Mo Perry

Relive history with Yellow Fever and Or

Mu Performing Arts dips unevenly into the 1970s while Park Square Theater tries Restoration drama

Nuff in northeast Minneapolis: a first look

The bustling little corner of 29th and Johnson Street NE is back to full occupancy with this month's opening of Nuff, the new venture in the former home of Amici Bistro (and Snap! Pizza before that). Nuff is a counter-service restaurant that specializes in breakfast, sandwiches, and salads. The Hot ... More >>

Eat Street Social rolls out new Indian Summer cocktail menu

One of the best things about turning the calendar page over to September is the influx of new and classic fall beverages. Starbucks and Caribou pull out the old pumpkin spice latte (would it be so craveable if you could get it year-round?), the orchards start selling gallons of cider, and wine drin ... More >>

Maya Cuisine now open in northeast Minneapolis: A first look

With no announcement or fanfare, Maya Cuisine quietly opened its doors on August 17. The colorful new sign on the humble brick building located on the stretch of Central Avenue between 18th and 19th streets caught our eye, and we stopped in to investigate this newcomer to the neighborhood. Central ... More >>

Rusty Taco in northeast Minneapolis: A first look

Rusty Taco isn't new to Minnesota (there's one in St. Paul on Lexington Avenue), but Minneapolis is seeing the first of the Dallas-based chain with the recent opening of a brand-new outpost in northeast Minneapolis. The restaurant opened its doors last month in the former home of Look See Eyewear, ... More >>

Mosaic Cafe in Longfellow: a first look

Mosaic Cafe opened its doors about two weeks ago in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, near the intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, after undergoing quite a makeover from its former incarnation, Glacier's Cafe. Everything on the menu is made from scratch in-house (except for ... More >>

Birdhouse on Hennepin: a sneak peek

Birdhouse on Hennepin, the new venture from Heidi and Stewart Woodman (owners of acclaimed Heidi's Restaurant) is officially open to the public today for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their liquor license came through yesterday just in time for a small preview dinner in the charming space, which fo ... More >>

Dangerous Liaisons

at the Torch Theater

Stacia Rice returns to the stage in 'Dangerous Liaisons'

​After the birth of her son, Stacia Rice decided to take some time away from the stage. She returns for the first time in more than a year this week in Dangerous Liaisons with her own Torch Theater at the Minneapolis Theater Garage. And while having a child hasn't changed her process, it has affec ... More >>

Catalina's Restaurant in St. Anthony: a first look

Mo PerryCatalina's Restaruant is now open in St. Anthony​ In mid-July, the run down pizza joint in the inauspicious strip mall across from IHOP on 37th and Stinson, where St. Anthony, Columbia Heights, and Northeast Minneapolis converge, gave way to a shiny new storefront. Sensing opportuni ... More >>

Il Gatto: happy hour of the week

http://www.facebook.com/#!/ilgattominneapolisIl Gatto: an upscale urban happy hour ​Has enough time finally passed that we can mention Il Gatto without referring to it as the restaurant that replaced Figlio? It certainly has its own identity by now, under the firm direction of local rainmaker and ... More >>

The Public House: a first look

Mo PerryThe Public House is now open in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis​The Public House opened its doors last month on Washington Avenue, taking up residence in a neighborhood that includes such notable restaurants as Black Sheep Pizza and Bar La Grassa. The Public House is distinct fro ... More >>

Oh, the Humanity at Intermedia Arts

Short pieces by Will Eno presented with a deft touch

Top 5 suburban patios you may not know about

Photo fromTria RestaurantSuburbanites need patios too​As a follow-up to yesterday's post about the top 5 under-the-radar restaurant patios in the Twin Cities, we thought we'd show the suburbs a little love today. While places like Maynard's in Excelsior and Grumpy's Bar and Grill in Rosevill ... More >>

Republic now open at Seven Corners: a first look

Mo PerryGoodbye Preston's, hello Republic​Gone is the pervasive smell of bleach in the entryway of the building on Seven Corners that housed Sgt Preston's. There's no longer a need to cover up the unsavory smells of collegiate debauchery. The fishbowls of booze are gone; the bar-top game co ... More >>

Downtown Crave: A sneak peek

Mo PerryThe hip new downtown Crave opens tomorrow​The ever-expanding Crave empire celebrates the grand opening of its most ambitious location yet tomorrow. All traces of former occupant Palomino are long gone, and the space has been given a fresh makeover. Walls have been torn down to create ... More >>

