This week in the Tap: The Heavy Table and the Wedge Co-op are bringing together an amazing slate of local food and drink purveyors in Northeast Minneapolis.
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.
The North Coast Nosh Comes to Northeast
The Heavy Table and Wedge Community Co-op are pleased to announce the 14th edition of the North Coast Nosh locavore sip-and-sample series for Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016. Join more than 30 local purveyors — cheesemakers, brewers, chocolatiers, BBQ magnates, and more — for an evening of sipping, sampling, and great conversation.
The Nosh takes place Feb. 25 from 7-9:30 p.m. at Solar Arts by Chowgirls in Northeast Minneapolis. Tickets are $30 via Eventbrite; Pre-Nosh tickets are $58 and include four small-group presentations and sample sessions from 5:30-7 p.m. as well as admission to the main event.
Ticket price includes samples from all our purveyors. Guests must be 21 years of age or older. Our Noshes generally sell out, so please get your tickets sooner rather than later if you’re excited about the event!
Our Pre-Nosh features the Good Food Award-winning Red Table Meats, the Lone Grazer Creamery, Chowgirls Killer Catering, and the Wedge Community Co-op.
PRE NOSH VENDORS
Wedge Community Co-op
Chowgirls Killer Catering
The Lone Grazer Creamery
Red Table Meat Company
NOSH VENDORS*
Alemar Cheese
Anelace Coffee
Annie B’s Confections
Beez Kneez Honey
Belle Amour Macaroons
B.T. McElrath Chocolatier
Chef Camp Minnesota
Cocoa & Fig
Faribault Dairy
Gerhard’s Brats
Gray Duck Chai
K’ul Chocolate
Meadowlands Chocolate
Mon Petit Cheri Bakery
Patisserie 46
Peace Coffee
Poorboy Candy
Redhead Creamery
Rise Bagel Co.
Superior Switchel Company
Triple Crown BBQ
True Dough
Verdant Tea
Wisco Pop
SPIRITS
Badger Hill Brewing
Bourget Imports
Du Nord Craft Spirits
Fair State Brewing Cooperative
Indeed Brewing
Lift Bridge Brewing
*This list is partial and will be added to. Final lineup is usually close to expected lineup, but vendors may be added or deleted as circumstances dictate.
— James Norton
NOW OPEN
- The Draft Horse, 1401 Marshall St NE, Minneapolis | New restaurant at the Food Building featuring food made from products from The Lone Grazer Creamery and Red Table Meat Co., along with grab & go sandwiches on Patisserie 46 baguettes, salads, and soup. Read our Bite here.
- Coconut Thai, 3948 W 50th St, Edina, MN
- The Bachelor Farmer Cafe, 200 N 1st St, Minneapolis
- Taco Cat, Midtown Global Market | The cult favorite, bike-delivered taco place has become a bricks-and-mortar affair, replacing the former Burrito Mercado spot in Midtown Global Market.
- Nutmeg Brewhouse, 1905 W County Rd 42, Burnsville | “A brewpub that explores the former British Empire from a culinary point of view,” as per the Growler.
- Upton 43, 4312 Upton Ave S, Minneapolis | This spot, by Victory 44’s Erick Harcey, is a chance for the much lauded chef to bounce back from the bust-up of Stock and Badge and rollup of the ambitious but shaky Parka. Read our review here.
- Heirloom, 2186 Marshall Ave, St. Paul | W.A. Frost chef Wyatt Evans hopes to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors (such as Russell Klein and Lenny Russo) and found a new St. Paul gastronomic institution. “Modern but … approachable … slow food” sounds pretty good to us (quotes from the Pioneer Press preview).
- Scena Tavern, 2943 Girard Ave S, Minneapolis
- Savory Bake House, 3008 36th Ave S, Minneapolis | Located across the street from Merlin’s Rest, “Savory is a new twist on the old school rustic bakery everyone knows and loves,” or so says their Facebook page. Baker is Sandra Sherva from Merlin’s Rest and formerly of Birchwood. Read our review here.
- St. Genevieve, 5003 Bryant Ave, Minneapolis | This Steven-Brown-helmed restaurant has begun to dish up approachable French fare.
- ie, 4724 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis | AKA “Italian Eatery.” Scratch pastas, with an eye toward the style of Bar La Grassa.
- Urban Forage Winery and Cider House, 3016 E Lake St, Minneapolis | We profiled these guys when they were mounting their (successful) Kickstarter campaign, and they have a fascinating take on how to do earthy, grassroots local wine and cider.
- Red Lantern Sushi, 465 Wabasha Ave, St. Paul | A new branch of the White-Bear-Lake-based sushi restaurant has opened in the old Fuji-Ya space in St. Paul.
CLOSED / CLOSING:
- Parella | Our review
- Chatterbox Pub (Highland Park location)
- Brasserie Zentral | One of our favorite spots for fine dining (or any dining whatsoever) in the area, and a darling of the Star Tribune’s Rick Nelson as well, among others. Sad proof that mere excellent food and world-class service are not sufficient to guarantee a restaurant’s success.
- Glockenspiel
- Cupcake | University Avenue in Minneapolis and Snelling Avenue in St. Paul locations have closed. Eagan and MoA locations remain open.
- Nye’s Polonaise Room (closing April 3) | This trolltastic City Pages column nonetheless does a good job of expressing some of the ambiguity about the passing of the nationally known and locally legendary Nye’s.
