The Churn is a newsletter for our $5/month subscribers. Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

HORSESHOES, HAND GRENADES, AND AI IN THE KITCHEN
by James Norton

In yet another “2026 is hell” moment, The New York Times announced last week that it was adding AI tools to its cooking section. We can set this development atop the tall stack of “let’s use AI to wipe out humanity” decisions that have been made in recent years.

Art, writing, flirtation, remembering our children’s personalities, and now cooking - our tech overlords have gone right to the heart of what makes being alive pleasurable and targeted it with their remorseless and error-prone spiritual gray goo.

The most interesting part of the newspaper’s announcement about the AI shift is right here:

For years, our users have been asking to measure ingredients by weight (in grams), to easily double or halve recipes and to know how to substitute ingredients for the ones they have. We agreed it’d be helpful to provide those features, but couldn’t figure out how.

Really? You “couldn’t figure out how”? You, a bunch of Yale and Harvard graduates with the money and connections to hire Stanford and M.I.T. graduates to do the actual work?

Let’s keep in mind: We, the human race, have sent people to the moon and back. We are on the road to curing cancer. We figured out how to make a McGriddle both syrup-infused and non-sticky. We collectively have a lot of power at our disposal to solve the incredible, quantum physics-level conundrum of converting 1 cup of flour to 120 grams of flour.

Sure, you might need to put together a database of a few hundred common ingredients and how their volume might convert to weight, but with the massive resources of the New York Times at your disposal, it would be a matter of weeks, not months, to execute that sort of a project.

As for substitutions: asking AI to guess at how to substitute ingredients when even experienced cooks might call a friend or go to the books is absolute idiot nonsense. While some substitutions are plug-and-play, others are highly subjective, and still others are potentially disastrous. Throwing LLM “intelligence” at this kind of a problem on a large scale is guaranteed to ruin hundreds of thousands of dinners before people stop using the AI “tool.”

As a reasonably confident cook, whenever I make a substitution I check out forums, look at comparative recipes and - this bit is key - think about my past experiences. While it lacks the market-moving power of a giant water-guzzling plagiarism machine that makes the most obvious possible guess, it tends to yield good results.

HEAVY TABLE’S HOT FIVE

#5 Karaage at Cafe Yoto | Minneapolis

There’s lots of fried chicken around, but for succulent meat inside a crisp (and gluten-free) exterior, Cafe Yoto’s Karaage ($9) is hard to beat. Squeeze the fresh lemon over the chicken before you eat it for a zap of vitamin C. If it’s a cold night, treat yourself to the Karaage Udon ($17) with Yoto’s kicky curry broth and house-made noodles. The curry sauce gets into the nooks and crannies of the crispy coating; it’s chicken noodle soup supreme. – Jeanne Lakso

#4 Custom ice cream cake from Sebastian Joe’s | Minneapolis

Frequent patrons of Sebastian Joe’s have probably noticed the lineup of pre-made ice cream cakes in the fridge—I’m sure they’re great. But for a few extra bucks and three business days of lead time, you can create a customized version, selecting your ice cream, filling, and decorations from a slew of options. In honor of his recent milestone birthday, my husband created a chocolate lover’s concoction with Nicollet Avenue Pothole and Oreo ice cream layers, Oreos, fudge, and chocolate frosting. It was ridiculously rich in the best possible way, and we’re already scheming about our ice cream cake order for the next special occasion. – Stacy Brooks

#3 German Plum Cake

One of the joys of belonging to a cooking club is that you end up making stuff you’ve never heard of before, let alone cooked. Several weeks ago, that meant me tackling a German-style plum cake, which consisted of a dense, almost cookie-like sheet of cake studded with plums that were baked and glazed with a cooked down apricot jam.

Subscribe now

The whole thing was served with whipped cream and it was remarkably bright, flavorful, pleasant and delicious without being syrupy or over-sweet. – James Norton

Read more

Moroccan-born Chef Youssef Alaoui’s journey in Colombia began after a “bitter divorce” that spurred him to fly to Medellin. He began “pilgrimage” - walking through the Antioquia mountains for the next 18 months, “reviewing his life,” searching for answers. Eighteen months later, he created a restaurant in the Antioquia mountains called Youssef Tastes and modeled after a Moroccan salon and his childhood in Casablanca.

Subscribe now

Operating out of his own farmhouse, Yousef feeds one personally-selected couple or family each meal. He sources his fresh and local ingredients from his farmer neighbors and markets in La Ceja, turning them into the Moroccan dishes he remembers his mother cooking as a child, such as leg of lamb over couscous, fish tagine, French half rabbit, and golden rice with dates.

Youssef Tastes, Ecoparque los saltos, La Ceja Antioquia, Vda, San Rafael, La Ceja, Antioquia, Colombia. Relocating to La Ceja in late 2026. Hours by reservation.

Supervillain (FKA Nathan Wold) - is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker focusing on the culinary scene, as well as the music scene. With a background in TV production including work with The Food Network, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and Netflix. He also has a background as a fashion designer, studying womenswear design at Central Saint Martins, work appearing in Vogue, and on music tours including Girli and Kat Cunning.

CARNIVAL OF FLAVOR
Corn Soup sustains Carnival in Trinidad - it can spice up autumn in Minnesota, too
By Anisa Mohammed of Channa Kitchen

Corn soup is not only a Carnival tradition, but also is a reflection of Trinidad’s multicultural heritage. Trinidadian cuisine reflects African, Indian, Indigenous, European, Asian, and other cultural influences. Corn soup showcases how everyday ingredients, local produce, and bold Caribbean seasonings come together to create something distinctly Trinidadian.

Subscribe now

While it’s a great pick for soup season in Minnesota, a bowl of corn soup is actually considered as fuel following hours of parading in a colorful costume during Carnival season. 100-degree soup in 100-degree weather? It’s totally a thing in Trinidad.

TRINIDADIAN CORN SOUP

1 cup dried yellow split peas, rinsed
4 ears corn, cut into 2–3 pieces each
2 cups pumpkin or butternut squash, diced
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3–4 Tbsp green seasoning (available at Caribbean grocery stores like Galaxy Foods)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cumin (geera)
1 tsp turmeric
1–2 Tbsp chopped celery
2 pimento peppers, chopped, if available
1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper (or substitute habanero)
8–10 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or water
Salt and black pepper to taste
1–2 teaspoons Caribbean curry powder (optional)

Read more

The Tap is a newsletter for our $10/month Founding subscribers, but this month we’re sharing the newsletter with all paying subscribers. And stay tuned for the noon delivery of our Hearth newsletter, which covers recipes and home cooking.

Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

THE TAP

The Tap is the Heavy Table’s ongoing biweekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Please send any tips to editor@heavytable.com. All dates are approximate based on best information available; opening dates, in particular, tend to shift around a lot.

NOW OPEN (Up to 3 Months)

Smithson Steak and Seafood, 2160 Southdale Center, Edina, Minn. ■ The owners of the popular Baldamar at Rosedale Center are going for a repeat success by opening a new, slightly more formal steakhouse at Southdale Center. Steaks start at $65, but the caviar and oysters don’t have prices listed, so brace yourself. Opened October 17, 2026.

Picco Pizza + Gelateria, 455 Simpson St., Saint Paul ■ The second new Vincent Francoual spot to open this year, Picco is the sister restaurant and next door neighbor of Midway Diner. Opened October 17, 2026.

Savory Bakehouse (relocated), 895 Front Ave., Saint Paul ■ The onetime Longfellow crowd favorite micro bakery has moved and reopened in a new (and bigger) space over in Saint Paul. Opened October 9, 2026.

Read more

On a quiet street in the El Poblado neighborhood of Medellin, sits an otherwise unassuming restaurant that serves world class, chef-driven dishes. The food of Idílico provides an enthralling tour through the diverse regions and cultures of Colombia.

Subscribe now

Chef Yeison Mora - with his business partner Cristian Salazar - showcases ingredients in his dishes that are sourced from small farms and Amazonian tribes throughout Colombia - with a special emphasis on farmers near Antioquia.

Idílico’s menu changes frequently, as it’s based off of fresh, local sourcing from small producers around Colombia. The restaurant is a celebration of Colombian farmers - and Amazonian tribes - and an understanding of how vital it is to fight back against the corporate conglomerate takeover of farming across both North America and Latin America.

Idílico, Cl. 12 #43d-21, El Poblado, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, MON-SAT 12-2:30pm, 7-10pm, SUN CLOSED

Supervillain (FKA Nathan Wold) - is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker focusing on the culinary scene, as well as the music scene. With a background in TV production including work with The Food Network, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and Netflix. He also has a background as a fashion designer, studying womenswear design at Central Saint Martins, work appearing in Vogue, and on music tours including Girli and Kat Cunning.

The Churn is a newsletter for our $5/month subscribers. Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

Early Voting begins today! This means that voters insert their ballot directly into the ballot counter to be counted on Election Night. Early voting is happening now through November 2- make your voting plan today!

