Josh Thoma and chef Nick O'Leary are bringing their burger joint with a dive-bar heart back to Northeast — and to one of the area's most recognizable neighborhood watering holes. A Burger Dive menu will now be served alongside select Smack Shack favorites at the 1029 Bar (1029 NE. Marshall St., Mpls., the1029bar.com).
Burger Dive began in 2019 in the kitchen of Tony Jaros River Garden, another well-known bar on Marshall Street. From there it launched into a full-on bar in the Northeast neighborhood with outposts at Rosedale Center and on Randolph Avenue in St. Paul. Burger Dive exited Tony Jaros after about a year.
The 1029 Bar was also the first brick-and-mortar location of Thoma's Smack Shack, which started as a food truck and is famous for its lobster rolls.
On the Burger Dive menu will be the house, wedge, onion, mushroom Swiss and patty melt burgers alongside jalapeño cheese curds, French onion dip, deviled eggs and giant pretzels. For those who love a "Man v. Food" challenge, there's a mega burger situation where the really hungry can win a T-shirt and a chance at fame by consuming a stack of all the burgers in 10 minutes and 29 seconds.
Arezzo is closing after 21 years
Arezzo, the cozy Italian bistro at 5057 France Av. S. in Minneapolis, will serve its final meal on Jan. 21, according to a sign in the restaurant's window. Founded by owner Adam Smith after he fell in love with Italy's cuisine and culture in the 1990s, the restaurant is named for Tuscany's Arezzo region, deemed "Italy's hidden gem."
The restaurant was a long-beloved spot for a quiet dinner or (pre-COVID) lunch stop after visiting the surrounding shops. According to the announcement, Arezzo's landlord declined to renew its lease.
Dine-in at Rainbow Chinese for Lunar New Year pop-up
It might be one of the most popular comments left on Rainbow Chinese's social media sites: When are you reopening for dine-in? Chef/owner Tammy Wong's iconic Eat Street restaurant (2739 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., rainbowrestaurant.com) has been operating takeout-only since the pandemic, but to usher in the year of the rabbit, she's offering a special opportunity to step back inside. On Jan. 22, Rainbow Chinese is holding a special fast-casual menu. Marco Zappia will be on hand with 3 Leches beverages and DJ Ben Quam will be spinning tunes. Follow Rainbow Chinese on Instagram for more information.
New Uptown restaurant is all about breakfast
Breakfast Klub is now open in the former Hammer & Sickle location at 1300 Lagoon Av., Mpls. The space is all about purple pride, with a fabulous Prince mural and neon highlights. The menu features fun comforts like French toast crusted with fruity sugar cereal and fried chicken and waffles. Enjoy breakfast from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.
Great Northern Festival will be full of cool things to eat, too
From Jan. 26-Feb. 5, the Great Northern Festival will sweep through the Twin Cities with plenty of winter-friendly activities celebrating the cold. This year, several area restaurants are partnering with the festival to get in on the fun. Saint Dinette will be serving a Montreal-inspired tater casserole, Blue Plate restaurants (Edina Grill, 3 Squares, Groveland Tap and more) will have Swedish meatball pie and Market at Malcolm Yards will serve shots in shot glasses made of ice. Check out Great Northern's website (thegreatnorthernfestival.com) for more restaurant fun.
Wendy's House of Soul has reopened
Wendy's House of Soul has reopened inside the North Market at 4414 Humboldt Av. N. in Minneapolis. Owner Wendy Puckett lost her lease at the previous location on Glenwood Avenue. Puckett has built a dedicated following for her soul food comfort food and signature Soul Roll, all kinds of soul-food goodies stuffed in an eggroll wrapper and fried.
House of Soul's new hours are Mon., Tue. and Thu. from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Wed. and Fri. from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; it's closed on weekends.
Will First Ave open a restaurant in St. Paul?
The building that houses the former Wild Thymes restaurant is under new ownership, reviving chatter that the ownership behind First Avenue is planning to open an eatery that could — maybe — be adjacent to its music venue, the Palace Theater (17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul).
Wild Thymes, a sports bar/music venue in downtown St. Paul, closed in 2017. At the time, it was announced that First Avenue would open an eatery in that space — not unlike its Depot restaurant attached to the iconic Minneapolis club.
Rosedale gets donut vending machine
Sprinkles make everything better, and that includes retail therapy. The Donut Trap's fresh treats are now tucked into a special vending machine inside Rosedale Center.
The Donut Trap is known for its square doughnuts topped with outrageous toppings such as sugary breakfast cereal and crushed Oreos. There are yeasted and cake doughnuts, plus some vegan options.
