The latest from Twitter: @BirchwoodCafe is featuring artwork by WACSO (check out his lively contributions to some of our stories), @fultonbeer’s Sweet Child of Vine is only $3 a pint @ZenBoxIzakaya, @RickNelsonStrib wants to know how you tip, and @MNBeerActivists ask about the best beer for breakfast time.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
You might think that Burger Jones, with its cusp of Uptown / Lake Calhoun / St. Louis Park location, might corner the market for burgers in this part of town, but the November opening of My Burger makes a case that there’s room for more than one burger joint near the Lake Street-Excelsior Boulevard junction. Expanding from its downtown skyway lunchtime hot spot, the newish My Burger serves up fresh burgers and crispy fries in a fast-casual atmosphere that more closely evokes Smashburger or Five Guys than Burger Jones. In fact, starting at $5.45 for a classic hamburger and fries, My Burger beats all three on price. But flavor? That depends on the burger.
My Burger offers its basic burgers ($5.45 for a single, $6.75 for a double) two ways: “original,” with ketchup, mustard, fried onions, and sweet pickles, or “California,” with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. Both feature a well-seasoned patty on the thinner side, with a crust that draws some comparisons to Smashburger, and a hefty golden bun that deftly holds in the inner layers without smushing to bits under your fingers. While it’s a satisfying patty on its own, the meat’s true purpose is to host the variety of toppings you can choose — we liked the addition of pepper jack cheese (50 cents), but you can also select blue, cheddar, American, or Swiss, as well as mushrooms, bacon, a fried egg, and various sauces.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
With patties that lean toward the bland side on their own, the non-beef burgers benefit from those toppings big time. The turkey burger ($5.95) features a forgettable round of ground turkey, but adding lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, and ketchup helps it sing. The veggie burger ($5.75) is the same Gardenburger you’ll find in the freezer case at the grocery store; it’s perfectly palatable but won’t inspire you to order it again. Breaded and fried chicken and fish burgers ($5.75) round out the menu, but your best bet is to stick with beef.
Whoever mans the fryer at My Burger gets a double thumbs-up for the tasty, surprisingly non-greasy fries and onion rings (75 cents extra to substitute for fries). The fries offer the ideal contrast between their pillowy potato center and crunchy exterior, making them the ideal carrier for ketchup or a shake. (I know I’m not the only one who likes dipping fries in shakes, right?) Though the rings could use a touch more salt, we dug the crispy batter and sweet onion interior. Definitely choose them over the coleslaw if you want to swap out your fries — the overly sweet, runny slaw dressing did little to pep up the cabbage and carrot.
If you’re grabbing your burger to go and want a frozen beverage to accompany it, you can’t go wrong with a shake or malt ($2.45 small / $4.45 / large). Available in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry with several mix-ins, the treats please with their Frosty-like texture and flavor. But if you’re dining at My Burger, skip the shake and head next door for dessert at The Yogurt Lab for a greater variety of flavors and toppings.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
With its simple yet eye-catching, orange-tinted decor, designed by local brand agency FAME, My Burger provides a level of sophistication to your burger binge that others in town can’t match, and neighborhood touches, like the wooden beams featuring the names of nearby streets and landmarks, cement the restaurant’s foothold in the Lake Calhoun area. And foodie voyeurs will enjoy the seats under the “Um Yeah” sign to watch the action in the kitchen.
The rule of thumb at My Burger: Stick to the classics and you’ll leave happy. Your wallet will be, too.
My Burger
Burgers and fries in West Calhoun
3100 Excelsior Blvd
Minneapolis, MN 55416
952.500.9118
MANAGER: John Abdo
HOURS: 10:30am-10pm daily
BAR: Beer and wine
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes / No
ENTREE RANGE: $5.45-6.95
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
December’s winner: Todd Wiese of Chaska
Turkey to Go (now open)
101 7th St S, (Roanoke Building skyway), Minneapolis | 612.655.1795 | turkeytogo.com
After more than 50 years at the State Fair (below), Turkey to Go is expanding in a big way. First came downtown Minneapolis and Target Field food trucks, then late last year a location opened in downtown St. Paul. Now, owners Drew Levin and Danny Perkins have added a permanent Minneapolis location in the Roanoke Building skyway, serving their flagship turkey sandwiches but also pitas and salads.
The menu at the Minneapolis location doesn’t stray from those three items, but the key, Levin said, was the vast array of ways to prepare each.
