have to wait, as if we were living in San Francisco? How un-Minneapolis! But a second later, two groups of people rose and walked out, leaving us with a choice of table. It was 7 PM, after all, rather late for the Midwestern dinner hour. The food was good, fresh and home-style Vietnamese cooking. But then we wanted dessert, so we decided to rendez-vous at Lucia's Bakery, where the desserts are incredibly yummy. It had just closed, and there was a half-hour wait for a table at Lucia's wine bar and restuarant next door, so we walked over to Cafe Barbette, another reliable favorite (mmmm, banana Nutella crepe! mmm!). That was even more crowded--a 45-minute wait! I'm glad that two of my favorite restaurants are hopping at 8:30 on a Thursday night, but where were we going to have dessert without having to walk or drive any more?

Well, Lunds supermarket was only a block away, so we went to their bakery, bought a few treats, and sat upstairs in the space that used to be a juice bar with the coffee we'd bought at the adjoining Caribou. It was quiet, we had our choice of tables, and though the pastries weren't as good as Barbette's Nutella banana crepe, they hit the spot.