El Taco Riendo's tacos: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 21

Mo PerryIf only all fast food were this fresh​With the burgeoning local food truck scene, the Twin Cities may finally be catching up to other parts of the country, where Chipotle is far down the list of places to go for fresh, quick, authentically Mexican tacos. But even in the dead of winter ... More >>

Broders' Cucina Italiana's fresh pasta: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 22

Mo PerryYou'll never touch Creamette again​Imagine if all your life, the only cheese you'd ever eaten was Kraft American Singles. That was your entire notion of what cheese could be: shiny, florescent squares of solidified molten plastic, which you happily ate for ignorance of other options. ... More >>

Rinata's eggplant involtini: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 24

Mo PerryA delicate amuse-bouche​Rinata's eggplant involtini with goat cheese, pine nuts, garlic, and tomato sugo is perhaps the perfect appetizer. Light, delicate, and intensely flavorful, this is no heaping plate of deep-fried calamari or platter of bruschetta dense enough to render the bre ... More >>

The Happy Gnome's MN game burger: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 27

Mo PerryEating locally sourced food never tasted so indulgent​Eating locally sourced food has been all the rage for quite some time now, but maybe you've eschewed the whole idea, thinking it meant stuffy, sparse plates of morally superior greens sprinkled with a few smug flax seeds. Allow me ... More >>

Chilly Billy's brings self-serve frozen yogurt to Dinkytown

Mo PerryOwner Bill Marker brings delicious frozen yogurt to Dinkytown just in time for spring​Just when it seemed that the Dinkydome was doomed to a fate of being the only business center in town to lose more tenants in a year than Block E, construction on the neighboring apartment building r ... More >>

Szechuan Spice's Chicken with Double Chili Pepper: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 41

Mo PerryFiery goodness to make your tongue tingle​There is something other-worldly about Szechuan Spice's chicken with double chili pepper--a haunting quality that hovers on the periphery of your memory and manifests in periodic, sudden, urgent cravings. Maybe it's the chicken, lightly crisp ... More >>

Annona Gourmet's balsamic vinegars: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 47

Mo PerryAnnona Gourmet has a whole wall lined with delicious flavored vinegars​Tucked away in a sleepy corner of Northeast Minneapolis, in the Saint Anthony Village strip mall, lies a hidden gem. Annona Gourmet, a small shop whose motto is "educate your appetite," invites guests to do just t ... More >>

The Sample Room's wild mushroom ragout on polenta: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 58

Mo PerryA rich, complex, earthy treat​Everyone keeps saying spring is around the corner, but it's hard to believe when ice is still encrusting the sidewalks and your skin seems to have taken on a permanent, dry translucence. Still, you know from experience that this is the time of year when y ... More >>

Cupcake's mini cupcakes: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 73

Mo PerryA whimsical treat for any occasion​Sometimes we feel inspired to make a gesture--a little something to say thank you or good job, or add a touch of brightness to the day. At such times, options are limited. You can swing by Super America for a box of doughnuts, grab a dozen bagels f ... More >>

The 5-second rule: Fact or fiction?

Mo PerryTo pick it up or not to pick it up...?​There you are, happily munching away and you drop a Triscuit on the floor. Do you pick it up and pop it in your mouth or throw it away? What if it weren't a mere Triscuit but a fancy chocolate truffle? What if it hadn't been lying there for a brie ... More >>

The Oceanaire's Jumbo Lump Crab Cake: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 82

Mo PerrySucculence on a plate​ Yes, this appetizer costs more than most entrees at other restaurants. And yes, it is worth every penny. Some restaurants slap together a little crab meat, 12 eggs and a ground-up box of Ritz crackers, and call it a crab cake. Not The Oceanaire. No sir. The ... More >>

Tank Goodness chocolate chip cookies: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 88

Mo PerryTank Goodness delivers homemade chocolate chip cookies by the dozen​Talk about an idea whose time has come. This local Twin Cities company was founded by a couple who decided to quit their day jobs and dedicate their time to baking cookies. Sounds crazy, right? You must not have tried ... More >>

Babe, The Sheep-Pig

Heidi's opens tomorrow, but we already dined there

Heidi and Stewart Woodman are opening Heidi's 2.0 on 1/1/11​Last February, Heidi's was claimed by fire just hours after chef and owner Stewart Woodman was named one of the Top 20 Chefs in the Midwest by the James Beard Foundation. Luckily for Twin Cities food lovers, the Woodmans weren't about t ... More >>

