Eater Twin Cities: All Posts by Cinnamon JanzerThe Minneapolis Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2023-06-21T14:06:08-05:00https://twincities.eater.com/authors/cinnamon-janzer/rss2023-06-21T14:06:08-05:002023-06-21T14:06:08-05:00Where to Find Birria and Quesabirria Tacos Around the Twin Cities
<figure>
<img alt="Three quesabirria tacos with a side of consomé on a silver plate." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DG4JNq8ZBmR7v1AgXA99ACzb09s=/262x0:4462x3150/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68798625/GettyImages_1239881013.7.jpg" />
<figcaption>A trail of birria taco spots around Minneapolis and St. Paul. | The Washington Post via Getty Im</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s all about the consomé at these local restaurants</p> <p id="vT4pC8">From its origins in the Jalisco region of Mexico to its evolution in Tijuana, birria, a beloved Mexican dish, has <a href="https://www.eater.com/22215718/how-birria-tacos-conquered-america">become a food sensation in the United States</a> in the past decade or so. Birria takes many forms: There’s birria de caldo, a meaty stew traditionally served for celebratory occasions, made with an adobo chile-based broth and goat or other meat. Birria tacos, which convert the stew into taco form, are served with a side of rich consomé for dipping, and quesabirria is a Tijuana-rooted taco variant with added cheese, fried on a flat-top grill. Raw diced onion and finely chopped cilantro adorn the shredded meat. For birria and quesabirria in the Twin Cities, check out these 16 spots.</p>
<p id="X0lZeM"><em>Note that these restaurants are listed geographically. </em></p>
https://twincities.eater.com/maps/best-birria-quesabirria-tacos-mexican-caldo-consome-minneapolis-st-paulCinnamon JanzerLindsay AbrahamEater Staff2020-10-14T10:00:00-05:002020-10-14T10:00:00-05:00How Does a Dive Bar Survive a Pandemic?
<figure>
<img alt="illustration of a can of generic looking cheap bear next to a shot glass containing a lime green liquid, with a lime slice hovering over it" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/toMDX0KQR7GOJHfgCoIke0H4-pM=/200x0:1800x1200/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67585477/anassner_200922_1034_DIA_DiveBar.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Eater</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>St. Paul’s historic Skinner’s Pub has relied on loyal regulars and food sales to keep pouring through the coronavirus crisis</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="EsfGEt">In Minnesota, where the winter nights last longer than the days, there is a culture of drinking the cold away, especially in the working-class areas. It’s not uncommon to see children yanking towering barstools over to Buck Hunter, happy to pound on clacking buttons without ever putting a coin in the machine, while the grownups bend an elbow as they wait on a meal. Adults lean into the bar: It’s the first stop after work, after church, and sometimes for a quick pick-me-up before family get-togethers. Places like these weave their way into the fabric of a community, providing not just a place to blow off steam, but a thriving, ever-evolving extended family. Skinner’s Pub, on a neighborhood stretch of street in Saint Paul, is that kind of bar.</p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang"><div id="RMYlXQ"><a href="https://www.eater.com/e/21259295"><img src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21944072/DIA_Recirc.jpg"></a></div></div>
<p id="w7OYgO">Pete and Molly Skinner purchased the bar at 919 Randolph Avenue 20 years ago, but before that, this location had been a dive under different names and different owners stretching back to just after Prohibition. This year, to mark that momentous occasion, the owners had planned to throw a monster party. A ten year anniversary found the parking lot emptied of cars and with an amateur wrestling ring erected in the middle. On a record-breaking hot day, Skinner’s regulars and staff gathered under the blazing sun for beers and cheered on wrestlers: men and women of all sizes grappling and mugging for the cheering crowd. Pete and Molly had planned to pull out the stops and bring back the ring for the 20th anniversary in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.</p>
<p id="AuLseC">“Our last day [of traditional service] was St. Pat’s. We were open until 5 or 6 p.m. and did what we could,” Pete said. In normal years, the bar would have a tent outside for St. Patrick’s Day, fully staffed with all hands on deck to serve rowdy crowds. </p>
<p id="OlMTHF">The boyish-faced owner began his career as a cook, working in other neighborhood bars. It was at one such place that he met Molly, a long-haired server who shared his optimism and Midwestern work ethic. The only times the two aren’t in the bar are when they’re caring for their family; vacations are rare and often include friends who they’ve known since childhood. In Saint Paul, people rarely leave the ZIP code they are born into, and can usually identify each other by which local church their family attends.</p>
<p id="LCuULJ"><a href="https://twincities.eater.com/neighborhood/2172/west-seventh?_ga=2.122092235.1330897245.1602596368-913865400.1474047502">West 7th</a>, the neighborhood where Skinner’s is located, is like that. It’s a traditionally blue-collar area where many shift workers who could earn a good living making Ranger trucks at the nearby Ford plant lived. Third-shift workers could count on turning up at 8 a.m., when bars would open for a post-shift drink while the sun made its morning ascent. In recent years, the neighborhood has evolved. As one of the few affordable areas in town, where home prices start at around $200,000 and older generations are moving on, more creatives and young families moving in. Down the street from Skinner’s, a couple of trendier restaurants have opened: <a href="https://twincities.eater.com/venue/36914/muccis-italian">Mucci’s Italian</a>, a popular trattoria with no reservation system, sends diners over to the pub to have it act as its de facto waiting room. </p>
