ChuckWatch: first Manny’s, lunch at Red Cow (home of the Barkley Burger), dinner last night at J.D. Hoyt’s! (I love how many selfies Charles Barkley has been taking with people too - seems like a great guy!)
Two openings for black-owned restaurants today:
@nashvillecoop
in St. Paul on 300 Snelling Ave. S and
@YOUVEBEENSOULED
in Minneapolis on 1825 Glenwood. 11am! Good luck to you both!! Can’t wait to visit!
Hang on to your old Butcher & the Boar gift cards, as the owners of Borough, Parlour and P.S. Steak say they’ve bought the rights to the recipes and name in MN and they’re seeking a new location in Minneapolis to bring it back. And they’ll honor your gift cards!
Heard a report from a restaurant guy with a couple locations that his landlords offered to not collect rent this month or next. We’re all in this together. ❤️
People who make this nonsense complaint should be forced to give specific examples. I eat out constantly and see more obnoxious adults than kids. I wish parents would go to nice restaurants with their kids more often: teach kids how to eat out.
It’s a tricky balance, as we know social distance is our best tool to control the spread of coronavirus, but man, if you’re healthy, small retail and restaurants are going to need your business.
Wednesday is a big day for cooks, bartenders, servers, grocery workers - anyone in the food production, retail, and service industry. You are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Go get it! Good luck! Thanks for being on the front lines!!
Always amazed at the options at 38th & Nicollet in South Minneapolis: petite Leon, Kyatchi, Abang yoli, Boludo, Thai curry, nighthawks, cocina Latina, you never need to leave the area.
While we keep chasing the newest and coolest pizza,
@PunchPizza
just keeps cranking out darn near perfection. Sorry haters: Punch is still getting it done.
Our 14-year-old said he hoped to learn how to cook some things during time away from school so tonight we taught him how to do pork chops. Good work, right?
MN State Fair will announce new foods tomorrow morning- expect A LOT of them. I’d expect plenty of new vendors too. Anyone or thing you’re hoping to see?
Gophers FB
@Coach_Fleck
celebrated his birthday in advance last night at
@MannysSteakHous
and naturally brought the axe because I’d bring that thing everywhere I go for awhile too
Children 2-5 need a negative lab COVID test within 72 hours, which means no families will bring kids 2-5 to city restaurants. Just not practical. Not expressing an opinion on the wisdom of it - just expressing the reality.
BREAKING: The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul announced Wednesday that people entering establishments serving food or beverages will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours to enter. |
Questions about the restaurant opening guidelines for June 1:
- Why 50 max? Lord Fletchers has way more room than Fhima’s patio.
- Why allow close-contact hair salon but not indoor dining?
- Many rooftops require a trip indoors to access
- Can guests come in to use bathroom?
Get a pound of
@HolyLandMN
gyro meat for $10, a package of fresh pita for $3; side of cucumber sauce for $1 - you’ve got lunch for 4 for $14. Enough money leftover to buy a pint of tabbouleh and some stuffed grape leaves.
I created this
@twitter
account 10 years ago before a trip to Napa. I never dreamed it would lead to me becoming a professional food critic and a James Beard Award nomination. Crazy.
#MyTwitterAnniversary
Just received an email asking for my recommendations for the best Twin Cities place for a hot dog, "for executives." I'm fascinated by this. Executives: what do you look for in a hot dog place?
Since I’m working days during the trial I’m trying to throw some business to downtown skyway-type spots that are still open. Yesterday: Walkin’ Dog. Today: Ginelli’s Pizza.
Attention nervous diners:
@holaarepa
has the most complete COVID protocol I’ve seen. Minimal server/table contact, servers ask before they approach so everyone masks up.
Not sure how she keeps looking younger and better every year!! She’s my partner in everything, my best friend, and an incredible mom. Happy Birthday to my amazing wife, Alyssa (
@alyssastyled
)!
Izzy's Ice Cream is out of business because it closed the retail locations. It was an ice cream shop with retail that people liked because of the connection to the shops. IMHO, closing the shops broke the connection and that was that.
The Red Hen Restaurant should focus more on cleaning its filthy canopies, doors and windows (badly needs a paint job) rather than refusing to serve a fine person like Sarah Huckabee Sanders. I always had a rule, if a restaurant is dirty on the outside, it is dirty on the inside!
Big win for St. Paul as
@CoastalSeafoods
is moving it's 651 location next to Nashville Coop on Snelling. They'll have a Coastal Dive Bar & Oyster Palace in there, patio, ultimately cocktails plus they're bringing back classes too.
The record snowy weather has been a challenge for many local restaurants so if you have some favorites - don’t forget to show them your love and your business!
I don't want Bar La Grassa or 112 Eatery to close, nor do I think they will, but I just think it might be good for your mental health to start thinking of a world where that's a possibility. My DMs are full of people ON THE BRINK
Restaurants telling me they’re seeing lots of reservations cancel for the coming week: most don’t give a reason, you just cancel online, but it’s like a combo of some people quarantining, others reacting to the vaccine mandate. If you’re inclined to go out - may be a good time.
Living in Maple Grove, we have some nice local sports bar type places, a great Punch Pizza, Pittsburgh Blue is fantastic - but i love that I can get great food with heart from Lotus. Glad that the Nguyen family opened near their home! (Also grateful that they keep tables blocked)
Surprised/disappointed more bars haven’t voluntarily closed down - kudos to the restaurant owners who did it because they felt it was right. The governor’s gonna shut everyone down anyway. Mayor Frey is taking action.