“As opposed to just having it on a bun at the fair or Twins game, now you’ll be able to have it on a salad or a warm pita,” Levin said. “And we’ll also have a whole line of toppings … ones that we had in the past that we’re bringing back are brie and cranberries, others are diced salami, mozzarella cheese, jalapenos. We have those little potato-skin chips, they go really well and add a crunch.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
“And there’s a whole list of 15 different sauces from standard stuff to cranberry sauce, a whole line of dressings for the salads, and a homemade cucumber sauce which is phenomenal. It’s just basically adding new ways of enjoying our turkey.”
Levin said it was fun developing the fast-casual stores because, with general manager Tim Malloy, the Turkey to Go guys were able to experiment with all sorts of foods and flavors. Levin is especially proud of the salads, which he said are delicious even without turkey. That’s one of the almost funny things about the new Turkey to Go: You don’t have to get turkey, because there are plenty of vegetarian sandwich and salad options.
“I will bet you our salads are going to be better than any fast-casual place like Potbelly,” Levin said. “Tim’s really taken it to heart that we’re going to get the best ingredients.”
Levin is hoping that all these factors, combined with the year-round availability of the new store, will make Turkey to Go a downtown lunchtime hotspot. But despite all these new options and quirks, fans of the simple state fair sandwich can still get one.
“That was one of our biggest concerns: Do we even want to break out of that?” he said. “We tell people at the fair, ‘Don’t put anything on it, it doesn’t need anything!’ But there’s only so many times you can eat a plain sandwich every week.”
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Lucid Brewing (on tap now at various locations)
6020 Culligan Way, Minnetonka | lucidbrewing.wordpress.com
Good news: Lucid Brewing’s beers, Air and Camo, are available at around 30 metro locations (including the Pig & Fiddle, which is becoming a haven for Minneapolis beer) and growing daily. Also good news: Much to The Tap’s delight, Lucid’s Jon Messier (above) and Eric Biermann were pouring ferociously at the recent North Coast Nosh, and they attended last weekend’s Beer Dabbler in St. Paul.
Bad news: Growler sales won’t begin until this spring because of various delays, according to Messier. That’s too bad, but soon they and Boom Island (next month) will join Harriet and Fulton on the new-brewery-growler scene.
Nadia Cakes (opens this spring)
11650 Fountains Dr, Suite 207, Maple Grove | nadiacakes.com
Upon learning of Nadia Cakes’ impending arrival to the Twin Cities, The Tap did a little research on the Google and had a startling reaction: There are multiple TV shows about cakes?
Yes, and apparently Abby Jimenez of Nadia Cakes has appeared on both “Fabulous Cakes” and “Cupcake Wars,” with Jimenez winning the latter’s competition. She should really try for a spot on “Ace of Cakes” just to make the circuit.
Anyway, Nadia Cakes’ original location is in Palmdale, CA, and features cupcakes in flavors like Banana Nutella, Candied Yams, and Candy Corn as well as some pretty creative-looking cakes for special occasions.
As for why they’re expanding to Minnesota, according to a story in Maple Grove Patch, owner Abby Jimenez said: “Our family has actually moved to Minnesota to open the new shop and we plan on staying here to live and opening several more locations over the next couple of years.”