<div class="p-fullbleed-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The exterior of Skinner’s Pub, a brick building on a road at dusk with a glowing sign. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ag2syovsHKZVAFZZd_agpK9qO7Q=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21957422/skinners_store_front_1024x683.jpg">
<cite>Skinner’s Pub</cite>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="ZWar2Y">But on March 17, <a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2020/3/17/21183222/all-minnesota-bars-restaurants-ordered-closed-governor-tim-walz#:~:text=Share%20All%20sharing%20options%20for,to%20Close%20as%20Gathering%20Places&text=Monday%20at%205%20p.m.%20Minnesota's,wake%20of%20the%20coronavirus%20pandemic.">Minnesota’s governor shut down bars as gathering areas</a>. The bare scuffed floors and duct tape-patched vinyl stools seemed to emphasize a deafening emptiness in Skinner’s. Its gold thread-painted mirrors appeared ghostly, reflecting the unfilled room. Inside, though, the kitchen remained humming.</p>
<p id="DqCUML">Pete, along with his longtime chef, Seth Buckwald, fielded a steady stream of orders, churning out Skinner’s signature square-cut, thin-crust <a href="https://twincities.eater.com/maps/best-local-pizza-delivered-pandemic-minneapolis-st-paul">pizzas</a>, fried chicken wings, club sandwiches, burgers, and even totchos. Skinner’s was already used to delivering, for free, around the neighborhood, and customers lit up the phone lines with orders from day one. Molly’s servers showed up to work the phones, sometimes recognizing regulars by their voices and orders. “We were pretty lucky with that,” Pete said.</p>
<p id="A993V8">Much of the regular rhythms of the bar were gone: there was no Bar-go (a Bingo-type game), no pull-tabs (a charitable gambling ticket game known throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin), and no one was obnoxiously plugging Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar,” into the jukebox over and over again.</p>
<p id="togZEU">“[Originally] we had to lay off the bartenders and the servers, but what we did was, if they still wanted to work, we were rotating shifts for answering the phones and running food out to the cars,” Pete said. </p>
<p id="IjuQvH">Buckwald recalled coming into work that first day after the bar was shut down. There was a creeping eeriness, from the empty parking lot to the dark bar with all the neon bar signs out to the silence inside. Usually, Buckwald arrives to the distinctive music of conversation, clinking glassware, and orders being called out. “There was a lot of uncertainty, obviously, as none of us had ever experienced anything like this before,” he said. </p>
<p id="ws6O0E">However, since the bar was already known for offering delivery, he didn’t have time to linger. Soon the phone was jangling with orders. He had to put his head down and cook. “It led to us being very busy in the kitchen,” said Buckwald.</p>
<p id="K0QKsW">“Overall, we’re down,” in terms of revenue, Peter said, “but we’ve got almost everyone back employed.”</p>
<p id="tYib2I">The shift to food came naturally to Pete, since he and Molly had recently launched a full catering business after years of already providing nacho bars and other foods for large parties, weddings, even funerals. “You make money selling liquor, and when that was gone, it hurt us pretty good,” he said. Even now that bars are allowed to sell beer or wine to go — but only with food orders, and only one six-pack or bottle of wine at a time — the revenue increase is minimal. “Who’s going to buy four beers for $20? They’ll just go to a liquor store and buy a case for $20,” Pete said.</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="opcVO3"><q>Places like these weave their way into the fabric of a community, providing a thriving, ever-evolving extended family.</q></aside></div>
<p id="18EzP5">He attributes Skinner’s current success to the neighborhood, the tight-knit community in Saint Paul, and some help from the local government.</p>
<p id="WF6dQn">“The city was helpful — we didn’t have to go through all the [usual] red tape to get outdoor sidewalk seating,” he said of the extra space for overflow seating, arranged to meet the spacing requirements for the patio. Skinner’s has long had an established relationship with city hall; in typical Saint Paul fashion, Pete’s childhood friend is former city councilman Patrick Harris. It was through Harris that Skinner’s joined with several other notable Saint Paul businesses to founded <a href="https://www.servingourtroops.com/">Serving Our Troops</a>, a nonprofit organization where families of service members and troops serving overseas are able to connect via a live satellite feed and simultaneously share a steak dinner.</p>
<p id="zCj2tD">As statewide restrictions have loosed, Skinner’s has been able to welcome guests back into the bar — but with restaurants and bars still being flagged as coronavirus hotbeds, it’s far from the way it had been before. High-top tables have been added to the setup, where patrons can sit near the bar but not directly at its rail. Regulars are still there for support, a few populating the patio or taking a seat indoors, all masked up. Long winters, however, are on its doorstep. With colder temperatures due to arrive this week, the reality for this long-standing bar will be forced to shift again. “We have a heater and can probably keep people out there [through] October,” Pete said.</p>
<p id="PlIYC5">The inability to gather and drink leaves a bit of a hole in the heart of this community, one that, when a regular died from a heart attack, left a sign on his usual seat with an upturned shot glass (the bar shorthand for “someone bought you your next drink”), and a pack of smokes for weeks after he was gone. </p>
