September 2009
September 28, 2009Pinup-Bedecked Lyndale Tap House Opens Tomorrow
I got a press release, reproduced in full below, from Shea, the local restaurant design powerhouse, announcing that the new Lyndale Tap House (in the old J. P.’s American Bistro space on Lyndale off Lake Street) is slated to open tomorrow. Seriously? I thought they were ages away. Well, evidently no. They’re here. I made a flurry of phone calls trying to reach restaurant principals to find out what the place was really going to be like, but no luck. In my searches, I did find this blog entry by Viva Van Story, the self-described “East Coast's number one pinup photographer” and these links to her girls-as-beef pics for our new restaurant’s walls… They’re moderately unsafe for work, so be warned: Posted on Monday, September 28, 2009 in Dear Dara | Permalink | Comments (21) |
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September 22, 2009Mark Your Calendars: Ruth Reichl & Me, Oct. 10; Lorrie Moore and Nicholson Baker Thrown in For Free!
I’m in a whirlwind. We’re putting our big November restaurant issue of MNMO to bed and our holiday Real Food is in layouts (we have the most amazing imperial holiday feast story; I am ecstatic about it. Be sure to grab ten copies when it's out in about a month!). When I’m not doing any of that (or raising volatile toddlers), I’m in a frenzy of pre-promotion activities for my book, Drink This: Wine Made Simple (out November 24). Also, like, I joined Facebook! (Come be my friend!) This Facebook thing is odd. It’s something I did very much at the insistence... Read more » Posted on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 in Dear Dara | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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September 14, 2009Breaking & Entering for Fish & Chips
Don’t ask how I managed to get into The Anchor Fish & Chips over the weekend. (Lawyers in the house: Bloggers can’t be charged with breaking and entering, right?! I feel certain I saw that in the state constitution.) Anyhoo, I was blown away. The place is beautiful: Museum-quality ornate tin ceiling, a big, polished, weighty and comforting-looking wooden bar, plus capacious, solid booths—a lot like the Local or Buster's on 28th, but in a room about half the size of the Modern. (Speaking of the Modern, that’s where this place is, a block and a half down 13th Avenue NE from the Modern, but toward the Mississippi, closer to Shuga Records.) The big question I had before I was... Read more » Posted on Monday, September 14, 2009 in Dear Dara | Permalink | Comments (2) |
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September 10, 2009Nick and Eddie is Near Death—And Resuscitated! Resulting in Free Corkage.
I’ve been anxiously following Nick and Eddie, the Loring Park restaurant, for the last few weeks, as most restaurant-watchers have. Why? Well, first there’s been a lot of gossip swirling for a few months: They were down; they’re heading out… But restaurant gossip is ceaseless and often wrong, so I try not to listen too closely. However, then they were ‘posted,’ an industry term for when the state announces you are behind on your alcohol taxes, and distributors are therefore legally not allowed to sell you any new alcohol. Well, posting happens a lot to restaurants; I tend to think of it like finding a lump and heading to the doctor—it might be nothing, it might be something. But then Andrew Zimmern published a blog post saying they were... Read more » Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009 in Dear Dara | Permalink | Comments (3) |
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September 8, 2009Real Meal Deli Opens in St. Paul Today!
Downtown St. Paul office workers, take note: The day after Labor Day (TODAY!) will (knock on wood!) see the opening of the Real Meal Deli in the First National Bank building (332 Minnesota St., between 4th and 5th Streets, and Robert St.; realmealdeli.com). I talked to the owner, Jason Gray, and got a little preview. They’ll serve only breakfast and lunch. Breakfast will feature both indulgent items (caramel pecan rolls, homemade, brioche-enclosed riffs on the egg sandwiches, not unlike from-scratch Egg McMuffins) and healthy ones, like fresh fruit granola or oatmeal. At lunch, they’ll have from-scratch soups like navy bean with bacon and ham or three-bean vegetarian chili, as well as sandwiches and blue plate... Read more » Posted on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 in Dear Dara | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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