Congrats, you deserve this. You’re on the upswing, and you’re in the glory days that come between snow melt and mosquitoes. Run without pants, crack open the grill, peruse the garden center, ignore the Prince song. Dare to check the Sea Salt website, add a biscuit run to your bright morning, and meet your best farm for future dates.
NEWS
\\ Are you sick of swiping left on so many farms? Are you worried you’ll never find the right farm to fit all your hopes and dreams? Well, good news babe. Greener Pastures has officially launched their Farm Matchmaking Service. This is NOT Farmers Only, this a very cool non-profit that works with and knows a lot of small family farms, and they want to be a resource for Twin Cities households looking for the right organic grains, or meat and vegetable CSA, or egg and leek a week drop offs. They learn about what you want from locally grown food, and then go and find the farm that fits. And, it’s a pay-what-you-can service, which is amazing.
OPENS
+ There’s a Big Biscuit Bar open on Mears Park. In the original Handsome Hog space now sits a weekday breakfast/lunch eatery with down home cooking: biscuit and egg sandwiches, smothered biscuit plates, country fired steak, pimento scrambles and more. Order curbside pickup and you got car treats before work.
+ Half Fancy is the new name and fresh re-brand of the Mill NE on Central. It’s a daily brunch and dinner story they are telling, with late night hours on weekends. Burgers, Cubano, three cheese pasta, corned beef hash, and the like, plus cocktails.
+ The giant Apple Valley spot that once was Misfit Collective, and then turned into the Mezcalito Butcher, has turned once again. The big space has turned into Pizzeria Social, with both wood-fired pizzas and tavern cut pies, along with burgers, sandwiches, and some hold outs from the past menus of live fire cooking, such as whole fire roasted chicken. The other side of the building holds Curiouser Coffee.
+ SEASONALS: Animales is calling April 1 for open … Conny’s Creamy Cone is already open! … North Start Donuts food truck rolls open this weekend … Sea Salt is hiring!
CLOSES
– Eagle Street Grill in St. Paul is closing at the end of April, after nearly 20 years of pre-gaming moms during high school hockey tournaments.
– Bap and Chicken on Grand Ave is closing after business on Saturday. The Korean fried chicken spot was the first place I even had Korean corndogs and I loved how owner John Gleason honored many adoptee families.
– Old World Pizza has closed after nearly 50 years of service, noting “due to unforseen circumstances related to the death of the current owner, we regret to tell you that Village Bank closed the doors as of 3/11/2023 without any notice.”
COMING SOON
>> Bogart’s Doughnut Co. in SLP is calling an April 14th grand opening.
>> Modist Brewing is betting on big things as they roll into a $2M expansion that will include more hang space, more event space, and a new brewing lab.
>> I feel like we already talked about Puttshack coming to The Duffey in North Loop? So reminder: more mini golf and classy play time hijinx.
FRIDAY FISH FRY
Still a nice round up of FFF options across the metro, but each week we’ll call out a few more here.
><> Have you watched all the videos for the 2023 Fish Fry Faceoff? Voting for round one is OPEN!
><> Black Stack Brewing has a beer release and fish fry today to support the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The new Leave No Trace beer is a cold-filtered IPA, which goes great with beer-battered catfish!
><> Holy Name out in Wayzata (which has a special place in my heart) has fish fry tonight! Fried or baked fish, baked potato, mac ‘n’ cheese, slaw, roll, and cookie with a drink for $17 adults, $10 kids.
AGENDA
// O’Shaughnessy Distilling has teamed up with Dabbler & Friends to host a food drive. Just bring non-perishable food items to the distillery during open hours, and you’ll get a complimentary classic cocktail as reward. Gather your gifts now through April 9th.
// Tonight, the Uptown Association and Lowry Hill Liquors are hosting a Made in Minnesota Spirits Tasting Event at the Granada Theater. The $60 ticket is in support of the community of Uptown, and lets you sip from more than 20 local producers of spirits, mixers, THC beverages, along with food and live music.
// Why don’t we have more Ham Bingo like they do in Litchfield?
// Do NOT be alarmed, but there is a Drowning of Marzanna on Saturday. The Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota puts on this rite of spring in which an effigy of the Winter Witch representing cold, plague, and death is thrown into a river to move the season on. This is a symbolic event on the Mississippi, but there’s real life grilled kielbasa, bigos hunter’s stew, and beer that accompany the fest. Take home some bigos in 32oz containers for $15 after the event to ward off wenches from your own space.
// Celebrating its 2nd birthday on Saturday, Axebridge Winery in the North Loop is popping some bubbly. Brunch kicks if off from 11-3pm., then music and dancing from 3-7pm, barrel sampling can happen all day, but stick around as they saber saber some of our LOT series sparkling wines on the patio.
// You need Härdsmälta on Sunday. Swedish for “melt down” Härdsmälta Pond Skim Fest at Hyland is one of those rites of the season that must be honored. Its best if you have a flask and some snacks before you either attempt to skitch across on open water pond, or just watch with cheers and jeers for the flyers and fallers both. Free admission with three non-perishable food items (am loving this trend).
// There are a few spots left for the Evergreen Foraging class on Sunday from Four Season Foraging. Every heard of spruce tip syrup? You can make some! Learn to identify harvest, and prepare edible evergreens while avoiding toxic varieties. Be aware that it’s still a bit early to be actually collecting from the trees, but you’ll be collecting knowledge. And that’s one to grow on.
// Chef Hector Ruiz is hosting a very special dinner at Ena on Wed., Mar. 29. Noche Mexicana will be a six course meal in collaboration with Mexican chefs José Alarcón, Cesar Castenada, and Zoilo Ruacho. More info coming on that, but it looks like something you want to bookmark.
// PSA: Watership Down is at the Trylon this weekend, and while it is a classic, that shiz scarred me as a child for life so do NOT think that a cartoon about rabbits must naturally be safe for kids, MOM.