Foxy Falafel, Summit Brewing Taproom, Sandcastle, and more

Readers: Win Heavy Table pint glasses

The Tap loves restaurant tips from readers, so we’re awarding a Heavy Table pint glass to the best tipster each month. The Tap is the metro area’s comprehensive restaurant buzz roundup, so if you see a new or newly shuttered restaurant, or anything that’s “coming soon,” email Tap editor Jason Walker at jason@heavytable.com.

July’s winner: Mike Haight of Minneapolis

Kate Sommers/Heavy Table

Foxy Falafel (now open)

791 Raymond Ave, St. Paul | 651.243.0813

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that Erica Strait’s Foxy Falafel was just that nifty little stand at the Kingfield and Mill City Farmers Markets, where you could get a top-notch falafel or a bike-powered smoothie.

Then, earlier this year, Strait debuted a Foxy Falafel food truck, which roams St. Paul during the week and markets on weekends.

Now, she’s taken over the former Caribe space off University Ave in St. Paul and made it a Foxy Falafel restaurant, serving the same food truck / farmers market menu of regular, beet, and curry falafel as well as her array of homemade pickles. Strait will expand the menu though, with merguez meatballs, turkey shawarma, and chicken gyros, as well as salads and daily specials. Drinks will include house-made sodas, and a wine and beer license is on the way.

“The brick and mortar opportunity arose, and I had to jump on it,” Strait said. “I figured if I don’t do it now, then when will I?”

Strait is dedicated to sourcing locally — her food truck lists the farmers whose products she’s currently using — and plans to have some farm dinners later this summer.

Becca Dilley / Heavy Table

Summit Brewing Taproom (opens in September)

910 Montreal Circle, St. Paul | 651.265.7800

All current Summit beers including Unchained series and special casks will be available at the new Summit Brewing Taproom when it opens in September. The goal for the taproom, which will be open initially from 3 to 8 p.m. on Fridays, is to start small and build a solid base of customers, according to Summit marketing coordinator Carey Matthews.

“We certainly could make more money being open more than one night a week, but we wanted to take our time, continue to focus on our primary business of making beer, and make sure that the current use of our space as a community room wouldn’t go away,” she said.

A rotating roster of food trucks will be at the taproom for food. Growlers aren’t available because of off-sale laws, which is a bummer because they would be a way to take home draft-only Summit Oatmeal Stout.

“We’ll continue to grow as our business allows, including more special events and maybe someday more taproom hours,” Matthews said. “Simply put, our motivation was to welcome more people into our house.”

Sandcastle (opens spring 2013)

Lake Nokomis, Minneapolis.

Chef Doug Flicker, who already operates the small Minneapolis restaurant Piccolo, has been awarded the right to be the new concessionaire at Lake Nokomis. The concept, Sandcastle, was developed by Flicker and his wife, Amy Greeley, and should open next spring.

Open 9am to 9pm April 15-Oct. 15, Sandcastle will serve food, ice cream, wine, and beer. The proposed menu includes snacks like cheese curds, hush puppies, shrimp ceviche, and chicken wings, and main dishes like a BLT, hot dogs, fish tacos, wraps, and fry bread. The ice cream will be homemade soft-serve, too. Orders will be placed at a window and then picked up via a buzzer system, which will be nice during peak times.

“Their pitch was perfect,” said Steffanie Musich, Friends of Lake Nokomis president. “It touched upon all the criteria we were looking for: healthy choices, diverse menu, fresh ingredients, low waste, environmentally responsible remodeling of the building and an obvious commitment to being a partner of the park. I can’t wait until April.”

The whole shebang will likely be approved by the park board at its Sept. 19 meeting, making the arrangement official. And as an example of Minneapolis’ food might, Flicker’s lake concession proposal was chosen over other finalists Kim Bartmann (Nokomis Paddle House) and Steven Brown and Philip Becht (Frank’n’Stein’s Hot Dog House). Can we please squeeze those in somewhere, park board?

NOW OPEN

  • Pizza Luce, 800 W 66th St, Richfield | 612.767.8603
  • El Burrito Mercado, 920 E Lake St, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market)
  • Masu Sushi & Robata, Third Floor, Mall of America | 952.896.6278
  • Somos Peru, 6009 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis. | 612.244.3400
  • Rusty Taco, 522 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.278.5630
  • Nadia Cakes, 11650 Fountains Dr, Suite 207, Maple Grove | 763.575.8885
  • Sorrento Cucina Italiana, 623 Marquette Ave (Northstar Center Skyway), Minneapolis
  • Primebar, 3001 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.235.4295
  • Dilla’s Ethiopian Restaurant, 1813 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis | 612.290.1701
  • La Loma, 444 Cedar St (Town Square skyway), St. Paul | 651.202.3153
  • Fika, 2600 Park Ave S (American Swedish Institute), Minneapolis | 612.871.4907
  • Mosaic Cafe, 3019 Minnehaha Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.746.1504
  • Lift Coffee & Treats, 451 Stinson Blvd, Minneapolis | 612.916.2034
  • Southeast Asia Kitchen, 414 1 / 2 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.339.9385
  • Excelsior Brewing Company, 421 3rd St, Excelsior | 952.474.7837

