Winter in Minnesota means cold weather. For winter sports enthusiasts, this is good news. For everyone else, it can be hard to find the motivation to get outside. Luckily, many Plymouth restaurants are ready to welcome you in from the cold. What better way to reward yourself after a long day of skiing or skating than with a nourishing bowl of warm chili? Even if you don’t enjoy the outdoors in the winter, these dishes are good enough to leave the house for, even if it just means running from your car to the restaurant’s front door.
POZOLE ROJO
Cocina de Ana
Owner Ana Rayas doesn’t consider her popular pozole rojo (red salsa soup) a soup in the traditional sense. “It’s a whole meal in itself,” she says. Made fresh at the take-out only restaurant, it’s a combination of guajillo sauce, lean pork, chicken breast and white hominy. It is served with fresh lime, oregano and tostadas. The version of the soup made with homemade green salsa (pozole verde) is equally popular. This is an easy weeknight meal for a cold night–all you have to do is take it home and warm it up. Small: $6.99, medium: $12.99, large: $22.99, party: $28.99. 1400 County Road 101; 763.951.3377
TOM YUM SOUP
Ketsana’s Thai
Looking for a different spin on a cup of soup? Try this traditional Thai dish. Tom yum soup is a delicious lemon-flavored soup, loaded with straw mushrooms, lemon grass, galangal (similar to ginger), kaffir leaves (thick, dark green leaves), cilantro, green onion, Thai chili and your choice of chicken, pork or tofu. Add fish or shrimp for an additional cost. This soup is served with white rice. Worried it might be too spicy for your taste? The restaurant is happy to make it as spicy or not spicy as you prefer. $11.75 or $15.25 with fish or shrimp. 16605 County Road 24; 763.559.0695
TURKEY AND WILD RICE SOUP
Craving a good, home-cooked meal? Look no further than the pub’s turkey and wild rice soup. This traditional cream-based soup has exactly what you’d expect from a turkey and wild rice soup. For an added flair, the restaurant adds shaved almonds to the top of this dish, a favorite among customers. $5.99 for a cup, $7.49 for a crock. 3000 Harbor Lane N.; 763.746.0071
CHILI
Chili is a perfect winter comfort food, and this version is no exception. This dish is made with prime rib and ground beef prepared in-house, pulled pork, onions, celery, garlic, kidney beans and a rich tomato chili broth. It’s served with sour cream, chives and scallions. $5.95 for a cup, $7.95 for a bowl. 3005 Harbor Lane N.; 763.559.1595
NABEYAKI UDON
Kobe
You may not think of Japanese cuisine as comfort food, but this udon will change that. A noodle soup made with chicken, vegetable and egg, this dish will be the perfect cold day food. “It is very tasty, very good for winter,” says restaurant manager Kevin Liu. The best part? This soup is served with two pieces of shrimp tempura on the side. $16. 15555 34th Ave. N.; 763.559.9999
