Labor Day

Station 4 is closing this summer for renovation

St. Paul's punk and metal haven Station 4 is taking a breather in a move to make future club-goers breathe better in the future. While there's something oh-so-punk about sweating your face off in the confines of a club during the height of summer, the owners taking measures to replace its ventilatio ... More >>

Harbor View on Lake Pepin opens today, a sure sign of spring

While the weather predictors may still be claiming that the cooler temperatures aren't going anywhere, the team behind Harbor View Cafe, on the shores of Lake Pepin, is moving along with spring. The restaurant, like their locally sourced food, is seasonal. They've been teasing fans with pictures of ... More >>

SNL's Seth Meyers cracks joke about Jamie Kuntz's 65-year-old "boyfriend" [VIDEO]

SEE ALSO: Jamie Kuntz kicked off NoDak college football team after kissing boyfriend during gameLast week, we shared the story of Jamie Kuntz, an 18-year-old who was kicked off the North Dakota College of Science football team over Labor Day weekend after he was seen kissing his 65-year-old boyfrien ... More >>

Inspired by City Pages' horoscope, couple bakes 'Unicorn Poop' cookies

Minneapolitan Jessica Burdette was reading City Pages over Labor Day weekend when she stumbled upon this life-changing message in our horoscope section by Rob Brezny: "You need more magic in your life. ...Consider getting the process started by baking some unicorn poop cookies."According to her boyf ... More >>

Best of Hot Dish: September 3-7, 2012

In case Labor Day madness caused you to miss out on this week's news from the Hot Dish, don't worry, here's a recap of our top stories.~Hoping to feast royally without spending a lot of scratch? Check out our picks for the best cheap eats in the Cities.~Two of our cheap eat picks earned th ... More >>

Nine unheralded work songs for Labor Day

As a holiday, Labor Day is rife with contradictions: one works all year to receive a single lousy holiday -- just one fucking day -- celebrating the worker, but that day falls at a spot on the calendar when venturing out anywhere to do anything out of the usual is sado-masochistic at best ... More >>

Best of Hot Dish: August 27-31, 2012

Another fine week of food and drink news has flown by as quickly as a summer day. Here's a few recent stories we wouldn't want you to miss.~ We take a whirlwind tour of the MN State Fair food stands and share our adventures in this story, as well as a delicious slideshow.~Also reporti ... More >>

Ballad of the Pale Fisherman

Gin 101 and more fair fun this Week in Food

During State Fair season, the Week in Food practically writes itself; after all, who wants to miss out on all that short-term greasy goodness? Fear not though, we've got plenty of other things to recommend if you've hit critical mass regarding food on a stick. 8/27 It doesn't get much more Minneso ... More >>

Weekend Checklist: State Fair, Yeasayer, A. Wolf & Her Claws

It's the last full weekend of August, summer is drawing to an end, but the music isn't. The Minnesota State Fair is back with various acts playing until Labor Day. Aby Wolf will take 7th Street Entry stage in celebration A. Wolf and Her Claws vinyl release. Meanwhile Yeasayer will be rocking the sta ... More >>

Minnesota State Fair

Outside Providence

Laborial Day

The Tin Fish vs. Sea Salt Eatery's fish tacos

Summer is upon us and with it the inexplicable desire to eat outside in the hot sun, preferably using only our hands. Summer is conducive to many a hand-held culinary experience in Minnesota: ice cream cones, hot dogs, and just about anything you can get your greasy hands on from a food truck or the ... More >>

Minnesota State Fair's newest foods: Camel burgers and lamb testicles

If you're an annual State Fair habitue, it's easy to get bored with the more than 450 foods from 300 concessionaires. So every year the State Fair tries to shake things up by introducing a few new things-on-a-stick and other edibles. Last year's offerings included the universally beloved sweet corn ... More >>

Angel statues found in bag with newborn girl in Mississippi River

One of several angel figures found inside a bag containing a dead newborn.​After the body of a newborn baby girl was found floating in the middle of Mississippi River, cops revealed only that she'd been wrapped in a plastic bag. Now it turns out that the bag contained several items, in what seems ... More >>

Eli's LB Sidecar, an end-of-the-season drink of the week

Eli's adds an inspired twist to the traditional sidecar​LB Sidecar$8.75Eli's Food and Cocktails1225 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis612.332.9997Now that Labor Day has come and gone, drinkers tend to instinctively move from the clear liquors to the browns. The Hot Dish is not quite ready yet, so we settl ... More >>

Maroon 5 & Train at the State Fair Grandstand, 9/5/2011

Photos by Erik Hess​Maroon 5 and TrainSeptember 5, 2011State Fair GrandstandLabor Day--always a bittersweet day for Minnesotans, marking the end to 12 food coma-inducing days.  With the hot and rainy days past, the weather was perfect for an evening with radio friendly groups Maroon 5 and Tra ... More >>

Labor Day Weekend concert roundup

Photo by Erik Hess​What a weekend! We kicked summer right outta town this long Labor Day Weekend by attending as many events as we could, from Blondie at Mystic Lake to Weezer, Dr. John, and Maroon 5 at the Great Minnesota Get Together to Minneapolis dance nights Get Cryphy and Too Much Love. As w ... More >>

It's State Fair fabulous in the Best of Hot Dish: August 29 - September 2, 2011

It's all State Fair...​It's been over a week of political seed art, grilled corn, deep-fried things on a stick and the Hot Dish's fave, buildings and buildings full of livestock. Yep, it's the State Fair folks, and this week's round up is all about the great Minnesota get-together. Here are some f ... More >>