<p id="pTkTe0">Then again, when the Ford plant closed, the people carried on. When ownership passed from one generation to the next, people still found their way back to these tattered barstools. Bartenders would still crack a favorite beer when a regular stepped over the threshold, laying it in front of their seat before the regular even fully sat down. Giving up, going down, or shrinking in the face of hardship isn’t what people do in this part of the world. And definitely not at Skinner’s.</p>
<p id="kIwsm0">“Maybe we’ll do a 21st or 22nd anniversary party,” Pete said. Until then, the only wrestler at Skinner’s remains the hand-painted mural of Mad Dog Vachon, howling at the moon, in the world’s weirdest bar clock. Time marches on, but the space holds its timeless appeal.</p>
<ul>
<li id="0Lck4e">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/maps/best-bar-restaurant-west-7th-seventh-st-paul">Where to Eat and Drink in St. Paul’s West 7th Neighborhood</a> [ETC]</li>
<li id="KETB2D">
<a href="http://www.citypages.com/best-of/2012/food-and-drink/skinners-pub-eatery-7365321">Best Neighborhood Bar St. Paul: Skinner’s Pub</a> [CP]</li>
</ul>
<aside id="QpZwx3"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"twincities-eater"}'></div></aside>
https://twincities.eater.com/21454960/skinners-dive-bar-west-seventh-neighborhoodCinnamon JanzerJoy Summers2020-07-22T10:15:22-05:002020-07-22T10:15:22-05:00Determined to Prove the Power of Corn, One Minneapolis Chef Opens a New Tortillería and Restaurant
<figure>
<img alt="Black and white image of Gustavo Romero from the torso up, hands on his hips, wearing a chef coat and an apron. A corn cob tattoo is visible on his forearm." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-efr6-yFZLl8zCrZjCNKl0uyR1g=/414x0:1425x758/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67091692/Gustavo_Romero_cr_Nixta.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Chef Gustavo Romero, owner of Northeast’s new Nixta | <a class="ql-link" href="https://www.nixtampls.com/" target="_blank">Nixta</a> [WEB]</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Chef Gustavo Romero opens Nixta in Northeast</p> <p id="e42h6L">Growing up on a farm in Hidalgo, a central Mexican state north of Mexico City smattered with ruins of the Toltec Empire, mountains, and natural hot springs, Gustavo Romero’s earliest memories involve playing in the colorful Oaxacan heirloom corn that his family used to grow. “Corn has always been very close to me,” he says, and by extension so has the traditional, handmade tortillas that come from it. That’s exactly what Romero is bringing to the Twin Cities with <a href="https://www.nixtampls.com/">Nixta</a>, a Northeast Minneapolis tortilleria that just began offering family-style take-out dinners to the public this week.</p>
<p id="e4YLWl">Twice a week, Nixta offers a changing menu. A typical meal includes a couple of pounds of meat alongside rice, beans, a selection of salsas, and a healthy package of tortillas to be heated up at home for four people for $55. Those interested can sign up through the bottom of <a href="https://www.nixtampls.com/">Nixta’s website</a> to receive updates, and menus. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Wrapped masa" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/L522-Ovt4TJCrsIfb4vp4JflqIA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20106185/19_0510_MexicoCityCuisine_03.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://courtneyperry.photoshelter.com/index/G0000oHgUCz0e09M/thumbs" target="_blank">Courtney Perry</a></cite>
<figcaption>Heirloom corn lends vibrant colors to the masa Romero makes</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="A76o9m">Romero envisions the storefront location eventually offering everything from tamales and empanadas to salsas and, of course, packs of tortillas.</p>
<p id="egO9wH">Nixta gets its name from nixtamalization, the soaking process that Romero uses to craft his Mexican tortillas, something he struggled to find when he came to the U.S. through Arizona as a 17-year old. “I have a memory of the first time I went to a Mexican restaurant in the States after not eating Mexican food for weeks,” he recalls. “I received my food and I was very disappointed. This isn’t what [Mexican food] is.”</p>
<p id="UkczMT">While this is probably where the first seeds of what would grow into Nixta were planted, Romero’s path was a winding one that took him to Italy, Oakland, and more before calling Minneapolis home.</p>
<p id="axIIHw">Despite growing up in a culture where the kitchen was the women’s domain—“We weren’t even allowed to help,” he says—Romero’s grandmothers were spirited and talented cooks who grew everything they ate, from corn to rabbits. “The happiness of the kitchen always attracted me. There was music and laughs and joy,” he says, something he found while washing dishes in Georgia as an undocumented immigrant. “It was the same as the kitchen in my hometown, the same vibes. It had the stress and the burns, but it was so similar.”</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9pYzLaZbWgI2STaz-bn4kxRsBaE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20106199/Gustavo_Kua_cr_Courtney_Perry_for_Travail.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://courtneyperry.photoshelter.com/index/G0000oHgUCz0e09M/thumbs" target="_blank">Courtney Perry</a></cite>
<figcaption>Romero pressing tortillas inside Travail’s temporary Minneapolis location</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="Vq5nR9">Eventually Romero went to culinary school where he studied under an Italian mentor and finished his education in Italy. “My mentor called my cooking fusion confusion because I was always trying to add Mexican [flair] to Italian food,” he says, laughing.</p>
<p id="DRyT60">After spending 10 years as a Mexican food-loving Italian chef, Romero moved to Oakland to help with the masa program at <a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/19165/calavera">Calavera</a>, a Bay Area restaurant known for exactly that. “My love for corn kind of came back. I was able to buy corn from my home state,” he says, realizing that his calling was to save the rapidly disappearing heirloom corn of his childhood.</p>
