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The leaves are starting to change color, which means it's a terrific time for a scenic fall drive. Rachel Hutton, senior editor of Minnesota Monthly magazine, recently took a road trip along the Mississippi River in search of its best destination restaurants. She shared her finds with MPR News' Tom Crann.
 

So haven't some of these river town restaurants been travel destinations for quite some time?

 Yes. The first stop on my trip, the St. James Hotel, in Red Wing, was built in 1875. That was back when Red Wing was the wheat-trading capital of the world, and the grand, Italianate-style building was a symbol of the town's wealth. Over time, the hotel's dining services have changed, of course, and these days, its fine-dining restaurant is called the Port. For years, the Port was known for its classic comfort food — popovers, French onion soup, and such. But a new chef came in a couple of years ago and modernized the menu, so now it includes everything from bison ribeye steaks to confit pork belly to — my favorite — a fabulous fried ice cream dessert.
 

The Harbor View Cafe in Pepin, Wis., has also been around for a long time — more than 30 years. It serves generously portioned, scratch-made meals, everything from catfish to pasta to curry, as well as fabulous pie. 

The Harbor View's homey charm hasn't changed over the years — it has cute checkered tablecloths, shelves of old books lining the walls, a chalkboard menu — though the restaurant recently modernized, and shocked some of its regulars, by installing a credit-card machine, as diners were previously only able to pay with cash or check.

A few years ago, a young restaurant named Nosh moved from Wabasha to Lake City, to a two-story building with a beautiful roof deck overlooking the city's harbor. It has the best view of any of these riverfront restaurants. Nosh also has the most upscale and wide-ranging menu, with everything from scratch-made sausages to seared foie gras to seafood paella. Interestingly, Nosh also has what may be the most extensive craft-beer list outside of the Twin Cities metro area — in fact the restaurant is so into beer, that the owners are building a nano-brewery on site.

Yes, there's a new eatery in Bay City, Wis., called Chef Shack, created by the duo behind the popular fleet of Twin Cities-based food trucks of the same name. Chef Shack opened last winter. It's a cozy little place with a small-but-interesting dinner menu, offering everything from house-made charcuterie to rack of lamb, and it also serves brunch on weekends. 

If you're a fan of the food trucks' mini-donuts made with sweet Indian spices, as I very much am, you'll enjoy seeing the donuts on the restaurant's dessert menu, having been transformed into a rich bread pudding.

What about down near the Iowa border? Is there a restaurant you'd recommend in Winona?

The nicest place to eat in Winona is Signatures, which overlooks the Bridges golf course just outside of town. It's a white-tablecloth restaurant that serves some local food, such as walleye from Red Lake, as well as globally inspired dishes. When I visited I enjoyed a prettily plated tower of crabmeat, avocado, and ginger that was as carefully manicured as the golf greens out the window.

 • 6379 W. Main St., Bay City, Wis., 715-594-3060, 

  • 314 First St., Pepin, Wis., 715-442-3893, 

 • 310-1/2 S. Washington St., Lake City, Minn., 651-345-2425, 

 • St. James Hotel, 406 Main St., Red Wing, Minn., 800-252-1875, 

 • 22852 County Road 17, Winona, Minn., 507-454-3767, 

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Tom Crann

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Rachel Hutton, senior editor of Minnesota Monthly magazine, recently took a road trip south along the Mississippi River in search of the area's best destination restaurants.

Appetites: River road restaurants worth the drive

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