NOW OPEN
- Saigon, 704 University Ave W, St. Paul. Open again after remodeling. | 651.225.8751 | Find it on Facebook
- Which Wich, 2073 Ford Pkwy, St. Paul | 651.328.8044 | whichwich.com
- Turkey to Go, 101 7th St S, (Roanoke Building skyway), Minneapolis | 612.655.1795 | turkeytogo.com
- Cintia’s of Mexico, 6042 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis
- Free Style Yogurt, 500 Lexington Pkwy S, St. Paul | 651.699.1992 | Our take
- The Hole Sports Lounge, 2501 University Ave SE, Minneapolis | 612.331.7474 | theholesportslounge.com
- Eli’s East Food and Cocktails, 815 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.331.0031 | Find it on Facebook
- The Oceanaire, 50 S 6th St, Minneapolis | 612.333.2277 | theoceanaire.com
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
- Yogurt Lab, 3104 Excelsior Blvd, Minneapolis | 612.926.8212 | Find it on Facebook
- Boom Island Brewing Company, 2207 N 2nd St, Minneapolis. Now on tap at Pig & Fiddle; growler sales coming in February. | 612.227.9635 | Our take
- Zest Bar and Grill, 525 Diffley Rd, Eagan | 651.468.9053 | zesteagan.com
- Colossal Cafe, 2315 Como Ave, St. Paul | colossalcafe.com
- El Loro, 2535 W Highway 10, Mounds View
- Valley Tap House, 14889 Florence Tr, Apple Valley | 952.431.2337 | Find it on Facebook
- West Bank Diner, 324 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.333.2211 | Find it on Facebook
- Five Guys, 8360 3rd St N, Oakdale; 4105 Vinewood Ln N, Plymouth; 12555 Castlemoor Dr, Eden Prairie | fiveguys.com
- Lucid Brewing, 6020 Culligan Way, Minnetonka. On tap now at various locations; growler sales begin this spring. | lucidbrewing.wordpress.com
- Venture North Bike Walk & Coffee, 1830 Glenwood Ave N, Minneapolis | 612.377.4476 | venturenorthbwc.org
- Eat Street Pizza, 1931 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis (inside The Nicollet) | 612.874.9125 | eatstreetpizza.com
- Famous Dave’s, 590 Prairie Center Dr, Eden Prairie. New fast-casual prototype. | famousdaves.com
- Zamboni Pizza, 184 7th St W, St. Paul | 651.225.2999
- Kopplins Coffee, 2038 Marshall Ave, St. Paul (new location) | 651.698.0457 | kopplinscoffee.com
- Social House, 2919 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.824.6300 | Our take
CLOSED / CLOSING:
- Amici, 2851 Johnson St NE, Minneapolis
- Q Kindness Cafe, 350 St Peter St, St. Paul
- Prairie Ale House, 16396 Wagner Way, Eden Prairie
- Rubylicious, 4100 W Broadway, Robbinsdale
- Kenwood Cafe, 2115 W 21st St, Minneapolis
- Chula Vista, 1741 S Robert St, West St. Paul
- Black Bamboo, 333 S 7th St, Minneapolis
- Leaning Tower of Pizza, 2505 University Ave SE, Minneapolis
COMING UP:
- :D-Spot, 1993 Burns Ave, St. Paul | Our take on the original
- Eat Street Social, 14 W 26th St, Minneapolis. Opens early February. | 612.767.6850 | Find it on Facebook
- Tonkotsu Ramen and Curry House, Central Ave and 26th Ave NE, Minneapolis
- Blood and Chocolates, 495 Selby Ave, St. Paul | 651.492.4799 | Find it on Facebook
- Butcher and the Boar, 1121 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis. Opens in February. | Find it on Facebook
- Sweet Ducky Cupcakery, 117 W Churchill St #2, Stillwater. Opens in February. | Find it on Facebook
- Devil’s Advocate, 89 S 10th St, Minneapolis. Opens in Feburary.
- Maruso Street Food and Cocktails, 715 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis. Opens in February.
- George and the Dragon, 813 W 50th St, Minneapolis. Opens in April. | 612.355.9114 | ganddpub.com
- Masu Sushi & Robata, Mall of America. Opens this spring. | Our take on the original
- Bar Louie, 1320 Lagoon Ave, Minneapolis. Opens spring 2012. | barlouieamerica.com
- Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis. Opens April 2012.
- Ike’s, 17805 Hwy 7, Minnetonka. Opens in April. | ilikeikes.com
- Rocky and Shem’s Ice Cream Shoppe, 56th St and Chicago Ave, Minneapolis. Opens April 1.
- Smokehouse Brewpub, 38th St and 28th Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens May 2012. | smokehousebrewpub.com
- Nadia Cakes, 11650 Fountains Dr, Suite 207, Maple Grove. Opens this spring. | nadiacakes.com
- Blue Door Pub, 3448 42nd Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this spring. | thebdp.com
- Mona, 333 S 7th St, Minneapolis. Opens this spring. | Find it on Facebook
- Rincon 38, 3801 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this spring.
- Selma’s Ice Cream, 3419 Saint Croix Tr S, Afton. Opens in May.
