This weekend, the Lunar New Year turns from Tiger to Rabbit. It bodes well, bunnies, as the rabbit is seen as one of the luckiest symbols in the Chinese zodiac, bringing longevity, peace, and prosperity for 2023. Celebrate accordingly by hopping to a special Chinese dinner, ordering dumplings to bring long-term happiness, or spreading fortune by tipping big at a new Korean spot.
NEWS
\\ The 1029 Bar has brought another Josh Thoma food party to the bar. The dive bar famous for serving lobster rolls is now home to a list of four Burger Dive burgers. There’s even a burger challenge: All four burgers arrive at your table stacked on a sword, and if you finish them all within 10 minutes and 29 seconds, you get a t-shirt, a commemorative photo, and the very real chance of not having to eat again until the next day.
OPENS
+ Ties Lounge has re-opened in the former Uptown Tavern space. The bar which hopes to be a meeting ground for all walks, left their original downtown location on Nicollet Mall late last year. Starting tonight, the bar and lounge will be open with a full menu of food from Justin Sutherland’s Northern Soul concept that includes chicken fried ribs, fried chicken, brisket chili, a pimento cheese burger, and plenty more. The same team plans to take over the next-door Cowboy Slim’s space to create Daisy’s which will feature another Sutherland concept currently in the works. The plan is to merge the two rooftops making one giant mechaUptown-rooftop to rule them all. Sounds like they are also taking over the former 508 Bar space in North Loop.
+ Cook St. Paul has become Juche (JOO-chey)! Eddie and Eve Wu, along with Chris Her, have re-launched the Payne Avenue space as a full service K-lounge. Open Th-Sat, look for some of the Korean-influenced favorites from the old menu (praise be that mac n’ chi), but also some new dishes such as Dwaegi Bindaetteok, a mung bean pancake with bacon bulgogi.
+ Great news, Wendy’s House of Soul is back open. She and her soul rolls are set up and ready to go in the North Market.
+ Mara has turned a storage closet into something more special. Marin is the new private dinner experience which allows up to six people to book this neat little tricked-out room for a family-style dinner. Click through for more details.
CLOSES
– According to yesterday’s IG post, Lawless Distilling is closing their doors on Jan. 28. The tiny Seward community cocktail room and distillery was the first locally to don the Miracle Christmas bar costume, which launched a trend in town. The post cites the wear and tear of the pandemic as the main reason they are unable to carry on. Their sister spot in North Loop, Stilheart Distilling, continues on.
– And Bad Waitress has announced that after brunch on Jan. 29, they will close their doors after 18 years on Eat Street. Andy and Mary Cohen bought the brand in 2013 from Christian Johnson, who was getting too busy with his Spyhouse Coffee brand to keep the self-service diner he had created in 2005. The Cohens eventually opened a second location in Northeast, with a full bar and bigger menu, which unfortunately didn’t make it though the pandemic.
– Saturday marks the last day of Broken Clock Brewing’s drinking in the old digs on California St (which used to be 56 Brewing, and Northgate before that). Go say goodbye to this taproom if you have any memories or feels about it. The new taproom, just up the road really, will open soon.
AGENDA (Year of the Rabbit Edition)
// The best place to get in gear and get the goods for a lucky celebration is United Noodles. From red envelopes, to winter melon candy, to frozen dumplings, yi mein noodles, and rabbit shaped cakes: they have it all.
// Rainbow Chinese is hosting a very special evening of food on Sunday from 5pm-8:30pm. Head over to the Eat Street restaurant for a great evening of music, tiki drinks, and Tammy Wong food to grab for dine in or take out: Tangerine beef, vegan spring rolls, and Buddha noodles are among the dishes.
// Saturday Dumpling Club has become Saturday Dumpling Co., and there are still dumplings on their site for you to order RIGHT NOW and pick up on Saturday from their commercial kitchen in Mpls. Dumplings resemble currency and are meant to bring wealth in the new year. I’m sorry tingly beef is sold out, but you can still get pork and crab, which feels like a bit of luck on it’s own. Do yourself a favor and smash the Extra Sauce button.
// Of course Midtown Global Market is celebrating the new year on Saturday. Starting at noon, look for dancers, musicians, the traditional lion dance, and rabbit crafts for the kids.
// The new Asia Mall in Eden Prairie is going all out for its first new year celebration, in fact they’ve been festing all week. But Saturday marks the big party, in conjunction with the Chinese Community Center. Look for elaborate lion dancers and food vendors that are coming to the mall just for the day, such as Beard Papa’s cream puffs and Indonesian Street Food. There will be a shuttle bus to the Optum complex for overflow parking.
// Arbeiter Brewing is pushing into next week with their celebration, which happens to coincide with their 2nd anniversary. The brewery is festing all week, with new beer releases, food trucks, and pinball tournies, raffles, and the like. Check out the Korean rice beer release on the 27th, and the final party day on the 28th with Union Hmong Kitchen treats to eat.
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// Candle lit stroll through the park sound nice? Date night! Get out to Schaar’s Bluff in the Spring Lake Park reserve near Hastings where they have both X-country trails and plowed hiking trials lit by candle light for you to stroll. Then warm up at the bonfires with free hot cocoa and snack from food trucks available. Hey maybe go into Hastings and hang out at The Busted Nut bar, and if all goes well you can stay over for Saturday’s Hastings Ice Sculpture Celebration!
// Dark beers and dark nights come together for tonight’s A Lost Moon Night at Fire & Ice Alehouse of LynLake. Pryes Brewing will be in the house with five years of barrel-aged stouts and porters, including Lost Moon. They’ll also have a specialty pizza to toast the night, as well as merch and bottle give aways.
// It’s puck hunting season! Is this the year you find the Winter Carnival medallion? Head to Bad Weather Brewing’s ice bar this Saturday for the official kick-off party with specially brewed Treasure Hunt beer.
// It’s a perfect time to head out to a farm vineyard, no bugs. And, at Schram Vineyards in Waconia at least, there’s a little BBQ & Bonfire action this Saturday. A dinner of smoked pork belly and cheddar polenta will be paired with the farm’s Bonfire wine for a $35 ticket.
// Iron Bartender is back!! It’s a head to head drinks competition of the best bartenders in town. Held over three consecutive Sunday nights at the Amsterdam in St. Paul, this contest pits eights teams from the areas top bars against each other to create tasty and creative drinks with a secret ingredient. Come cheer on your favorites, try the teams punch, all proceeds benefit Project Black & Blue, aiding mental health in the service industry.
// There is a Graze Battle of the Burgers kicking off on Tuesday from 4-9pm. Five of the food hall chefs have concocted crazy looking burger specials that may bust your resolutions. You can step up and order a whole one from each counter, or grab a Burger Box with five 1/2 burgers for $50 so that you can sample each one, and then cast your vote. Check out the accompanying beer flights or the $2-off signature cocktails.
// Get your tickets now for Stories Behind the Menu at Modernwell! The dinner series, which is also like a conversation club, kicks off in February with Mateo Mackbee of Krewe as the first dinner on Feb. 9th. That’s followed by Milissa Silva of El Burrito in May, Yia Vang of Union Hmong Kitchen in Sept., and Heather Jansz the Curry Diva wrapping it up in Dec. Each 4-5 course dinner with beverages runs $135, but if you buy all four right now, you’ll save $40!