CLOSED / CLOSING:

  • The Hanger Room, 310 Stillwater Road, Willernie
  • Murray’s, 26 South 6th St, Minneapolis. Closed for renovation; will re-open in early September. | 612.339.0909
  • Coffee News Cafe, 1662 Grand Ave, St. Paul
  • Sopranos, 5331 W 16th St (Shops at West End), St. Louis Park
  • :D-Spot, 1993 Burns Ave, St. Paul

COMING UP:
Minneapolis

  • Well Seasoned, 920 E Lake St, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market) | 612.886.2489
  • Azia Market Bar & Restaurant, 2550 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.813.1200
  • Smack Shack, Washington Ave N and 6th Ave N, Minneapolis. Opens this summer.
  • Little Tijuana, 17 E 26th St, Minneapolis. Reopening this summer. | 612.872.0578
  • The Gray House, 610 W Lake St, Minneapolis. Opens in August.
  • Rincon 38, 3801 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this summer. | 612.408.7063
  • Cafe Maude at Loring, 1612 Harmon Pl, Minneapolis. Opens this summer. | 612.767.9080
  • Bar Louie, 1348 Lagoon Ave, Minneapolis. Opens in September.
  • Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub, 2724 E 38th St, Minneapolis. Opens early September. | 612.328.1450
  • Blue Door Pub, 3448 42nd Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this fall.
  • New Bohemia, 233 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
  • :D-Spot, Dinkytown, Minneapolis. Opens in August.
  • Nightingale, 2551 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens in September.
  • Tangiers Eatery and Lounge, 116 First Ave N, Minneapolis. Opens in September.
  • The Lynn on Bryant, 50th St and Bryant Ave, Minneapolis. Opens this fall.
  • Five Guys, 2300 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
  • The Kenwood, 2115 W 21st St, Minneapolis
  • Dangerous Man Brewing, 1300 2nd St NE, Minneapolis | 612.377.4164
  • The Original Just Turkey Restaurant, 3758 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Yogurt Lab, 80 8th St S, Minneapolis (IDS Center skyway); 5007 France Ave S, Minneapolis; 309 SE Oak St, Minneapolis
  • Fitger’s Brewhouse, 107 3rd Ave N, Minneapolis. Opens late 2012.
  • Burch, 1942 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis. Isaac Becker’s planned steakhouse in old Burch Pharmacy; opens in late 2012 / early 2013.
  • World Street Kitchen, 2743 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens late 2012.
  • 612 Brew taproom, 945 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis. Opens late 2012.
  • Union, 733 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis. Opens in November.
  • Origami, 1352 Lagoon Ave, Minneapolis. Moving from Minnetonka location; opens Dec. 1.
  • Unnamed Kim Bartmann restaurant, 1014 E 38th St, Minneapolis
  • Mill City Cafe, NE Minneapolis. Still searching for new location.
  • Rocky and Shem’s Ice Cream Shoppe, 56th and Chicago, Minneapolis. Opens late 2012 / early 2013.
  • Sandcastle, Lake Nokomis, Minneapolis. Doug Flicker’s concessionaire restaurant at the lake. Opens spring 2013.

St. Paul

  • Louis, 211 7th St W, St. Paul. Cossetta’s market opening new rooftop restaurant; opens in August. | 651.222.3476
  • Summit Brewing Taproom, 910 Montreal Circle, St. Paul. Opens late September. | 651.265.7800
  • French Hen, 518 Selby Ave, St. Paul. Opens this fall.
  • MN Saloon, 395 Robert St N, St. Paul. Opens this summer.

Greater Twin Cities Area

The Tap is the Heavy Table’s guide to area restaurant openings, closings, and other major events. The Tap is compiled and published biweekly by Heavy Table writer Jason Walker. If you have tips for The Tap, please email Jason at jason@heavytable.com.

4 Comments

  1. Mike

    Good lord, I almost had a heart attack when I saw Murray’s name in the ‘closing’ section!

    Also, I’m not excited to see Doug Flicker’s name attached to the Lake Nokomis concession stand. Doug’s MO seems to be over priced tiny portions. I hope I’m wrong.

  2. Codi

    I ate dinner at The Hanger Room on a weekday evening a month or two ago. There was only one server on, and he clearly had too many tables for just one person. I don’t know why the hostess wasn’t helping him, as she seated us and then disappeared until the end of our meal. He was running all over, clearly working hard, but it took him a good 15 minutes to bring us our drinks and our dinner experience took over 2 hours; most of it spent waiting for our server. It seemed to me like there was no effort put into keeping that place up. That said, it was a weekday. I never went on a weekend.

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