- Cossetta’s, 211 7th St W, St. Paul. Existing market opening new rooftop restaurant; opens this summer. | 651.222.3476 | cossettaeventi.com
- Rodizio Grill, 12197 Elm Creek Blvd N, Maple Grove. Opens in 2012. | rodiziogrill.com
- Dr. Chocolate’s Chocolate Chateau, 579 Selby Ave, St. Paul | 651.379.3676 | chocolatechateau.wordpress.com
- Well Seasoned, 920 E Lake St, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market)
- Super Moon Buffet, 6445 Wayzata Blvd, St. Louis Park
- American Joe, 344 Wabasha St N, St. Paul
- Sparks, 230 Cedar Lake Rd S, Minneapolis
- Dangerous Man Brewing, 1300 2nd St NE, Minneapolis | 612.377.4164 | dangerousmanbrewing.wordpress.com
- The Original Just Turkey Restaurant, 3758 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | originaljustturkey.com
- Tibet Kitchen, 1833 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
- Cupcake, 949 Grand Ave, St. Paul | cup-cake.com
- Hell’s Kitchen Bakery, 80 S 9th St, Minneapolis | hellskitcheninc.com
- Alda Mediterranean, 2208 W 66th St, Richfield
- Burger Night, Minneapolis. Still looking for location. | 612.217.0102 | burgernight.me
- Pistol Pete’s BBQ, 222 N Chestnut St, Chaska
- Patron Mexican Restaurant, 207 N Chestnut St, Chaska
- Pizza Luce, 800 W 66th St, Richfield
- Humble Pie, 822 W 36th St, Minneapolis. Kim Bartmann’s revamp of Gigi’s. | 612.825.0818
- Cranky’s Bicycle Bar, E Lake St, Minneapolis | Find it on Facebook
The Tap is The Heavy Table’s guide to area restaurant openings, closings, and other major events. The Tap is compiled by Heavy Table writer Jason Walker, and will be published biweekly. If you already subscribe to our newsletter, look for an emailed version of The Tap every other week — otherwise, you can find it on the website on alternating Tuesdays.
If you’ve got tips for The Tap, please email Jason Walker at The Tap’s Twitter feed has moved to @heavytable.
Scott Theisen / Heavy Table
Going into the “food entrepreneur” business can be risky: You’re putting your palate, time, and creativity on the line. We talked to three local entrepreneurs with dreams of making it big with their food products.
Scott Theisen / Heavy Table
Lee Zwiefelhofer and Chad Gillard, l.c. finn’s extracts
A beer-fueled conversation in 2009 gave Chad Gillard (above, left) and Lee Zwiefelhofer (above, right) the idea to start making and selling homemade extracts. The two St. Anthony neighbors were talking about the products available at local farmers markets and what kind of products they could come up with to fill an unserved niche.
Not long after that, they came across a recipe for making homemade vanilla extract. Zwiefelhofer recalls, “I just bought some vanilla beans, threw in some alcohol, and let it sit.”
The two were inspired to keep going after that first batch. “If [Lee] could come up with the formula, I’ll be able to sell this,” Gillard recalls thinking. As one of the founders of Aunt Else’s Æbleskivers, Gillard had the marketing experience to get the product out into the public eye. That left Zwiefelhofer, a photojournalist at KSTP-TV (full disclosure: he’s also my co-worker), to try and nail down the perfect formula.
Scott Theisen / Heavy Table
Because extracts are highly regulated, they had to have a specific vanilla bean-to-vodka ratio. They also started trying other ingredients. Soon, they had three recipes ready to go to market: a vanilla extract, a cinnamon extract, and a cardamom extract. They officially launched l.c. finn’s extracts in 2010.
The guys make the extracts in small batches. A batch of vanilla extract takes 30 days to create. The cinnamon takes the longest (six weeks) while the cardamom takes the shortest (four days). They pride themselves on using as many local ingredients as possible. They don’t put additives, sugar, or water in their extracts. “We want it to be local, we want it to be pure, we want it to be about the flavor,” says Gillard.
Scott Theisen / Heavy Table
Right now, the cardamom extract is their biggest seller. Zwiefelhofer and Gillard will soon have an anise extract ready to sell in stores and on their website. They’re also working on a few other flavors, including a pecan, an almond, and a chocolate extract. By the end of the year, they hope to have three more extracts to add to their lineup.
“If we can keep finding the niche [extracts]…I think that’s what will set us apart,” Gillard says.
And they want to be good community stewards, too. Using some of the l.c. finn proceeds, Zwiefelhofer and Gillard plan to create a scholarship to help someone attend Kindred Kitchen, a training program in north Minneapolis that helps food entrepreneurs start their own businesses.
Where to get it: $7.49 a bottle online at www.lcfinns.com, Golden Fig in St. Paul, Local D’Lish in Minneapolis, Byerly’s Culinary Shop in St. Louis Park, Annona Gourmet in St. Anthony, Ferndale Market in Cannon Falls.
