From left, Bb.q’s chicken wings are saucy and tasty, Spitz serves up big portions and Sweet Paris has tasty sweet crepes, but savory options were lackluster.
My ideal meals end with sauce-coated fingers. So when I opened my box of spicy chicken wings from Bb.q Chicken, the extra sauce at the bottom indicated this franchise would quickly become a favorite. My fellow wing-eater and I ordered the spicy galbi and Gangnam style sauces (an eight-pack runs $15). Spicy galbi’s sweet and spicy combination won me over and Gangnam style’s black pepper and garlic flavors were enticing. The Korean-born franchise has more than 2,500 units, most of which are outside the United States. Customers choose between a whole chicken, bone-in wings or boneless wings, which come in boxes of eight, 16 ($27.50) or 24 ($39.50). But wait, there’s more! I tried the kimchi fried rice ($12.95), a spicy and filling alternative to wings. The St. Paul, Minnesota, restaurant I visited was larger than expected, with tables and even a bar for in-house diners. The dining room was empty, though, on this Tuesday evening, but the K-pop music was enjoyable during the wait for my pickup order. The best part? The wings stayed crispy and hot during the 15-minute ride home.
The upshot: Bb.q’s Korean sauce flavors are a winner in my book. The prices run a little high, but the taste helps mitigate some of the sticker shock. —E.W.
Food trucks and breweries are often a common pair, allowing customers to have some street food with their hoppy IPA. Spitz Mediterranean Street Food took that combo and put it into a brick-and-mortar restaurant. In addition to the multiple beers on tap, Spitz has a modern aesthetic and a hip, cool vibe that many breweries pride themselves on. At the same time, the food has a freshness and authenticity that a person would associate with street vendors. My gyro was made to order and full of flavor, while the pita bread tasted as though it was baked from scratch that day. The Spitz in Minneapolis is an inline unit, with a narrow space that could cause a bit of congestion in some areas. The operators make it work by ensuring there’s adequate seating space and room for customers to flow in and out. It shows that it’s a brand that can adapt to different types of spaces, and that’s also reflected in the franchise model. In its disclosure document, the typical size for a location is between 1,000 and 2,400 square feet.
The upshot: After tax and a tip, the total for the meal was just over $19. It’s a little high, but not too far off from other fast-casuals, and you get your money’s worth with the portions. —M.L.
The Mall of America houses several franchised snack concepts, but Sweet Paris Creperie and Café stands out as a worthwhile stop. As a café, it offers a cute setting to take a much-needed shopping break. With nearly 20 units open, the brand is all about crepes, which were brunch for this duo. Ingredients were clearly high quality, the whipped cream perfectly sweet without being overpowering and the crepe itself was chewy and light. Flavor and mouthfeel issues arose with the savory and breakfast crepes, however, as one was underseasoned and the other overcooked. Not inedible, but disappointing. The Nordic crepe, filled with smoked salmon and dill cream cheese, meanwhile, was a delight and had us wishing their was more of each ingredient packed in. The dessert lemon and sugar crepe was beautifully simple, lightly sour with crunchy sugar, so a solid two out of three. When paying nearly $15 per crepe, customers are less forgiving of product preparation issues, but I’d be willing to give Sweet Paris another try—if only to have an excuse to eat some Nutella.
The upshot: High quality ingredients were met with execution issues, but the overall experience and stellar sweet crepe options earn it a spot in the dining out rotation. —M.G.