Eating Quality Cheese Off The Edge of A Knife While Sitting Atop a Waterfall
By James Norton

Every once in a while it’s nice to be human. Which is to say: occasionally we find ourselves in a situation that so purely enjoyable that it reminds us that consciousness - generally a curse - can also sometimes be a gift.

I had one of those moments this past weekend while hiking through Crosby Manitou State Park. While sitting on flat rocks in the middle of a running river, looking down at a waterfall from amid the very stream that was feeding it, I laid out a modest picnic lunch for myself and a couple friends. I stabbed a piece of honey clover Gouda made by a master cheesemaker I’ve met and interviewed, and nibbled it off the point of the knife while staring off into the woods across the falling water.

The air was cool, the trees were yellow and green and red, the cheese was rich and creamy and just a little bit sweet and herbal. The sound of water surrounded us as we ate meats from Underground and Lowry Hill, cheeses from Marieke and Uplands, and marinated olives from Eastside Coop.

Minnesota’s got great parks; the Upper Midwest makes some of the best cured meat and artisan cheese in the country. It occurred to me about midway through our waterfall lunch that while what we were doing seemed almost ordinary to us, but there are many parts of the country where this kind of a meal would seem exotic.

The whole experience was so rejuvenating that it feels like we need a local expression for “forest bathing“ to drive home just how terrific it can feel to get the hell out of the house and the office and let ourselves get swallowed up by the woods and surrounded by the water.

But, honestly, whatever - the words aren’t as important as the feeling.

HEAVY TABLE’S HOT FIVE

#5 Chicken Seasoned with Mak Taste of Cambodia BBQ Seasoning

We were recently sent a 8.4 ounce pouch of Minnesota-made Mak Taste of Cambodia BBQ Seasoning. It sat on our shelves for a while as we hunted for an opportunity to deploy it. A package of chicken thighs and a “well, what are we doing for dinner?” weeknight became the impetus to give it a shot.

The seasoning works beautifully: the marinade - which includes galangal, lemongrass, sugar, peanut butter powder, makrut lime leaf powder, and MSG - quickly and thoroughly covered the chicken and created a finished dish that had a nutty depth of flavor that paired beautifully with sticky rice. About 1/2 the $16 package was sufficient to cover about two pounds of chicken, a fine exchange for a mind-blowingly simple weeknight meal. – James Norton

#4 Bean and Bear Latte at Timber Coffee Company | Silver Bay, Minn.

The number one sin of coffee shop lattes tends to be syrupy sweetness, followed by (or combined with) flavors applied with a trowel rather than a delicate brush. No such issues at Timber Coffee Company; the shop’s Bean and Bear latte is flavored with honey, vanilla, and cinnamon, but with such a light touch that the additions are peripheral and gently supportive of the coffee itself, which tasted mild, nutty, and delicious. Incredibly smooth and delicate foam is the metaphorical cherry on top. – James Norton

Subscribe now

Read more

Comuna 13 in Medellín, Colombia was commonly referred to as “the murder capital of the world” in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and into the early 2000s. A trilateral war was waged across its narrow, mountain staircases between cartels, armed guerrillas, and the military - with civilians caught in the crossfire.

Subscribe now

Today Comuna 13 has been transformed - the community is celebrating a 50-year low in violence, and welcoming international tourists to enjoy its art and food in a fair-like atmosphere. However, Medellín remains plagued by human trafficking, and Berracas de la 13, a women’s shelter and restaurant, is one of the few resources in the community to fight it. They accept donations, but simply buying a meal of their authentic Antioquian food will support the organization as well.

Berracas de la 13, Cra. 111 #35f, San Javier, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Supervillain (FKA Nathan Wold) - is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker focusing on the culinary scene, as well as the music scene. With a background in TV production including work with The Food Network, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and Netflix. He also has a background as a fashion designer, studying womenswear design at Central Saint Martins, work appearing in Vogue, and on music tours including Girli and Kat Cunning.

THC TROUBLE
A looming federal ban on THC uniquely threatens Minnesota’s beverage industry
By Stacy Brooks

Despite their popularity, hemp-derived THC beverages are slated to become illegal at the federal level on Dec. 12, 2026. Liquor stores will remove any remaining inventory from the shelves. Restaurants and bars will stop serving the now-illegal beverages. The layoffs that have already started to ripple through the beverage industry will accelerate: manufacturing jobs all along the supply chain, sales staff at beverage distributors, delivery drivers, servers. Beloved, long-running breweries may shutter altogether.

“This is our generation’s Prohibition,” says Nick Kosevich, CEO and partner at Earl Giles (above). Although the looming federal hemp-derived is due to an appropriations act rather than a constitutional amendment, the comparison is still apt.

How did hemp-derived THC products become ubiquitous in Minnesota’s craft beverage scene, and why is such a popular product category being banned? It all goes back to the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed hemp and hemp seeds from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s schedule of controlled substances.

The assumption was that farmers would grow hemp for fiber, grain, and non-intoxicating CBD products. However, savvy companies soon discovered that it was possible to derive THC from hemp and add the intoxicating substance to consumable products, including beverages.

What unfolded next varied dramatically based on geography. In some states, there aren’t any regulations or restrictions on hemp-derived THC products, leading to concerns about product safety and usage by minors. Other states — including Minnesota — have taken a far more active approach. In 2022, a Minnesota law came into effect that set dosage limits for hemp edibles and beverages, as well as a 21-year age requirement for purchase. Crucially, these regulated low dose hemp-derived products could be sold at general retail locations including liquor stores, convenience stores, taprooms, restaurants, and bars.

Thanks to Minnesota’s robust regulatory framework, “we were one of the fastest markets to adopt these products from a consumer level as well as from a manufacturing level,” says Ryan Kopperud, VP of growth at Wild State Cider and Birdie, the cidery’s THC brand. Kopperud also serves on the board of Minnesota Hemp Beverage Producers, a trade association.

Subscribe now

“Because we got so good at making these products in such a quality and safe way, Minnesota is a co-packing destination for many of the nation’s largest hemp THC brands,” he explains. Co-packing is an arrangement where a brewery with extra production capacity makes beverages for another company. “Many of the largest breweries in Minnesota don’t just make their own beer and their own THC beverage brands. They do, but they also are being paid by brands from many, many states to also produce those brands as well.”

Read more

The Tap is a newsletter for our $10/month Founding subscribers, but if you’re a $5/month subscriber, please stay tuned for the noon delivery of our Tulip and Schooner newsletter, which covers beer, wine, and spirits.

Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

THE TAP

The Tap is the Heavy Table’s ongoing biweekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Please send any tips to editor@heavytable.com. All dates are approximate based on best information available; opening dates, in particular, tend to shift around a lot.

NOW OPEN (Up to 3 Months)

Vuka Flame Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken ■ A South African restaurant featuring 48-hour-marinated grilled chicken has taken over the long-time It’s Greek to Me spot at Lyn-Lake. Opened October 3, 2026.

Martiya, 3030 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis ■ The owner of the pioneering East African fast casual chain Afro Deli has branched out to a new spot offering a family-style fusion riff on Somali fare. Opened October 1, 2026.

Stelline Italian Kitchen, 1304 NE 2nd St., Minneapolis ■ The Travail Collective remake of cocktail bar Stargazer has transformed the Northeast space into a neighborhood pasta bar, not unlike the group’s remade Italian Eatery spot in South Minneapolis. Opened October 1, 2026.

Bewick Cafe, 1340 Thomas Ave. W, Saint Paul ■ All day-dining (dinner service is still upcoming) and ambitious cardamom rolls define this new spot in former Groundswell space. Opened September 19, 2026

Square Roots, 2708 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, ■ The former DuNord-run New Orleans-inspired spot in the Coliseum building on East Lake Street is now an Afro-Creole restaurant helmed by Jared Brewington (Official Fried Chicken). The restaurant’s 501(c)(3) status is unusual and marks it as a social enterprise. Square Roots features an affordable menu, an all-Black management team, and an educational residency program for aspiring restaurateurs; MSP Business Journal has the full story. Opened September 17, 2026.

Umami Sushi and Chinese, 220 Lowry Ave. NE, Minneapolis ■ The one-time Market BBQ space has become a mix-and-match sushi and Chinese-American restaurant, opened by the owners of Rollicious in Dinkytown. Can a sushi spot offering Chinese food ever actually be good? We’ll find out shortly. Opened September 17, 2026.

Saffron, 165 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis ■ The acclaimed restaurant Saffron has returned in the former Young Joni space in Northeast Minneapolis. The Star Tribune previewed the project in early January and covered its opening. Opened August 31, 2026.

Bean & Bear Bagels at Ursa Minor Brewing, 202 S. 26th Ave. West, Duluth, Minn. ■ Freshly made bagels and bagel sandwiches anchor the menu at this new shop. Opened August 19, 2026.

Pho Hay To, 605 W. 7th St., Saint Paul ■ We loved the original Tay Ho on University Avenue (pictured above) and its killer bun bo hue; now the family that owned it has moved into the former Pajarito on West 7th. Opened August 16, 2026.