<p id="mBuGuq">Despite the global <a href="https://www.vice.com/da/article/qb5ddp/mexican-food-explosion">explosion of Mexican food</a> that has <a href="https://qz.com/326010/australia-is-going-taco-crazy/">swept the world</a> in recent years, “I think a lot of people don’t fully understand the culture [behind it] and forget the most important part of it”—the corn, he says. “People think white corn is the way it’s supposed to be because it’s uniform and pretty, [but that] started pushing other corns away... In Mexico, we have 59 registered types of corn and my hometown holds 40 of them.” </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zs8iVBzpb0Rs3ObbbwN3kRfNork=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20105948/Kua_Courteny_Perry_for_Travail.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://courtneyperry.photoshelter.com/index/G0000oHgUCz0e09M/thumbs" target="_blank">Courtney Perry</a></cite>
<figcaption>A meal at Kua, the pop-up Romero did with Travail in Minneapolis</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="S4pgIR">Another opportunity to dive deeper into corn with <a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2019/6/21/18700775/travail-kua-mexican-pop-up-restaurant-minneapolis">Kua</a>, a Travail pop-up restaurant featuring insect dishes, is a major part of what brought Romero back to Minneapolis last year. “I wanted to bring the experience that I have working with corn to the Twin Cities—there’s nothing else like it.” Once Kua ran its course, Romero began hosting taco nights at Mercy’s basement speakeasy until COVID-19 hit. “It was either me finding another job or using the rest of the corn that I had with me,” Romero says, and he opted for the latter.</p>
<p id="KSHEBy">What started with Romero making tortillas for family, friends, and friends of friends while taking classes. His understanding of corn has blossomed over the last few months into the Northeast tortilleria that Nixta is today. Working with <a href="http://fundaciontortilla.org/">Fundación Tortilla</a>, a reputable supplier who Romero knows is paying fair prices to Mexican farmers, he sees Nixta as “really going back to my roots and trying to help my community there while doing things here. This is the best way to do that.”</p>
<p id="ouM1os">In addition to offering meal kits, Nixta hopes to supply local chefs and restaurants with tortillas designed to take their Mexican dishes to the next level both in taste and quality. “Good tortillas are a superfood. Good blue corn has antioxidants, calcium, and fiber,” he says, rebuking the idea that tortillas are as nutritionally empty as the flour version and adding that Minnesota is an ideal home for his love of masa.</p>
<p id="hotGjW">“The first time I went to the State Fair, I saw the heirloom corn and I was so excited,” he recalls. He contacted the farmers but was dismayed to find out that they just grew it for show. “It has a lot to do with the modified seed being so successful.” Someday he hopes to find a way to help local growers make a living growing heirloom corns as he eventually expands Nixta.</p>
<div id="Y88o8N">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-stvKMjXKQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-stvKMjXKQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewbox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-stvKMjXKQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Nixta. Tortilleria (@nixtampls)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-04-07T23:48:55+00:00">Apr 7, 2020 at 4:48pm PDT</time></p>
</div></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
</div>
<p id="JiKSJm">“I want Nixta to grow and more people to have it,” he said. However, “I don’t want to be big if that means sacrificing the product.” Romero is looking into a Mexican company that is making a machine that could make his work easier and faster, but for the time being he continues to fry his hand-pressed tortillas on a flattop. </p>
<p id="IHGaK8">“The most important thing is that I want people to experience exactly that feeling of going back to Mexico when they eat this type of food,” he adds. Ultimately, “I just want to keep making stuff people haven’t seen.”</p>
<ul>
<li id="NzjUKp">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/nixtampls/">Nixta</a> [IG]</li>
<li id="BtTQJp">
<a href="https://www.travailkitchen.com/pressposts/2020/1/21/kua-modern-mexican-at-the-travail-residency">The Travail Residency launches Kua: Modern Mexican</a> [TRAVAIL]</li>
<li id="wKddeM">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2019/6/21/18700775/travail-kua-mexican-pop-up-restaurant-minneapolis">Travail teams with Gustavo Romero for Kua: a taste of Mexico City</a> [ETC]</li>
</ul>
<aside id="SrCBnJ"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"twincities-eater"}'></div></aside>
https://twincities.eater.com/2020/7/22/21333984/nixta-northeast-minneapolis-gustavo-romero-mexican-restaurant-open-addressCinnamon Janzer2020-07-02T06:29:00-05:002020-07-02T06:29:00-05:00Burned in the Riots, One St. Paul Restaurant Seeks to Rebuild
<figure>
<img alt="The scorched exterior sign of Bolé and burned out husk of the building" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HrSMW1wqHd_JOEYDWW3toMZF0-I=/0x0:960x720/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67009156/Bole_Ethiopian_Exterior_cr_FB.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The exterior of Bolé after being destroyed by fire on May 28 | Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine/<a class="ql-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/boleusa/photos/a.1786956861595655/2392426031048732/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Facebook</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine was on the cusp of expansion when chaos ripped through its Midway neighborhood </p> <p id="XcvyqH">Like many restaurateurs, Rekik Meratsion and Solomon Hailie planned to suspend all services during the COVID-19 spring closures. But demand from customers kept <a href="https://www.boleethiopiancuisine.com/">Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine</a> open for to-go orders and delivery. “The neighborhood was asking if we were going to close and if we could stay open. We know some community members are in need of food for free, so we stayed open,” Meratsion says. The two, who are married, worked almost all of the hours themselves and averaged two to three free meals per day, as they usually do. “We always try to provide.”</p>
