by Mike Mitchelson
May 15, 2012
in
About town, Blog, Restaurant News, Restaurant Openings
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PRAIRIE KITCHEN & BAR Highlights Mpls. Hyatt $25 Mill. revamp
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis announced that the 168-seat Prairie Kitchen & Bar will open on May 25. The opening of the 5,500 square foot new restaurant marks a key milestone in the $25 million renovation of the hotel’s guestrooms, suites, and public areas.
According to the press release, Prairie Kitchen & Bar “will specialize in locally grown and seasonal items that evoke the Scandinavian and farming heritage of Minnesota.”
Executive Chef Aaron Hagerdorn is a Culinary Institute of America grad, and is instilling in the menu a “tribute to Minnesota’s unique cuisine, with an emphasis on fresh regional produce, meat, grains, and dairy products,” he said.
Good to see that hotel get a facelift—I, for one, am interested to see the new joint. My last time in there was in late 2010, meeting Chez Panisse Chef David Tanis for an interview. We were both in dumbfounded awe and a slight bit of horror with the time warp of a lobby in which we found ourselves. I haven’t been back since. But it’s a unique venue, I’ve been to several events there over the years—easy parking, nice event spaces, hooked up via skyway, all that. So it’s great to see the money being dumped in for the facelift, and a premier restaurant (if it turns out that way) would be all the better.
by Mike Mitchelson
May 14, 2012
in
About town, Blog, Restaurant News
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Champp’s, Redstone, BLVD founder Vlahos declares bankruptcy
From the Star Tribune yesterday:
“Dean P. Vlahos, also known as Dean Vlachos and Dean Speros Vlachos, as surety for Redstag Properties, Idlewild Properties, Midtown Partners, CRG Investments, DSV Ventures, Chuck & Harold’s, Idlewild Properties II, Wayzata Circle, 78 Street Properties, Redstone American Grills Inc., Luxe Entertainment, Minnesota Airline Holdings and 13th Day, doing business as Boulevard Kitchen & Bar, 270 Bushaway Rd., Wayzata; filed May 4, 12-42728; Chap. 7; assets, $45,812; liabilities, $11,811,854.”
As reported previously in FSN, Vlahos recovered after the implosion of his former friend and convicted Ponzi-schemer Tom Petter’s hollow empire collapsed in 2008—in which Vlahos (and others) was heavily invested—to open BLVD Kitchen & Bar and then eventually reinstated to the Redstone American Grill Board.
For even MORE details (including info from FSN’s reporting in 2008, read Jonathan Maze’s turn today in FSN’s sister publication, the Restaurant Finance Monitor.
by Danielle McFarland
May 11, 2012
in
Blog, Restaurant News, Restaurant Openings
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Devil’s Advocate-Minneapolis
Opened May 7
Although his third venture as restaurateur, Erik Forsberg gets his first shot at launching his own concept from the ground up. The result is Devil’s Advocate, now occupying the old Hell’s Kitchen space in Downtown Minneapolis.
While sitting at the extended mahogany bar, one can’t help but ogle Forsberg’s dream draft beer selection. The 40 craft and rare to find beers (e.g. Duchesse De Bourgogne, Goose Island Matilda…) are hands down the most elaborate and obscure draft beer offerings in the Twin Cities.
Every Culture has a Meatball
Forsberg’s menu concept showcases meatballs with a mix-a-match, build your own menu. For instance, pick a meatball (served in portions from one to four): pork, beef, chicken, salmon, or falafel. Enjoy the meatball naked or add a sauce: pomodoro, pesto, mushroom cream sauce, roasted garlic yogurt… Build a sandwich with pick your own bun: pretzel, baguette or single slider. Melt some cheese over it: fresh mozzarella or smoked provolone. Get your balls over salad or pasta. The menu can accommodate the pickiest palates while staying affordable comfort food (all sides $5).
by Julie Brown-Micko
May 4, 2012
in
Current Issue, Movies for Foodies
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St. Paul-ites (try to) conquer New York
They say if you can make it there you can make it anywhere—New York, that is. Home to 18,000 restaurants and a graveyard to many more, countless young entrepreneurs head to Gotham to test their mettle. The city boasts a diverse food culture unlike any other, but when four out of five restaurants close within five years of opening, can two bright-eyed boys from St. Paul, Minnesota make good?
by Robert Lillegard
May 3, 2012
in
Chef's Dish, Current Issue, Recipes, Sides, Small Plates, Soups, Sauces, Dressings
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Chef’s Dish: Tom Hanson, Duluth Grill
In this Chef’s Dish revival, we’re talking to chefs from around the state to bring you new recipes. We’ll ask the chefs about their cooking philosophy, then bring you recipes to bring that philosophy to life.
The chef: Tom Hanson, owner of the local-foods favorite the Duluth Grill.
The philosophy: “I am one of those people who go on gut instincts of doing what is right and then I’ll try to make it work. I will always do what I think is in the best interest of my staff and customer before I try to make money. We are a scratch kitchen. We serve the freshest food and evaluate the ingredients for quality, nutritional value, as well as flavor in our cooking. Often I have found one has to love their business more than themselves to make it work.
The recipes:
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