Super-Powered Revenge Christmas #1 at Minneapolis Theatre Garage

It's a comic-book holiday featuring a rocket-powered sled

Super-Powered Revenge Christmas #1

Szechuan vs. Szechuan Spice: battle of the scorching chicken dishes

Mo PerryThe Chicken with Double Chili Pepper is one of Szechuan Spice's most popular dishes​As temperatures continue to plummet and the winter cold and flu season settles in, our cravings for fiery vittles go through the roof. The recent spate of Szechuan cuisine-based restaurant openings in ... More >>

Best iPhone apps for Thanksgiving cooks

Mo PerryA $35 cookbook shrunk to a $4.99 app that fits in the palm of your hand​ With most of us gearing up to spend Thursday in the kitchen juggling pots, pans, baking sheets, and kitchen timers, we thought this was the perfect time to introduce you to five of our favorite technological Chef ... More >>

Hibachi Buffet offers great breadth, little depth

Mo PerryHibachi Buffet is now open on Lake Street, serving up everything from pizza to sushi to chicken nuggets​It didn't take long for word to get out about the newly opened Hibachi Buffet. The Hot Dish paid them a visit this past weekend, and the cafeteria-sized joint was hopping, full of f ... More >>

Best of Hot Dish: October 11-15, 2010

Fall, we can't quit you.​It's been a stellar week at the Hot Dish, where food and drink are foremost in our hearts. Check out a few of the week's top posts:~In the great big world of food blogs, which are the deemed the foodiest? Let Mo Perry help you find the best recipes, food porn, and more wit ... More >>

The Best of Hot Dish: September 13-17, 2010

A perfect weekend for pickling, canning, and baking (with this produce from the '70s)​This week's The Hot Dish  was chock-full of great stories and events about food and drink. Here's a recap of some highlights:~The word on the street is that there is so freakin' much to eat. How do you decid ... More >>

Jungle's "Glass Menagerie," Pillsbury House's "Vigil" kick off autumn in Twin Cities theater

Bathroom humor: "Sh!tlisted" at the BLB​Yes, some healthy mourning for the end of summer might well be in order, but the bitter pill is at least sweetened by a distinct sense that the theater season is picking up again. This weekend I'll be at Pillsbury House for Vigil and the Jungle for The Glass ... More >>

Top 5 healthy State Fair foods

Mo Perry​The State Fair is the only place where even something as nutritious sounding as mixed fruit can be deep fried, impaled with a stick, and transformed into a heart attack waiting to happen. No one expects to leave the fair feeling like they just finished the Master Cleanse, but surely the ... More >>

Best of Hot Dish: August 30-September 3, 2010

It is the time for the season of loving. And picking stuff.​ Hi, happy harvesters. Is this weather making you dream of Sunday afternoons watching football, crockpots full of soup, leaves falling from the sky, and apples in little grapevine baskets (or your own variation on that theme?) Yeah, us to ... More >>

Psycho Suzi's plans fall move to old Gabby's space

Mo PerryThe Poor Man's Paradise is upgrading to roomier digs​The sign outside Gabby's proclaims it loud and clear: "Psycho Suzi's / Future Home / Coming This November / Hopefully / Fingers Crossed." (It's a big sign). With Gabby's closure in July came a new opportunity for Nordeast's favorit ... More >>

Best of Hot Dish: August 23-27, 2010

butter head​Two words: State Fair. Mini donuts, animals giving birth, WCCO live, free yardsticks, all the milk you can drink. While you think about what you are going to eat first, let us remind you of all the great food stories that were told. Here are a few of this week's highlights.~Giant soft ... More >>

Pizza Luce gives Hopkins a reason to rise and shine

Mo PerryHopkins Pizza Luce offers a lot more than cold pizza for breakfast​Suburban bike commuters and garlic enthusiasts rejoice: Pizza Luce has opened its sixth location in Hopkins on the Cedar Lake bike trail, giving both cyclists and 'za lovers reason to smile. While Pizza Luce is well k ... More >>

Safe as Houses (Theater spotlight)

Safe as Houses

Theater spotlight: Dancing at Lughnasa

The Mary Tyler Moore Show reunited with Minneapolis—sort of

The Mary Tyler Moore Show reunited with Minneapolis—sort of

Strong actors and persistent optimism bless the TV-to-stage production

Hedda Gabler

Theater Spotlight: Mom's the Word