Food + Drink: Ask the critic

Q: Any drive-ins still around?

A: Yes! I love drive-ins. The venerable Dari-ette Drive-In (1440 E. Minnehaha Av., St. Paul, 651-776-3470) is still doing its mix of burgers and malts and (very) simple Italian fare. If you're in the western suburbs, you should definitely check out the Minnetonka Drive In (4658 Shoreline Dr., Spring Park, 952-471-9383), a throwback to 1961. The Galaxy Drive In (3712 Quebec Av. S., St. Louis Park, 952-277-7777, www.galaxy-drivein.com) is a souped-up version of the genre, and very dog-friendly. Another classic is Wagner's Drive-In (7000 W. Broadway, Brooklyn Park, 763-533-8262, www.wagners drivein.com), where owner Jim Wagner just might be the hardest-working guy in the business.

Q: What beverages have you been seeing that are particularly summer-friendly? 

A: One of my pet peeves in restaurants is when I ask the question, "What do you have for nonalcoholic beverages?" and the response is "Coke products." Come on, you can do better than that. For some great options, check out the newish Eat Street Social (18 W. 26th St., Mpls., 612-767-6850, www.eatstreetsocial.com) for the bar's fabulous egg creams, phosphates and sodas. I love the sparkling soda of the day at the Wise Acre Eatery (5401 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., 612-354-2577, www.wiseacreeatery.com). The guava-lime and pineapple-ginger sodas at the St. Paul Brasa (777 Grand Av., www.brasa.us) are first-rate.

Q: I just moved to downtown Minneapolis and I'm looking for my new favorite breakfast place. It has to be open on the weekends. Any ideas?

A: I'd recommend Moose & Sadie's (212 3rd Av. N., 612-371-0464, www.moose andsadies.com), which serves a great counter-service breakfast daily. Be'wiched Deli (800 Washington Av. N., 612-767-4330, www.bewicheddeli.com) prepares an awesome weekend breakfast. If you're out and about on Saturday, you should definitely graze your way through the Mill City Farmers Market (2nd St. and Chicago Av. S., www.millcityfarmersmarket.org), which might be my favorite warm-weather Saturday morning breakfast spot.

Q: What's your favorite frozen yogurt place around town? There are so many popping up.

A: It's crazy, right? I feel like we're reliving the 1980s. I'm a fan of the Yogurt Lab (3100 Excelsior Blvd., Mpls., 612-926-8212, www.yogurtlabs.com). I was blown away by how crowded it was when I dropped in a few Sundays ago. It was like Black Friday, 5 a.m., at a Best Buy. Have you been to Freeziac (www.freeziac.com)? There's one in the Mall of America, along with locations in Eden Prairie, Plymouth and Maple Grove.