Anjero breakfast burrito by Milk and Myrrhs Ifra Ahmed
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE
Openings and closings
Some openings of note: I don’t know if this is something we didn’t know how much we needed or not, but a new place called L2 Tii Cup has opened in Uptown (27th and Hennepin) and they sell Boba cocktails and Taiwanese street food. I don’t know what either of those are, but I am game to find out. Also, Aster Cafe has now got a sister restaurant two blocks away called Aster House.
Two new places, not related otherwise, have opened in that Edina-meets-Linden Hills area around 50th and France. One is a new Daniel del Prado spot, an upscale sports bar called Dexter’s. The other is a pizza place from the team behind Mr. Paul’s Supper Club – Mothership Pizza Paradise. Definitely in Linden Hills is yet another new burger place. Opened by Bachelor Farmer vets and locally sourced burger experts Jonathan Gans and Josh Hoyt, Le Burger 4304 answers the question “what if you had a place with great burgers, only kind of French?” Also, top of the menu: SUB VEGETARIAN PATTY FOR ANY BURGER +0. (You love to see it.) It’s in the former Zumbro Cafe spot.
Stephanie March in Mpls.St.Paul magazine is following the progress toward opening of a Saturday Dumpling Co. brick-and-mortar (they are currently catering) in NE Minneapolis. The latest was in the December issue and mentioned that they will miss their planned opening but only by a couple of weeks. Look for it where Glam Doll used to be.
Sunny dining room lunch in Gatherings
For closings, I have only one. Hi! Flora, the space that sold vegan food, functional teas and NA cocktails, including THC extracts, is closing (or has closed) in early December. A major reason was the whopping fine they got from the Office of Cannabis Management, which also halted their onsite sales of THC tincture with meals and drinks. Owner Heather Klein is exploring a new direction, but not at the pricey corner of Lyndale and 26th.
New foodie magazine, big story
A new magazine about food with the cryptic name synonym (all lower case) has dropped. Its inaugural issue absorbed me, especially this article about a Seattle based Somali American chef and author, Ifrah Ahmed, who is doing big news pop-ups under the title Milk & Myrrh. Her food stylings feature Somali tastes and ingredients, with American twists and local ingredient substitutes. I cannot afford a subscription right now, but look forward to future issues of synonym, and to the “coming soon” Marketplace section of Ahmed’s website. Read the interview with Ahmed here: synonym-mag.com/eat-drink-and-be-myrhhy.
Other food news
The May Day Cafe crowdfunding to help the workers buy it and turn it into a cooperative proceeds apace. Last time I looked they were at about 75 percent of goal with close to $100K. You can be part of this by donating here: givebutter.com/maydaycafe.
Bichota Coffee workers have joined Unite Here local 17 after the owner proactively signed a labor peace agreement prior to opening the coffee shop at George Floyd Square. Give this coffee shop some love for showing the way.
Ben & Jerry’s relationship with its adopted parent company Unilever has been rocky and is reaching a breaking point over support for Palestine solidarity. (Unilever acquired the ice cream brand in 2000, with a deal that gave Ben & Jerry’s a supposedly independent board and free rein to continue its social mission.) From Reuters: A rift first erupted between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever in 2021 after the ice cream maker said it would stop selling its
products in the Israeli-occupied West Bank because it was inconsistent with its values… The ice cream maker then sued Unilever for selling its business in Israel to its licensee there, which allowed marketing in the West Bank and Israel to continue. That lawsuit was settled in 2022, … but Ben & Jerry’s says Unilever has breached
Lynette at Happy Hour
the terms of the 2022 settlement… According to the lawsuit, “Ben & Jerry’s has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights. Unilever has silenced each of these efforts.”
Mini-review #1 – Lynette at Happy Hour
I visited Lynette, the new place in the old Riverview Wine Bar spot, in late October at Happy Hour. I had a rare (for me) glass of rose wine, which was delicious. I had the duck fat fries with Bearnaise sauce and a roasted broccoli plate. It made a perfect late lunch with ample leftovers to take home, for just over $30, including the generous wine serving.
Gatherings squash soup and quiche
Mini-review #2 – Gatherings Café for Native American Heritage month
I visited Gatherings Cafe in late November for lunch. I loved the ambience, the selection, the prices, and the friendliness of the service. I had a Headwaters sparkling water with real blueberry juice and chaga mushroom extract to drink, along with a slice of quiche and a fabulous, thick and custardy, spicy and warm squash bisque. I will be back.
