Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Spoon and Stable Bar
The City of Minneapolis gave us the first slap on the wrist yesterday, by changing some bar access to help slow the COVID roll. For city bars, restaurants, breweries, and distilleries, there is no seating or standing at the inside bar. You must be seated at a table to enjoy that food and drink, so for now bars are still open. Unless we throw temper tantrums, flout the rules, and lose all of our bars. Let's not. Instead let's mask up and go get some fresh soft serve, grab a slice from a walk-up window, and prepare for ramen Wednesdays.
Doing Good in the Neighborhood
+ The Good Acre is collaborating on a new program called LEAFF. The Local Emergency Assistance Farmer Fund has been created to support small scale BIPOC farmers within 200 miles of the Twin Cities, especially those whose businesses have suffered due to COVID or the social unrest this summer. This is not a hand-out, it is a guarantee from Good Acre to buy up to $5,000 worth of produce from farms accepted in the program. Along with charitable partners Mill City Farmers Charitable Fund, LEAFF has already accepted 35 farmers into the program and are receiving and donating around 300-550 cases of produce weekly! THIS IS THE WAY TO DO THIS!!!
Nice To Be Out
>> While it's not going to be the same bohemian chic picnic spectacular as in the past, Two Pony Pizza Farm is willing to take a shot at the new normal. The West Metro dahlia and produce farm is offering Friday pizza pick-up. Just order online, choose a time window for pick up, and check in at the pizza tent when you get there. While you wait for your farm fresh pies (hello I ordered chanterelle for tonight) you can stroll the grounds (keeping your social distance from others), talk to the flowers, check out the farm stand, just let go of the week. Then grab your pizzas and head out to wherever you need to go.
>> I know you miss sport. So you should get out and book your spot on the Minneapolis Cider Co.'s pickleball league, which is open now. It's all doubles, so you and your quarantine buddy can breathe on each other and still whack a ball at another quarantine couple. You play for about an hour each night, there are different skill levels to choose from, and there will be cider when you're done.
>> The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge kicks off this Saturday. For the whole month of August, local eateries will be featuring fresh new dishes on their menu that celebrate being vegan. Places like Namaste in Uptown and Reverie seem like no brainers, but check out the offers at Naughty Greek, Avocadish, and Red Wagon Pizza. Try them all, tag your plate with #tcveganchef, and vote for your favorites.
>> Get your white Addidas over to Brit's Pub on Monday for a showing of Queen: Live at Wembly '86. Bring a blanket, cop a squat on the lawn, and enjoy popcorn, beers, green grass and Freddie struttin' his stuff on the jumbotron.
New Stuff
+ Bogart's Donuts is whipping out the soft serve! And before you ask, of course of course, there's a soft-serve donut. Be aware no soft serve on Mondays, but otherwise dark chocolate and brown butter flavors available Tues-Sun. You get a swirl! You get a swirl!
+ Magic Noodle is changing their name to Master Noodle, k? Just a little name change, don't make a big deal of it, same springy hand-pulled noodles you love. Now I'm thinking about those Sichuan cold noodles.
+ To whet your whistle like only crapht beers can, the MN State Fair released a list of where you can get the State Fair Specialty Beers this summer. If you want to take it to that EXTRA level, you still have one last chance to score signature State Fair cups, today starting at 9am. And tickets for the State Fair Food Parade kick off at 10am!
Coming Soon
+ Burger Dive is headed to St. Paul. The griddle smashed burgers from Nick O'Leary and Josh Thoma that first rocked out of Tony Jaros River Garden kitchen, and then took the good bar space in Potluck at Rosedale, is crossing the river to open their first solo beef shop. The crew is taking over the Bay Street Grill on West 7th, and Bay Street Burger Dive will open on Aug. 19. Get ready for pull tabs, meat raffles, bar trivia, and ... breakfast! This bar opens at 8am with a new breakfast menu.
Takeout + Patio + Indoors Notes
>> Palmer's Bar is open again, or at least Palmer's patio is open again, as of tonight. Tony Zaccardi and his crew have polished up the deck situation so that there's more space, fresh boards, and a new mask-loving attitude. The Hamm's Bear is blocking the bar, so don't even.
>> Mon ami, St. Genevieve is back!! Starting this week, Thu.-Mon. from 2-4pm, the SDH (socially distanced hour) in on for your elegant, citified life. Also, StG smash burgers and $2 off tap beers. Though, you're having bubbles, no?
>> The Buttered Tin is opening again for service, starting next Friday, Aug. 7th. They'll kick it 7am - 3pm daily, and have eliminated tipping across the board, opting for a 20% surcharge. They're also rolling out a customer loyalty program, so the more you eat, the more you get.
>> I have to say, I've been waiting on this: Grand Cafe has launched a Build-Your-Own-Box of their signature meal kits. Jamie Malone and Nikki Klocker have taken it to the nines with these boxes, and now you can get in there and choose blueberry Dutch baby for breakfast, coupla Croque Monsieur for lunch, then pike quenelles, tuna Niçoise, black truffle carbonara, whatever you feel for the big meal. It's nothing but fun.
>> Oh HEY Broders Cucina has a spiffy new walk up window and that translates directly into walking slices (like walking tacos, but not tacos, actually pizza).
>> Prepare yourself for Ramen Wednesdays at Bull's Horn. Chef Doug Flicker is in the house cooking up shoyu ramen, spicy ramen, really whatever he feels like making on Wednesdays, just say: Itadakimasu. Available indoors or on the patio, or call the pre-order a kit to take home and make yourself.
Closes, Cancellations, and Cuts
+ RIP Octo Fishbar. The Tim McKee project in Lowertown's Market House is no longer open. Sounds like the incubator model is still going, Vikings & Goddesses pies, Quebracho empanadas, and Aliment Pasta Co. is still cranking out product in the space.
+ It seems that food trucks had a rough week with The Pandy. Nashville Coop, Soul Lao, and Surly Food Truck (and, well, the whole beer hall) all had to close temporarily.