Inti Kitchen and Bar, 4537 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis ■ The former Corner Table/Revival location is now serving Indian and Tibetan fare. Opened August 13, 2026.

Tom’s Thai (formerly Tiki Tom’s Thai), 1601 West Lake Street, Minneapolis ■ Thai and Chinese-American food dominate the menu at this ambitious new Lake Street eatery in the former Pinoli space. It also features “world famous cheese curds.” Opened August 12, 2026.

Bill’s Bait Shop, 3101 42nd St., Minneapolis ■ The former Chicago Taste Authority is now the latest outpost in the Centro empire, a freshwater fishing-focused casual eatery with a menu including trout dip, walleye sandwiches, smoked chicken, and more. Opened August 7, 2026. Reviewed in the August 14, 2026 edition of the Churn.

Side Door at Dexter’s Food Hall (partially open) ■ A Daniel del Prado mini-food hall is on its way, including Rose Sushi, Daq Daq (Korean fried chicken), and Lucia’s (pizzas and salads). Lucia’s opened August 6, 2026.

Tasca Madrid, 173 Western Ave. N., Saint Paul ■ Tapas, vermouth, paella, and other staples of Spanish tavern dining will come to the former Handsome Hog space in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of Saint Paul. Soft opening/bakery opening in progress as of July 19, 2026. (Watch our video profile of founder Alberto Blanco.)

Subscribe now

CLOSED AND CLOSING (Up to 3 Months)

Scott Ja-Mama’s ■ A long-time barbecue standard has shuttered its doors, leaving a fairly scanty BBQ still scantier. Closed October 3, 2026.

French Meadow (Lyndale Avenue) ■ A contentious sale and a long, slow decline spelled the end to an iconic Lyndale Avenue restaurant with a four decade-long tenure. Closed September 29, 2026.

Read more

Gatherings Cafe, 1530 E Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, 612.358.7130, MON-FRI 8am-3pm, SAT-SUN CLOSED

Supervillain (FKA Nathan Wold) - is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker focusing on the culinary scene, as well as the music scene. With a background in TV production including work with The Food Network, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and Netflix. He also has a background as a fashion designer, studying womenswear design at Central Saint Martins, work appearing in Vogue, and on music tours including Girli and Kat Cunning.

The Churn is a newsletter for our $5/month subscribers. Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

Amid this year’s surge in federal immigration enforcement, Minnesotans have shown what it means to stand together. Join the Minneapolis Foundation on October 7th for its 2026 Minnesota Meeting: Of the People—an event focused on what happened last winter, what our communities are still experiencing, and where we go from here.

IN PRAISE OF GUS GUS
A little, mostly off-the-radar spot in Saint Paul is doing basically everything right.
By James Norton

Like many of the best restaurants, Gus Gus in Saint Paul kind of sneaks up on you. The first time you go, you have a good meal and a good time and you think: “Yeah, that’s alright. I’ll be back.” The second time you go, you finish up and say: “That was terrific, this place is an unsung champion.” And then the third time you go, you say: “OK, this is my place now. It’s tremendous. It’s the New Default.”

The first two things I noticed about Gus Gus is that it’s a) dark and b) loud. The latter is probably a factor of it being c) small and d) generally crowded. Not excited about this particular combo? Here’s the real estate agent punch up: It’s lively, it’s inviting, it’s cozy, it’s *fun*. It’s not a perfectly lit glass-and-hardwood temple. It’s a place where people come to have raucous conversations with friends. We need more of this in our often too-precious metro, much more of it.

In a region that struggles with hospitality - I’ve had so much indifferent or chilly service at this point that it basically doesn’t merit mentioning - the servers at Gus Gus are warm, responsive, constantly hustling, and legitimately very good at their jobs. We had to wait about five minutes to be seated for our reservation the last time we went; our server later apologized and comped our round of aperol/Campari/blood orange jello shots. She didn’t have to do this; we didn’t ask, the inconvenience was minor. But it was thoughtful as hell: you guys had to stand around to get seated, you were chill about it, we see you.

So, atmosphere, check. Service, check. I’ll cut to the chase and say the cocktails are uniformly tasty, too (love the Olive Oil Martini, $15) even if they have a kumquat drink dubiously called the Kum on Aileen ($14, haven’t tried it, probably won’t.)

But, you know - fancy jello shots, Dexy’s Midnight Runners-inspired cocktails, clearly this is a place that knows how to party.

And the food - the food! - the food is also absolutely excellent. This isn’t strictly a review, so I don’t have a responsibility to dutifully list and critique everything I’ve eaten at Gus Gus, so I’ll just say this: We’ve not yet hit a bad dish, and most of the dishes are terrific.

The assertively dressed Gem Lettuce Salad (watermelon radish, carrot, fennel, pistachio, $10) varies a bit in quality from really good to incredibly good. It’s on my “always get this” list, and I don’t generally care for salads. And last time I was there I got the Grilled Prawns with Malta Sauce ($16), because I would like it if a grilled shrimp dish was actually worth the money, even if they almost never are. This one was - the prawns were cooked firm but not over, and the sauce (an orange Hollandaise) was rich and lovely. A Gnocchi dish (sweet corn beurre blanc, lemon mascarpone, oyster mushrooms) initially seemed dear at $29, but it was perfect, with just the right pillowy chew to the dumplings and lightness to the beurre blanc. And the restaurant’s Cheeseburger ($20) is rightfully famous around here - the American cheese / caramelized onion / mustard aioli preparation is seemingly simple but a perfect complement to the high quality smash burger itself.

If I were going to copy/paste a single existing restaurant and then drop it into a dozen neighborhoods, Gus Gus would be on a very short list (which would also include Mi-Sant and Mashawi.) The main challenge, sadly, would be a big one: You can copy/paste a menu, supply chain, and interior design easily enough. But without the chefs and the servers, you’ve got nothing, and in the hospitality industry right now good people are scarcer than ever. We’ll just have to keep cramming into the one-and-only Gus Gus if we want what they’re offering.

Gus Gus, 128 Cleveland Ave. N, Saint Paul, 651.645.4128, MON-THU 4-9pm, FRI-SAT 4-10pm, SUN CLOSED

HEAVY TABLE’S HOT FIVE

#5 Salt and Pepper Mushrooms at All Saints | Minneapolis

Mushrooms are a common meat substitute thanks to their chewy, juicy texture—that’s what I was expecting from the salt and pepper mushrooms at All Saints. Instead, they’re more akin to pork rinds, with an airy crispness and a delicate umami note. A generous dusting of pepper enhances the earthiness of the mushrooms, and the accompanying dip layers on herbal scallions and nutty sesame. – Stacy Brooks

#4 Tortilla Chips by Tortilleria Zepeda | Lone Rock, Wisc.

If you’ve ever felt like you needed a tougher chip to stand up to whatever wet concrete-thickness dip you’re slinging these days, the Wisconsin-based Tortilleria Zepeda has you covered. Its chips, made from local organic corn nixtamalized in-house, are robust as heck, capable of bearing whatever edible paste you’re able to pile on top of them. They’re tasty (if slightly tough), and they tell a pretty compelling story that makes their mighty construction that much easier to appreciate. – James Norton

#3 Maple Syrup from Wagner’s Sugar Hill | Crivitz, Wisc.

As a general rule of thumb, any time we find an entire gallon of even vaguely plausable maple syrup for sale for $40, we’ll buy it. Costco sells maple syrup by the quart, and it’s priced quite nicely at around $12, but even once you consider how inconvenient the gallon size is for storing and using, it’s a hell of a bargain. This of course assumes the syrup is tasty; Wagner’s syrup is delicious, rich and full-flavored. We got ours at the Dane County Farmer’s Market in Madison, Wisc., so your mileage may vary in terms of tracking down and getting a good price on a monster sized jug of maple goodness. – James Norton

#2 Breakfast Burger at Original Pancake House | Roseville, Minn.

I usually ignore any specials offered at Original Pancake House, so set in my ways am I regarding my favorites there. But on a recent visit to the Roseville location, one of the day’s specials was a breakfast burger with bacon, pickled onions, hash browns and an egg. It sounded too good to pass up, and I was right. Everything was perfect: The burger cooked medium rare, the egg over easy, the hash browns somehow simultaneously crispy and greasy. The bun did its best to hold up, but this was essentially a knife-and-fork burger, and I loved every bite. – Amy Rea

#1 Fried Cheese Curds at Bull’s Horn | Minneapolis

We try to stay on the news around here (new places, new ideas) but every once in a while we re-discover a classic and feel compelled to talk about it. The cheese curds at Bull’s Horn are one such classic: beautifully battered, gooey and rich, dippable in the accompanying thousand island dressing but delicious as is. There may be equally good cheese curds at other restaurants, but I’m not sure what “better” would look and taste like - the only ones that compare in my mind were the ones at the old Town Talk diner on Lake Street. – James Norton

STREET REPORT
ICHIGO CREPES AT EAT STREET CROSSING
by James Norton

Every once in a while, I review a place that I’m utterly in the tank for, because it’s fun to eat what I like and sing its praises. That was the scenario I prepared for with Ichigo Tokyo Crepes at Eat Street Crossing, a Tokyo-style creperie that leans into made-to-order treats and “the eyes eat first” presentation. I’m on board for all of that. The treats, the glamor, the Japanese origin story, the whole lot of it.

