Petite Sweets Pastries at Minneapolis Farmers Market and More

The Tap by Alyssa Vance

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Brenda Johnson / Heavy Table
Brenda Johnson / Heavy Table

Petite Sweets Pastries (open every other Sat / Sun at Minneapolis Farmers Market)
312 East Lyndale Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55405

The Minneapolis Farmers Market has a new booth to soothe your sweet tooth. Petite Sweets Pastries launched last weekend with seven different flavors of whoopie pies and bars. This is the first physical location for owners Melissa Gallant and Anthony Guarnaccia, two Boston natives attempting to bring the east coast treat to Minnesota.

“We were up until about 12am this morning and woke up at 5am to come set up,” says Guarnaccia. It took the duo nearly nine hours to prep, bake, and fill 300 whoopie pies and bars — a feat since they’re also managing full-time jobs in addition to baking sweets.

Brenda Johnson / Heavy Table
Brenda Johnson / Heavy Table

Gallant has been baking as long as she can remember. Her first memory of baking was with her mother, who recently visited from Boston to help the duo pass out sweets at North Coast Nosh. Gallant honed her baking skills during her undergraduate and graduate programs at Boston College. “I’ve always done mini treats because I can never decide what kind of dessert I want,” she says.

Flavors will vary from weekend to weekend, but it’s likely that the Salted Caramel bars and Coconut Key Lime whoopie pies will be a constant (both are best sellers). Other flavors included Horchata whoopie pies (rice milk, cinnamon, and a rice pudding filling inspired by a trip to Mexico) and Strawberry Rhubarb bars (using real chunks of strawberry).

Petite Sweets Pastries plans to partner with food trucks in addition to their space at the Minneapolis Farmers Market.

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Birdhouse (closed)
2516 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis, MN

Birdhouse, the all-day dining concept launched by Stewart and Heidi Woodman of Heidi’s in Minneapolis, closed yesterday.  “We thank all of our customers who dined with us there over the past year. Unfortunately our foot traffic has not been steady enough to keep our doors open. Heidi’s continues to thrive, and we look forward to seeing you and serving you there,” says Stewart Woodman.

Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
Black Walnut Bakery (open every Thu at 7:30am on Nicollet Mall)
Nicollet Mall and 10th St S, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Sarah Botcher, former pastry chef at Butcher & the Boar, has officially left her duties at the restaurant to focus entirely on Black Walnut Bakery. The pop-up shop is open every Thursday morning on Nicollet Mall and features pastries like Blackout cookies (dense and buttery half-dollar sized bites of rich chocolate) and her take on the Kugelhopf (a yeast cake comprised of tart currants, chips of pistachio, and orange zest).

When we visited at opening time Botcher was still setting up with the help of her husband, Peter Botcher (also of Butcher & the Boar) — whose meat is the feature of both the flaky ham and gruyere croissant and spicy chorizo dog. Black Walnut Bakery seems to fill a need for morning commuters in downtown Minneapolis, as Sarah Botcher had little time to discuss her new venture.

Sarah McGee / Heavy Table
Sarah McGee / Heavy Table

Lucy’s Restaurant (apparently closed)
3025 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN

A Tap reader reports that Lucy’s, an Ethiopian restaurant in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis has “gone dark,” and the restaurant’s phone number is no longer taking calls. In our March 2011 review of Lucy’s, we noted that “everything ordered was somewhere between satisfactory and delicious,” but also that the restaurant’s lack of polish and Web presence would count against it.

Milkapalooza (June 22, 10am-3pm)
Cedar Summit Farm, 25830 Drexel Avenue, New Prague, MN

Cedar Summit Farm is celebrating the passage of the “Buy the Farm” bill which grants rights to small Minnesota farms with a party called Milkapalooza. The event features hayrides, pasture walks, and milking parlor tours among other attractions (see the Heavy Table’s events calendar for more information.)

NOW OPEN

Sarah McGee / Heavy Table
Sarah McGee / Heavy Table
  • Morrissey’s Irish Pub, 913 W Lake St, Minneapolis | 612.465.8555
  • Franklin Restaurant, 137 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis. Formerly Azima.

CLOSED / CLOSING:

  • Birdhouse, 2517 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Biella, 227 Water St, Excelsior, MN 55331
  • Franklin Freeze, 2328 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.568.2630; has re-opened as “Pita King”
  • Little Sushi on the Prairie, 8353 Crystal View Rd, Eden Prairie
  • Ideal Diner, 1314 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis
  • Kat’s Kitchen, St. Paul Skyway
  • Primebar, 3001 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
  • Cupcake Caramel by Sweets Bakeshop, 4747 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis; 2042 Marshall Ave, St. Paul
  • Kinsen Noodles and Bar, 1300 Lagoon Ave, Minneapolis

COMING UP:

Minneapolis

  • Izzy’s Ice Cream, 1100 2nd St S, Minneapolis, MN | Opens summer 2013.
  • Keen Eye Coffee, 2803 E 38th St, Minneapolis, MN | Opens June.
  • Broders Wine Bar, 2221 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN | Opens summer 2013.
  • Lake & Irving, 1513 W Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN | Opens August.
  • Verdant Teahouse, 2111 E Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, MN | 612.284.7032 | Opens July.
  • La Loma Tamales, old Tensuke Sushi spot in Medical Arts Building, Minneapolis, 825 Nicollet Mall
  • Ariana Kebob and Gyro Bistro, 7115 Cedar Lake Rd, Saint Louis Park, MN | 52) 546-8000. Opens late May.
  • North 45°, 1313 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis | 612.332.6000. Opens late April.
  • Ling & Louie’s Kitchen, 9th St and Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
  • The Tangiers, 116 1st Ave N, Minneapolis | 612.599.2651. Opens May 2013.
  • The Nicollet Diner, 1428 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this spring.
  • Terzo, 2221 W 50th St, Minneapolis. New wine bar from Broders; opens June 5.
  • Tiny Diner, 1014 E 38th St, Minneapolis | 612.822.6302
  • Marin, 901 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens June 23.
  • Unnamed Gastrotruck restaurant, 2400 University Ave NE, Minneapolis. Opens in 2013.
  • Rocky and Shem’s Ice Cream Shoppe, 56th St and Chicago Ave, Minneapolis. Opens in 2013.
  • Sandcastle, Lake Nokomis, Minneapolis. Doug Flicker’s concessionaire restaurant at the lake. Opens spring 2013.
  • Town Hall Tap, 5019 34th Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Loose-Wiles Freehouse, 701 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis. Opens September.
  • Kitty’s Corner Cafe, 806 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis

St. Paul

Greater Twin Cities Area

  • Tin Bins, near the corner of Main and Nelson Streets, Commander Grain Elevator, Stillwater. May 2013.
  • Sakana Sushi and Hibachi, Plymouth. June.
  • Travail and The Rookery, Robbinsdale. Fall 2013.
  • Forever Yogurt, The Shops at West End, I-394 & 100. Opens before summer of 2013.
  • Egg and Pie Diner, 222 N Chestnut St, Chaska | 612.227.6999
  • Hammerheart Brewing, 7785 Lake Dr, Lino Lakes. Opens in 2013. | 651.964.2160
  • Sawatdee, 13300 Technology Dr, Eden Prairie. Opens in 2013.
  • Osaka Seafood and Steakhouse, Woodbury Lakes, Woodbury. Opens in 2013.
  • Punch Pizza, City Centre Dr, Woodbury. Opens June 2013.
  • Black Sea, 1581 E County Road E, White Bear Lake
  • Crooked Pint Ale House, Apple Valley; another location possible at 40th St. and Lyndale Ave.

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.