Food and Cooking

Red Cow builds buzz-worthy burgers

Loaded and stuffed is the name of the game at this new southwest Minneapolis burger joint

Millennium Hotel introduces new restaurant North 45° Restaurant and Bar

Downtown Minneapolis's Millennium Hotel has undergone a $22 million renovation. Part of the spruce-up includes a new restaurant and bar. They have plans to use some local purveyors and have plenty of Minnesota brews on tap. It's the cooking technique that has us raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Daily Diner Frogtown: A First Look

The interior of the new Daily Diner Frogtown pops with color and art. There's a chalkboard wall with a painted mural (made to look like chalk) celebrating the surrounding community. An overhead art installation is actually a topographical map of the neighborhood. Like the room around it, the staff a ... More >>

Kangaroo hops onto the Hell's Kitchen menu

Alternative meats are starting to come back into vogue these days and Downtown Minneapolis hotspot Hell's Kitchen is hitching a ride on the alt-meat bandwagon in a big way. As of late last week the restaurant started serving kangaroo steaks as one of their regular dinner time meal options. According ... More >>

North Loop restaurant vies for liquor license, French bakery coming to downtown

We first reported about this  North Loop restaurant - then called Tangiers Eatery and Lounge - almost a year ago, but now it looks like this place is getting a few steps closer to actually opening its doors. The restaurant, now known as The Tangiers, has streamlined its name, solidified its pla ... More >>

Spill the Wine: A first look at the new location in Lyn-Lake

The late-afternoon light was spilling through the wall of windows at the new location of Spill the Wine. An early happy hour crowd had already begun to collect inside the new restaurant space at the corner of Bryant Avenue and West Lake Street. Wine glasses were softly clinking as plates were delive ... More >>

New State Fair vendor announced

Today might be cold, but one day it will be warm and we will again fight the good fight: corn dog or Pronto Pup? A sunny bit of Minnesota State Fair news was announced yesterday. Each year the valuable food vendor real estate is fought over by local purveyors both big and small. Food trucks, fine di ... More >>

Daily Diner Frogtown: Coming soon

The mix of cultures and people along the stretch of University Avenue in St. Paul has created a corridor of culinary treasures. The latest restaurant slated to open on the corner of University and Dale won't just focus on feeding the people, it will also aid those in the community who could use a he ... More >>

Rincon 38 shows that less is more

The new tapas restaurant packs a lot of flavor into small plates

Second-annual Spring Ale Fest this weekend

As the craft beer boom continues to widen the availability of premium suds, the festivals continue to grown and change. Beer geeks can find plenty to get excited about at this weekend's second annual Spring Ale Fest, held at Uppercut Gym in northeast Minneapolis. We spoke with event organizer Connor ... More >>

Great Waters brewpub: "It's never a straight path"

The current craft brewing growth isn't Minnesota's first brewery boom. The mid 1990s also saw an uptick in production of local brews, one that can teach the new startups some lessons--at least from those who survived. Great Waters Brewing Company in downtown St. Paul has seen a lot in its 17 years, ... More >>

Signature Dish: Barbette's chef Sarah Master

In the search for the Twin Cities' best culinary creations, we often come across dishes that stop us mid-bite and force us to reflect on the level of thought and artistry chefs put into their work. The efforts of the chefs are often laborious, and the end results are regularly consumed before the fu ... More >>

The best Twin Cities bars for spirits

We distill what local watering holes serve up the best Scotch, gin, tequila, vodka, and more

Blue Plate Company plans Loose-Wiles Freehouse brewpub in North Loop

North Loop is fast becoming the hippest ticket in town. The Blue Plate Company is known for reading just what a neighborhood needs in a casual restaurant spot. This fall, the two will come together. We spoke with co-owner Stephanie Shimp and have all the hoppy details about their plans.

Minnesota restaurants want tips included in minimum wage

With the state Legislature looking to thrust Minnesota's minimum wage up to $9.25 an hour, The Minnesota Restaurant Association (MRA) is throwing its hat into the debate, suggesting that the increase could throw the hospitality industry into financial difficulties. The group is seeking exemptions fo ... More >>

Blackbird's spicy peanut noodles: 50 Favorite Dishes, no. 26

As a countdown to the Best of the Twin Cities 2013, coming April 17, the Hot Dish is serving up 50 of our favorite local dishes. So far our 50 Favorite Dishes countdown has heavily emphasized food from restaurants opened in the last year or so, but this one is more of a perennial favorite, and with ... More >>

Burch delivers the cure for your hunger

Isaac Becker's new restaurant in the old Burch Pharmacy location boasts amazing steaks, dumplings, and pizza