<p id="OIQHj4">The to-go business was going so well, in fact, that they decided to expand by turning a former Subway next door into a fast-casual Bolé Express. To market the new outpost, Meratsion and Hailie asked the community to nominate their favorite medical professionals working on the frontlines of the pandemic for free meals. “We were just working on the logistics of how we could prepare and deliver those meals. Everything was brand new and so exciting,” Meratsion says.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The hot line, shielded by glass inside the restaurant" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/clBfdNtDdY5vWOR0Ux0ZDOyRG4M=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20062285/Bole__Express_cr_FB.jpg">
<cite>Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine/<a class="ql-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/boleusa/photos/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">Facebook</a></cite>
<figcaption>Inside the just-about-to-open Bolé Express days before the riots</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="cO3eK3">Elsewhere, across the Twin Cities, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/george-floyd-protests-timeline.html">tensions were mounting</a>. On May 25, former officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, killing him. Enraged by yet another death of a Black person at the hands of police, protestors took to the streets the following day, sparking what would become a growing unrest across the city and nation. By the night of May 27, protestors were routinely being met with tear gas, and riots erupted along Minneapolis’ East Lake Street.</p>
<p id="I5qhfg">By Thursday morning, as the Bolé team anticipated the upcoming expansion of their business, the unrest began to spread to their St. Paul Midway neighborhood.</p>
<p id="MacNHh">It was at the Target on Hamline Avenue and University where St. Paul tensions first sparked. Like Minneapolis’ Lake Street, University Avenue is composed of many small, immigrant-owned businesses mixed with several larger big-box retailers, like Target. Looters attempted to take the store, leading to a standoff with police. From there, violence and vandalism slowly built along the thoroughfare, soon reaching Bole’s adjacent location just feet away.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Google Map showing the area" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YYz4JLLyOK6lZlglq_VwTm8PbVk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20062310/Screen_Shot_2020_07_01_at_9.05.33_AM.png">
<cite>Google/<a class="ql-link" href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bole+Ethiopian+Cuisine/@44.9560237,-93.1562869,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x87f62a75f2ae20bd:0x1468e60d72ccdea7!8m2!3d44.9560237!4d-93.1540982" target="_blank">Maps</a></cite>
<figcaption>Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine was just steps away from the Target where the St. Paul riots began</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="ZiSDaX">That morning, Meratsion opened the restaurant. As customers trickled in, they began to tell her that something was going on and that it would be wise to close. When her husband joined her at 1:30 p.m., they made the decision to close together and locked up by 2:30 p.m. “It was already chaotic. There were a lot of police,” she recalls. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Minneapolis St. Paul George Floyd protests and cleanup" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gewMsQW0dllHY3yzJ0OyCQycSTg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20062307/1235390108.jpg.jpg">
<cite>John Autey / MediaNews Group / St. Paul Pioneer Press via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>Construction crews cleaning up the nearby burned out NAPA Auto Parts store</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="l6TlcX">As the riots spread, Hailie went back to the restaurant to grab computers and other important documents around 4:30 p.m. By the time he arrived, the NAPA Auto Parts adjacent to their restaurant was on fire and their building was full of smoke.</p>
<p id="dwBGor">The fire department worked for hours to put the blaze out, to no avail. “By 7:30 p.m., the fire fighters said that it was time to go home, that there was nothing they could do to save the place,” Meratsion says. “The next day, we said maybe the fire went out and something was saved. We went early Friday morning, and everything was burned to ashes.”</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The third day of mourning and protesting and looting after the death of George Floyd in police custody" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sFifk_a_qPpxhWtbnUklDRtGOjg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20062314/1229780538.jpg.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>The sun setting over the cities as Midway Avenue smoldered on May 27</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="0xOZX5">From friends to business consultants, several people suggested starting a GoFundMe to recoup their losses, but at first Meratsion and Hailie weren’t too keen on the idea. “People are losing their jobs and trying to make ends meet. We didn’t feel comfortable [doing it], but the community kept saying we should because everyone wants us to come back, so we gave it a chance,” said Meratsion. They let a friend set up the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-bole-ethiopian-cuisine">Rebuilding Bole Ethiopian Cuisine</a> page on May 29.</p>