Scott Theisen / Heavy Table
Donna Cavanaugh and Bonnie Alton, A Gourmet Thyme Too
This year, Donna Cavanaugh (above, right) will celebrate 20 years since launching her catering company, A Gourmet Thyme. She says her focus on high-end, gourmet food for home-based dinners and parties has caught on, earning her a loyal following without any advertising. Her menus consist of everything from open-faced tenderloin sandwiches and grilled shrimp to spiced beef skewers and elegantly displayed cheese platters. “The flavor is important, but how it looks is just as important,” she says.
Over the years, Cavanaugh developed more recipes, including a cayenne-flavored shortbread (to use as an hors d’oeuvres base) and a brownie. Her clients loved them so much, they suggested she sell them as a side business. She first took that idea up three or four years ago, renting out kitchen space to bake shortbreads and brownies, and selling them at Coastal Seafoods in St. Paul. Continue reading Three Food Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2012 »
DWITT / Heavy Table
DWITT / Heavy Table
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Upon hearing about the recent influx of frozen yogurt shops popping up across the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a colleague remarked, “Is this the 1980s all over again?” Though we have yet to see a Flock of Seagulls haircut resurface, he does have a point: The Twin Cities hasn’t seen this many fro-yo places open in quite some time. Just as cupcakes were the rage two years ago, self-serve frozen yogurt — sweet and tart, with toppings galore — is becoming ubiquitous, and The Heavy Table has the lowdown on four shops that let you swirl and scoop your perfect dish. Just be warned: Those cups are generously sized for a reason. The more you add, the more you pay.
The New Kids on the Block
Of the four recently opened frozen yogurt shops we visited, two were home-grown concepts and two were franchises. Tutti Frutti, located in Maple Grove’s Main Street at Arbor Lakes, was first of the four to open in September 2011 by franchisee Kelly Gaspar, who saw an opportunity to dish up a treat she felt was missing from the Twin Cities.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
“We didn’t have a lot of good yogurt, let alone self-serve yogurt, in this area,” Gaspar says. “I did a lot of research, and it came down to quality of product. I found that with Tutti Frutti.”
Another popular national chain, Menchie’s, entered the Twin Cities market in early October when manager Whitney Anderson and her family opened their Highland Park location at the corner of Cleveland and Pinehurst avenues. A University of St. Thomas alum, Anderson had spent a year scouting a storefront and found that even with an autumn opening, the locals were ready for frozen yogurt.
“Obviously, the ideal time [to open] would have been summer, but we’re in this for the long haul,” Anderson says. “We liked that Menchie’s is, at its core, family and community and giving back. It aligns well with our beliefs.”
The holidays brought a third fro-yo concept to the area: The Yogurt Lab, adjacent to the new My Burger near Lake Calhoun. According to manager Marie Tavlin, owners Aaron and Andrea Switz and Phil Becker saw the trend explode on the West Coast and saw an untapped niche here. A Dec. 18 opening, combined with a milder-than-average month, proved to be advantageous for the shop, which welcomed a flood of students and families in its first few weeks.
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
“It was a great time with the kids back from winter break,” Tavlin says. “We’ve been doing better than we thought we would with a winter opening.”
And across the river near the St. Paul Trader Joe’s on Lexington Parkway, former restaurant and retail consultant David Brandner launched Free Style Yogurt just last weekend. Like with Yogurt Lab’s owners, he saw the frozen yogurt scene flourish in California and Texas and decided Minnesota would be the ideal location for his first fro-yo venture.
“I love the product, I love the energy in the stores, and I thought I’d really like to do this,” Brandner says. “I wanted to build a brand from the ground up and create a shop atmosphere that would be unique.”
The Heavy Table did an exhaustive, gut-busting pilgrimage to sample the frozen yogurt, discover new toppings, and feel the vibe of each shop. Overall, we found the yogurt quality and flavor selection ranging from good to excellent, but subtle differences among the shops’ offerings exist. While not a strict head-to-head comparison, below we explore the nuances of taste, decor, and cost. While you can’t really go wrong with any of the shops if you’re craving a cold treat, chances are one will fit your style more than others. Continue reading The Frozen Yogurt Resurrection »
by Susan Pagani on January 25, 2012
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
Visiting a restaurant supply is dangerous. Once you get in there, and expose your predilection for kitchen gadgets to wall-to-wall stainless steel, ceramic, and glass, you will suddenly need a robot coupe, a hummingbird-sized ramekin, a pizza warmer, a fake wheel of Wisconsin cheese, a 60-gallon stock pot, and a set of candle-heated butter warmers. So here’s a word to the wise: Leave your wallet in the car. You will inevitably fetch it, but out in the fresh air cooler heads will prevail, and you may only spend half a paycheck.