Waiting for the order certainly ratcheted up anticipation, and it led me to worry about the business model as a whole; my order of two crepes, two desserts, and one beverage took nearly 15 minutes to make. If two or three people had ordered before me, it would’ve been a slow-moving catastrophe. This might be one of those times when the high sticker price on the food really works in favor of guests - if you have to pay $14 for a pancake with some ham and cheese in it, at least you’re not fighting your way through a line.

The good news about Ichigo Tokyo Crepes is a big item: The crepes themselves are great. They’re pliable and yielding yet structurally sound, fun to bite into, and uniformly well made. They’ve got a little bit more foamy depth than some of the European-style crepes I’ve tried, but that’s OK - they’re almost like edible cushions for their contents. But things go downhill once you take that first bite.

Subscribe now

The problem in a nutshell: a low-impact, delicate-flavor haute cuisine approach to food, minus the haute cuisine ingredients.

Read more

Subscribe now

Saffron, 165 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis, SUN-WED 5-9pm, THU-SAT 5-10pm

Supervillain (FKA Nathan Wold) - is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker focusing on the culinary scene, as well as the music scene. With a background in TV production including work with The Food Network, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and Netflix. He also has a background as a fashion designer, studying womenswear design at Central Saint Martins, work appearing in Vogue, and on music tours including Girli and Kat Cunning.

APPLES ON THE RISE
By James Norton

Two things are inevitable every autumn: A flood of delicious local apples, and a flood of semi-dicey or absolutely boring apple recipes. We’ve published this recipe for apple pannekoeken before at some point, but we’re sharing it with you again because it’s a) delicious b) a real show-stopper in terms of presentation and c) shockingly easy to make. The two critical things that you need are time and apples, and everything else is about as basic as it comes.

For years we made this recipe with a method that involved cooking the apples only in the oven, but we’ve added a step that involves cooking them in a skillet with alcohol before they hit the baking pan. Not only does this concentrate the apples’ flavor and make them delightfully chewy, it means that they’re incredibly hot as you pour your batter over them, giving the batter yet another kick of heat and lift before it bakes.

In our house we tend to eat this delicious breakfast with maple syrup, but you can try jam, apple butter, honey, and/or powdered sugar as well. The pancake itself is not particularly sweet - the apples and cinnamon sugar bring the sweetness, and it’s pretty gentle and mild, making this a great celebration breakfast for guests who like things more on the savory end of things.

PANNEKOEKEN OR BANANKOEKEN

6 Tbsp. of butter
3 apples peeled and sliced, then dredged in about two Tbsp 3:1 sugar:cinnamon mixture OR 3 bananas sliced thick and dredged in cinnamon sugar (if you run out of apples)
1/4 tsp of salt
1 1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 cup of milk
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Sauté the apples on the stovetop in a heavy pan for about 10 minutes, medium heat, with cinnamon sugar and a generous splash of applejack, brandy, or good dark rum. This creates denser, more flavorful apples.

Melt the butter in a 9 x 13” pan, tilting to coat sides. Mix flour, salt, milk, and eggs together - aggressively whisk to break down lumps of flour.

Put sauteed apples in bottom of buttered pan, then cover with flour / milk / eggs mixture. Sprinkle top of pannekoeken liberally with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes - pannekoeken will puff up in the oven and brown. Serve with maple syrup.

Amid this year’s surge in federal immigration enforcement, Minnesotans have shown what it means to stand together. Join the Minneapolis Foundation on October 7th for its 2026 Minnesota Meeting: Of the People—an event focused on what happened last winter, what our communities are still experiencing, and where we go from here.

SMALL BIRD, BIG FLAVOR
by James Norton

Compared to their cousins the chicken, turkeys, and geese, quails are small in stature, and they tend to get lost at the market, too. It’s not a bird I cook with all that often; most of my own uses for it over the years have been for novelty reasons - as the interior bonus bird, for example, in a super turducken, or as the “leading from the front” comedy mini bird in a quail-chicken-turkey “parade of fowl.”

The bigger flavor of quail means that it plays particularly well with sides and accompaniments that bring some umami, nuttiness, and/or sweetness. Think of wild rice, or foraged mushrooms, or dried cranberries, or an herbed pistachio breading. Chicken often gets lost when bigger flavors come to play - despite its small size, quail holds its own.

Manchester Farms sent us a care package of quail meat, pre-made quail-and-bacon appetizers, quail egg scissors, and a pile of quail eggs. Some thoughts on the birds:

#1 Marinated Breast-Cut Quail

There’s a serious “wow” factor to these little birds, which retain their legbones but have supple, easy-to-cut breast portions of meat. They required no work beyond cooking in the oven, but they could have easily been accented by wild rice, a nutty salad, or some sort of fruited couscous situation.

#2 Bacon Wrapped Marinated Quail Appetizers

Salty, savory, rich and funky, these apps are legitimate flavor bombs. We liked them as is, but next time we served them we might finish them with a plum or apricot glaze to add a little sweetness and accentuate the earthy notes of the quail.

#3 Quail Eggs

The scissors do come in handy with these bad boys, which have a high shell-to-egg ratio compared to the market chicken eggs we’re used to. The eggs also have a richer, creamier quality to them, and we thought they made delicious (and highly entertaining) mini deviled eggs, which we served at a cookout. We also used them to make “bullet-studded” eggs in a frame, wherein one piece of toast contained three or even four eggs which we pan-fried.

THE RARE BEAUTY OF REAL LEMON MERINGUE PIE
By James Norton

When I was growing up in southern Wisconsin, my mom would, every once in a long while, bake a dessert that was the absolute pinnacle of deliciousness. Her lemon meringue pie featured a fluffy, airy crown, a piercingly lemon-loaded but delicate interior and a flakey, tasty crust. It went down fast - too fast, to be honest - and was one of the most exciting culinary events of any given year that it appeared.

Subscribe now

Read more

The Tap is a newsletter for our $10/month Founding subscribers, but if you’re a $5/month subscriber, please stay tuned for the noon delivery of our Hearth newsletter, which covers recipes and home cooking.

Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

Amid this year’s surge in federal immigration enforcement, Minnesotans have shown what it means to stand together. Join the Minneapolis Foundation on October 7th for its 2026 Minnesota Meeting: Of the People—an event focused on what happened last winter, what our communities are still experiencing, and where we go from here.

THE TAP

The Tap is the Heavy Table’s ongoing biweekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Please send any tips to editor@heavytable.com. All dates are approximate based on best information available; opening dates, in particular, tend to shift around a lot.

NOW OPEN (Up to 3 Months)

Bewick Cafe, 1340 Thomas Ave. W, Saint Paul ■ All day-dining (dinner service is still upcoming) and ambitious cardamom rolls define this new spot in former Groundswell space. Opened September 19, 2026

Square Roots, 2708 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, ■ The former DuNord-run New Orleans-inspired spot in the Coliseum building on East Lake Street is now an Afro-Creole restaurant helmed by Jared Brewington (Official Fried Chicken). The restaurant’s 501(c)(3) status is unusual and marks it as a social enterprise. Square Roots features an affordable menu, an all-Black management team, and an educational residency program for aspiring restaurateurs; MSP Business Journal has the full story. Opened September 17, 2026.

Umami Sushi and Chinese, 220 Lowry Ave. NE, Minneapolis ■ The one-time Market BBQ space has become a mix-and-match sushi and Chinese-American restaurant, opened by the owners of Rollicious in Dinkytown. Can a sushi spot offering Chinese food ever actually be good? We’ll find out shortly. Opened September 17, 2026.

Saffron, 165 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis ■ The acclaimed restaurant Saffron has returned in the former Young Joni space in Northeast Minneapolis. The Star Tribune previewed the project in early January and covered its opening. Opened August 31, 2026.

Bean & Bear Bagels at Ursa Minor Brewing, 202 S. 26th Ave. West, Duluth, Minn. ■ Freshly made bagels and bagel sandwiches anchor the menu at this new shop. Opened August 19, 2026.

Pho Hay To, 605 W. 7th St., Saint Paul ■ We loved the original Tay Ho on University Avenue (pictured above) and its killer bun bo hue; now the family that owned it has moved into the former Pajarito on West 7th. Opened August 16, 2026.

Inti Kitchen and Bar, 4537 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis ■ The former Corner Table/Revival location is now serving Indian and Tibetan fare. Opened August 13, 2026. Reviewed in the September 17 edition of the Churn.

Tom’s Thai (formerly Tiki Tom’s Thai), 1601 West Lake Street, Minneapolis ■ Thai and Chinese-American food dominate the menu at this ambitious new Lake Street eatery in the former Pinoli space. It also features “world famous cheese curds.” Opened August 12, 2026.