<p id="V6ZjIX">Within two days, the $100,000 goal was met. Today the total donated stands at $152,274 thanks to 3,700 donors and 9,700 shares.</p>
<p id="NWTY59">“We have reached our goal and we are overwhelmed and speechless by the amount of love and support you have shared with us!” wrote Lelna Desta, the organizer of the page. “We have read every comment, every post, and we know you have become a historical part of rebuilding the Bole you know and love. As we finish our campaign, we will redirect our efforts to other businesses that [have] been impacted in the Twin Cities.”</p>
<p id="x5QLMT">And that’s exactly what they did.</p>
<p id="6Vn2Wc">“There were other [businesses and friends] burning as well and we wanted to help them out. We took our share and said let’s help everyone out so they can meet their goal,” Meratsion says. That same day Hailie <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Flinktr.ee%2Fboleminnesota&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Ftwincities.eater.com%2F" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">curated a list</a> of donation pages for other local businesses that needed support as well and shared it on the restaurant’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/boleusa/">Facebook page,</a> </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A plate of food " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xRthylBteJI4UtGRM-SXI7QVRgQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20062626/Bole_Ethiopian_Cuisine_food_cr_FB.jpg">
<cite>Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine/<a class="ql-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/boleusa/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></cite>
<figcaption>Bolé looks to rebuild, but as of now, the owners aren’t yet certain where that will be</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="ronQD9">asking for their supporters to share the list with their network and inform them of other businesses to add to the list.</p>
<p id="Sexs25">“My husband has been working with the Ethiopian community for a very long time. People know him and want him to succeed, so everyone was focusing on us, but we could see that others were hurting as well,” Meratsion says. “We put ourselves in their shoes and imagined if it was us on the other side. It’s only fair. How can you be satisfied with what you have when someone next to you is hurting?”</p>
<p id="FL8x2j">When it comes to the future, Meratsion and Hailie are already on the move. When interviewed on the phone as they pulled over on the side of the road while out scouting potential new Midway properties for the next generation of Bole. However, one thing is for sure: They’re not interested in going back to leasing. “Right now, we don’t know if we’re going to rebuild [in the same location]. We don’t know what the owner wants to do,” she says. If they find a place to buy, “The next time anything happens we can rebuild right away.”</p>
<p id="yhturu">Immediate next steps are focused on the fast-casual side of things considering how successful their COVID to-go adventure was, but they’re also driven by the desire to find a dine-in location that is just right for their community focused space.</p>
<p id="NT9oNI">“We are ready to work and want to get back in business,” Meratsion adds. “The community is waiting for us.”</p>
<ul>
<li id="xB1f25">
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/george-floyd-protests-timeline.html">A Timeline of the George Floyd Protests</a> [NYT]</li>
<li id="dF8z8d">
<a href="https://www.twincities.com/2020/06/09/aerial-views-of-st-paul-minneapolis-show-the-extent-of-destruction-from-riots/">Aerial Views Show the Damage of St. Paul Fires</a> [PiPress]</li>
<li id="EWckCx">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2020/6/5/21281488/east-lake-street-after-riots-whats-open-murals-minneapolis">Forever Changed by the Uprising, East Lake Street Remains a Powerful Representation of Minneapolis</a> [ETC]</li>
<li id="oPYkEM">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2020/6/1/21276830/donate-restaurants-burned-destroyed-fire-riots-minneapolis-st-paul">Fundraisers for Restaurants Destroyed During Unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul</a> [ETC]</li>
</ul>
<aside id="i3Q1D5"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"twincities-eater"}'></div></aside>
https://twincities.eater.com/2020/7/2/21308371/rebuilding-bole-ethiopian-st-paul-midway-unrest-riot-firesCinnamon Janzer2019-12-03T15:05:38-06:002019-12-03T15:05:38-06:00A Raucous, Fun Sushi Restaurant Is Opening in the North Loop
<figure>
<img alt="Lined up sushi rolls" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XpG-phARRJK6mGW-gj-yPMvv0Fo=/109x0:542x325/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65818499/sushi_fix_rolls.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Billy Tserenbat’s super fun sushi show is coming back to downtown Minneapolis | Joy Summers/Eater Twin Cities</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Billy Tserenbat takes over the old Sweet Chow location</p> <p id="eQBYvK">It only took a few months for someone to nab up the former Sweet Chow space that <a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2019/9/3/20847704/sweet-chow-southeast-asian-eatery-ice-cream-shop-closed-minneapolis-north-loop">shuttered in September</a>, and that someone is Billy Tserenbat formerly of Sushi Fix, currently of <a href="https://www.eatbibuta.com/">Eat Bibuta</a> and <a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2017/3/29/15105866/baja-haus-open-hours-address-menu-wayzata">Baja Haus</a>.</p>
<p id="k880wx">Tucked into the neighborhood’s bustling streets at 116 North 1st Avenue, Billy Sushi will be opening its doors around May 1, 2020. A friend, Paul Hyde of Hyde Development, saw the space and made the connection. The soon-to-be sushi spot will have a full bar and a sushi bar in addition to roughly 100 seats.</p>
