New Cocktail Rooms Are Coming and More in the Food News Cribsheet

The cocktail room boom continues, we’re ready to reap the benefits of all the local distilleries ready to share their wares with us drinkers. First we had Du Nord, then Tattersall and Norsemen, next   comes new Twin Distillery in Nordeast and Lawless located in the formidably named Hub of Hell (just off the Greenway in Seward.)

—Lawless is the work of Nate Karnitz, Chris Kulzer and Kristin Karnitz who have already put out a Tippling House vodka and Greenway gin. The cocktail room will feature drinks from Bittercube (the guys who run Eat Street Social’s bar and make the bitters.) They are hoping for a June 16 soft opening.

—Twin Spirits Distillery in Northeast (over by Chimborazo)  is also marching forward with production possibly starting as soon as next week.  Michelle Winchester is building the area’s first one-woman distillery has plans for a cocktail room and patio once the spirits are ready to flow, which could happen as soon as this winter.

—Dunn Brother’s in moving out of St. Paul’s St. Anthony neighborhood and the Finnish Bistro will be taking advantage of the next door space.  They are asking for our help with what coffee selections will be available. Drop by Tuesday and Wednesday next week to grab a sip.

—It’s no longer enough for a buzzy restaurant to serve craft cocktails, locally-sourced food and a weekend brunch, now there’s got to be a lunch service as well. Just as Ryan Burnet promised us when he first opened Eastside, the restaurant will now be adding a midday service starting June 6.

—A couple of more closings of note, Z Italiano’s has left Southdale as one of the rare independents to attempt to run in chain-land turf. Ditto the French Corner Bistro in Minneapolis.

—If you feel like getting a little riled up, read up on the recent city closure of a really cool supper club in Northeast. Stephanie March of Mpls./St. Paul magazine refuses to let 320 Northeast go quietly into that good night. Seems the crew was serving really fun experiences and did all of the due diligence to operate as a legal business until the city sent in undercover diners to drum up bustable offenses.  Ms. March is just one of the fans all riled up and she is not taking this lightly.  She’s not the only food fan who feels like Minneapolis is doing all it can as a city to squash a good food time. (See the stomping of the MN Food Swappers group and closure thanks in part to completely impassable traffic and more of late).