First time at
@brunsonspub
in St. Paul and man are you guys lucky to have this in your neighborhood! Great double burger and maybe an even better Pulled Bacon BLT
I don’t want to brag but I made roasted carrots tonight in a turmeric and cumin butter with fresh mint and turns out I do want to brag. Served with lamb loin chops. Fancy Wednesday night at the DeRusha Diner
The Animales Burger Truck double at
@BauhausBrewLabs
is for sure a top 5 Twin Cities burger - just sheer excellence in flavor, sear, bun - the whole package. Add in the great vibe of Bauhaus and the beer there is better than ever…
Sort of amazed how many "pre fixe" Valentine's menus are out there. Not to be a nerd, but it's "prix-fixe" which is French for "Fixed-price." Also we don't need to use French, so you could just call it a set 4-course menu, or a set-price menu, or whatever.
#PSA
The holidays and the bar at the
@SaintPaulHotel
go hand in hand - great service and cocktails here. Plus the vibe in downtown was so festive last night!
#MySaintPaul
OPENING SOON: Boludo is opening a second location near US Bank Stadium (in part of the old McKinney Roe). Empenadas and pizzas coming “in a couple weeks” to near downtown Minneapolis.
The former Blackbird spot is becoming
@ChefJorgeGuzman
's new restaurant Petite León. Mexican/Spanish/French/American. Bar program by Travis Serbus (last of Meteor Bar). Partnership with
@Benrients
. Planned opening in Fall.
The Brew hall at
@allianzfield
will be open on non-
@MNUFC
match days and prices will drop to be competitive with a Brit’s Pub, but with 90 taps. Imagine watching Premier League or
#Bundesliga
in here
A big question about restaurant survival is about landlords: will they partner to help places stay alive or will they demand full and timely rent and force many places to close?
Be safe, but if you’re walking distance or a bus ride from a restaurant that’s a tough reservation - it’s a good night to check for cancellations. And don’t be a no show! Cancel if you’re not coming!
Why does anyone care about a political consultant's list of tacos? People make lists and have favorites and it's fine. It's fun. I don't expect people to have tried as many places I've tried - and I'm sure many of you have tried more places than me. Can't we have fun anymore?
Great night to visit a restaurant you’ve been meaning to go to - if you can drive slowly or put on some boots and walk. I’m sure there are a million cancellations.
Inbox:
@SmackShackTC
in Bloomington (494/France) to open Tuesday, December 7. Lunch starting December 15. Reservations go live next Monday for 3801 Minnesota Drive in Bloomington.
I’m not a big fan of waiting in lines so I had the Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich for the first time today. That’s rjght, THE sandwich from August of 2019. You know what - it’s pretty good!
My 2023 restaurant / eating out predictions:
* closings will bring the supply of restaurants closer to demand
* high-end dining will thrive
* neighborhood spots will struggle as take-out rules Sun-Wed
* more chicken: why there isn’t a Revival take-out everywhere is a mystery
Great experience inside
@indeedbrewing
today - plus the Strawberry infusion is lime and sea salt and it’s like a beergarita. Excellent. Pistachio cream ale and springbier also great.
Congrats to Sooki & Mimi and Owamni for making the New York Times Top 50 2021 Restaurant List! I have my own list of Best New Restaurants coming out at the end of the month and spoiler alert they may well be on it!
Good luck to all the restaurant servers and hosts and bartenders trying to make today special for all the moms! I know today will kick your butts - but it’s so meaningful to everyone taking mom out!! (PS: moms are impressed by big tippers)
Just an observation as a food writer looking at a lot of these curbside menus: WAY too many options. Simplify. Make it less fancy. Make it more affordable. Family meals are good ideas.
My sleeper favorite at the
#MNStateFair
: the $1.50 Apple cider freeze! From White Bear Lake! Find it in the ag/hort building! What’s your best State Fair bargain?
If you could buy wine or beer from a restaurant curbside, would you? And why would you do that instead of buying at a liquor store? Is this about convenience or a way for you to support restaurants with cash flow?
I’m an advocate for being understanding to the challenges of restaurants as they juggle takeout spikes in demand, but when your order is promised by computer ordering systems and delivered hours later - it’s time to look at limiting how many orders can be placed.
While the fancy chefs create their amazing $13 burgers, I give you the
@culvers
original butterburger. I haven’t had one in years and I have to say it’s excellent.
In two weeks: Elk River, Northeast Minneapolis, and Mahtomedi on my time and my dime. Doing my best to support our spots and spread the word about good work!
Today’s skyway lunch took me to ground level at 5th & Hennepin - for great Mediterranean from Trieste Cafe. Open daily from 10-2pm, Omar and Sammie tell me it’s been tough with no one downtown.
@tcytron
@fontosaurus
It’s a ridiculously simplistic response to a very complex labor shortage. There was a shortage pre-COVID, it’s worse now. I’d presume more of the shortage is about people realizing how nice it is to not work nights and weekends and not be yelled at by guests and bad managers.
Just because Minneapolis is lifting the citywide mask mandate DOES NOT mean restaurants have to get rid of it. Some may choose to ask for masks to make their staff comfortable. Don’t be the “well you know, Mayor Frey got rid…” guy.