The Tap: Town Hall, Scusi, and More

Welcome to the preview edition of The Tap, 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 starting Nov. 30. 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.

Town Hall Tap (opening week of Nov. 8)
4810 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis | 612.822.1449 | townhallbrewery.com

The Town Hall Brewery is getting into the neighborhood pub business with this new venture, a (shockingly) beer-centric spot with 24 taps. General manager Scott Krebsbach said the Town Hall Tap will include seven Town Hall beers, four ciders, and three cask engines — two for Town Hall beers and one for a rotating seasonal local beer like Surly or Summit.

Krebsbach said the menu would include several specialty burgers, paninis, appetizers, and a few entrees “made as much from scratch as possible — corn our own beef, stuff like that. We want to make it less deep-fried, but we’ll still have chicken wings. It’ll be an upscale sandwich place.”

No growlers, though, as the company can only have one license for off-sale, and that stays at the downtown branch. Beer will be trucked from downtown as well. “We want to have a decent wine list of about 10 reds and 10 whites, and we’ll probably change them up, too, like the beer list, every few weeks,” Krebsbach said. “It’ll be family-friendly just because of the neighborhood, but we also want to be the watering hole.”

The Town Hall Tap will get its breads from nearby Turtle Bread and will try to work with neighborhood businesses as much as possible, including brewing a coffee porter made with beans from nearby Sovereign Grounds.

Peace Coffee (opening week of Nov. 8)
3262 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis | peacecoffee.com

It was inevitable that one of the metro’s best-known coffee roasters, Peace Coffee, would open a brick-and-mortar location, and this Longfellow branch will also boast Danny Schwartzman’s fine bagels from Common Roots Cafe. The shop will open with a small menu and shifting coffee offerings. Peace Coffee’s Lee Wallace said the menu is focused on fresh, nourishing foods — many from the Wedge Co-op’s bakery. “We chose our menu based on the things we like to eat when we’re at coffee shops,” she said.

“The espresso machine and brew bar are the stars of our show. We’ll be featuring a revolving cast of coffees, giving us a place to showcase the seasonality of select lots from some of our long-term farmer partners.” No beer or wine yet, but Wallace said that is an option for the future.

Hours: Mon-Sat 6:30am-7pm, Sun 8am-2pm.

Scusi (now open)
1806 St Clair Ave, St. Paul | 651.789.7007 | scusistpaul.com

A quick scan of Scusi’s menu and two things stand out: That’s a big ol’ menu, and the prices are really decent. Salads, antipasto, pizzas, pastas, and several big plates like Osso Buco and Steak Florentine. Entrees run $8-$26, but most are in the $10-$13 range. The salumi selection is eye-catching, including house-made duck prosciutto. Looks like just what you’d expect from Blue Plate (Edina Grill, Groveland Tap, et al.), and that’s a good thing.

Katie Cannon / Heavy Table

Jack’s (New menu starting Nov. 8)
818 W 46th St, Minneapolis | 612.825.2183 | jacksmpls.com

No, this isn’t totally new, but Java Jack’s is moving on from its Rustica-connected days with a dinner menu and beer and wine, in addition to its usual coffee and baked goodies. Menu highlights include a nice tap beer selection, cheese curds, three house-made pastas, oven-roasted chicken, and a nice assortment of burger / sandwich / soup options. Sounds like a perfect neighborhood place in a neighborhood that is quickly filling up with those.

