Readers: Win Heavy Table pint glasses
The Tap loves restaurant tips from readers, so we’re awarding two Heavy Table pint glasses 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 jason@heavytable.com. (May’s winner: Pete Ryan of Minneapolis.)
Pig & Fiddle (opens this summer)
3808 W 50th St, Minneapolis
Construction is about to begin on Pig & Fiddle, the Muddy Pig offshoot coming to the 50th and France area in Southwest Minneapolis. Co-owner Mark van Wie said the permits and licensing process was nearly complete, allowing contractors to begin work on his newest beer mecca.
A chef has been named, too: Heartland alum Stephanie Kochlin.
“She worked a bunch of places, and was sous chef for Heartland for 5-6 years,” van Wie said. “So she can flat-out cook. Finally a real opportunity came up, and it seemed like a great fit.”
Pig & Fiddle’s envisioned menu has been called “peasant food,” but when asked van Wie said a more accurate description might be “rustic food.”
“It’s not any specific scheme but taking pretty much traditional items from around the world and update them a little bit,” he said. “Who are we to fight years of history? We don’t want to be cutting-edge. The theme we keep coming back to is, if you were in a pub in Europe, what would you expect to find?
“The problem is coming up with the summertime menu. The concept definitely lends itself to winter — pasties, that sort of thing, stews, braises.”
Pig & Fiddle will have 36 tap beers with what van Wie called “a little bit of everything:” craft beers, local beers, Belgians.
“It’ll be all over the place,” he said. “The beer world is a wonderful thing.”
The drink options are beer and wine only, at least for now, as Pig & Fiddle mulls a future liquor license.
“The city is not real excited about full liquor licenses outside of downtown,” van Wie said. “We’re starting with just the beer and wine license for now, just to get open and test with the neighborhood.”
There will also be a cozy patio on the restaurant’s west side, and with that many taps plus a rather unique-to-the-area menu direction, Pig & Fiddle should thrive among the buzzing Fulton neighborhood and its Edina neighbors.
“You’ve got Barrio doing Mexican and Salut doing French and then the pizza (at Mozza Mia),” van Wie said. “That’s what I really like. There are some really good operators working there, and we’re not really competing directly with anything, we’ll just be a good complement to them.”
Don’t look for Pig & Fiddle to open much earlier than Labor Day.
“Obviously the sooner the better,” van Wie said. “Realistically, though, if construction starts at the end of June, then late August-early September is my best guess for now.”
Blue Ox Coffee Company (coming soon)
3740 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.825.6650 | Find it on Facebook
Blue Ox Coffee Company is set to open near the end of this month, bringing high-quality coffee to what must be among the last coffee-starved neighborhoods in the city. Owner Melanie Logan will offer a wide variety of roasts, including Fergus Falls’ Stumbeano, Milwaukee’s Anodyne, PT’s from Topeka, KS, and Counter Culture of Durham, NC.
“I spent a lot of time researching coffee over the last few years, and I’m thrilled to be offering such a caliber of coffee to customers under one roof,” Logan said. “Each of them has spectacular offerings, but also different enough that I think it will be a real treat for people to have such a selection. I’m hoping to offer six to eight varieties at a time, in addition to two espresso blends.”
Food is definitely planned at Blue Ox, and Logan said she was talking to Patisserie 46’s John Kraus to provide pastries and sandwiches.
“I like what he does and that he has such a wide variety,” Logan said. “It’s the same quality as I consider our coffee to be. I want to consider some pairings with some of the specialty coffees that I’ll have. We’re expecting him to supply us with sandwiches as well. We’re playing with the idea of offering fresh tomatoes and stuff to add to the sandwiches. He does a daily sandwich, but I am going to speak with him to see if doing a couple is a possibility.”
Logan said Blue Ox would hopefully open the last week of June or the first week of July.
“The biggest thing is, we’re aiming to be an environment where nobody should feel like they’re excluded,” she said. “If people don’t know much about coffee, we can educate them. We’re also hoping to do weekend storytime for kids, stuff like that. It’s a very clean environment. Everything inside — we’re not going for anything cheesy. Not to knock Caribou, but there’s only so many log cabins you can walk into and find it amusing.”
