Are you even here this week? Don’t let loving this short week turn into dread for the coming longer week, hold onto those holiday hours as long as you can. Go eat new sandwiches, find a night market, and get ready for summer restaurant week!
NEWS
\ Threads! Ammirite?
\ The Midwest Dairy Flavor of the Fair, the special shake flave you’re going to stand in line for in the Dairy Building at the MNSF, is …. Cheers for Cherries!! The flavor will be served “as a sundae or malt and comes with cherries and a decadent drizzle of dark chocolate on top.” Sub 50 days, friends.
\ If you have scurvy, or are kicking yourself for skipping the CSA this year now that everyone else is all shiny with new veggies each week, I got you. I happen to LOVE the Harvest Share from The Good Acre which starts in the middle of August. Shorter share, only 11 weeks, smaller boxes, and truly the peak of the season. Get the egg add-on.
OPENS
+ Ida Graves Distillery is finally open for tours and tastings near Alexandria. The 30 minute tour includes a spirits tasting and a honey tasting, along with a souvenir glass, for $10. This gin is luff-ly.
+ Puralima Cantina opens this weekend in North Loop. The grand opening party for this taco shop starts on Saturday with free food from 10:30am to 1:30pm. Then happy hour gets rolling from 5-8pm with $2 margs with purchase of an entree.
+ Layline opened in Excelsior this week. The latest partnership between Aaron Switz and Daniel del Prado has reinvigorated the old auto garage on Water Street. The small space has a killer wallpaper game, a welcoming covered patio, and the best fregola and clams this side of your best friend’s overposted trip to Italy! Can say: nice modern Main Street kitchen vibe to this place.
+ D’s Banh Mi is now open in the former Milkjam hotdog outpost on E. 38th in South Minny. Vietnamese sandwiches, noodles, and rice bowls are there from the brothers three, all names with D, and their banh mi.
CLOSES
>> The Lynhall in LynLake will be closing for restaurant service as it transitions into an event space, the last brunch will be July 16. The move to becoming an event space for holiday parties, social gatherings, business meetings, weddings, and the like comes from the increased demand for private event and catering seen by owner Anne Spaeth over the year. The Edina location of Lynhall remains open for daily brunch and afternoon tea.
>> ROK Eatery in St. Paul is also ditching the food service and moving forward as a bar and music venue.
AGENDA
// Summer Restaurant Week is NEXT WEEK!
// Road Trip! Aim toward Moose Lake this weekend for The World’s Largest Wild Rice Festival. Besides the Sportsman’s turtle feed tonight, you can get there in time for the White Oak Tractor Club’s breakfast, or the wild rice dinner, the turkey and wild rice luncheon, or just pop by the Deer River Lions hamburger stand on your way to/fro the pow wow, flea market, bike rodeo, or street dance.
// Our local Shakespeare in the park production of Much Ado About Nothing is being performed tonight at the Como Lakeside Pavilion. The free show starts at 7pm, which gives you enough time to get a Caribbean Cuban sandwich or some fish tacos from Dock & Paddle. Dinner and a show!
// Night Market #1: Lakeville’s Festival of Asian Nations and Night Market kicks off this afternoon as a whole day loaded with dancers, origami, cooking demonstrations, and plenty of vendors.
// Night Market #2: Forgotten Star Brewing’s Night Market on Saturday. They’ve got live music, a bunch of local art vendors, plus an appearance by Saturday Dumpling Co., and tons of fresh beer.
// It’s Boom Days at Boom Island Brewing in Minnetonka this weekend. They are cheersing to 12 years of beers this summer, and that means a lot of live music, some deep food truck picks, and of course lots of beer releases, super swag deals, and games, which are afoot.
// The movie in the park on Saturday is Top Gun Maverick at Lake Nokomis, and I don’t know how you don’t pop into Fat Lorenzo’s beforehand to grab a meatball hoagie to make out with like Tom Cruise while you watch.
// Why not find out what happens at the Wine Meets Art Festival at St. Croix Vineyards on Sa-Su? What could go wrong? Local wine, local art, local food? Feels like a meet-cute.