Bill’s Bait Shop, 3101 42nd St., Minneapolis ■ The former Chicago Taste Authority is now the latest outpost in the Centro empire, a freshwater fishing-focused casual eatery with a menu including trout dip, walleye sandwiches, smoked chicken, and more. Opened August 7, 2026. Reviewed in the August 14, 2026 edition of the Churn.

Side Door at Dexter’s Food Hall (partially open) ■ A Daniel del Prado mini-food hall is on its way, including Rose Sushi, Daq Daq (Korean fried chicken), and Lucia’s (pizzas and salads). Lucia’s opened August 6, 2026.

Tasca Madrid, 173 Western Ave. N., Saint Paul ■ Tapas, vermouth, paella, and other staples of Spanish tavern dining will come to the former Handsome Hog space in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of Saint Paul. Soft opening/bakery opening in progress as of July 19, 2026. (Watch our video profile of founder Alberto Blanco.)

Haraz Coffee House, 3001 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis ■ The former Iron Door on Lyndale Avenue is now a new location for the Michigan-based Yemeni coffee chain Haraz Coffee House. Opened late June, 2026. Reviewed in the August 14, 2026 edition of the Churn.

CLOSED AND CLOSING (Up to 3 Months)

Good Times Pizza ■ Rarely a good sign when a restaurant closes its doors, announces that it’s a “pause” on Instagram, and then deletes said Instagram account. But there appears to be the possibility of a transition to new ownership. Closed September 17, 2026.

Swede Hollow Cafe ■ Nearly 3 decades of famous cinnamon rolls and coffee come to a close with the shuttering of Swede Hollow Cafe. Closing August 31, 2026.

Borough ■ More than a decade of upscale party fare in the North Loop comes to an end with the closure of Borough; Jester Concepts will turn the space into the resurrection of Revival. Closed June 27, 2026.

UPCOMING (Most Imminent to Furthest Out)

Stelline Italian Kitchen, 1304 NE 2nd St., Minneapolis ■ The Travail Collective remake of cocktail bar Stargazer will transform the Northeast space into a neighborhood pasta bar, not unlike the group’s remade Italian Eatery spot in South Minneapolis. Opening October 1, 2026.

Martiya, 3030 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis ■ The owner of the pioneering East African fast casual chain Afro Deli is branching out to a new spot that will offer a family style fusion riff on Somali fare. Opening Fall 2026, website still says “Opening August,” which is rarely a good sign.

Vuka Flame Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken ■ A South African restaurant featuring 48-hour-marinated grilled chicken will take over the long-time It’s Greek to Me spot at Lyn-Lake. Opening Fall 2026.

Maison Rose, 981 Sibley Memorial Highway, Lilydale, Minn. ■ The former I Nonni space in Lilydale will find new life as a project from the team behind Patisserie 46 and Rose Street Patisserie. The new endeavor will combine production facilities, classroom space, and a bakery/cafe. Opening Fall 2026.

Arch and River ■ The married couple behind B’beri Desserts is taking over the former Owamni space at Water Works Pavilion and bringing Afro-Caribbean-inflected brunch, lunch, dinner, and dessert-bar service along with them. Opening Fall 2026.

Clémentine, 614 W. 54th St., Minneapolis ■ Jasmine Weiser Kaysen (formerly of Edwards Dessert Kitchen; we profiled her June 22, 2022) will bring pastries made using French techniques and global ingredients to South Minneapolis. Opening Fall 2026.

Marrone’s, 4250 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis ■ Wood-fired pizza will anchor the latest project by Steven Brown (St. Genevieve and Tilia). Opening 2026.

Steak Frites by Meritage, location TBD ■ A spinoff restaurant from Meritage, slated to be located in a suburban location with a $32 per person fixed price menu including bread and butter, salad or soup, steak or mussels and unlimited fries. Opening yet to be announced. For more, read the Jan. 9, 2026 edition of the Tap.

Ate Ate Ate, 1178 Burnsville Center, Burnsville, Minn. ■ Yet another Asian-focused food hall is coming to the metro, anchored by the Asian food store Ensom Market. The spot is giving some Market at Malcolm Yards vibes. As per the press release: “The 13,320 square foot location will be home to a diverse roster of nine food vendors, plus a bar and beer pull wall, an event space, and regular entertainment offerings.” The project is spearheaded by Akhtar Nawab, a Michelin-awarded chef, cookbook author, and TV personality. Opening delayed. Star Tribune has a story on the mall and its tribulations.

Jujube, 1100 2nd St S., Minneapolis ■ A unique Asian/Central Texas barbecue crossover will bring dishes including classic brisket and Peking duck to the former Izzy’s space overlooking Gold Medal Park. Texas Chef Jake Johnson (with experience at Animales, Kim’s, Bachelor Farmer, and others) will lead the culinary side of this Saturday Dumpling Company-owned sit-down dining experience. Opening late 2026.

Blue in Green, 1500 N. 44th Ave., Minneapolis ■ The former Get Down Coffee Co. will become a bistro with a soulful edge, offering dishes like curry chickpea stew, sweet potato cornbread, and Hawaiian barbecue sandwiches plus a wine program. Opening 2026.

ŠHOTÁ Indigenous BBQ by Owamni, 2601 Franklin Ave., Minneapolis ■ Sean Sherman is branching out from Owamni - in a big way - this summer by opening a combination restaurant, commissary kitchen, and office headquarters in the former Seward Co-op Creamy space on Franklin Avenue. The restaurant, ŠHOTÁ, will focus on Indigenous barbecue concepts, which means (in part) pre-colonial meats such as venison, turkey, and bison taking the place of mainstays such as pork, chicken, and beef. Profiled in the January 10, 2025 edition of the Churn. Opening 2026.

Tim McKee Restaurants at The West Hotel, 167 N. First St., Minneapolis ■ A basque-inspired charcoal-driven restaurant and a Mediterranean bakery will be part of a new North Loop hotel in the former Commutator Building operated by Salt Hotels. Opening 2026.

Americana, 5036 France Avenue S., Edina, Minn. ■ A joint project of restaurateur Ryan Burnet and chef Daniel del Prado, Americana will move into the former Cocina del Barrio space and start serving mid-20th Century-inspired American fare. Opening late 2026.

Halal Square at Northtown Mall, 76 Northtown Drive, Blaine, Minn. ■ An upcoming project adjacent to and modeled on the Asia Village shopping mall and food court is headed to Blaine. Developer Omar Abuisnaineh is the force behind the (excellent) Pangea Halal Market, also located nearby. A Business Journal story has the details. Opening TBD.

MINNESOTA MEALS
Homegrown Foods has created a hyperlocal food kit
By Amy Rea

Aleksandra Till loved cooking and enthusiastically experimented with myriad cuisines, but when she had three small children, it became more of a chore than something to enjoy. Being committed to offering her family healthy, home-cooked meals made from locally sourced ingredients while managing the children’s needs was frustrating. “Then my in-laws, who are Swedish, told me about something a company in Sweden was doing, and I thought, why aren’t we doing that here?” she says.

Subscribe now

The company in Sweden was called Middagsfrid, and it’s believed to have been the first to offer what they called pre-packaged food bags, launching the concept in 2007 (it shut down in 2024). The idea was simple: The company produced packages with all the ingredients needed to make a homemade meal, so the family receiving them didn’t have to figure out what to make, find the recipe, and shop for ingredients. But they could still feel good about not relying on takeout or drive-through at mealtime.

Read more

Subscribe now

Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 612.332.5299, SUN-THU 5:30-9pm, FRI-SAT 5:30-11pm

Supervillain (FKA Nathan Wold) - is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker focusing on the culinary scene, as well as the music scene. With a background in TV production including work with The Food Network, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and Netflix. He also has a background as a fashion designer, studying womenswear design at Central Saint Martins, work appearing in Vogue, and on music tours including Girli and Kat Cunning.

The Churn is a newsletter for our $5/month subscribers. Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT

The Heavy Table is a magazine about food and drink in the Upper Midwest and we stick to our remit pretty religiously. Specialize, and after a while people will either start to trust you or you’ll go bankrupt. We’ve been at this for nearly 20 years, and we’re still in the black. Somehow.

All that said, the longer I plug away at this, the longer I feel like an honest-to-God Minneapolitan. The comings and goings of restaurants, sure, but also my neighbors and backyard parties, the 3rd Precinct, my kids’ teachers and schools (which may be closing), Metro Surge. Life and death, although we emphasize the former whenever possible.

Part of that evolving identity is an appreciation for even the stuff around here that we can’t (or at least probably shouldn’t) eat: lakes and trees, museums, sculpture gardens, live music, and culture in general. This column is a rare nod in that non-culinary direction, all sparked by a recent showing of the still superbly funny It Happened One Night. [1]

Over the past couple of years, we’ve really started to appreciate the awesome power of the Trylon Cinema, located right here in Longfellow. 90 seats, affordable tickets, really good popcorn, and a flair for smart programming that takes me right back to moviegoing in college: arthouse stuff, foreign films, weird outsider art, the occasional Hallmark movie. I’ve seen everything from Big Night to Michael Clayton to The Palm Beach Story there, and I actively look forward to their marketing emails.