Urban Bean (opening this summer)
2401 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis | urbanbeancoffee.com
A coffeehouse shuffle in Minneapolis’ Uptown is under way: Muddy Waters has moved into a larger space in Lynlake and expanded its scope, allowing Urban Bean, already familiar from its Bryant Ave. outpost, to open a second location in the old Muddy Waters.
The new Urban Bean won’t much resemble its predecessor, according to rep Kareem Ahmed, who said the new shop would sport a more “airy, Manhattan-esque vibe.”
“It’s going to be more of a city style, cool, chill coffee shop that people are going to want to sit inside,” he said. “A lot of wood and white … lot of metal, wood, elegant looking. Almost like an art gallery.”
The new Urban Bean’s menu will mirror that at its existing location, and two baristas from the Bryant store are moving to the new shop. Ahmed said Dogwood Coffee would be served as well as Turtle Bread pastries and a menu of sandwiches and parfaits. Owner Greg Martin is considering expanding to beer and wine, too.
Ahmed said people in The Wedge would be drawn to Urban Bean for its partnership with Dogwood, its first foray into that neighborhood.
“The coffee is exceptional,” he said. “It’s going to be premium coffee and just a great atmosphere. We’re hoping to make people feel comfy — that’s really the biggest thing. We understand that Muddy Waters had been there for so long. We don’t want to isolate anyone or make them feel uncomfortable. We want to make them feel welcome.”
Ahmed said the new Urban Bean would open in late July or early August.
NOW OPEN
- Muddy Waters Bar and Eatery, 2933 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.872.2232 | Find it on Facebook
- Wilde Roast Cafe, 65 Main St SE, Minneapolis. Now open in new location. | 612.331.4544 | wilderoastcafe.com
- Pandolfi, 3904 W 50th St, Edina | 612.801.7567 | Find it on Facebook
- American Grill, 3752 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
- Mill Valley Kitchen, 3900 Excelsior Blvd, St. Louis Park | 952.358.2000 | Find it on Facebook
- Gather, 1750 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.253.3410 | walkerart.org/gather
- Turtle Bread, 4205 E 34th St, Minneapolis. | turtlebread.com
- Wise Acre Eatery, 5401 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.822.4769 | wiseacreeatery.com
- Blue Point, 4400 W 78th St, Bloomington | 952.767.9711 | bluepointrestaurantandbar.com
- Las Tortillas Mexican Restaurant, 15051 Crestone Ave, Rosemount | 651.332.2200 | lastortillas.net
- Republic, 221 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.338.6146 | republicmn.com
- Bread & Pickle, 4135 W Lake Harriet Pkwy, Minneapolis | 612.767.9009 | breadandpickle.com
- Crave, 825 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.332.1133 | craveamerica.com
- Las Teresita’s Mexican Grill, 5748 34th Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.727.1791
- Candy Alley, 4813 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.354.3881 | candyalley.com
- The Nook, 492 Hamline Ave S, St. Paul. Reopen again after fire. | 651.698.4347 | Our take
- The Lowry Cafe, 2207 Lowry Ave N, Minneapolis | 612.284.7087 | Find it on Facebook
- Bullfrog Cajun Bar, 1111 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.339.0638 | Find it on Facebook
- Wuollet Bakery, 200 S 6th St. (U.S. Bank Plaza skyway), Minneapolis | www.wuollet.com
- Morgan’s New World Tavern, 14201 Nicollet Ave, Burnsville | 952.435.2100 | Find it on Facebook
- Soul Daddy, Mall of America, Bloomington | 952.854.1900 | souldaddyrestaurant.com
- Burger Jones, 1617 County Road 42, Burnsville | 952.885.2289 | burgerjones.com
- ALM Corner Cafe, 3301 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis | 612.781.3526 | Find it on Facebook
- Pacific Islander Cuisine, 920 E Lake St #114, Minneapolis (Midtown Global Market) | 612.874.0944 | Find it on Facebook
- Pizza Ranch, 16995 Kenyon Ave, Lakeville | 952.898.3333 | pizzaranch.com
- Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, 3090 Courthouse Ln, Suite 100, Eagan; 14165 James Rd, Rogers; 3195 Vicksburg Ln, Plymouth | www.dickeys.com
- Masu Sushi & Robata, 330 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis | 612.332.6278 | Our take
