Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Minnetonka Drive In
Doesn't it feel fresh out there? We marked the one year anniversary of the hospitality shut down, and then rolled out a bunch of good news! Booze is booming, and we just need those beverage laws to catch up. New spots are blooming in spaces that went dark, and we have officially entered drive-in season. Drummies and shakes for everyone!
Doing Good in the Neighborhood
>> It's been a Year in the Weeds, and the restaurant and food community has not stopped bobbing and weaving, learning and growing. You might be surprised by the lessons they've learned. Click through, in their own words they'll tell you about balance, finding the voice in their community, admitting to failure, patience, calls for equity, and what kindness made happen.
>> And if you're in the restaurant industry and still need a boost, report to Industry Night at Red Stag on Mondays. From 3:30-7pm, they are offering a free dinner special for anyone who works in a Twin Cities restaurant. Just bring a paystub or proof of employment and it's all good.
News/New Stuff
+ Danny del Prado (Martina, Colita) has joined forces with Shigey Furukawa to re-create a part of Kado no Mise. Launching today, Sanjusan will be the Japanese-Italian restaurant that occupies the ground floor of the North Loop spot. Kado will still operate upstairs, with more of an omakase and kaiseki format, in addition to the Gori Gori Peku whisky bar. But downstairs you'll find an Italian vibe that is popular in Japan (20,000 Italian restaurants in Tokyo alone). Pizzas topped with raw tuna or miso pesto, fettucine with uni, ribeye nigiri and togarashi, it all manages to twist expectations and deliver something new.
+ Gray Fox Coffee has a new site in Uptown. This is the second location of the stylish shop from the owners of Copper Hen/Copper Cow. Centered in the lower level of the freshly constructed Daymark building on Lake Street, the coffee bar offers the same signature lattes, smoothie bowls, and breakfast sandwiches, but plans to build on those offerings as they evolve.
+ In the Cossetta's complex, Frank's Levee Tavern is now open. Named in honor of Frank Cossetta, the pub is carved out of the second floor area, with an actual hand-carved wooden bar at which to perch. Look for Italian street-food and tavern dishes, such as stromboli, meatballs, a polenta board served table side, and a soon to be famous Porchetta Cossetta sandwich. Not sure about this claim to have the World's Coldest Beer, but feels like we could form a committee and find out.
+ Paku Ramen is the new noodle ghost kitchen being run out of the Park Tavern kitchen. Order online for delivery or pickup of bowls pork belly, chicken katsu, or other kinds of ramen, plus crispy gyoza, or tebasaki sticky chicken wings.
+ Angel Food Bakery is leaving downtown for the hot hot neighborhood called TexaTonka in St. Louis Park. Trust me, the bidding war on homes in the area is proof enough, but now they are certainly all vying for easy access to Katy Gerdes cupcakes and donuts. Of note: her FrioFrio popsicle shop will also find space here, in the same strip mall as the forthcoming Revival.
+ Tattersall Distilling announced that they would be taking a hike across the river to build something big, shiny, and new. River Falls will be the home for their new production facility, event space, restaurant, and bar. Why not build it here? Ask your legislator why our beverage laws are so far behind modern business that we have to drive across the river to celebrate Minnesota innovators. Ask them.
+ Twas a good week to raise a dram of whiskey, and next year's March will be even better because O'Shaughnessy Distilling Co. will be operating at full steam. They've stolen the Master Distiller from Jameson to come to MN and help define and create a new American whiskey made with traditional Irish techniques. And then Pip Hanson will mix it into a cocktail for you and all will be right with the world.
Adjusted Sails
>> SEASONALS ARE OPENING!! Minnetonka Drive-In is now open for its 60th season!!! Get a box of fried bird and house-made root beer, which basically calls a good mood forth ... Dock & Paddle will open today at the Como Lakeside Pavillion ... Saturday we find that City House in St. Paul will be open on the river with $3 domestic beers and $1 off craft beers for opening weekend. UPDATE: CITY HOUSE IS DELAYED.
>> And it's pancake season (when is it not) ... I mean, maple syrup season! No one does it maple tapping quite like the Arb, but this year you'll have to think ahead if you want to enjoy the spoils. Book a rezzie for Maple Fest at the Arborteum by this Sunday, so that you may show up on fest day of March 27th and collect your pancake breakfast at your designated time slot. Pancakes wait for no man.
>> Brunch is back! At least at St. Genevieve it is. Your Sunday Funday is important enough for a reservation and a wild mushroom and Gruyere crepe. And bubbs.
Closes, Cancellations, and Cuts
// Dong Hae, the Korean BBQ and sushi spot that was a downtown happy hour magnet for years has closed their corner of 1st Ave. Worry not, they are moving down the city over to Washington, where they'll set up shop in the former Sanctuary space.
