Exciting goings on at an emerging farm-to-table hub and the debut of the first Twin Cities area cocktail room in today’s edition of The Tap.
The Tap is a biweekly feature created by the Heavy Table and supported by Shepherd Song Farm. “We raise 100 percent grass-fed lambs & goats traditionally, humanely, and sustainably.”
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 James Norton at editor@heavytable.com.
Du Nord Spirits Cocktail Room (opens Friday, Jan. 9)
2610 E 32nd St #2, Minneapolis
The first distillery cocktail room in Minneapolis-St. Paul opens this Friday evening at Du Nord Craft Spirits, a South Minneapolis-based micro-distillery.
As per the distillery’s press release:
Du Nord’s cocktail room will feature craft cocktails ranging from the simple to the extravagant and feature local food. Du Nord worked with Mike Rasmussen (La Belle Vie, Marin, Bluestem Bar) to design a cocktail menu that highlights Du Nord’s spirits through classic and new drinks. The cocktail menu is seasonal and incorporates many traditional Minnesota flavors.
Capitalizing on their location in the Hiawatha-Lake area of Minneapolis, Du Nord will also allow patrons to order food from local businesses and will invite food trucks.
Look for more details on Du Nord and its cocktail room in tomorrow’s edition of The Heavy Table.
Hungry Turtle Weekend (Jan. 9-10), Amery, Wis.
Even if you’ve never before heard of Amery, Wis., put this town of 2,900 on your gastronomic radar. Located an hour’s drive northeast of St. Paul, Amery is being developed by anonymous philanthropists into a “food hub” — a place where the farm meets the table (and the cinema, and the dance floor, and the classroom.)
A group of entities operating under the Hungry Turtle name are at the center of Amery’s mission. The Hungry Turtle Learning Center educates professionals and the general public about sustainable local food; the Hungry Turtle Farmer’s Cooperative works on packaging and delivery of farm food (largely to the Twin Cities); and the Farm Table restaurant serves up seasonal local bounty throughout the year. (For a peek into the inner workings of Farm Table, read Brett Laidlaw’s detailed post on Trout Caviar.)
This Friday and Saturday is the next Hungry Turtle Weekend, a collection of classes, meals, events, yoga, and art.
“We started offering the Hungry Turtle Weekend about two months ago,” says Bobby Maher of Hungry Turtle Learning Center. “It’s a way for us to combine a number of classes and events and workshops into a single weekend. Given the location of Amery, it’s easier to draw people from a wider region out to participate.”
Events range from the Art Z Gallery Opening (5-8pm on Friday, Jan. 9), to a Charcuterie Demo and Tasting with Mike Phillips of Red Table Meat (10:30am on Jan. 10) to Trout Caviar: Recipes From A Northern Forager (1pm on Jan. 10) to Food & Film Shorts (7:30pm on Jan. 10).
“It’s all about sustainable agriculture and the connection between the producers and the food that you’re creating,” says Maher. “One of the classes we’re doing is a seasonal cooking class with Farm Table restaurant. It’s in the Food Hub building in Amery. They’re supplied by all the local farms in the region, and they’re going to talk about how they work with the farms and do a cooking demo.”
Many of the Hungry Turtle events and classes are free, but may require pre-registration due to limited space; complete information can be obtained online.
Shepherd’s Way Farms Kickstarter (8 days to go)
You likely know the people (and sheep) of Shepherd’s Way Farms via their cheese, particularly their palate-whomping but pleasingly creamy Big Woods Blue. What you may not know is that Shepherd’s Way is mounting a $58,000 Kickstarter campaign to build sheep barns and enlarge the flock.
Among other attractions, Shepherd’s Way is offering cheese, tickets to its Spring Frolic, cheese tastings at local breweries (including Bang and Insight), a Sweetland Orchard cider and cheese party and a chance to enjoy cheese and charcuterie at Red Table Meat Company with Mike Phillips.
The Reads will be at Birchwood Cafe from 5-9pm tonight (Tuesday) for an open house Kickstarter party. Cheese and Birchwood appetizers will be served.
You can read more about the Reads and Shepherd’s Way Farms in our recent Farms in the Lens story or Susan Pagani’s profile of the farm.
