yum in st. paul
Standing inside the new Yum! Kitchen & Bakery on Snelling and Selby in St. Paul, Patti Soskin tells me that they refer to it internally as Yum Homeland. She points out the windowed wall to the corner across the street and tells me, "That's where my dad had his business, and just behind it was the house where he grew up."
This is Yum! 3.0, the third bakery and kitchen for Patti and her husband Robbie, the first is in St. Louis Park and the second in Minnetonka. I ran through it yesterday as they were putting on the final touches.
communal table and counter at yum
It's hard to believe this was the site of O'Gara's, the good time Irish bar that now only exists at the State Fair. There's no ciggy carpet smell! "We do have the O'Gara's alley," Robbie told me, "and we'll probably do some fun stuff out there this spring and summer before the Loons games at Allianz."
windows and tables at yum
The kitchen and bakery opened this morning at 8am and there's a lot of connection to the other spots, it's airy and bright, with lots of natural wood furniture, Minnesota-made light fixtures, and tons of windows to let in the day. Though, there are some new things, too.
patio with garage windows
This outdoor patio situation is great. There are patios at the other two, but nothing quite like this. The outside walls can be screen, solid, or they can be lifted entirely, and then the other side has garage doors that open into the space. The heaters above are the next gen infrared heaters that make the room and the tabletops warm and comfortable in all weather. "When it was snowing this weekend, it was like a snow globe in here," Patti remarked.
yum bars and kitchen staff
This Yum! will have pretty much the same menu as the others, so you can expect the great fancy shmancy tuna salad, crunchy French toast, and one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches IMHO. And yes, I personally eyeballed Patti Cakes in the massive walk-in cooler waiting for day one. Like the other spots, nothing is shipped in, everything will be made on-site. But for now, unlike the others, this is the only one that will have prosecco on tap and a cocktail program.
parking lot
And, I may have buried the lead on this for some, but: there's free parking. Just south of the entrance find an entry way to a lot behind the shop where people can park off-street. And it's plowed.
Yum! Homeland is now open 8am to 8pm daily. It will be a great family-friendly spot for pre-gaming pro soccer matches, of course, but even if you're shopping Patina across the street, you deserve a nut goodley bar or some chicken noodle soup with matzah balls to take that December edge off.