COMING UP:
Minneapolis
- Milkjam Creamery at World Street Kitchen, 2743 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis | Early 2016 | A gourmet ice cream shop by Sameh and Saed Wadi, the brothers behind World Street Kitchen and Saffron. They’re now hiring.
- Shake Shack | Early 2016 | A local outpost of the cult-favorite better-burger chain will open at the Mall of America.
- Rose Street Patisserie, 2811 West 43rd Street, Minneapolis | 2016 | A full service-bakery and restaurant with 54 seats.
- Modist Brewing Company, 505 N 3rd St, Minneapolis | Early 2016
- Polpo | Early 2016 | In the former La Mac Cleaners space, run by David Hahne, the former chef of the excellent Cave Vin.
- Cafe Alma, 530 University Ave SE, Minneapolis | Early 2016 | Hailed by the Star Tribune as this year’s Best Upcoming Project and a “casual breakfast-to-late night cafe, coffee bar, wine bar and bakery.”
- Blue Door Pub, 1514 Como Ave, Minneapolis | January 2016
- Inbound Brewco, 701 5th St N, Minneapolis | Early 2016
- The Viking Bar, 1829 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis | Early 2016 | After nearly a decade of closure, this Cedar-Riverside saloon is on its way to reopening.
- Brut, 428 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis | 2016 | With all the culinary firepower of Erik Anderson (above) and Jamie Malone, Brut promises exciting things. It’s going into the old Sapor space on Washington Avenue.
- Lawless Distilling, 2619 28th Ave S, Minneapolis | Early 2016
- Bonicelli Kitchen, 1901 Fillmore St NE, Minneapolis | ??? | A catering business that raised Kickstarter money to make the jump to bricks-and-mortar and may not be making the jump to bricks and mortar.
- Twin Spirits Distillery, 2931 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis | Early 2016
- Q Fanatic, 6009 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | January 2016 (second location) | Although the local BBQ scene is mighty weak, we do think Q Fanatic does a good job at serving up serious Q. This new location, along with the recently launched truck Bark and the Bite, suggests that there’s hope for us yet.
- DiNoko’s Pizzeria, 4457 42nd Ave S, Minneapolis | Early 2016 | DiNoko’s is a local place that can do deep dish pizza seriously well. Their move from Nokomis to downtown Minneapolis didn’t work out; here’s hoping that their return foray to South Minneapolis does.
- Utepils (formerly Bryn Mawr) Brewing, 225 Thomas Ave N, Minneapolis | Early 2016
- Hi-Lo Diner, 4020 E Lake St, Minneapolis | Early 2016 | Seward and Longfellow are really jumping onto the breakfast train after years of struggling to get by with nothing more than the overpriced Longfellow Grill and the inedible Denny’s; Mon Petit Chéri seems to be doing well, and the new Co-op Creamery Cafe will be a serious breakfast presence as well. Hi-Lo is getting in as the neighborhoods heat up. Here’s the press release and a photo of a crane lifting the diner into place.
- The Herbivorous Butcher, 507 1st Ave NE, Minneapolis | Jan. 23, 2016 | These guys have gotten serious national press and look poised to become a force in the food scene once their bricks-and-mortar spot is up and running. We like what Pizza Nea did with their product.
- Pizzeria Lola concept TBD, 165 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis | Unknown
St. Paul
- Handsome Hog, 225 E 6th St, St. Paul | Early spring 2016 | Former Brasserie Zentral and Meritage chef Justin Sutherland will be cooking contemporary Southern food with a high-end twist.
- Mucci’s, 786 Randolph Ave, St. Paul | Early spring 2016 | A new old-school Italian-American place from Tim Niver, owner of Strip Club Meat and Fish and Saint Dinette.
- Parco 400, 400 N Sibley St, St. Paul | Late spring 2016 | A new Italian restaurant opening in the old Trattoria Da Vinci spot in Lowertown, the culinary side to be headed up by Troy Unruh, formerly of New York City’s well-known Del Posto.
- World of Beer, 356 N Sibley St, St. Paul | 2016 | Part of a chain including locations in Wauwatosa and Appleton, Wis., and Naperville, Ill.
- 11 Wells Millwright Cocktail Room, Historic Hamm Building, St. Paul | Early 2016 | A restaurant aspect to the space is rumored to be under consideration.
- The Lexington (new ownership), 1096 Grand Ave, St. Paul | Spring 2016 | It’ll be interesting to see how the ambitious team behind this revamp and relaunch tackles the task. Between its facade, its location, and its glorious but stuffy, old-school feel, we’ll find it tough to sort the baby from the bathwater on this one. According to the Pioneer Press, construction is in high gear.
Greater Twin Cities Area and Beyond
- 1.2.3. Pasta, 6508 Cahill Ave, Inver Grove Heights | March 2016
- Oude Oak, Midway Township | Spring 2016 | A new sour beer-only brewery planned for just south of Duluth.
- Barley and Vine, 17516 Dodd Blvd, Lakeville | Late January 2016 | “Foodie casual” with “eclectic beer and wine selections,” as per their press release.
- St. Croix Brewing Company, 114 Chestnut St E, Stillwater | 2016
- Angry Inch Brewing, 20841 Holyoke Ave, Lakeville | 2016
- Wicked Wort Brewing Co., 4175 W Broadway, Robbinsdale | Winter 2016
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.