NOW OPEN
- Himalayan, 2910 E Lake St, former Kong’s | Our lunch buffet visit
- Betty Danger’s Country Club, 2501 Marshall St, Minneapolis
- Black Sheep Coal-Fired Pizza (new location), 2550 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
- Pub 819 (replacing Hopkins Tavern), 819 Main St, Hopkins
- Salt Cellar, 173 Western Ave N, St. Paul
- Pilgrimage Cafe, 2403 E 38th St, Minneapolis
- Mojo Coffee Gallery, 2205 California St NE Suite 102, Minneapolis
- Surly Destination Brewery, 520 Malcolm Ave SE, Minneapolis | Our guide to the beers
- Minnesota Wild restaurant at Humphrey Terminal, MSP Airport
- GYST Fermentation Bar, 25 E 26th St, Minneapolis | Our interview
- Spoon and Stable, 211 N 1st St, Minneapolis | Our cocktail story
- Victor’s on Water, 205 Water St, Excelsior
- Red Wagon Pizza, 5416 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis
- Vikre Distillery Cocktail Room, 525 Lake Ave S, Suite 102, Duluth | Our local spirits cocktail lab
- Eastlake Brewery, Midtown Global Market, Minneapolis | Our visit
CLOSED / CLOSING:
- Solera
- Digby’s/Eat Shop, Plymouth location
- DiNoko’s Pizza (possibly re-opening in South Minneapolis) | Our review
- BoneYard | Our review
- Heartland Market (closing New Year’s Day, reopening April 2015)
- Nye’s Polanaise Room (closing 2015)
- Lynden’s Soda Fountain (closed until April 21, 2015)
- Terra Waconia (closing end of February 2015)
COMING UP:
Minneapolis
- St. Genevieve, 5003 Bryant Ave S, Minneapolis | Mid-2015
- Salsa a La Salsa, 2481 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis | 2015
- Peace Coffee, Capella Tower | January 2015
- Il Foro, City Center, Minneapolis | Spring 2015
- The Wedge Table, 2412 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis | Jan. 19, 2015
- Nighthawks, 3753 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | Early 2015
- Seward Co-op Friendship Store, 317 38th St E | Summer 2015
- Erick Harcey project TBD, 4312 Upton Ave, Minneapolis | Feb. 2015
- 56 Brewing, 3134 California St NE, Minneapolis | Spring 2015
- Prairie Dogs, 610 West Lake St, Minneapolis | Early 2015
- Urban Forage Winery and Cider House, East Lake St, Minneapolis | Fall 2015
- Lost Falls Distillery, 1915 E 22nd St, Minneapolis | Early 2015
- Bradstreet Neighborhood Crafthouse, 1930 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | Early 2015
- The Herbivorous Butcher, Minneapolis | 2015
- Pizzeria Lola concept TBD, 165 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis | 2015
- Vellee Deli, Baker Center at 30 S 7th St, Minneapolis | Early 2015
- Sassy Spoon, 5011 34th Ave S, Minneapolis | January 2015
- Corner Table project: Revival mid-South / fried chicken restaurant | 2015
- The Bachelor Farmer Cafe Project To Be Named, 200 N 1st St, Minneapolis | 2015
St. Paul
- Emmett’s Public House, 695 Grand Ave, St. Paul (former Dixie’s on Grand party room) | Early 2015
- Sidhe Brewing Company, 990 Payne Ave, St. Paul | Spring 2015
- Wabasha Brewing Company, 429 Wabasha St, St. Paul | Spring 2015
- 11 Wells Cocktail Room, Historic Hamm Building, St. Paul | Spring 2015
- Lexington (new ownership), 1096 Grand Ave, St. Paul | Spring 2015
- Saint Dinette, 280 E 5th St, St. Paul | Early 2015
Greater Twin Cities Area and Beyond
- Gator’s Grilled Cheese Emporium, 955 E Sheridan, Ely | Spring 2015
- The King and I Thai (reopening), 760 Highway 110, Mendota Heights | 2015
- New Bohemia, 8040 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley | 2015
- Grand Rounds Brewing Company, 4 3rd St SW, Rochester | 2015
- Wicked Wort Brewing Co., 4165-4175 W Broadway, Robbinsdale | Fall 2015
- Belle Vinez Winery, River Falls, Wis. | 2015
- Skaalvenn, 8601 73rd Ave N, Suite 28, Brooklyn Park | Awaiting licensing approvals
- Voyageur Brewing Co., 233 W Hwy 61, Grand Marais | Early 2015
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 the Heavy Table. If you have tips for The Tap, please email James Norton at editor@heavytable.com.
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