Fresco’s Pasta Bar, New Bohemia, and more

The Tap by Jason Walker

 

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Fresco’s Pasta Bar (opens Nov. 2)

920 E Lake St, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market) | 952.239.0860

Veteran caterer Danielle Gooderum had dreamed of opening a restaurant but felt overwhelmed by the start-up costs.

So she wisely contacted the Midtown Global Market, and the folks there helped Gooderum navigate the rigmarole of opening her own place. Now, her Fresco’s Pasta Bar is set to open as yet another eatery in the chugging-along MGM.

“I started thinking of concepts and noticed there was not a lot of Italian in the Global Market, and that happens to be one of my specialties,” Gooderum said. “Then, to take the Italian concept further, I wanted to do something that has not been done before, and in the restaurant world there is not much that hasn’t been done.”

Her idea: Build-your-own pastas and salads. Diners choose a noodle, sauce, vegetables, and meat; for salads, ingredient choices are tossed with dressing and chopped on a cutting board.

Meal options are too numerous to list but include seven pasta styles, about 15 sauces, and an array of vegetables and meats. So a diner could create, say, linguini with shrimp, capers, and fennel in tarragon mustard sauce, or spicy red pepper penne with olives and Italian sausage.

Gooderum also plans to offer take-home recipe meal kits in a deli case as well as catering; she said Fresco’s Pasta Bar would open Nov. 2.

The Lynn on Bryant (now open)

5003 Bryant Ave S, Minneapolis | 612-767-7797

Symbolic of the restaurant rejuvenation of 50th and Bryant, The Lynn on Bryant opened last week with all-day service, from coffee and breakfast straight through to dinner, beer, and wine, and prepared meals to go. Chef Peter Ireland and manager Jay Peterson have developed a farm-focused menu that they feel will best serve the area: eggs and pancakes at breakfast, sandwiches and salads at lunch, and dinner options that run from a more casual sandwich or baked gnocchi to bouillabaisse and a nightly beef special.

“A chef curates an experience for a consumer,” Ireland said. “It’s hard to source everything from small farms, and that’s the role of the chef. The chef curates, finds the best ingredients, puts them together, and presents them in the best light.”

With the usually packed and well-received George and the Dragon pub around the corner, The Lynn on Bryant gives the corner its 1-2 punch back after a fire famously devastated the corner and its high-profile restaurants, Blackbird and Heidi’s, in 2010.

New Bohemia (now open)

233 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.275.3972

With 30 taps, a bevy of bottled beers, and a menu of sausage and Belgian fries, the just-opened New Bohemia is delivering its twist on a traditional European beer hall.

The tap list is a tried-and-true mix of local and national crafts, with the Euro beers mostly relegated to bottles. The sausage, though, is where New Bohemia is attempting to stand out, with traditionals like bratwurst and hot links joined on the menu with chicken brats, a Filipino take, and the “adventurous” sausages: pheasant, boar, bison, alligator, and a “smooth and delicious” rattlesnake rabbit jalapeno.

New Bohemia has admirably included beer flights on its menu — could we get a brat flight?

NOW OPEN

  • The Lynn on Bryant, 5003 Bryant Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.767.7797
  • New Bohemia, 233 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.275.3972
  • Avenue Eatery, 1101 W Broadway Ave, Minneapolis. Re-opened under new management. | 612.767.6278
  • The Belmore, 25 4th St N, Minneapolis
  • Sole Mio, 1750 Weir Dr, Woodbury | 651.789.3220
  • Panini Grill, 15092 Claret Ave W, Rosemount | 651.423.2355
  • Betty’s Cafe and Pies, 1981 Silver Bell Rd, Eagan | 612.227.6999

  • Nightingale, 2551 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.354.7060
  • Butter Bakery Cafe, 3700 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis. Moved from old location. | 612.521.7401
  • Summit Brewing Taproom, 910 Montreal Cir, St. Paul | 651.265.7800
  • Bread, Coffee & Cake, 750 Minnesota 110, Mendota Heights | 651.688.0798
  • Maya Cuisine, 1840 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis | 612.789.0775
  • Cakewalk, 303 Division St S, Northfield | 507.786.9255
  • Cool Cups Yogurt, 120 S 6th St, Minneapolis | 612.338.5044
  • Sports Restaurant and Coffee, 1501 S 6th St, Minneapolis | 612.367.4186
  • Daalo Grill, 2647 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.353.5911
  • The Gray House, 610 W Lake St, Minneapolis | 612.823.4338
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table

CLOSED / CLOSING:

Lars Swanson / Heavy Table

COMING UP:
Minneapolis

  • Insert Coins, 315 1st Ave N, Minneapolis. Opens Oct. 26. | 612.564.4016
  • Fresco’s Pasta Bar, 920 E Lake St, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market). Opens Nov. 2. | 952.239.0860
  • Azia Market Bar & Restaurant, 2550 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens Nov. 7. | 612.813.1200
  • Northgate Brewing, 3134 California St NE, Minneapolis. Opens for growler sales in late October/early November. | 612.234.1056
  • Sabbai Cuisine, 920 E Lake St, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market) | 952.233.5662
  • Solomon’s Bakery, 2827 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Well Seasoned, 920 E Lake St, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market) | 612.886.2489
  • Smack Shack, Washington Ave N and 6th Ave N, Minneapolis.
  • Parka, 4023 E Lake St, Minneapolis.
  • Blue Door Pub, 3448 42nd Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this fall.
  • Republic, 3001 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis. Opens in November.
  • Tangiers Eatery and Lounge, 116 1st Ave N, Minneapolis.
  • Dangerous Man Brewing, 1300 2nd St NE, Minneapolis | 612.209.2626
  • The Original Just Turkey Restaurant, 3758 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Yogurt Lab, 5007 France Ave S, Minneapolis; 309 SE Oak St, Minneapolis
  • Rincon 38, 3801 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.408.7063
  • 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.
  • Seward Cafe, 2129 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis. Opening for dinner service. | 612.332.1011
  • Beacon Public House, 615 Washington Ave SE (in the Commons Hotel), Minneapolis. Opens early 2013. | 612.379.8888
  • 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.
  • Unnamed Kim Bartmann restaurant, 1014 E 38th St, Minneapolis
  • Town Hall Tap, 5019 34th Ave S, Minneapolis

St. Paul

  • Louis, 211 7th St W, St. Paul. Cossetta’s new rooftop restaurant. Opens Nov. 12. | 651.222.3476
  • French Hen, 518 Selby Ave, St. Paul. Opens this fall. | 651.208.2708
  • Bullpen Saloon, 395 Robert St N, St. Paul. Opens this fall. | 651.335.7503
  • Sakana Sushi & Asian Bistro, 740 Cleveland Ave S, St. Paul

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.

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