Food & Drink in Brooklyn Park

Maynard’s Cafe's flavor slingers craft a surf 'n' turf menu brimming with oceanic delights and land-locked meats. Dining companions can warm up for competitive chew-offs with the Maynard’s Combo, an amalgam of finger foods that include crab balls, jalapeño poppers, chicken tenders, and steamed shrimp among other handheld poppables. Then order up a heftier entree, such as the chicken fettuccini, crab legs and drawn butter, or fried oysters. The new york strip steak cohabitates with crab cakes and brings two sides to the table. Guests can savor their meals while oogling karaoke performers crooning after 9 p.m. Wednesday–Sunday or watch cards go flying during rounds of Texas Hold 'em or high-stakes Go Fish on Thursdays.

The patty purveyors at the recently opened Baltimore Burger Bar frequently update their seasonal menu of grass-fed beef burgers and culinary accouterments. Made-to-order cheeseburgers boast a thick slab of beef blanketed by a choice of cheese, such as chèvre, brie, or blue cheese. A bevy of farm-fresh ingredients mingles in ever-changing toppings and sauces, with previous adornments including a poppied radish-and-onion relish, a pineapple-cucumber salsa, and a Taiwanese squash-basil slaw funneled directly from the source via subterranean pipeline. Enhance your protein intake with extras such as a fried egg or bacon, available for an extra $1 each. Burger dressings include zesty mango ketchup, hot yellow-curry vinegar, or lemon-herbed-ricotta aioli, and a small order of fries gives two or four hungry hands an excuse to spill and sop up savory sauces.

Cut from the cloth of 1930s-style delis, Miller’s Delicatessen transports diners back to a simpler time of tastiness with a bevy of comforting dishes and scrumptious sides. Like shopping for a wedding dress, visitors enjoy a buzzing, cafeteria-style atmosphere while ordering from the counter and munching on juicy, flavor-doused meats amid a stylish dining room lined with celebrity photos. Scan the menu for traditional dinners such as the roast-beef brisket with brown gravy ($11.99) and grilled liver and onions ($10.99), or keep high-five dispensers occupied with a corned-beef and pastrami sandwich ($9.99) or meatloaf and bacon sandwich with fried onions and jack cheese ($9.99). Savory soups such as the matzah ball ($3.69) or cold borsch with sour cream ($3.69) will help meaty bites slide friction-free down to blissfully satisfied stomachs.

A fascination with edible science and unexpected mixtures motivated Chef Pellegrino to dream up Corks' menu of new American cuisine. Whet your appetite with a mug of smoky tomato bisque ($6), crostini on a bed of traditional hummus ($5), or chips and dip ($5). Corks' specialty, fondue, is served in three cheese blends. Gorge on gorgonzola ($10) or epicuriously experiment with the house blend ($7). Heartier selections include an alfredo-coated pasta with fresh veggies ($14) and a black-truffle meatloaf sided with baby field carrots and mashed potatoes ($20).

Head chef Ray Kumm's training in classical French cuisine guides him in selecting the seasonally available foods used to craft Bluegrass Tavern's ever-evolving dinner menu. Appetizer platters present diners with five selections of house-made charcuterie and farm-fresh cheeses, each complementing the other with savory flavors and a solid grounding in color theory. The menu of large bites shifts at the whim of seasonal ingredients and the availability of the wily ducks, rabbits, and fish that typically populate the dishes, which currently include a grilled Hudson Valley duck breast with a sweet counterpoint of plum chutney, and an 8-ounce sirloin steak from Snake River Farms. As jaw muscles heat up from chewing through tender meats and crisp vegetables, occasional sips of house wine keep them fortified for another round of mastication and librettos sung in each dish's honor.

Boheme Cafe quells tumultuous appetites with comfort food crafted from locally grown vegetables and kick-starts mornings with super-charged coffee drinks. Dive into the breakfast menu with the Ragin' Cajun, which snuggles scrambled eggs, sausage, green peppers, and onions together with chipotle spread in a tortilla blanket ($3.99). Those who prefer their energy in liquid form can sip a cup of coffee ($1.84/$1.95) brewed from Counter Culture beans, which are great for caffeinating bodies, minds, and imaginary friends.