- Goda Cafe, 3400 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.823.3535
- Modern Times Cafe, 3200 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.886.3882 | Find it on Facebook
- Current, 3291 St. Croix Trail S, Afton | 651.436.8883 | currentrestaurant.com
- GreenSpoon, 2600 University Ave SE, Minneapolis | 612.208.0529 | greenspooncafe.com
CLOSED / CLOSING:
- Totino’s Italian Kitchen, 2535 Highway 10 NE, Mounds View
- Hong’s Kitchen, 3752 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
- The Inn, 89 South 10th St, Minneapolis
- Sunnyside Up Cafe, 2702 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis
- Cloggy’s Tavern, 5404 34th Ave S, Minneapolis
- Pizza Mafia, 2447 W 7th St, St. Paul
- River Chocolate Company, 2822 W 43rd St, Minneapolis
- Buon Giorno Express, 335 University Ave E, St. Paul
COMING UP:
- Kinsen, 1300 Lagoon Ave, Minneapolis | 612.367.4595 | kinsennoodlesandbar.com
- Maeve’s Cafe, 300 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis. Opens June 20. | 612.379.1033 | Find it on Facebook
- Element Pizza, 96 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis. Opens this month. | 612.379.3028
- Pat’s Tap, 3510 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this summer. | 612.822.8216 | patstap.com
- Blue Ox Coffee Company, 3740 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens in late June. | 612.825.6650 | Find it on Facebook
- Palumbo’s Pizzeria, 454 Snelling Ave S, St Paul. Opening late June / early July. | Find it on Facebook
- Ansari’s Mediterranean Grill, 1960 Rahn Cliff Ct, Eagan. Set to re-open later this month. | 651.452.0999 | ansarisgrill.com
- Andale Taqueria y Mercado, 7700 Nicollet Ave S, Richfield. Opens in July.
- Adagio Cafe, 5001 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens this summer. | Find it on Facebook
- Little Szechuan, 5377 16th St, Shops at West End, St. Louis Park | littleszechuan.com
- Viva Brazil, 913 W Lake St, Minneapolis | 612.871.4239 | Find it on Facebook
- Fasika, University and Dale, St. Paul (new Frogtown Square) | fasika.com
- Claddagh Coffee, 458 W 7th, St. Paul. Opens in July. | 612.940.9805 | Find it on Facebook
- The Lowry, 2112 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens in July. | blueplaterestaurantcompany.com
- Urban Bean, 2401 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens late July / early August. | urbanbeancoffee.com
- Humble Pie, 822 W 36th St., Minneapolis. Kim Bartmann’s revamp of Gigi’s. Coming this summer. | 612.825.0818
- Rosa Mexicano, 6th St and Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis (in City Center next to Fogo de Chao). Opens this summer. | rosamexicano.com
- Chilango Cantina, 212 E Seventh St, St. Paul. Opens this summer.
- Zen Box Izakaya, 225 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis. Opens in August. | zen-box.com
- Pig & Fiddle, 3808 W 50th St, Minneapolis. Opens late August / early September
- Eat Street Social, 26th St and Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis. Opens this summer.
- The Bachelor Farmer, 200 First St N, Minneapolis
- Cranky’s Bicycle Bar, E Lake St, Minneapolis. | Find it on Facebook
- La Crepe Nanou, Huey’s 24 / 7 Diner, The Wine Loft, Shops at West End, St. Louis Park. Opening this fall. | lacrepenanou.com | hueys247diner.com | thewineloft.net
- Pittsburgh Blue, 3200 Galleria (former Kozy’s), Edina. Opens this fall. |pittsburghbluesteak.com
- Mi Sinaloa, 3801 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis
- Mojo Monkey Doughnuts, 7th St W, St. Paul
- Crooked Pint Ale House, 501 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis
- Still-unnamed “Montreal-style” deli, 1930 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis (former Auriga). Opens in early fall.
- Stout’s Pub, Snelling Ave and Larpenteur, St. Paul. Opens this fall.
- Toppers, 1154 Grand Ave, St. Paul; 702 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis | toppers.com
- Five Guys, 230 7th St, St. Paul | fiveguys.com
- YO!Sushi | Company says five metro locations coming, first in Minneapolis in 2011 | yosushi.com
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 jason@heavytable.com. Follow The Tap on Twitter at @jasonwalkermpls.
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