The Graves 601 Hotel, the luxurious home to Cosmos and Bradstreet Crafthouse is changing hands. The swanky digs have been scooped up by Loew’s Hotel and Resorts, based out of New York City. The deal was unexpected in that the hotel was not on the market, but it’s led to an interesting development. Bradstreet Crafthouse, their influential drink hotspot that has given the Twin Cities such illustrious drink shakers as Robb Jones (now of Saffron and World Street Kitchen), Shawn Jones (running the bar at Coup d’Etat), and Adam Gorski (creative cocktail lead at La Belle Vie) among many others will be relocating.
The restaurant will be re-christened Bradstreet Neighborhood Crafthouse and take up the space last occupied by Rye Deli. The shift to being more neighborhood also signals an easier vibe than the occasionally intimidating drink approach (and lengthy times between ordering and actual delivery of a beverage). They plan to open in the fall.
That’s not all that’s going on with the Graves company. They have also announced their first foray into St. Paul which will be called Rival House. They’ll be specializing in craft beer and cocktails with a small plate focused menu, located on the street level of the DoubleTree by Hilton. That spot hopes to be open by the middle of this summer.
Rather than wait all summer long to get a taste of the best in craft cocktails, mark you calendars now for the Fine Spirits Classic, Minnesota Monthly’s annual celebration of all things sippable. Every year, the best mix masters shake their goods and share samples of the finests spirits and cocktails to be found in the Twin Cities. Held July 24th at the Minneapolis Events Centers from 6:30-9 p.m., it’s always a blast and filled with new flavors to discover. Tickets are $60 for VIP status, which includes a private seminar and tasting (of my favorite vodka ever) with 45th Parallel Distillery or $45 for general admission. Find the tickets at mnmo.com/finespiritsclassic
There are all kinds of events set to kick-off the launch of the Green Line as it launches the initial trains down University Avenue and into downtown St. Paul. They’ll be celebrating the businesses who have dealt with the woes of the construction. On Saturday, June 14th, you can ride the train and stop in at several of the great restaurants along the way. Foxy Falafel will have their truck (aka Foxy Roxy) out along with Potter’s Pasties trailer and Home Street Home food truck for a full on party with live music and a pile of great street food. There will also be a trolley running between Raymond and Como making stops at Urban Growler and Bang Brewing.
Downtown at Heartland, chef and owner Lenny Russo and crew is rolling out the red (green?) carpet with a one-time lunch service inside the lounge of his Lowertown spot along with live music all day beginning at noon. The menu will feature some of the beautiful meaty bits you can only normally find on the charcuterie menu or inside the neighboring market. Look for grass-fed hot dogs, pan-fried catfish, and vegetarian fritters.
Back in Minneapolis, Foreign Legion, the new wine bar spot inside the Soo Line Building and the second leg of Russell and Desta Klein’s burgeoning empire, is set to open right after Labor Day, but it’s available for private event booking right now. I’ve heard it’s a stunning spot. (Psst: they’ve also shared that Oysterfest is coming back October 12th at Meritage: mark your calendars accordingly).
One other event to check out is the Prevailed party Travail is hosting. It’s an epic summer celebration and block party that will be held on Sunday June 29th. The menu is boast a couple of whole roast hogs, corn and their killer crazy dots of the dipping variety. Musical guests include Charlie Parr, Solid Gold, New Sound Underground, Mockstar (live karaoke crew), and Heiruspecs. The bash will be held lakeside at Lakeview Terrace Park from 1 – 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon for $10 (plus the Tempo ticket $2.50 fee). If their past ticketed events have proven anything, these are going to go quickly. You can purchase tickets at their Tempo Tickets page.
Is Antigoni Sander McCloud the next food TV star? She might be. There’s a new show coming this summer where the St. Paul resident whose family owns Kafe 421 will compete on the Home Chef Showdown on the Live Well Network. The premiere will be on June 22nd at 7 p.m. locally. Go Tig!