The themed series are smart, the picks are excellent and often really obscure, and - best of all - when you get to the theater you are sitting in a room surrounded by your people. These are people who freakin’ love movies, who know movies, who want to laugh and applaud and enjoy movies with other people who love movies.

Here’s a modest proposal: There should be a Trylon in every neighborhood, a little cinema with great popcorn and a crackerjack team finding films that will surprise, enlighten, move, and sometimes even shock the viewing audience.

You might be thinking: That can’t possibly be financially feasible! And yet: I think of the last four or five Trylon films I’ve been to, maybe one showing wasn’t completely sold out. People are hungry for this stuff. People love this stuff. This is one of the hidden missing parts of civic life, a thing that sort of fell apart with the relentless advance of suburban multiplexes and rise of CGI- (and now AI-)generated mega sequels.

And the Riverview is pretty great, too. That’s all. See you at the movies. – James Norton

HEAVY TABLE’S HOT FIVE

#5 Middle Eastern Egg in a Frame via Holy Land | Minneapolis

There’s a wide array of Middle Eastern bread at Holy Land in Northeast Minneapolis, and it offers limitless potential in the kitchen. Iraqi Samoon bread can be almost completely split, spread with pesto and thin slices of cheese, have a hole punched out of it, dropped into a buttered skillet, filled with a soon-to-be-fried egg, and then finished with salt and pepper. The result is a pesto cheese egg in a frame, and the chewy, fluffy bread is a terrific medium for soaking up the runny yolk and absorbing the herbal punch of pesto. – James Norton

#4 Lavender Empress at Scarlet | Red Wing, Minn.

Gin, lavender, coconut, and lime are the constituent elements of the Lavender Empress at Scarlet at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing. This is a cocktail that could easily get syrupy, perfumey, or altogether too tart; we thought ours was well balanced, with just a whisper of coconut on the finish and enough lavender to bridge the different ingredients and take the edge off the gin without overwhelming the palate. Good stuff. – James Norton

#3 Okonomiyaki Fritters at Moto-i | Minneapolis

Okonomiyaki is Japan’s contribution to the pantheon of great drunk foods. This hefty, hearty, savory pancake has shredded cabbage, eggs, flour, dashi, and toppings like pork belly - okonomiyaki will set you up for a heavy night or cure what ails you afterwards. It’s a sizzling, salty food coma hot off the griddle. If you’re in the mood for okonomiyaki but not planning a bender, get yourself to Moto-i for their happy hour Okonomiyaki Fritters ($6.50), a bowlful of hot and tender salty balls (sorry, SNL of old), laced with bacon and decorated with with Kewpie mayo and katsu sauce, a flourish of bonito flakes waving in the heat. They serve full-sized okonomiyaki, too, if you’ve got some drinkin’ to do. – Jeanne Lakso

#2 Mushroom Goulash with Potato Pancakes at Restaurace Čtyři Sestry | Kutná Hora, Czech Republic

It didn’t intuitively seem like goulash weather: 97 degrees, humid, and sunny. But the patio at Restaurace Čtyři Sestry was shady, and the mushroom goulash on the lunch menu looked intriguing. (Although goulash is a Hungarian dish, it’s ubiquitous in the Czech Republic thanks to erstwhile rule by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.) It was the perfect pick, the gentle heat of the sauce taking the edge off the midday heat. The fluffy potato pancakes were a perfect vehicle for sopping up the sauce and sour cream, and the rich umami depth of the mushrooms rounded out the dish. – Stacy Brooks

#1 Patty Melt at Le Burger 4304 | Minneapolis

The new patty melt at Le Burger 4304 is more a classic than a revamp of this mid-20th century sandwich. Take a deeply flavorful high quality beef patty, jammy caramelized onions, gruyere, and a toasted sesame bun flipped over (le menu calls it “inside out”) with the flat toasted side up. Add a schmear of mayonnaise flavored with toasted caraway, subtle but there, suggesting the missing rye bread. At $15.50, it’s substantial, satisfying, and just messy enough to require an extra napkin. ICYMI, check out Le Burger’s Cleveland, Ohio location next time you’re visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Opened last December, it’s the next step on Gans’s and Hoyt’s journey to world burger domination. – Jeanne Lakso

DINNER DU NORD
Can a single massive meal save downtown Minneapolis?
By Abraham Teuber

If you want to get to know a neighborhood, start by finding something to eat. Don’t look for recommendations from a TikTok or Google review. Wandering around is a better method. If you asked me where to start in my neighborhood, Whittier, I’d direct you to the span of Nicollet Avenue known as “Eat Street.” I’ve dined its blocks for years and still barely made a dent.

Start your morning with a concha from Marissa’s or doughnut from Glam Doll. Wash it down with a cup from Spyhouse. For lunch, pick between seven stellar pho joints or get the Cities’ best banh mi at Lu’s Sandwiches. [2] If you’re not into Vietnamese, try Greek at Christos, Chinese at Rainbow, or German fare at the Black Forest Inn. For your nightcap, eavesdrop on indie kids at Little Tijuana or Prodigal’s more down-to-earth regulars next door. Still peckish? Fuck it. Hit McDonald’s, wonder why there’s nowhere to sit, and take your fries on the curb.

If you were about a mile north on Nicollet, though, I could not tell you where to start. Here, the avenue turns into a mall, ushering pedestrians and busriders into the heart of downtown Minneapolis. Though the neighborhood is full of iconic landmarks and venues, its identity somehow still feels opaque. Until recently, the only place I’ve eaten there is Chipotle.

As a suburban youth, taking the Light Rail into downtown Minneapolis with my family felt magical. We donned jerseys and stepped out into massive crowds for the first occasions where I felt like I belonged to a massive statewide team. The Orpheum and State later offered more artistic special occasions, my introduction to the city’s impressive theater scene. In high school, my friends and I attended our first concerts at First Ave, pride parades along Hennepin, and nights out at the Gay 90s. Most recently, it’s been a backdrop for protests of the ICE occupation.

These days, I realize that downtown’s cultural outposts have always been generally sanitized and over-produced. This is contrasted by the harsh class disparities laid bare on its sidewalks, which are frequented by people living through illness, addiction, and poverty.

Those looking for a bustling, vibrant downtown won’t find it in Minneapolis. At this point, there’s not much I want to do down there apart from the occasional game or show.

GATHER ROUND THE TABLE

An event called Dinner Du Nord is trying to change that, filling Nicollet Mall with a blocks-long dining table waited upon by restaurants from across the city. Event producer Scott Mayer created the evening last year, looking for ways to support the downtown dining scene after the economic devastation of the pandemic. During the AIDS epidemic, Mayer organized fundraisers to help stop the disease. Since then, he’s made a career out of event planning, working for Target and eventually starting his own business. Dinner Du Nord feels like a natural extension of that story.

“Downtown restaurants were really suffering, as were most restaurants in the city,” Mayer told me the weekend before the event, which took place this year on Thursday, Sep. 10. “And so I thought, you know, this would be my attempt to really help promote the restaurant community in Minneapolis.”

It’s advertised as “America’s largest dinner party” (though it looks like at least the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is probably larger). Tickets start at $20 and range all the way up to $250, offering entry points for many budgets. Musicians strum and sing along the street, too.

Mayer and his team invited every licensed restaurant and food truck in the city to participate. The list has a bunch of familiar names, but none I would consider to be our culinary standouts - you won’t find Owamni, Bar La Grassa, or Diane’s Place at the event. The event website boasts quite a range, though, from sports bars to takeout joints to steakhouses.

Mayer thinks of Nicollet Mall as “Minnesota’s main street.” Over the course of our conversation, I realized he and I had different perceptions of downtown. For me, it had always been a destination for special events. Scott lives along Loring Park, goes to a gym by the Target Center, and brings guests to restaurants downtown like the Turkish spot Lumi.

“I think the city gets a lot of short shrift with people in the suburbs and outside Minnesota,” said Mayer. I agree completely. “Too many people go to a sporting event, whether it’s a Twins game or Target Center, and they go in and go out, right? And they never step foot outside the parking ramp.”

Subscribe now

DINNER IN THE CROSSHAIRS

My first impressions of Dinner Du Nord were from a small but very vocal cadre of Minneapolis-posters. Most ragged on the event as a self-serving stunt for the metro’s most privileged, an opportunity to revel in the hollowed out downtown shell that represents excess, in a city they’ve either fled or shelter themselves from in mansions and luxury condos.

I shared the trepidation, but aspects of these criticisms rung hollow to me. Like I said, tickets start at $20 for a multicourse meal, not exactly the epitome of capitalist greed. And isn’t dining itself, in any sitdown form, a pretty bourgeois endeavor?

