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Thinking small can sometimes yield big results. I'll take a pint- sized, locally owned, loaded-with-personality restaurant over a giant, impersonal corporate chain every time.
Like Giorgio. Restaurants don't get much smaller than this teeny, romantic Uptown stalwart; the word "shoebox" comes to mind. Even the sweet new wine bar doesn't add a whole lot more square footage. The hearty Italian food looms much larger than the setting.
Fans of Thai and Hmong flavors should know about the tiny cafe hidden inside the Foodsmart supermarket. The setup doesn't merge the two in a fusion double-play, but keeps the cooking on separate-but- equal stance: a Thai made-to-order menu and a Hmong buffet (10 a.m.- 4 p.m. daily) with a selection that changes daily. Owners Toua Xiong and Nou Vang keep prices astonishingly low, and English is definitely a second, and sometimes third, language, always an encouraging sign. Be sure to check out the small deli counter and pick up a few Hmong sausages to go.
The rejuvenating custom of afternoon tea lives on at the Avalon Tea Room, the snug White Bear Lake shop that offers casual, a la carte teas (and light lunches) Tuesday through Saturday and formal, reservation-only spreads ($18.95 per person) at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The quaint dining room is...