The Hot Dish's top 10 summer posts

​Happy Labor Day weekend! Some may call this the unofficial end of summer, but let's not be hasty. We still have a few weeks of warm weather left, and you can even relive the best of summer by catching up on our most popular Hot Dish posts, including guides to the State Fair, a look at Minneso ... More >>

Low release NYC subway-themed 'Especially Me' video

​Longtime audio/visual collaborators Low and local film and video director Phil Harder have churned out another stunning masterpiece together. The new clip for "Especially Me" -- from this year's C'Mon, the band's 9th full length release -- features vocalist/drummer Mimi Parker aboard a New Yo ... More >>

Lyn-Lake Oktoberfest, Labor Day Weekend Block Party lineups announced

​In my recap of the Pizza Luce Block Party from this weekend, I remarked that the free fest might end up being the highlight of the summer concert season. But it looks like we'll have a few other worthy contenders before the season is up -- two more late summer block party lineups have been reveal ... More >>

More on the deli plan for former Auriga space

​We were excited to hear the news that restaurant consultant Tobie Nidetz is partnering with a real estate attorney and first-time restaurateur David Weinstein to take over the former Auriga building to build a "Montreal-style" deli. We wanted to know more about the project .  Nidetz, the sel ... More >>

It's Bike To Work Day, so get out of your car

Thirteen of ClubsTime to pedal.​On Monday, we were so on board with the whole Bike Walk Week thing. But then, a steam bath worthy of Mekong Delta melted the roads and turned our heads to mush. And now that Bike To Work Day is finally here, we have a different issue: It feels more like Portland out ... More >>

Former Auriga space to be reborn as a deli

Loopnet.comThe Auriga building has sat vacant for years...​The former home of Auriga, at 1930 Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis has been shuttered for four years, slowly decaying--graffiti on the building, weeds in the parking lot--all the while. Fortunately, a new team of restaurateurs plans to ... More >>

Block E Applebee's closes

Another tenant bites the dust.​Hopefully that Block E casino idea will fly, because it's clear that fewer and fewer businesses can succeed at the troubled downtown development. Applebee's is the latest casualty, closing its doors Sunday after being in business at the skyway location since 200 ... More >>

The Farewell Circuit break cliches with their Americana

Brother's Eyes EP a melancholy batch of indie pop songs

Was Jim Thome's Labor Day shot a Twins omen?

We should not forget the blast.

Pillsbury House, Jungle, Park Square open new shows . . . next weekend

by Travis AndersonPucker up and die, dammit: Shirley Venard and Steve Hendrickson in "Vigil" at Pillsbury House​There is an unwritten law that thou shalt not open a new show over a holiday such as Labor Day weekend, which makes a lot of sense: with the tail end of summer having arrived much too fa ... More >>

Jimmy Johns workers walk out for wage increase

"Wages so low, you'll freak!"​Jimmy Johns service wasn't its usual "freaky fast" today as workers staged a brief walk out at nine Minneapolis franchise locations. The workers are forming their own union to demand better wages and working conditions, including consistent scheduling and minimum ... More >>

Grumpy's Drinky Drive-in Monday

Photo by erin.kkr via flickr.com​After a long, hot weekend at the State Fair, there are plenty of other outdoor activities where you can give your sore feet and sunburned shoulders a rest. For example, Grumpy's downtown is offering up another Monday night double-feature film event at their Drinky ... More >>

Minnesota State Fair's Top 10 things to do

The Great Minnesota Eat-Together​The main question we get asked when people learn we go to the MN State Fair four times each year is, "What do you do there?" When we learn that some people only go for a couple hours and then leave, we ask them, "How do you possibly see everything in such a sho ... More >>

Affordable wines made for grilled food

Nothing like a steak off the grill​Most people who drink wine are not going to pop open a 2000 Chateau Montrose St.-Estephe, a 1998 Fox Creek McClaren Vale, or a 2005 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen for their casual grilling event with friends. If you do pop these open, make sure I am invited. Fo ... More >>

Mendoberri delays opening; Sage Wine Bar seeks new digs

Robert UlrichEat healthy and local on the go​Well, Chef Robert Ulrich didn't quite make his target date of Labor Day, but two weeks out from what should have been opening day, Mendorberri Cafe & Wine Bar looks like it will have eager locals waiting a little longer to try its eats, accordin ... More >>

Why pay top dollar for wine? It's BOGO time!

Haskell'sHaskell's BOGO sale: Buy One, Get One​I am amazed by the average wine drinker who pays top dollar for their wine. Many say they are having a party and need wine fast or their local wine shop is so convenient. The worst advice ever given to a wine buyer was to purchase wine at a shop r ... More >>

B-Girl Be: Sideshow

Worst Wines of the Year (so far...)

​I sample over a thousand wines a year (yes, I spit many, for the sake of my health and liver), and very few wines are what I deem undrinkable. My dad, for example, loves his Tisdale Merlot, which is usually on sale at Morelli's in St. Paul for $2.00. I consider it drinkable, especially for ... More >>

Mendoberri: Coming Soon

​The PiPress reports that Sage Wine Bar and Market in Mendota Heights (owned by he Kowalski family) is being sold to chef Robert Ulrich who was exec. chef at the Marquette Hotel in Minneapolis in the 90s and is currently living in Washington D.C. Ulrich plans to turn the space into a full-serv ... More >>

Take Back Labor Day!

Minnesota State Fair

Bart Scheider

Bart Schneider

Bart Schneider

Bart Schneider

Bart Schneider

Opening Day

Labor Day Weekend Celebration

Custard's Best Stand

The Raw and the Cooked