Jade Dynasty opens in former Fuji-Ya space
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE
Openings and closings of note
In late November, openings included a second location of Francis Burger Joint, a popular NE vegan food outlet. This is on East Lake Street, in the former Peppers & Fries. Two others were new ventures: at 656 Grand Avenue in St. Paul, Russell’s replaces the recently closed Tavern on Grand, but has their old main attraction, walleye (both as a taco or an entree.) Meanwhile at 600 West Lake Street, the new Jade Dynasty replaces the Nankin, which closed over 20 years ago! Also, a new Chipotle has opened in Dinkytown.
Saturday Dumpling Co.
owners Peter and Linda
December (or it might have been Nov. 30, close enough) saw the opening of the Saturday Dumpling Co., in the former spot of the NE Glam Doll Donuts, which also allowed mspmag.com’s Stephanie March to wrap up her series following the process toward opening, which we mentioned in last month’s Dish.
Quite late in December, Razava Bread Co., a long-awaited artisanal bakery, was opened by Steve Baldinger and Head Baker Omri Zin-Tamir. Located on the ground floor of the Kenton House apartments on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue, the bakery includes coffee, tea, and food offerings – such as specialty house bagels with schmears, shakshuka with a side bagel, or ricotta and smoked mackerel on either toast or pita.
And I guess this is an opening? (It’s hard to tell these days, with all the pop-ups, etc.) A bakery-cum-pizzeria called Farina Rossa
Farina Rossa: Frenchy and Bring Za Heat
Kitchen has begun operating out of the space next door to and owned by Fair State Brewing Cooperative, helmed by a chef-veteran of Travail, JM Lynch. The thing is, it’s hard to tell if it’s a stand-alone restaurant as well as the food service option of Fair State, and also if it’s only there for the winter or permanently. I should be finding out soon, as I am going there in early January.
The major closing news was another iconic Chinese restaurant, the Red Dragon at 2116 Lyndale Avenue South. Open since 1976, the restaurant closed on Dec. 29. The other news is the ongoing struggles of Wuollet Bakery, which also owns A Baker’s Wife and suburban bakeries Hans’ and Grandma’s. Several of its many locations have closed in recent months, and they are being sued by two banks, one for a loan default, and one for failure to vacate the premises at 3608 West 50th Street in Minneapolis. One of the owners said he and his partners are in the process of recapitalizing.
Harvesting wild rice
Food producer story of the month
Wild rice, also known as “manoomin” in the Anishinaabe language, “psiŋ” in Dakota, is coming back from being endangered. This is especially noticeable in Wisconsin lakes and the northern backwaters of the Mississippi River. A decade ago, wild rice was very scarce in these areas, but now is more widespread every year. In some areas, it’s even blocking boat traffic, impacting recreational uses of the waters. Besides providing food, its growth keeps the waters clearer and healthier, so the ideal situation would be a balance. But it’s mysterious. Even experts cannot say why it thrives in a certain time or place. More research may help. (Minnpost.com, 12/20/2024)
Food insecurity story of the month
Razava Bread Co.
Food bank Open Cupboard operates two “free grocery stores” under the name Today’s Harvest. The stores, one in Oakdale, and one that just opened on Dec. 17 in Maplewood, stock food near its sell-by dates but still safe to eat. Unlike in traditional food shelves, customers only need to identify by ZIP code and number in their household, and can select their own items, up to maximum limits. See archive.ph/0EEQi for the Minnesota Star Tribune’s coverage of this.
Mini-review #1 – Chicken Molokhia Soup at May Day Cafe
May Day Cafe’s soup-of-the-day specials are extremely varied, extremely cheap, and always delicious. They use social media to advertise what their specials will be the next day, and I was lured in by the news of Molokhia Soup coming up. Wow, it did not disappoint! I wrote in this column about
May Day Cafe: Chicken Molokhia Soup
molokhia, a spinach-like green that is a favorite in western Asia and Northern Africa, especially Palestine and Egypt. (See tinyurl.com/DKRatSSP-DishSept2024.)
The traditional soup is teeming with bright green molokhia and made hearty with chicken and a slightly thickened broth, flavored with lemon and herbs. It is served with a side of white rice. A generous serving is just $5! With a fancy lemonade, my entire lunch bill was just $8.
Mini-review #2 – Freekeh salad recipe from Canaan.com
I also wrote recently about Canaan.com, an online shop selling Palestinian olive oil (heavenly!) and other products (see tinyurl.com/DKRatSSP-DishNov2024.) One of the things I bought was freekeh (green wheat.) I made a tabbouleh-like salad with the packet containing their lemon olive
Freekeh Tabbouleh
oil and cooked freekeh, cherry tomatoes, parsley, mint, and scallions. It’s pretty fabulous.
