potluck Minnesota food hall logo
Good news, shoppers and movie-goers and parking lot lovers. Rosedale Center will soon have a new food set-up. You remember that they launched Revolution Hall earlier this year, which was basically one out-of-town company's idea that it could just create and run a bunch of different concepts as a unit (one commissary kitchen, interchangeable employees, not a lot of individuality beyond snappy logos). All of it closed a few months ago. It didn't work, it didn't feel right.
Well, the mall took a hard look at what could be better, what would fit and do well in the space, with an eye to the community and the future of the complex. It's no small thing to remember that the owners have already invested many millions in renovating the mall, obviously they want to get it right.
Well, coming this fall, we can look forward to the food hall/court space being occupied by POTLUCK. Again we are looking at a collection of concepts, but this time the concepts populating the space will be locally owned and independently operated, in fact, by some of our shiniest local food makers. One of the key ingredients that was missing in the last run was a sense of ownership, it didn't feel like the corporate company running the show had much invested in its success. This time, it's all about skin in the game, with the mall acting in some cases as a launch partner to a few brand new local concepts. It's like everyone brought a dish to share. Let's see who's in:
Chick Pea Logo
Chickpea
A hummus bar by Justin Sutherland and Leo Judeh.
Fresh! This vegetarian option is a new idea from Sutherland, who's excited to bring something different to his group of restaurants, "I wanted to do something with hummus, and Leo Judeh who runs our food truck is the king of hummus. His recipe is unreal, so he partnered up with me on this." The idea is to build your own bowl, starting with three choices of hummus (roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, or plain) and then adding up to five different toppings, from feta to zahtar, cukes, olives, fried chickpeas and much, much more. There will also be salads.
O Bachan Logo
O Bachan Noodles & Chicken
A noodles and fried chicken bar from Justin Sutherland.
Color me psyched. "O bachan is Japanese for grandmother, and many people know I grew up with my Japanese grandmother cooking me noodles with fried chicken all the time," Sutherland told me. "I told her at one point that I was going to open a restaurant for her. This is really an homage to her." Again with a build-your-own bowl sitch: choose either miso, tonkotsu, or shiitake broth, pick soba, udon, or ramen noodle, then add Japanese fried chicken, pork belly, or tofu to protein up. They'll be making their own ramen noodles in house.
betty and earls logo
Betty & Earl's Biscuit Kitchen
A biscuit shop from Fox 9 /MyTalk's Jason Matheson and pastry magician Adrienne Odom.
Wait, what? Yep, broadcast personality Jason Matheson is branching out. "These biscuits are a family treasure. My pappaw Earl made them all the time for his wife Betty, and us grandkids, and passed down the recipe to me when he died in 2003. I've been tweaking it over the years, and I decided that they are too good not to share." Do we even have another biscuit shop in town? Bringing high-level pastry chef Adrienne Odom on board is a stroke of genius, Matheson lured her away from running Salty Tart by making her a partner in the business. The bakery space will offer a variety of biscuits, from the classic Earl, to the honey-buttered Betty, and even a riff on the famous cheddar biscuits from Red Lobster. You'll be able to grab one, to shove in your face, or a whole box to take home.
Smack Shack logo and sample
Smack Shack
You know, Smack Shack, by Josh Thoma and Kevin Fitzgerald
From food truck to dive bar, to full-service restaurant and airport concourse eatery, Thoma might just have this whole thing figured out by now. "People are always asking when we're going to build a Smack Shack by them, so here you go St. Paul," joked Thoma. "It'll be closest to the 1029 menu so you can expect lobster rolls, po' boys, and clam chowdah for sure."
Burger Dive logo and sample
Burger Dive
A burger bar from Josh Thoma, Nick O'Leary, and Kevin Fitzgerald.
Thoma and O'Leary are bringing a faster version of their recently launched burger bar idea. Burger Dive will occupy the only space that has actual bar seating, which means beers and drinks. They'll be sticking close to the original menu of smashed double-patty classics (the Wedge is actually my secret favorite), plus bar snacks like deviled eggs and perogis, but there might be a few surprises. "We'll try to stick close to the Burger Dive feel," Thoma mentioned, "we'll be using the same grind of beef, O'Leary will be there cooking, there will be tv's on the wall, a weekly meat raffle and pull tabs behind the bar." Pull tabs. In a 'dale.
Grand ole Creamery logo and sample
Grand Ole Creamery & Pizzeria
Pizza and ice cream from Grand Avenue's Huffman family.
Dawn Huffman started Grand Ole Creamery back in 1984 when she was pregnant, and needed a challenge. Now, 35 years later, her kids are grown and running the company, which means expansion and new opportunities. This slice shop will feature their same hand made pizzas and the signature sweet cream ice cream, which is still being made with the original recipe, in hand-rolled waffle cones with a malted milk ball at the bottom. Classic.
Nordic Waffles logo and sample
Nordic Waffles
The State Fair favorite by Stine Aasland.
Will it waffle? It will. This is the first solidly anchored location for Nordic Waffles, which has been the star of outdoor festivals and coffee shops, plus it basically owned the State Fair for the past few years. Did they expect their first official storefront to be in a mall? "No, but we were drawn to this project because of the concept," Waffle Queen Aasland told me. "It's unique and we are proud to be among the other vendors. We are all proud MN brands and that's something very cool to be a part of." You can expect the full round of their sweet and savory waffle sandwiches, from the all-day breakfast to berries with cream and beyond. Will they include the Pebbles and Bam Bam waffle filled with peanut butter cups and cereal that made many a kid squeal in August? "We'll see! We are still working on the menu, so people can follow us and watch it all unfold!"
And More!
Some of the details are still being worked out and for this initial phase of the project, and only the lower level is being renovated to start. The second floor will be reconfigured in phase 2.
It's all under construction in the former Revolution Hall space as we speak. Obviously they are hoping to get open before the holiday shopping season, so look for some action in early November. You can check updates on their socials and watch for an opening date.
Ramen and biscuits and lobster rolls are a far cry from the heady days of Orange Julius and Steak and Ale eating we used to do as mall rats. Hoping this one sticks.