<p id="qo8ET2">Tserenbat first gained notice with the metro’s very first sushi food truck before setting up shop in a permanent space in Wayzata as Sushi Fix. Tserenbat sold his stake in that restaurant back in the summer of 2017. He went on to open a Mexican restaurant in downtown Wayzata, start a poke-serving food truck that just opened a downtown Minneapolis location, but he missed making sushi.</p>
<p id="d6QaIe">“Just going back to making sushi is making me so excited,” Tserenbat <a href="http://www.startribune.com/new-north-loop-sushi-bar-in-the-works-from-the-team-behind-sushi-fix-bibuta/565727932/">told the Strib</a>. “Besides my kids and my wife, there is no other pleasure in my life outside of sushi. I’m just thrilled.”</p>
<ul>
<li id="XgAmFs">
<a href="http://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/coming-soon-billy-sushi-to-the-north-loop/">Coming Soon: Billy Sushi to the North Loop</a> [MSPMag]</li>
<li id="um1wxi">
<a href="http://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/billy-tserenbat-sells-sushi-fix/">Billy Tserenbat Sells Sushi Fix</a> [MSPMag]</li>
<li id="4KSFkt">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2017/3/29/15105866/baja-haus-open-hours-address-menu-wayzata">Baja Haus Is a Taste of Endless Summer in Downtown Wayzata</a> [ETC]</li>
<li id="aOBfne">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2014/8/21/6168097/sushi-fix-from-food-truck-to-full-bar-edo-style-sushi-restaurant-is">Sushi Fix: From edo-style sushi serving food truck to brick and mortar</a> [ETC]</li>
<li id="TX5kYK">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/search?q=billy+tserenbat">All Billy Tserenbat Coverage</a> [ETC]</li>
</ul>
https://twincities.eater.com/2019/12/3/20993418/suhi-billy-tserenbat-north-loop-minneapolisCinnamon Janzer2019-11-27T10:33:18-06:002019-11-27T10:33:18-06:00Densely Populated North Loop Is Somehow Getting a Second Food Hall
<figure>
<img alt="A table set with plates of food including a rectagular pizza" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Jvc5jV4taeawpvAEicMI-FIHIcw=/30x0:1363x1000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65786213/5_31_18_Group_2.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Detroit pizza is coming to the North Loop for at least a year | <a class="ql-link" href="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/589c99eae4fcb56412fa84d3/1532363070386-LW5E30Z75YGFF2ECBYSF/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJXnVlzls3qIFX8Fe8ydVx97gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QHyNOqBUUEtDDsRWrJLTmmbLecD_NwfjqNxjfNDWHyMcXacoJjNJr9QPwwDQy4B-_ABEKtEzFLMMNJEwyBYjO/5-31-18+Group-2.jpg?format=1500w" target="_blank">The Galley North Loop </a>[Official]</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The latest Twin Cities food trend continues with Hawaiian food, fried chicken, and more</p> <p id="uFh511"><a href="https://www.galleygrp.com/locations-minneapolis-galley">North Loop Galley</a>, a first-floor food hall is slated to hit the North Loop in Monday December 16, focusing on emerging chefs that offer a variety of food through 12-month leases as something of a test kitchen before opening their own brick and mortar locales. The first chefs to be featured will represent <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onohawaiianplates/">Ono Hawaiian Plates</a>, a Hawaiian pop-up; Soul Fu; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WrecktanglePizza/">Wrecktangle Pizza</a>, Minnesota’s first Detroit-style pizza stand, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thightimesbirdhouse/">Thigh Times Birdhouse</a>, which will offer up variations on fried chicken. There will also be a bar to serve s</p>
<p id="Xcz9Cb">It’s all part of The Nordic, a new building development at 729 Washington Avenue North with a design and style to match its name that currently houses a digital media company and a third Minneapolis WeWork location. Currently housed in the 205,000 square-foot building is <a href="https://www.frgmntcoffee.com/">FRGMT coffee shop</a> that opened earlier this month. </p>
<p id="okxWh9">The food hall will seat up to 200 people inside with 80 additional outdoor seats, with lounge areas and fire pits.</p>
<p id="CdUbdL">This is the second food hall to land in the popular urban neighborhood. <a href="https://twincities.eater.com/2019/9/9/20853406/graze-food-hall-inside-hours-menus-vendors-address">Graze food hall </a>opened in September with popular eateries. That hall has navigated discussion around the parking challenges in the area. </p>
<ul>
<li id="240rpe">
<a href="http://m.startribune.com/nordic-office-building-aspires-to-be-the-living-room-of-the-north-loop/565450282/?fbclid=IwAR3pwEYLTdzx07pH_ltKzLon4J3FKozEEpcEDW2KNq9zj8oR1xm9ESefAlg">Detroit Pizza and Hawaiian Food Coming to New North Loop Food Hall</a> [STRIB]</li>
<li id="65o0jg">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/maps/where-to-eat-drink-best-restaurants-north-loop-downtown-minneapolis">Everywhere Awesome to Eat and Drink in the North Loop</a> [ETC]</li>
<li id="jxF1QT">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/venue/61749/graze-north-loop">All Coverage of Graze Provisions & Libations</a> [ETC]</li>
<li id="pFrF9M">
<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/3/14/18264300/wework-food-inovation-lab-co-working-accelerator-new-york-city">WeWork is Launching a Coworking Space for Food Start Ups</a> [E]</li>
</ul>
<aside id="Ynunm8"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"twincities-eater"}'></div></aside>
https://twincities.eater.com/2019/11/27/20985492/nordic-food-hall-north-loop-downtown-minneapolisCinnamon Janzer2019-11-13T10:01:45-06:002019-11-13T10:01:45-06:009 Twin Cities Restaurants for Outsourcing Thanksgiving
<figure>