Solo Vino fifth-annual rosé-tasting tickets go on sale

Spring is ready to bloom bright and rosy as another annual sign of warmer weather arrives. Tickets for Solo Vino's annual tasting of blush-colored wines throughout the world are now on sale. For the fifth year, the giant tent will be raised in the St. Paul parking lot of the wine shop, but this year ... More >>

Men of Distinction: Knob Creek Rye

Celebrate Easter in Hell's Kitchen

.This weekend Hell's Kitchen is celebrating Easter as only Hell's Kitchen can; with a slurry of live music and food specials. On Easter Sunday, downtown Minneapolis's Hell's Kitchen is serving a special dinner event featuring live music from Minneapolis blues man Javier Matos and some holiday walley ... More >>

Signature Dish: Sanctuary's chef Patrick Atanalian

In the search for the Twin Cities' best culinary creations, we often come across dishes that stop us mid-bite and force us to reflect on the level of thought and artistry chefs put into their work. The efforts of the chefs are often laborious, and the end results are regularly consumed before the fu ... More >>

Top 5 places to eat on the Mississippi: A dining guide for river rats

Believe it or not, Twin Cities, spring is coming! And as it does, an increasing number of our citizens find themselves drawn to the riverfront to watch the progress. They want to see if the geese are back, if the ice is melting, and just how loud the falls are roaring. The only thing that makes spri ... More >>

Primebar closed

Around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday night, word started getting around that Primebar in Calhoun Square was abruptly closing its doors for good. The chain, which is owned by Restaurants America, opened its Minneapolis outpost in the ill-fated space at the corner of Hennepin and Lake last summer. After a fals ... More >>

Mill City Cafe to return as the Mill NE

Wild rice pancake fans have cause for rejoicing! Last May the Mill City Cafe closed its doors but promised fans it would not be forever. The Northeast restaurant has finally found a new home and will be going by a new name. We spoke with owner Mandy Zechmeister about the new location.See also:Mill C ... More >>

Eatiply: Eat a meal, donate a meal

You decide it's time to donate to charity. So what do you do? Likely reach for your wallet or try to squeeze a couple of volunteer hours into your busy schedule. That's simple enough, but what you probably don't know is that giving back is now as easy as going out to eat. Thanks to a new local orga ... More >>

Twin Cities ranked 6th best pizza in the country by Market Watch

On Sunday, Market Watch (published by the Wall Street Journal) ranked the Twin Cities as the sixth best city in the country for pizza. This is the second time this year that a national publication has cited Minneapolis-St.Paul as among the best pizza in the nation.The article calls out by ... More >>

Brau Brothers getting ready for move to Marshall

Brau Brothers Brewing Company is clear about its origins, proudly printing "population 220" for all to see on its original logo. However, as the brewery grows, obstacles have risen, and relocation is afoot for the 15-year-old company, now based in tiny Lucan, Minnesota. Brau Brothers started in 1998 ... More >>

Union makes changes to dining room policy

Downtown hotspot Union has been a magnet for see-and-be-seen types since opening in November, thanks in large part to the swanky top floor dining room, with its bustling bar and retractable rooftop. The multilevel concept -- with Marquee in the basement, more formal dining in the middle level, and w ... More >>

Travail closing next month, but will resurface

Travail Kitchen and Amusements, otherwise known as Robbinsdale's crown gastronomic jewel, announced it will be closing on April 6, to the shock and dismay of many a local foodie. But don't get too down in the dumps. Travail's owners have plans to re-invent the restaurant as a two-parter (which will ... More >>

Top 15 best underrated Twin Cities hipster bars

We all know where the go-to spots are for a heavy-handed, no-nonsense rail drink, or for standard curds and tots at a table your mother wouldn't want to eat off of. In fact, sometimes, it seems like there are all too many overcrowded watering holes for the hipper set. Say you're in the mood for a be ... More >>

Seward Cafe now open until midnight, serving wine and beer

Fans of the Seward Cafe's granola ethos, colorful walls, and sprawling patio have long been disappointed by its breakfast-and-lunch-only offerings (and hours). But for the past week, people passing by the cafe's spacious Franklin Avenue corner lot have had to double take: Yes, there are lights on in ... More >>

Dishcrawl's Christine Carlson: 5 Questions

If you've done the Light Rail bar crawl or a Pedal Pub outing, you're probably familiar with the concept of progressive partying, but the appeal of something like that fades quickly after too many weekends spent on a party bus. Thankfully, an organization called Dishcrawl, which has just recently po ... More >>

Signature Dish: Lucia's chef Lucia Watson

In the search for the Twin Cities' best culinary creations, we often come across dishes that stop us mid-bite and force us to reflect on the level of thought and artistry chefs put into their work. The efforts of the chefs are often laborious, and the end results are regularly consumed before the fu ... More >>

