Chocolate bunny with ears bitten off.
That's an actual saying. It means that all you bunnies coming back to life after the hibernation are just jumping and boxing about, either due to basketball brackets or cabin fever. It might also have to do with buds breaking on trees at the same time as a blizzard in the forecast. Same same. You have one more week to rave, why not go eat your weight in pork, guzzle rare beers, or camp out to queue up for your favorite clam fries. Madness is as madness does.
OPENS
>> Looking for a place to take your little nerdlings during spring break? Good news, Geek Love Cafe is now open in Moon Palace Books and they're dishing up pizzas and salads and wings among the stacks. They also have wine, beer, and kombucha, making them a sweet spot for Books & Bars, too.
>> Wooden Hill Brewing has opened as the first brewery and taproom in Edina, off Bush Lake Rd. They've got some lookers on tap, a wheat stout on nitro, a cinnamon crunch brown ale, French river saison, and even some beer cocktails. The bright and airy taproom also has a kitchen, so look for roasted sandwiches, flatbreads, and all-beef hot dogs. No cake, apparently.
>> I'm sorry, what? Yep. Sea Salt Eatery will open next Friday the 30th for the season, at 11am. Queue up.
CLOSES
>> Saturday marks the last day of business for King's Wine Bar in South Minneapolis, as the current owners have sold the space. No word yet on what kind of restaurant will replace the spot on 45th and Grand.
>> Cute little Sunrise Market & Cafe on Grand Avenue has closed, but owner Tom Forti has plans to reopen it as a Hibbing-inspired pub called Iron Ranger. Well cripes, I bet that porketta's gonna be real good (it's all in the fennel). The spot is currently under construction with a target opening of next month.
COMING SOON
>> Handsome Hog's chef Justin Sutherland is opening a new restaurant in Stillwater with the LOLO Kitchen guys. Pearl & the Thief will take over the Pub 112 space on Stills' main drag and offer up a two-level whiskey-and-oysters kind of eating night that we all dream of. Sutherland will remain the exec chef of HH and split his time between the kitchens.
NEWS
>> Tim McKee and The Fish Guys are taking on the meat business. Recently launching Market House Meats, the wholesalers are looking to connect small family farms with local chefs and retailers to bring a better quality of meat to our tables.
AGENDA
>> The Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest is happening in St. Paul on Saturday. Some 30 craft breweries will be pouring rare, vintage, and one-off specialty brews, making this fest way more than your average stand-and-sip. Besides stunners from locals like Dangerous Man and Fair State, you'll get some one of a kind brews from Dogfish Head, Lagunitas, and Boulevard Brewing, to name a few. There are limited tickets left, so jump to it beer-spelunkers!
>> How can you NOT commit to going to Insight Brewing's Smoke Signals party on Saturday, come snow or come shine? It's all BBQ, Bluegrass, and Beer for cryin' in the barn! Three different smokers vying for your love, live bluegrass bands pickin' and grinning, and unique casks tapped just for the occasion like that Triple Shot Banshee Cutter. Honestly, thank me later.
>> On Sunday, five local chefs will wrangle five hogs to compete in the annual Cochon555 event in Minneapolis. Russel Klein of Meritage, Remy Pettus of Bardo, Karyn Tomlinson of Corner Table, Danny Del Prado of Martina, and Tim Fisher of Cosmos will cook five dishes from their locally farmed hogs to see who will be crowned Prince of Porc. Your ticket, $175 general and $200 VIP, gets you all the pork you can eat and all the swish you can drink, and a vote on who's pork is most prince(ss)ly.
>> A very cool bridging of two worlds, women in textiles and women in food, will come together on Thu. Mar. 29 at the opening reception for Artists in the Kitchen. Fifty female artists teamed up with fifty women from the food world to create inspiring artworks made from textiles. From chefs, to cookbook authors, to food truckers, and cheesemakers, see how one artist inspires the next.
>> One sure way you know spring is here: The Minnesota Brewery Running Series schedule is up! Headflyer Brewing kicks off the season with a 5K-ish run on Apr. 7, lace up.
>> Also this ... Bey Bowl: Beyoncé Bowling at Memory Lanes on Apr 14. Plop down $150 for a full lane rental for 6 people, get unlimited bowling for two hours and an all-Beyoncé drag show performance. It may not be part of your foodist life, but it is part of your best life. THIS WILL SELL OUT.
Photo from shutterstock.com