<img alt="A roasted turkey surrounded by all the trimmings" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5W07iwn_f-GwI-8LP_kj4kHsY0U=/114x0:1934x1365/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65692143/Urbana_Craeft_Kitchen_Turkey_pic_cr_FB.0.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>It’s okay to lean on the professionals | Eater</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Order takeout Thanksgiving and skip the stress</p> <p id="dW3Fw0">It’s a quaint idea, really—spending all day happily whipping up dishes passed down through the decades for those nearest and dearest to us on an annual day in November. However, many of us who have attempted exactly that know how elusive that goal is since reality often includes burnt dishes, forgotten ingredients, and other hiccups that somehow always get in the way. Get out of the kitchen altogether this year and opt for some take-away meals from these fab spots instead.</p>
<p id="LA92ky"></p>
https://twincities.eater.com/maps/thanksgiving-order-take-away-pick-up-minneapolis-st-paulCinnamon JanzerJoy Summers2019-11-12T10:00:00-06:002019-11-12T10:00:00-06:00Where to Eat Out in the Twin Cities on Thanksgiving
<figure>
<img alt="A line of white tablecloth tables in front of an oil painting of a regal looking guy" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qroRzhsWMjm8NmbY-efKSxsXCTo=/167x0:1500x1000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65684341/TheLexington_Jan2017_06.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Old world class for feasting day | <a class="ql-link" href="http://www.katiecannonphotography.com/lifestyleeditorial/" target="_blank">Katie Cannon</a>/Eater Twin Cities</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Relinquish the dishes and the carving duties</p> <p id="jh7iSU">While the Thanksgiving tradition of slaving over a hot stove for hours on end to feed a stampede of family as they squabble among themselves is an alluring one, there are increasingly more and more options for those who want to ditch cooking altogether and head to a restaurant on Turkey Day. Thanks to the Twin Cities’ excellent food scene, Thanksgiving Day eating out options abound.</p>
https://twincities.eater.com/maps/best-twin-cities-restaurants-open-thanksgiving-2019Cinnamon Janzer2019-11-08T08:13:23-06:002019-11-08T08:13:23-06:0013 Brunches in Minneapolis and St. Paul to Plan a Weekend Around
<figure>
<img alt="Eater Scene: 3:30 PM on Tuesday at the Hi-Lo Diner" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SDNTejJK30tNGUzQOruL0drh9oE=/226x0:3426x2400/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65661297/CZ1A2511p.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Where to go for fried chicken topped doughnuts, and all kinds of other decadent brunch dishes | <a class="ql-link" href="http://www.aprocacciniphoto.com/" target="_blank">Amber Procaccini</a>/Eater Twin Cities</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Where to get biscuits and gravy, eggs Benedict, stacks of pancakes and more</p> <p id="bxIbTU">It’s truly the best of both worlds: syrup-soaked dishes for those with a penchant for breakfast alongside more savory options for early birds who had breakfast at 5 a.m. and are ready for their next meal all at the same place at the same time! Whether it’s a pre-game Bloody bar, a lazy Sunday with friends, or a quick bite to satisfy a range of appetites, here’s where to get a brunch fix in Minneapolis and St. Paul.</p>
https://twincities.eater.com/maps/best-minneapolis-st-paul-twin-citiesCinnamon Janzer2019-11-04T10:48:07-06:002019-11-04T10:48:07-06:00Pop-Up Ice Cream Shop Finds a Permanent Home in Uptown
<figure>
<img alt="A vanilla scoop in a cup with sprinkles" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AqyIZmy7KiEWRfZZzqJe45FhJ7k=/0x120:960x840/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65621332/Bebe_Zito_Ice_Cream_cr_FB.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Uptown is getting another ice cream shop | Bebe Zito Ice Cream/<a class="ql-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/bebezitoicecream/photos/gm.443100206603044/687961281692361/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Facebook</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Bebe Zito will still do some pop-ups, until the store opens</p> <p id="4NA4mT">What was previously a pop-up-only operation, <a href="https://www.bebezitomn.com/">Bebe Zito</a>’s co-owners Gabriella Grant and Ben Sangler will open a permanent location in Uptown in the former Fox Den Salon location. Taking it to the next level, Spangler also popped The Question to Gaby while shooting the promo material for the shop.</p>
<p id="S1slcn">Dedicated to providing “flavor vacations in the medium of cups, cones, or pints,” Bebe Zito offers creamy confections not easily found elsewhere. Self-described as “small batch and chef driven,” the flavors range from blueberry cheesecake with yuzu and pistachio to mushroom and waffle containing candy mushrooms and Stroopwafel. Alongside a vegan option, Bebe Zito offers more traditional flavors like Brazilian chocolate and java chip as well.</p>
<p id="1XwUJj">Until the shop opens, Bebe Zito will continue to pop-up most Fridays at the barbecue pick-up for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlackMarketStP/?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARApOKJGHwA9PjPEqiLHfqaBlgNxdv7yS3jMW0lTX_nxn3fdiX_q4MMqgN3ZMaSyyAtc3J6H1u8xATuJ&fref=mentions">Black Market St. Paul</a> by the high bridge beginning at 5 p.m. </p>
<ul>
<li id="FtyDVF">
<a href="https://www.bebezitomn.com/story">BeBe Zito</a> [WEB]</li>
<li id="5Fc1Yo">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/maps/best-ice-cream-shops-minneapolis-st-paul-twin-cities">The Essential Ice Cream Shops of the Twin Cities </a>[ETC]</li>
<li id="zU3PlJ">
<a href="https://twincities.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-eat-drink-uptown-minneapolis">The Best Spots to Eat and Drink Around Minneapolis’ Uptown Neighborhood</a> [ETC]</li>
</ul>
<aside id="s6Y2NQ"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"twincities-eater"}'></div></aside>
https://twincities.eater.com/2019/11/4/20944322/bebe-zito-ice-cream-pop-up-uptown-minneapolisCinnamon Janzer