Our favorite Twin Cities food trends

A closer look at some of the hottest plates in restaurants around the metro

Chef's Day Off: Where Ian Gray of the Gray House likes to eat

It's relatively rare -- maybe even a blue moon-level occasion -- for a chef, particularly one at a new restaurant, to be able to go out on the town and have someone else cook for them. So when local chefs do get a chance to get away from their own kitchens, where do they choose to eat? This Chef's D ... More >>

Blue Plate heading to North Loop

The Blue Plate Company is moving into a new neighborhood. The restaurant group that owns the Highland Grill, Longfellow Grill, Edina Grill, the Lowry,  Three Squares in Maple Grove, and more are known for moving into neighborhoods and bringing in a casual, comfortable dining space with approach ... More >>

Smack Shack serves up splendid seafood

There's an expanded menu at the new restaurant, but Smack Shack's lobster is still the main event

Piccolo among the "most underrated" restaurants in America

Eater.com has released a list of 25 of the nation's most underrated restaurants, i.e., places that are on par with the top eateries in the country but don't always get the media attention they deserve or are overshadowed by their more-hyped or long-established peers. Two Chicago restaurants -- Near ... More >>

La Belle Vie makes Open Table's top 100 best service restaurants

Both 2012 and 2013 have been kind to Twin Cities restaurants, and the national recognition just keeps rolling in. This week the restaurant reservation website Open Table has published its 2013 list of the top 100 restaurants in the country with the best service, and Minneapolis fine-dining restauran ... More >>

City Pages Restaurant Guide 2013 is on newsstands now!

Take a bite out of the Twin Cities' best dining gems with a little help from City Pages. Today, the Restaurant Guide 2013 hits newsstands with hundreds of must-try restaurants around the Twin Cities. Here's a preview. See also: Download our new, improved (and awesome) City Pages app!

Top 10 best places to grab a drink before a show at First Avenue

It's a given that Minnesota-based music lovers will eventually see a live show at one of the best venues in the country, First Avenue. The hundreds of silver stars on the gritty black walls of the club provide but a small sampling of the legendary bands passing through, and Prince assuredly put the ... More >>

Kramarczuk's wins James Beard Award

Yesterday the James Beard Foundation announced the winners of its 2013 American Classics awards. On the list of America's restaurant treasures was the Northeast classic Kramarczuk's.See also:Kramarczuk's holubets, 100 Favorite DishesBest Restaurant for GluttonsBest Kolaches

Rincón 38 opens, bringing tapas to south Minneapolis

Many mourned the loss of  south Minneapolis's El Meson, but now, from the ashes of the closed restaurant, rises Rincón 38, the newest eatery from chef Hector Ruiz. Rincón 38 opened its doors Wednesday to much anticipation. Rincón 38 boasts a small-plate selection containing Spanish, Ita ... More >>

La Belle Vie turns 15: An interview with Tim McKee

The most lauded restaurant in Minnesota is turning 15 years old this year. In honor of the event, La Belle Vie's James Beard Award-winning chef Tim McKee is hosting a party on Sunday, March 24. A collection of chefs who have passed through the kitchen in both its current and the original Stillwater ... More >>

Parka's fare thrives with a Northwoods flair

The Longfellow restaurant brings everyday diners and accomplished chefs together for hearty treats

Signature Dish: Saffron's chef Sameh Wadi

In the search for the Twin Cities' best culinary creations, we often come across dishes that stop us mid-bite and force us to reflect on the level of thought and artistry chefs put into their work. The efforts of the chefs are often laborious, and the end results are regularly consumed before the fu ... More >>

Winter 2013 Restaurant Week: Where to eat

Mpls/St. Paul Magazine's Restaurant Week 2013 Through March 1 $10-$20 lunches, $15-$30 dinners You only have a few days left to take advantage of Mpls/St. Paul Magazine's Restaurant Week, which continues through Friday. Over 50 restaurants are whipping up menus in the $10 to $30 range for lunch and ... More >>

Acqua to open new location in Forest Lake

It's a little outside the downtown, Eat Street, and Lowertown haunts where we usually find ourselves out for dinner, but Acqua in White Bear Lake has gained a well-deserved following over the four short years it's been open, boasting chef fans like Susan Dunlop of Joan's in the Park. Inspired by its ... More >>

Burch in Lowry Hill: A first look at Isaac Becker's new restaurant

A moment of silence for the Cotty Lowry billboard. The delightfully defaced ad is gone, and the building it once clung to has been revitalized. Now, rather than looking for clever captions or dubious mustaches, we can eagerly peek inside the brand, new Burch Steak.See also:Burch announces openi ... More >>

Nelly eats monstrous mystery dessert in Minneapolis

It's been a good week for Minneapolis restaurants and their celebrity clients. We recently reported about comedian and actor Nick Offerman tweeting his gratitude to Jax Cafe in northeast for fulfilling his steak fantasies, and now a very different public figure has taken to another social media ... More >>