Apples and American Flag
If you're as sick of political ads as I am, the countdown is real. What's easy to vote for? How about a newly fired up kitchen in Bayport, the lovely proliferation of Oktoberfestings, or a Carver Country food crawl amongst the golfers? Plus, fall wine dinners and harvest parties are polling strongly. I approve this message.
OPENS
>> The Wilder Scratch Kitchen has opened up in Bayport, in that funky old Mexican restaurant space. They've given it the old scrub and paint job, with a hammering of barnwood, and it looks downright fresh. Chef Jeffrey Lundmark has plenty of fans from the region, from his days manning the stoves at Domacin wine bar in Stills. I dunno, fall colors, one street river town, fried tomatillos with smoked salmon ... sounds like a Saturday.
>> What was once Mason's Restaurant & Barre, next to the Cowles Center, is now just Barre. The space has been given a fresh overhaul, opening it up and adding some touches of glam, and now instead of mason jar schtick, there's more of a bar statement with craft beers and cocktails. Though, I guess there is still mac 'n' cheese with hot dogs, however you feel about that.
>> Herbies on the Park is opening this Saturday in St. Paul. We all got some sneak peeking at the space on Thursday night and it's quite the room, with a roaring fireplace on one side and a giant marble bar on the other. This room has old St. Paul swag, and the lobster rolls and crab cakes sure don't hurt. Just remember, the legs feed the wolf.
>> The Meet Market, which is a helluva craft sandwich shop in White Bear Lake and Stillwater, has opened a third location in Forest Lake, making it a Northeast suburban triad. These are people just crazy enough to make a fried tomato toad-in-the-hole BLT, so let's take notice, hmmm? PS, someone bring one of their Italian subs.
CLOSES
>> If you want to get one more Barbary Fig memory meal on the table, do it this weekend. On Monday, the long standing Grand Ave Mediterranean restaurant will close. After 28 years in the business, I'm quite sure that owner Brahim Hadj-Moussa has earned his retirement.
COMING SOON
>> The neighborhood surrounding 48th and Chicago in South Minny is all a-buzz about a new place opening soon. Sum Dem Korean Barbecue is well under construction across from Cafe Levain and promises short ribs and bulgogi, plus chicken wings and mandu dumplings.
NEWS
>> Hey boyo, The Ryder Cup is coming to town and you probably don't have a seat in any of the club tents, yeah? Why not partake in a Carver County crawl and visit some local establishments while you're out there? You might catch Bill Murray and Michael Phelps palling around for deep dish. Maybe.
AGENDA
>> Tonight kicks off Black Forest Inn's Oktoberfesting, that runs every single night until Oct. 3, ausgezeichnet! That's ten days of krautrocking madness which includes, but is not limited to, Prost night with alphorns, dumpling night, wurst night, 95 Theses night (got a beef? nail it to the door), black turtleneck night, and the Triumphant Return of David Hasselhoff night. Don't hassel the Hoff. These people OWN this holiday.
>> Fair State Brewing is throwing their annual Co-Optoberfest on Saturday, wherein a member meeting will be followed by much celebrating (especially with the expansion in mind). Get over for a ton of beer (It's Gold Jerry!) and brats, plus Aki's pretzels, hammerschlagen, and live screen printing of shirts in the beer garden. Also Saturday, Surly Brewing is festing hard with their annual Surly Fest, and there is plenty of space for 11 hours of gemütlichkeit.
>> Beer and health seem to be going hand in hand lately, what with all the brewery yoga going down dog. Here are two new events on Saturday to add to your frothy roster: Surly's Brewing's Trail Loppet takes you on a run through the gorgeous Theodore Wirth park, and then feeds you beer. And Lakes & Legend's Barre & Belgians event offers you a FREE barre class, and then feed you $3 beers.
>> Also: TBSP Waffle Pop Up at Blackeye Roasting.
>> Sunday is no less busy, with Kick Cancer Buy Jam at Linden Hills Farmers Market. Show up and show some love for Amy Glass of Lucille's Kitchen Garden and Midwest Pantry. You need jam and aebelskiver's and she needs you.
>> Surf n Turf: Sunday is National Lobster Day at Smack Shack, where your $25 gets you a lobster roll, lobster corn dog, and lobster mac. But it's also Boar Fest at Butcher & The Boar, which means music, meat, bourbon, and oysters.
>> Round it out on Monday with a little Black Strap Rum release shindig at Tattersall. I got a little sneaky preview sip of this stuff, and the daiquiri that celebrates it, and it is LEGIT. Like a gingerbread man in a tropical shirt, this one carries strange and beautiful melodies. Get over for some reggae fueled fun and food from Wyn65.
>> On Wednesday the 28th, let's PACK to the rafters the Indeed taproom for Indeed We Can, which is just a regular night where 100% of the proceeds from the beer you drink will go to support feeding families with Second Harvest Heartland. Drink beer, do good, let's blow it up.
>> Get the LOCO DUUK 2 pop-up on your cal for Oct. 1. Lola Rossa, Cook St. Paul, Dumpling, and Union Kitchen are teaming up again to bring the heat across the river to Gigi's for one night only. Eddie Wu and his band of spice seeking cohorts have teamed up with Able Seedhouse for beers and you can hear him on Weekly Dish this weekend talking about the food.
>> Speaking of Weekly Dish, we are having a Cookbook Swap on Oct.1 at Kitchen in the Market. Have you outcooked a few books on your shelf? Do you regret your brief paleo phase and all the books it brought? Well one cook's snoozer is another cook's gem, bring your books for a trade up and raffle that will benefit People Serving People. And snacks, there will always be snacks.