Restaurant supplies are the restaurateur’s hardware store; in fact, many won’t even sell to folks without a license. Those that do are less consumer friendly than, say, Cooks of Crocus Hill. You’ll find them in ill-marked and often abandoned-looking buildings and, once you’re inside, there’s no sampling salty chocolates or browsing cookbooks. In many cases, you’ll be left to wander blissfully alone among metal shelves, piled high with wares, some new, some used, some still in boxes, and most without a price. As one fellow told me: It’s a rare occasion that a new restaurant owner walks in and outfits their shop in one fell swoop of brand new. So the small wares we consumers love are mainly there to be tossed gratis on top of a charbroiler as a restaurant owner hauls it out of the building; they make their money on large kitchen equipment and design. Still, suppliers are proud of their wares and, where you and I see a cheap white plate, they see an inexpensive 12-inch, rolled-edge dinner plate made of dense, vitrified china fired at incredibly high temperatures to be able to withstand the hungry public, the occasionally clumsy waiter, and 17 trips a day through the washing machine.
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
In the mini reviews below, we tried to look at roughly the same items at each establishment, choosing middle-of-the-road options that were basic but of good quality. However, it’s hard to formulate an objective comparison between restaurant supplies because they are so variously stocked and, as we mentioned above, many maintain an old-school approach wherein price is based on the whim of the seller, how much you buy, how frequently you buy, and (one sometimes suspects) your character. They are also unquestionably a competitive lot — we had to show identification to be allowed to take photographs — so a little polite haggling is sometimes permissible.
It’s worth noting that nearly everyone offered to order us whatever we needed, and they all seemed to be ordering from the same catalogs. Also, in all cases, a version of greater or lesser quality was available.
Courtesy of Hockenbergs
Hockenbergs recently moved into a brand new warehouse in Eagan. It is a clean, well-lighted place filled with eager staff people ready to help you find whatever you need on the vast sales floor (see photo, top) or in a catalog. If you’re looking to browse a broad range of quality, shiny new stuff – from glassware to giant woks and industrial toasters to ice cream scoops in every size — this is probably your best bet.
As a national chain, Hockenbergs may offer the largest selection of small wares of any of the restaurant supplies listed here and the closest thing to a “normal” retail experience. Yet their focus is really on kitchen design and large equipment. When asked, they will say that their super power is leveraging their presence and knowledgeable staff to find whatever big equipment the restaurant owner needs, quickly and at a good price – and then delivering it with their own truck to ensure it arrives in one piece. “I recently found a used six-burner convection oven in 15 minutes!” one fellow told us.
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
How does that help the consumer? Not at all. Apparently, Hockenbergs’ buying power doesn’t translate to great prices for the home cook, since most items were a bit more expensive there than elsewhere. That said, it’s still a better deal than your average cooking store, and browsing the racks and racks and racks of stuff is great fun. Bonus: It’s all priced, so if you want to shop in anonymity, you can.
12 balloon wine glasses: $41.39 Libbey Vina
12 white, rolled-edge dinner plates: $64.54 China World
12 stainless steel bouillon spoons: $9.08 World Tableware
13-quart stainless-steel mixing bowl: $8.68
Susan Pagani / Heavy Table
Random stuff:
30-cup rice cooker $503.00
Gallon of snow cone syrup $5.99
28-inch iron wok $50.17
Hockenbergs
2015 Silver Bell Rd
Eagan, MN 55122
612.331.1300 | hockenbergs.com
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
Saturday 10am-1pm
The second place we visited — St. Paul U.S. Foods Culinary Equipment / Superior Outlet Center / Next Day Gourmet — has more names than Prince, and is a whole lot less recognizable if you aren’t paying attention. Apparently, U.S. Foods bought Superior Outlet Center, which is also called Next Day Gourmet. Turn into the driveway marked “Superior Outlet Center” and then, once inside the building, enter the door marked Next Door Gourmet.
Once we found them, the folks at U.S. Foods were nice and helpful, and, though not specifically catering to the home cook, empathetic to our cause. They told us that the sales floor offers a small selection of the things most restaurants need starting out, including prep and bar ware. They also told us that the dish, glassware, and silverware selection is small, but they have catalogs. And then they kindly pointed us to a door at the back of the room that leads to the clearance goods. Continue reading Twin Cities Restaurant Supply Roundup — For the Home Cooks »
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