Pig & Fiddle Will Not Be Reopening

In bummer news for gastropub and beer fans around the 50th and France neighborhood, it seems Pig & Fiddle has closed their doors. Stephanie March of Mpls./St. Paul Magazine reported that the owners, who also operate St. Paul’s Muddy Pig confirmed that although a sign said the restaurant was undergoing remodeling, it would not be reopening for business. The phone line has been disconnected.

—SotaRol continues to pop up all over the Twin Cities with sushi/burritos for fans of crossover food fads. The latest location in Apple Valley is the fourth location for this burgeoning mini-chain, with another taking shape in Eagan. The casual restaurant serves sushi, rice bowls, ramen and a sushi/burrito “SotaRito.” The grand opening is happening today starting at 11:00 a.m.

Facebook

—New Bohemia Wurst + Bierhaus is another local mini-chain that’s experiencing a boom. The sausage and beer pub is opening in the Wells Fargo tower in downtown Minneapolis. This is the 8th location.

The company is also opening an entirely new kind of restaurant that’s an indoor food truck food court called the Seventh Street Truckyard will open August 14th of this year at 214 west 7th Street in St. Paul (across the street from Cossetta’s.) The 7,000 square food space will have games, plenty of beer and trucks retrofitted with kitchens serving a variety of fare like a vintage RV with fried chicken and tacos. Inside the bar will continue the drink trend that refuses to die: tiki. Expect reasonably priced rum drinks in the glasses everyone wants to steal after four or five coco-nuttys and mai thais.

Facebook

—Also riding the love of beer into town is HopCat, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based chain opens its 10th location on July 29 at 465 Nicollet Mall. There will be 80 taps of beer so crafty they should come with their own Beastie Boys song. The menu is packed with buzz words like “killer mac and cheese,” “pretzel nuggz” and crack fries, which are apparently the signature item.