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Ice Cream
mmmhmmm.
It's been a tough week in the cities. Lots of restaurants have stepped up this week and donated their daily sales to help the family of Daunte Wright and more are continuing the pledge to raise funds to fight racial injustice. And while we need to continue to have the hard conversations, we also need to find some light every day so that we can stay in the good fight. Tap into some fun with a local soda maker, tuck into some spirited science reading about our northern grain to glass distilling, or just pop into your seasonal ice cream shop because scoops go a long way towards fortifying the soul.
Doing Good in the Neighborhood
>> Thank goodness for Pimento Relief Services. Tomme Beevas and his organization is helping to create and amplify healing spaces amidst the chaos of the week. They're collecting donations of food, supplies, and funds to help support the Brooklyn Center community. And they're looking for a little help sourcing a truck to pick up food supplies in Eden Prairie, if you know someone. When you need to see an example of how to lead, look this way.
>> Meteor Bar is pouring Daiquiris For Justice this weekend. Drop in for a drink, all profits from the sales of Meteor's house daiquiris will go to support Visual Black Justice in their continuing efforts to support the elimination of racial inequality and elevate black voices.
>> Support the movement to #StopAsianHate by listening to the stories of food. Minnesota Rice is a coalition of local Asian cooks and bartenders who have put together a series of videos highlighting the dishes and drinks they love, teaching us how to make them, and telling us their stories, and reaching out in delicious conversation to help make change happen. You can buy a ticketed access to the videos and 100% of funds go to support CAAL, the Coalition of Asian American Leaders, who are the boots on the ground trying to affect legislation and help communities.
News/New Stuff
+ The 50th & France neighborhood is going to be a touch sweeter at the end of May. Sweet Science ice cream is opening their first true independent scoop shop there, next to The Lynhall and across the back alley way from Pajarito. Sadly, they will no longer be part of the mix at Keg & Case when it re-opens, but you can still pick up pints from the SS production kitchen in St. Paul if you don't have your passport handy.
+ Chanhassen Brewing Co. is now open in Chanhappenin'. After transforming an old Perkins into a brewery, as one should, the new brewers were packing them in with tables in the parking lot and fresh beer flowing inside.
+ Yumi Sushi has opened their latest location, in Southdale, for takeout. Begun in Excelsior, the sushi shop opened another location in St. Paul just before the lockdown in spring of 2020. The Southdale spot is near the new development by Rustica and will eventually open for indoor as well.
+ Hazelwood Food & Drink has opened another location, this time in St. Louis Park. This is the third spot for the Scott Foster and the Nova Group restaurant, with Tonka Bay and Bloomington spots already humming. This newest one has a nice little rooftop deck situation right off of Excelsior Blvd.
+ Drinking is an agricultural act. If you can dig that, you should read The Rye Study: Variety Determines Flavor conducted by the farming distillers at Far North Distillery up in Hallock. “The great wines of the world are tied to the variety of the grapes from which they are made,” noted head distiller Mike Swanson. “However, for whiskeys, which are fermented and distilled from grains, that varietal information and the tie to the agriculture behind it is often lost.”
Adjusted Sails
>> SEASONALS ARE OPENING!! Licks Unlimited in Excelsior is finally opening this weekend. The ice cream shop is running on grandkid power and introducing more sustainable products and aiming for a smaller carbon footprint. ... Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm is already open for the season down in Waseca! ... Sea Salt Eatery opens today! ... Clay's Galaxy Drive-In is also open as of today! ... Chef Shack Bay City launches Apr. 23, from the food truck outside the building at first.
>> FYI ... A to Z Produce (Pizza Farm) in Stockholm, WI, largely believed to be the first pizza farm in our region, has decided NOT to bring back the Tuesday night pizza night. They paused the very popular pizza picnics in 2020 due to the pandemic, and have chosen to keep it paused in 2021 while they "ruminate on the next incarnation of pizza".
>> Northern Soda Company is back with their 2nd Annual Mystery Soda Experience. Did you miss the first one? You fool. Order the mystery six pack of unlabeled soda cans soon, there are a limited number available, and pick them up in Arden Hills on Apr. 24. Then play along and test your palate, can you identify all six flavors? They promise: no ear wax flavors.
>> You guys are just all about pickleball, aren't you. Well, the Minneapolis Cider Co. late spring leagues open for registration today at 10am! Go smack it.
>> Josefina, the new Roman pizza place from Danny del Prado in Wayzata, is officially open for indoor dining. They'll continue to do takeout from the front pick-up window, but you may want to get in there and cop a seat around that pizza oven.
>> Don't miss your last chance to vote for your besties in the Readers' Poll 2021: Best Restaurants! The poll closes at the end of the day!