Read more

The Churn is a newsletter for our $5/month subscribers, but today’s edition is free for all. Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

IT’S BOGO WEEK AT HEAVY TABLE

Every once in a while, we get so many timely stories at Heavy Table that we’re faced with a tough decision: run a mega newsletter that no-one can finish, or let some of those stories languish and possibly perish.

This week we’re taking the bull by the horns and just running two Churn newsletters. Deal with it; the writing is great, the info is good, and the price is right. Today’s edition is free for everyone, and tomorrow’s, as per tradition, goes in full to our paying subscribers, the people who make this all possible. Thanks to all of you guys for enjoying what we’re putting together here, you’re the best. – James Norton

Amid this year’s surge in federal immigration enforcement, Minnesotans have shown what it means to stand together. Join the Minneapolis Foundation on October 7th for its 2026 Minnesota Meeting: Of the People—an event focused on what happened last winter, what our communities are still experiencing, and where we go from here.

DEBT COMES CALLING

Fill this under briefly noted: this week it became known that both Hmongtown Marketplace (above) and Summit Brewing face possible foreclosure and financial ruin due to unpaid $6.6 and $8 million dollar debts, respectively.

Hmongtown Marketplace is a rough-cut gem, a spot that reliably and for years has offered up some of the best food (in terms of value, and absolute flavor) in the metro.

And Summit Brewing is absolutely foundational in terms of Minnesota beer in general and craft brewing specifically. Just this weekend I found myself drinking at a German-style cookout and talking with other guests about how reliably good Summit is in general, and how transformative its Unchained Series of beers was specifically.

You could argue that both institutions have had their day, as seriously good Asian fare has exploded into an array of new food courts and strip mall locations and seriously tasty Minnesota beer can be found in dozens of breweries across the state. But it would be sad bordering on tragic for either of these institutions to have to permanently shut off the lights rather than refinancing, retooling, and living to fight another day. – James Norton

ON OUR RADAR

GRAZETOBERFEST | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 | 5–9PM

Via press release, a promising looking spin on Oktoberfest via Graze Food Hall by Travail:

On Saturday, September 26, Graze gets into the Oktoberfest spirit with Grazetoberfest, a free celebration featuring beer and food specials, games, contests, prizes and live polka music on the Yard Stage.

Admission is FREE, but for those looking to fully embrace the festivities, Graze will offer an All-You-Can-Drink Oktoberfest Beer Package for $25 featuring a selection of seasonal beers.

And because no Oktoberfest celebration is complete without a stein, the first 100 beer package purchases will receive a 16 oz. glass stein.

Saturday, September 26 | 5–9 PM
Graze Food Hall | North Loop Minneapolis
Admission: FREE
Event Link: https://events.humanitix.com/grazetoberfest

HEAVY TABLE’S HOT FIVE

#5 Pizza Indeed at Earl Giles | Minneapolis

The kitchen at Earl Giles is working at the same high level as their award-winning distillery, taking expected eats-with-drinks (sandwiches, salads, apps) to another plane. The wood-fired pizza oven turns out admirable pies with pleasantly blistered and chewy crust and tempting toppings like onion soubise and Gruyere; or pasta, egg, parmesan, and pancetta. The Pizza Indeed ($23) is a Mexican-style masterpiece of mildly-spiced loose-meat chorizo on a sauce of roasted poblano crema, with beautifully thin slices of jalapeños, red pepper flakes, and hot honey on top. All the elements work together for a memorably flavorful pie. The same can be said of the Caesar Salad ($17), where house-pickled onions and microplaned Manchego lift it up above the norm. – Jeanne Lakso

#4 Club Mariner Sandwich from Northern Waters Smokehaus | Duluth, Minn.

On a recent visit to Duluth, I pretty much inhaled the Club Mariner sandwich from Northern Waters Smokehaus, a wonderful combo of smoky (smoked salmon, pancetta), zingy (wasabi mayo), tart (housemade pickles), crisp and cool (lettuce), and the simple-but-perfect toasted white bread. Sandwiches--good ones, anyway--are often underrated. This was a beaut. – Amy Rea

#3 Fish and Chips at Hoop’s Dockside | Bayfield, Wisc.

The Hoop’s Dockside fish and chips basket is a neat encapsulation of Lake Superior’s South Shore. Fresh filets of the iconic local whitefish, caught by a sixth-generation fishing family, served on a breezy dock jutting out into the lake with a view of Madeline Island.

The fish is thinly breaded, rather than battered like an English chippy, but it’s the right choice for such a delicate filet. The flesh is tender and unctuous, with a thin crunch from the breading. [1] The fries are solid and the setting is perfect. Go for live music on the dock, Monday and Saturday nights through early October. – John Garland

#2 Panna Cotta at Scarlet | Red Wing, Minn.

A hot summer evening on the rooftop patio at Scarlet, the restaurant attached to the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, called for something refreshing. Fortunately, the restaurant offered a martini glass serving of light, airy panna cotta, attractively complemented with fresh fruit and a crunchy crumble. This would’ve been a good dessert under any circumstances, but it was perfect for a warm night overlooking the river. – James Norton

#1 Amaize Sweet Corn from Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm | Waverly, Minn.

I recently discovered a new-to-me variety of sweet corn at my go-to for local produce, Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm. Released in 2011, Amaize corn has cream-colored kernels and is known for its extra-sweet flavor and juicy texture. Although it tastes great when boiled, it especially shines when grilled over charcoal. The smokiness keeps the sweetness from becoming too cloying, and Amaize retains moisture much better than the ear of standard sweet corn I threw on the grill as a control. – Stacy Brooks

STREET REPORT
INTI IN MINNEAPOLIS
by John Garland

During every one of our visits to the newly opened INTI Kitchen + Bar, we overheard a neighboring table ordering butter chicken and garlic naan. That’s probably how it goes at every Indian restaurant in town, and that’s not to throw shade. Dining out is more expensive than ever. There’s no shame in ordering the hits to avoid disappointment.

But I’d recommend taking a few leaps of faith at INTI, especially into the Tibetan section of the menu. Owner Chogyal Tenzin has hired the chef from the dearly departed Tibet Kitchen in Stevens Square. If you were a regular there, you’ll recognize a few dishes that have made the trek down Nicollet Avenue to the former Corner Table/Revival building.

It would be easy to order a fallback at INTI, where the menu offers both Indian and Tibetan appetizers, tandoori meats, breads and beverages, before another full page of vegetarian Indian dishes, meat curries, and Tibetan entrees. The menu could be cut in half and it would still feel like a comprehensive Indian-Tibetan restaurant.

But if they did that, the butter chicken would stay and something like the Bagara Baingan ($18) would probably get the axe, which would be a travesty. The dish was four whole baby eggplants, cooked to a creamy tenderness, served over a complex peanut sauce, full of warming spices, toasted sesame, and a charred earthy aftertaste. Ordered on a complete whim, it’ll be one of my most fondly remembered restaurant dishes of the year.

There were no misses among the appetizers. The Tibetan Egg Rolls ($9) were leagues better than the standard Chinese rendition, packed with ground beef and glass noodles. The exterior was shatter-crisp but the roll itself was not greasy — a master class in technique on the fryer.

And we couldn’t stop eating the Samosa Chaat ($12), which featured two of the flaky Indian pastries covered in a richly spiced chickpea curry, cooling yogurt, and the bitterness of tamarind. It’s a carnival of textures and colors, with pomegranate seeds adding a burst of sweetness.

I’d wager that most of the Indian curries at INTI will meet or exceed the benchmark set by your usual takeout spots (mine are Aroma and Dosa). Their version of Kashmiri Rogan Josh ($24) certainly does, with tender chunks of lamb in a deeply spiced curry full of dark earthy chilis and a layered heat.

Because the curries here are routinely good, you’d do well to order a Tingmo ($5), a spiral of spongy steamed bread that expertly soaks up the gravy. It’s a better match for the food than, say, the Mozzarella Naan ($7) which was a lark, and that’s not to say it tasted bad, just far more pizza-coded than our Indian meal really needed.

As we move into winter, make a note to put the Thenthuk ($18) soup into your chicken noodle rotation. It’s a roasty and savory broth with loads of hand-pulled noodles, batons of tender vegetables, and topped with aromatic greens. The noodles are torn into rough rectangles, which might remind you of the slicker dumplings that are the hallmark of old-fashioned chicken soup.

The menu section I’d probably remove for sake of clarity would be the tandoori meats. The Creamy Malai Kebab ($16) promises “creamy cardamom cheese” which turned out to be more of a thin cream sauce, though dutifully full of cardamom. The large pieces of boneless chicken were tender, and served with a nice mint chutney, but lacked that fiery char that you want from the tandoor.

Only one real miss on the Tibetan side: the Chicken Manchurian ($17) didn’t quite nail the brief, as the pieces of chicken that are usually deep-fried and crunchy in this dish didn’t seem battered at all and were just dry. The sauce would be too sweet were it not for a persistent chili presence to keep it in check.

