Slice Brothers Pizza opens Watch Bar in downtown St. Paul, and more restaurant news

There's a new Slice in town as Adam Kado and Hosie Thurmond have opened their latest pizza venture in downtown St. Paul's Treasure Island Center (400 N. Wabasha St.). Slice Watch Bar is the duo's fifth location, featuring plenty of TVs for fans to catch games, and a patio for when the weather decides to cooperate.

The menu has expanded, too, and includes wings, kale Caesar salads, pizza pockets and more, as well as beer and wine. Open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight, the new restaurant adds to the city's late-night food offerings.

It's been steady growth for Slice Brothers Pizza, which opened its first location in northeast Minneapolis in 2021 with New York-style slices and pies. Other locations include a stand inside Midtown Global Market, an outlet on St. Paul's University Avenue near Dale Street and an outpost at the Mall of America. Get details at slicebrothersusa.com.

Sculpture Garden seeking food stand

For those dreaming of summer, we have a new outing to look forward to: The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden has put out the call for businesses to open a mobile food stand to serve in the shadow of the giant blue rooster. The Minneapolis Park Board and Walker Art Center have joined forces in the hunt for someone to raise our picnic game. Proposals are due April 5; potential vendors can get the lay of the land during walk-throughs on March 27 (when the snow will hopefully be a memory) and April 3. Fingers crossed this could be the next Sea Salt or Sandcastle — or a whole new way to enjoy the splendor of Minnesota's warm season. Find more information at minneapolisparks.org.

It's Picnic time in Linden Hills

Don't let a little snow keep you from having a Picnic. The neighborhood bar/restaurant from Elizabeth "E" Kitzenberg is opening (softly) on Friday, March 29, at 11 a.m., in what was Clancey's (4307 Upton Av. S., Mpls., picniclindenhills.com). With designs on being a lunch-through-late night hangout, Picnic is primed and ready for customers, even though everything isn't perfect. "We could wait another month and fine tune every detail," the owners said on social media. "But you know what? It still wouldn't be perfect and we are ready to see you. Sometimes just a place to meet your friends and have a sip and a bite is all that you need, isn't it? And ultimately that's what Picnic is all about." Stay tuned for hours and menu.

Diane's Place countdown continues

The excitement over Diane Moua's new restaurant opening continues. The pastry-turned-savory chef will open Diane's Place in Northeast's Food Building on April 6. It will first open with brunch and lunch hours before expanding into dinner at a later date. Reservations are open and available; Diane's Place is at 117 14th Av. NE., Mpls., dianesplacemn.com.

New brewery planned for Rondo neighborhood

Brittney Mikell is in crowdfunding mode to open Bubble Line Brewery in St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood, reports Eater Twin Cities. In addition to brewing beer, the taproom would serve coffee drinks and other nonalcoholic beverages and serve as a family-friendly neighborhood gathering space. Mikell writes that she's always been driven by science and learning. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with the intent of being a pharmacist, but found a deeper desire to put some good in the world. If successful, Bubble Line Brewery would be the state's first Black woman-owned brewery. According to the crowdfunding website, "Brittney Mikell is ready to pour her compassion and joy into every single beverage, cup and person that Bubble Line Brewing Company will serve." Mikell aims to open Bubble Line in 2025.

More independent coffee for downtown Minneapolis

Gray Fox Coffee, owned by Danielle and Chris Bjorling, announced plans to expand into the Dayton's Project in downtown Minneapolis. The new spot is expected to open at the skyway level later this summer. Like its other shops in the Deluxe Plaza, 901 Marquette Av. and LaSalle Plaza, this Gray Fox will specialize in sweets, breakfast treats and coffee drinks that double as works of art. Their beverages are known for beguiling foam art and fancy garnishes like gold leaf.

The expansion is part of the recent trend of independently owned coffee shops repopulating downtown Minneapolis locations formerly dominated by chains.

Celebrate Eid al-Fitr with dinner at Tullibee

To celebrate the end of Ramadan, Tullibee chef Aref Zalatimo has put together a menu filled with Middle Eastern flavors "that highlight the depth of Levantine cuisine." That means smoked mushroom hummus with black garlic, tuna kibbeh with compressed cucumbers, beef and pine nut stuffed eggplant, cinnamon grilled lamb kefta, and chicken thigh kebabs with pomegranate and tahini. Order a la carte or partake in a curated tasting menu. Reservations are available from 5 to 10 p.m. on both nights of Eid, April 10-11, via Open Table. The restaurant is inside the Hewing Hotel, 300 Washington Av. N., Mpls., hewinghotel.com/tullibee.

Gavin Kaysen bringing in more big-name chefs for high-ticket dinners

Want to have dinner with Tyler Florence, Nancy Silverton or Greg Vernick? For $395, it's possible. Chef Gavin Kaysen has called on a few of his famous chef friends to join him at Mara at the Four Seasons in Minneapolis for a special dinner series "designed to bring people together."

The dinner series will be tied to the seasons, much like the multicourse winter dinner event Kaysen and Mara hosted during the Great Northern Festival. Guests enjoy a tasting menu prepared by the Mara staff in tandem with the visiting guest chef.

If the per-dinner price tag seems a touch too attainable, season passes are available for $1,200 per person (but includes a night at the Four Seasons). Philadelphia's Vernick will cook for spring (May 9), and California chefs Silverton and Florence will head to the Twin Cities in summer (Aug. 14) and fall (Oct. 24). With all dinners, 10% of the proceeds will benefit local business leader Houston White and his work creating more diversity, equity and belonging. Reservations are open on Tock; for more information, visit Mara's website.

The Mara in Season dinners echo Kaysen's Synergy Series, a celebrity-chef event hosted at his Spoon and Stable restaurant (the series is currently on hiatus). Kaysen also announced the North Star Series at Demi, which will bring three Michelin chefs to his intimate 20-seat restaurant.