The 5 best things our food writers ate this week

For more than 20 years, this New Hope spot has been slinging omelets and other sun-up fare, and the counter-lined diner is still as popular as ever. (Fat Nat’s has two other locations that came later, in Brooklyn Park and St. Anthony.) My server couldn’t stop herself from recommending nearly everything, but it was the Hatch green chile sauce that won out. You’ll find it on a number of menu items, along with a handful of other salsas, all made in house. In the Fat Nat’s Supremo ($14.95), a chorizo and cheese omelet rests on a bed of American fries, or savory roasted potatoes that have been tossed with that piquant green chili sauce. Another chunky red salsa crowns this massive breakfast.

I held back on the bottomless coffee here, when I noticed the Cafe Meow in the same Winnetka Commons strip mall. Even if you don’t have reservations to play with the kittens, you can get your caffeine fix while looking through windows at the furballs of fun. (S.J.)

It was just before 10 a.m., Thirty-Six Cafe was about to open and a line had already formed outside the door at this Grand Avenue spot in St. Paul. Once the door was unlocked, spring break revelers, moms and daughters and friends-catching-up-with-friends quickly filled the quaint space of mostly two-tops.

It was easy to see why this was the place to head to for such occasions. Floral-filled and vibrant, it was a fun setting that matched the equally playful menu of Japanese-inspired bites and matcha lattes.

The main attraction, soufflé pancakes — the tall, pillowy, airy egg white pancakes popular in Japan — come in about a half-dozen varieties, from savory bacon eggs Benedict to sweet strawberry shortcake stacks.