What does that even mean? Why are the hot and humid, stultifying days of August the ones we give to our furriest friends? Feels kinda mean. Set your best friend up with treats in the AC while you go hit a hummus house, suck on some mudbugs, and pierogi like the summer isn’t waning.
NEWS
\ By now you’ve heard: More than five dozen new crapht beverages and beers at the Minnesota State Fair this year. From boozy milkshakes to a blue wave of slushies to spicy beer, it’s here.
OPENS
+ Atuvava is a cute new gluten-free bakery that’s been open for a hot second in South Minny. The family-owned bake shop has been getting rave reviews from my GF pals, and while they are just getting going, they have a nice roster or artisan breads, muffins, scones, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, should I keep going?
+ On Saturday, Baba’s Hummus House opens to the public. The brother/sister duo of Khalid Ansari and Rana Kamal have taken their packaged hummus brand and made a whole, beautiful restaurant out of it! And, there’s Palestinian flatbreads, great salads, and coffee drinks too.
+ Fawkes Alley Coffee is now open in the Loring Alley behind Gai Noi. The coffee shop helps support the Futsal Society, which gives players access to team play without having to pay huge league fees. Former and current players also work at the shop, learning job skills, and helping support the organization.
+ Northern Coffeeworks is back open in their newly refurbished digs on S. 28th Ave.
CLOSES
— Welp. Leslie Bock is ending an era as she has announced the closing of Psycho Suzi’s. The poor man’s paradise has been around for 20 years, and hosted more parties than there are fronds on all those thatched roofs. Well, maybe. But the pizza has been delicious, the tiki drinks strong, and in the early days the fire and snark were lit. Both seem to have fizzled over the years, sadly. August 19 is the last day.
— The Good Earth in Roseville has closed after some 40 years. The location in the Galleria of Edina remains open.
COMING SOON
>> Ono Hawaiian Plates is coming to the vacant counter space in United Noodles! One of our (if not THE) only island eats spots in town, Ono offers kalbi shortribs, chicken katsu, and Spam musubi which feels like a great match for UN. Hopefully they’ll open before summer’s over, but the original location in the Galley North Loop foodhall remains.
AGENDA
// I just want to know, who is bringing a pocket full of tots for the Napoleon Dynamite screening at Harriet Island tonight? Or maybe have a steak toss?
// Sibley County Fair (FREE sweet corn feed!), Meeker County Fair (tractor pull!), Harvest Festival (alllll the cool vintage machines and pork chop dinner!).
// Closer to town, Nokomis Days kicks it up on for the weekend with deals and events all around the city lake. Look for a Beer Garden Dance Party at Town Hall Lanes, Drinks for a Cause at the Painted Turtle, food specials at the Tipsy Steer, big parking lot party at Bull’s Horn in partnership with Venn Brewing that will bring a flea market, cold brew, and BBQ to your Sunday.
// CrayFest takes over North Loop in front of Smack Shack on Saturday. The block party is an all-you-can-eat crayfish boil with bottomless beer, hurricanes, and great live bands. There’s an eating contest you won’t want to miss, but mostly is just a good lazy afternoon of sucking crawdads in the summer sun. Hurry $60 presale ends soon, and it’s $95 at the door tomorrow.
// The Brews, Eats & Beats at Mount Olivet Church in Plymouth on Saturday is just using good times to fight hunger, no one is mad at that. It’s a $30 ticket for a host of good eats (The Lookout is on deck, Miltons will have a tent), live music and good bevvies which raises funds for Loaves & Fishes, PRISM food shelf, and Every Meal.
// Don’t forget that the Slavic Experience takes place this weekend in a new spot. Saturday and Sunday fun will happen at the festival site in the West End this year, so get over to SLP for pierogis, Singing Slovenes, polka mass and of course a paczki eating contest each day.
// Picnic Alert: Guys, there is a floating river circus called FLOTSAM! that is landing in St. Paul on Saturday. It seems to be musicians, circus artists, and puppeteers traveling on a handmade raft, giving free performances in riverfront towns along their journey of 650 river miles. Performance starts at 6pm, should be done by 7:30, is kid-friendly, and how do you pass up a floating river circus??? Feel free to chase them all they way to Saint Louie.
// It’s National Farmers Market Week starting on Monday! Check out this vid from last years market week in Minneapolis, though you can celebrate at any of the some 375 markets we have in the state! The week’s events will culminate with a celebration at Winona’s Farmers Market in honor of its 50th anniversary.
// Feed your brain and your soul with a very special Kaiseki dinner at Kado no Mise on Aug 15 when Dr. Andreas Marks from MIA will discuss the history of Kaiseki from an art historical perspective. For each of the 8 courses, Marks will use Chef Furukawa’s collection of ceramics and lacquerware as an avenue to explore different facets of the centuries-old Kaiseki tradition. I’ve been to a dinner with Dr. Marks before and it’s very much worth the ticket price to hear his perspective on the ancient Japanese meal tradition.