St. Paul restaurateur Tim Niver and his Saint Dinette crew are headed across the river to open a new deli and bar.
Niver's newest project, an unnamed deli and cocktail bar in the former Tinto (901 W. Lake St., Mpls.), will sport house-made Montreal-style bagels, lox, pastrami and dumplings, as well as libations (maybe even some spiked egg creams), when it opens this spring. Niver also owns Mucci's Italian in St. Paul.
"It feels like a homecoming in a strange way," Niver said, who is teaming with Saint Dinette chef Adam Eaton and general manager Laurel Elm once again. "I think people think of me as a St. Paul guy, and I am, but I'm also a Minneapolis guy. Town Talk Diner was really what helped me start my career. I'm very happy to get back." (Niver opened Town Talk on Lake Street in the Longfellow neighborhood in 2006; it has since been remade several times under different owners.)
The deli's focal point will be the bagels, which Eaton has begun making at Saint Dinette. Montreal-style bagels are typically infused with a little malt or honey, making them slightly sweeter than New York and other varieties. They usually have a larger hole and are served with cream cheese on the side for dipping, not spreading.
They'll be paired with house-smoked and -cured fish and meats to make what Niver hopes will be sandwiches that rise above the norm, à la Saint Dinette's beloved bologna sandwich.
The deli will have a full bar with a cocktail program, an online ordering system, a catering operation and perhaps a retail element as well — "bagels, cream cheese, lox, pastrami, anything we can mass produce," Niver said. He plans for the space to be open all day long, seven days a week, with counter-style service.
Tinto reopened at 4959 Penn Av. S. in Minneapolis in November.
Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque and Pirate Bar (423 Main St. S., Stillwater), a downtown Stillwater fixture for nearly a decade, closed last weekend.
The restaurant, which once appeared on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," had struggled in recent years, owner Tim McKee said, so he and chef Shawn Smalley decided to move on.
"It has been reported that we're being forced out, and I want to clarify that's not the case," said McKee, who also owns Lowertown's Octo Fishbar. "Stillwater is just a really difficult environment to run a restaurant in, and it wasn't working for us."
Smalley's debuted in 2008, touting American takes on Caribbean barbecue — such as jerk chicken, brisket and wings, and was known for bringing a heat to its sauces that belied the Midwest norm. The lease for Smalley's ends in March, McKee said, but the building owners gave them a chance to leave early.
Saguaro, a casual Arizona-style Mexican restaurant (5309 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls.) owned by the Abdo family, has also closed its doors.
Nye's (112 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls.) has new life. The Northeast classic, which closed in April 2016, reopened last week.
Well, sort of. The new iteration, which is still owned by brothers Rob and Tony Jacob, is set in only the polka bar portion of the original footprint, and has been remodeled. The piano bar is back, as is the original sign, now displayed inside. (Open Monday-Thursday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sun from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.)
Popular Japanese noodle eatery Ramen Kazama has debuted a second Minneapolis location just north of Dinkytown at 1510 Como Av. SE. in the former Obento-Ya. The restaurant, known for its ramen soups, rice dishes and appetizers, first opened at 3400 Nicollet Av. S. in 2015.
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