For drinks, I’d recommend a beer, not only because I think Indian fare in general is better with beer than with spirits, but also because it feels like INTI’s cocktail program is still trying to find its footing. The Calcutta Club ($15) promised the heat of smoked jalapeno syrup and ginger, but it mostly tasted like pineapple juice. If you’re not a beer drinker, the Mango Lassi ($5) is perfectly on point.

And yes, their Butter Chicken ($22) is rich and creamy and full of fenugreek, but how about you live life and take a flier on some baby eggplants or Tibetan noodles? INTI has done good work to offer a personal and distinctive take on the region’s cuisine. Give them the benefit of the doubt and you’ll be rewarded.

Subscribe now

INTI Kitchen + Bar, 4537 Nicollet Ave S., Minneapolis, 612.200.8275, TUE-THU 11am-9pm, FRI-SAT 11am-10pm, SUN 11am-9pm, MON CLOSED

FOOTNOTES

[1] EDITOR’S NOTE: These are literally the best fish and chips I’ve eaten in my life. Manifestly superior, pun intended.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This newsletter and the entire Heavy Table magazine presence is made possible by you and everyone else who subscribes to our enterprise.

This biweekly newsletter is available only to Substack or Patreon subscribers contributing at the $5/month level or above. Please share it rarely (if ever) and encourage your friends and family to support the website if they find its stories valuable and entertaining. If you have tips, concerns, corrections, complaints, compliments, or just about any other feedback whatsoever, please feel free to email editor James Norton and let him know - he’s at jrnorton@heavytable.com.

Subscribe now

Nettie’s Volta, 401 Main Street, Plum City, Wisc., 715.523.3604, WED-SUN 5-9pm, MON-TUE CLOSED

Supervillain (FKA Nathan Wold) - is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker focusing on the culinary scene, as well as the music scene. With a background in TV production including work with The Food Network, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and Netflix. He also has a background as a fashion designer, studying womenswear design at Central Saint Martins, work appearing in Vogue, and on music tours including Girli and Kat Cunning.

MANA BREWING CONJURES UP A SPELL
Cream Ale, Honey Malt Hazy, and Hefeweizen all top-tier potions at the Oakdale brewery
By Loren Green

When I visited Mana Brewing in 2022, they’d just opened their original Shakopee location and it left a mixed impression. At the time, I summarized it as “not-quite-ready.” It felt like a soft open. Well, four years have passed and Mana found their footing. In addition to their successful operation in Shakopee, they opened a second brewery in Oakdale last year, located near the intersection of 494/694 and 94. It’s an easy-to-find mixed use building with apartments on the upper levels. Early reviews cited positive experiences and challenges with parking – but on two visits I was able to park right in front each time, so it seems the situation has improved.

The brewpub offers roughly a dozen housemade beers, a limited cocktail selection, plus pizza, hot dogs, and salads. We sat down with owner Travis Bechthold to learn about the expansion, how the brewery operates in relation to the original location, and their general philosophy about giving the community a place to meet, drink and find their own mana.

HEAVY TABLE: How did this location come to be? Was expansion your plan, or was it the right opportunity at the right time?

TRAVIS BECHTHOLD: Our goal was to expand eventually. Going to beer tasting events, we heard people from the east side of the Twin Cities saying, “We have to travel. There’s not much out here.”

This place [was] exactly what we’ve already done. It was the right time, so we went for it.

HT: Brewing on site, at two locations, is a lot more equipment and overhead. How do you split up your beers?

TB: There’s something to be said for going to a place and having your beer brewed right there.

80 to 90 percent of our tap list is the same at both locations -- sometimes we’ll run out faster at one than the other. And we do some local collaborations, like the fire department Hook and Ladder Amber where they came in and helped us brew.

HT: It’s nice to share a growth story as the industry struggles. What’s working for you?

TB: When we came up with [Mana], my wife and I were into brewery hopping. Then we had kids and a lot of them are not so family friendly.

So we built a place that we want to hang out. We made it family friendly, and we analyzed why people leave the brewery. A lot of times, it’s “My spouse doesn’t drink beer/ they like wine or cocktails,” or they’re hungry.

We tried to solve those two problems.

HT: Do you focus 50/50 on beer and other menu items?

TB: We weren’t going to have food at all and we were going to try to have a much smaller space. When we were negotiating for the lease in Shakopee, they really wanted someone to take the entire space and we wanted half of it.

“What are we going to do with all this extra space?”

So we decided to do the pizza oven and that turned out to be a much, much larger part of our business than we were expecting.

We expanded the menu here -- hot dogs and salads. We took the same approach to our liquor selection. You don’t always drink beer, so you want to have other options. We wanted to do that with the pizza, too. You can’t have pizza all the time. Some people say they can, but I’ve eaten an incredible amount of pizza.

You live upstairs, and you’re here three times a week? Yeah, pizza gets a little old. We want to have a few more options.

HT: When did you hand off brewing duties?

TB: Pretty early. I still work my full-time day job and brewing at night was getting to be too much. I asked Bob [Miller] if he wanted to learn and take over… He’s doing great.

HT: You’ve described your brewing philosophy as “beer for everybody.”

TB: One of my biggest pet peeves is when you walk into a place and it’s 50-60% IPAs, one light, one dark, and that’s it. There are a lot of styles out there that people don’t get to try very often.

We have a French Saison, wit beer, altbier -- all those different styles that you don’t see too often.

HT: I see three IPAs right now.

TB: Yeah, we have our NZ Cold IPA, we have our American IPA, and then our Honey Malt Hazy. That’s it. We will do off-and-on IPAs. Viking Blood is an incredible red IPA.

I’d say about a third of our beers are core, a third are seasonal, and then a third are one-offs and collaborations. The one-offs vary the most from place to place.

HT: How was scaling up, first from the garage and now to Oakdale?

TB: Our biggest thing was getting the bitterness right, because hop utilization is much different on a large scale, and then getting our efficiency right. We finally got our 3.5 bbl system dialed in.

Subscribe now

We kept that here, so the process is the same. If we ever need parts, we have it on hand. We’re not running two completely different systems, where we have to have two recipes for efficiency and hop utilization.

HT: What is the story behind the name?

Read more

The Tap is a newsletter for our $10/month Founding subscribers, but if you’re a $5/month subscriber, please stay tuned for the noon delivery of our Tulip and Schooner newsletter, which covers beer, wine, and spirits.

Heavy Table exists solely because of the support of subscribers like you - thanks for making it possible for us to tell the stories of food and drink in the Upper Midwest.

ON OUR RADAR
BUTCHER’S DINNER AND BARN DANCE AT MEDICINE CREEK FARM

If you’ll be in Duluth tomorrow or don’t mind some traveling, the Butcher’s Dinner at Medicine Creek Farm sounds pretty terrific. Brian Merkel of Y-Ker Acres (who appeared at Chef Camp back in the pre-COVID era) wrote to us about the dinner and said:

It’s a fun, big event. I like to say the only non local ingredients are salt and olive oil. We harvest two lambs, smoke a bunch of pork and source all produce from local farms. This year I’m serving an 18-month old cured ham - sorta jamon style. We use grant money to fly the pedal steel guitar player up from Asheville. It’s kid friendly. Camping is an option.

The event includes a 4pm Regenerative Farm Tour, a 5pm Cocktail Hour and Market, the 6pm Butcher’s Dinner and a 7-10pm Barn Dance featuring Heartbreak Affair; dinner tickets start at $75 and look to be a solid value.

THE TAP

The Tap is the Heavy Table’s ongoing biweekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Please send any tips to editor@heavytable.com. All dates are approximate based on best information available; opening dates, in particular, tend to shift around a lot.

NOW OPEN (Up to 3 Months)

Saffron, 165 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis ■ The acclaimed restaurant Saffron has returned in the former Young Joni space in Northeast Minneapolis. The Star Tribune previewed the project in early January and covered its opening. Opened August 31, 2026.

Bean & Bear Bagels at Ursa Minor Brewing, 202 S. 26th Ave. West, Duluth, Minn. ■ Freshly made bagels and bagel sandwiches anchor the menu at this new shop. Opened August 19, 2026.

Pho Hay To, 605 W. 7th St., Saint Paul ■ We loved the original Tay Ho on University Avenue (pictured above) and its killer bun bo hue; now the family that owned it has moved into the former Pajarito on West 7th. Opened August 16, 2026.

Inti Kitchen and Bar, 4537 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis ■ The former Corner Table/Revival location is now serving Indian and Tibetan fare. Opened August 13, 2026.

Tom’s Thai (formerly Tiki Tom’s Thai), 1601 West Lake Street, Minneapolis ■ Thai and Chinese-American food dominate the menu at this ambitious new Lake Street eatery in the former Pinoli space. It also features “world famous cheese curds.” Opened August 12, 2026.

Subscribe now

Bill’s Bait Shop, 3101 42nd St., Minneapolis ■ The former Chicago Taste Authority is now the latest outpost in the Centro empire, a freshwater fishing-focused casual eatery with a menu including trout dip, walleye sandwiches, smoked chicken, and more. Opened August 7, 2026. Reviewed in the August 14, 2026 edition of the Churn.

Read more