Red Cow will open its sixth location this fall at 881 Lake St. in Wayzata. Owner Luke Shimp said he's been wanting to expand to the west metro city for some time, but only now has the right space become available.
The new spot will be a bit smaller than some of Red Cow's other locations, but there is a patio that will have space for 20 diners when the weather cooperates. The menu of burgers, sandwiches, fries, totchos and more will be identical to those at the other outposts, as will the drink menu, with 30 beers on tap and 28 wines available by the glass.
The local chain is in expansion mode, recently opening in Rochester, its first outside the metro area. Other locations include St. Paul, Uptown, North Loop, in Terminal 1 at the airport and the original near 50th and France in Minneapolis. (Find more info at redcowmn.com.)
Shimp also owns the Red Rabbit restaurants, which are slightly more upscale and serve Italian food, with locations in the North Loop and on St. Paul's Grand Avenue.
Nonalcoholic bottle shop adds a St. Paul location
Just months after fully opening the area's first nonalcoholic bottle shop in Minneapolis, Marigold has announced a second location. The storefront in St. Anthony Park's charming Milton Square (2262 Como Av., St. Paul, shop.honeycombmpls.com) will stock a variety of nonalcoholic and THC-spiked beverages. Look for an early summer opening.
Marigold was founded by Erin Flavin, who also owns the Honeycomb salon next door to the Minneapolis location (3506 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls.). When she stopped drinking during the pandemic, she found that she and her other sober friends were often trading N/A beverage recommendations. With the rise of sober culture and technological advances in removing alcohol from beverages, like beer and wine, Flavin decided to collect her favorite products in a sunny little storefront and business has been booming ever since.
Nixta dynamos open new Mexican eatery
Oro is now open in northeast Minneapolis. The restaurant is the newest concept from Kate and Gustavo Romero, who own and operate the adjacent Nixta tortilleria.
With a deep commitment to heirloom corn and the ancient art of nixtamalization, Nixta has been popular since it opened nearly three years ago. The tortillas can be found in many metro area stores and restaurants, and the Star Tribune named their tacos, which had been available for takeout only, the best in the Twin Cities.
Named for the Spanish word for gold, Oro is a counter-service restaurant with a menu centered around masa and all the glorious ways Mexicans have utilized it: crispy as a tostada, tender as a dumpling and even as a taco.
Oro is at 1222 NE. 2nd St., Mpls., and is open from 4-9 p.m. Wed.-Sat.
Conveyor belt sushi finally opens near Bde Maka Ska
Sushi Train inside Calhoun Commons has fired up the conveyor belts and is now delivering little plates of freshly made sushi. The restaurant (3236 W. Lake St., Mpls., sushitraincalhoun.com) is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. While takeout is offered, it's just not as fun as plucking dishes off the rotating "train" and gobbling them down in the dining room.
Galaxy Drive In is back on the market
Plans for a pizza restaurant at Galaxy Drive In (3712 Quebec Av. S., St. Louis Park) have been scrapped and the onetime Wagner's, and all the bright lights and baubles that have been added to it, is once again for sale. Dave Anderson, founder of Famous Dave's, and Steve Schussler, who gave us the jungle kitsch of Rainforest Cafe, were expected to open Big Dreams Pizza at the location, but told the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal that they are now looking for a larger venue.
Owner of Vo's Vietnamese to retire
In other restaurant real estate news, Vo's Vietnamese (3450 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., vosvietnamese.com) is also for sale. Owner François Vo told Racket that he is looking to retire and sell the restaurant and other real estate in order to move to San Diego. Vo's has operated in its current location for 10 years; there's no word yet on when Vo's will close. The building that houses the restaurant dates to 1912. If you're interested, it can be yours for $675,000.