NOW OPEN

  • Marrakech Moroccan Cafe & Grill, 1839 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis | 612.788.0405
  • Amu’s Madras Cafe, 4920 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights | 763.571.5576
  • Stanley’s Bar Room, 2500 University Ave NE, Minneapolis | 612.788.2529 | stanleysbarroom.com
  • Hibachi Buffet, 111 E Lake St, Minneapolis
  • The Hanger Room, 310 Stillwater Rd, Willernie | 651.429.1477 | thehangerroom.com
  • Sunshine Pizza, 1556 Selby Ave, St. Paul | 651.209.9299 | sunshinepizzacafe.com
  • Afro Deli and Coffee (inside the African Development Center), 1931 S 5th St, Minneapolis
  • Ciento Tequila Bar Mexican Kitchen, 6440 Wayzata Blvd, Golden Valley | 763.746.2280 | ciento100.com
  • Lakes Tavern and Grill, 9240 Hudson Rd, Woodbury | 651.287.2000 | lakestavernandgrill.com
  • Whisky Park, 15 S 5th St, Minneapolis | 612.545.5235 | whiskyparkmpls.com
  • Malone’s Bar & Grill, 12635 Elm Creek Blvd N, Maple Grove | 763.447.6500 | malonesbarandgrill.net
  • Chez Arnaud, 13332 Bass Lake Rd, Maple Grove | 763.568.7756 | mygourmandise.com
  • Safari, 3010 4th Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Poor Richard’s Commonhouse, 8301 Normandale Blvd, Bloomington | 952-835-8308 | poorrichardscommonhouse.com
  • Vescio’s Trattoria, 601 Marquette Ave S (skyway level), Minneapolis
  • Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 1413 4th St SE, Minneapolis | 612.355.5500 | fiveguys.com
  • Dogwood Coffee, 3001 Hennepin Ave S (Calhoun Square), Minneapolis
  • Baldy’s BBQ, 1813 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis | 612.259.8915 | baldysbbqmn.com

NOW CLOSED

Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
  • Subo, 89 S 10th St, Minneapolis
  • The Armatage Room, 5416 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Rumors & Innuendo, 213 E Fourth St, St. Paul
  • Hooters, 12950 Aldrich Ave S, Burnsville

COMING SOON

  • Tilia, 2726 W 43rd St, Minneapolis. In former Rice Paper space, a new restaurant from Steven Brown.
  • The Lowry Cafe, Penn and Lowry Aves N, Minneapolis. The brainchild of Darryl and Janet Weivoda of North End Hardware to help restaurant-starved corner.
  • In Season, 5416 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis. American food from Don Saunders, formerly of Au Rebours and Fugiase.
  • Mozza Mia, 3910 West 50th St, Edina. Italian from Parasole in former Tejas space.
  • Buffalo Wild Wings, 200 Ontario St SE, Minneapolis
  • Pinstripes, 3849 Gallagher Dr, Edina. Bowling, bocce, bistro. | 952.835.6440
  • Falafel King, 1851 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis
  • Cocina del Barrio, 50th and France, Edina. Another location of the popular nightspot.
  • Hazel’s Northeast, 2859 Johnson St NE, Minneapolis | 612.788.4778
  • Prairie Ale House, 16396 Wagner Way, Eden Prairie
  • The Inn, 89 S 10th St, Minneapolis
  • Heidi’s, 2901 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Masu Sushi & Robata, 330 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
  • Lowbrow, 4244 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Ahern’s Irish Pub, 126 5th St N, Minneapolis
  • Blue Door Pub, 26th and Nicollet, Minneapolis
  • Kim Bartmann’s still-unnamed gastropub in current Casey’s Bar & Grill, 3510 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Pizzeria Lola, 5557 Xerxes Ave S, Minneapoils
  • Naviya’s, 2812 W 43rd St, Minneapolis
  • Blackbird, 3800 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis
  • Turtle Bread, 4205 E 34th St, Minneapolis
  • American Burger Bar, 800 LaSalle Place (8th and Hennepin), Minneapolis | americanburgerbar.com
  • People’s Organic Coffee & Wine Cafe, 3545 Galleria, Edina (near Crate & Barrel)
  • Mendoberri, 730 Main St, Mendota Heights (former Sage Wine Bar and Market). Chef / owner is Robert Ulrich, formerly of Basil’s.
  • Patriot’s Tavern, 145 New England Place, Stillwater. Will be owned by Brent and Brian Pilrain of Roma Market in Willernie. Opening is currently set for January, 2011.

Tips? E-mail Jason Walker at jason@heavytable.com

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