Debra Keefer Ramage
Debra Keefer Ramage began writing freelance for Southside Pride in 2012, shortly after returning from a 13-year sojourn in England. She covers progressive politics, education, co-ops and neighborhoods. In 2017 she started doing Southside Pride’s restaurant review column, The Dish.
BY DEBRA KEEFR RAMAGE A brief history of Highland Park If you have lived in Minnesota long enough, you have learned that we live on stolen land and from whom it was stolen. Maybe, though, you do not know by whom or some of the more terrible details. I looked…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Things to do on Cedar Avenue Near the northern end of Cedar, in the Seven Corners and Cedar-Riverside area, you’ll find many entertainment options. Theatre in the Round was founded in 1952 and is the longest-running theatre in Minneapolis. Their 2025-26 season will kick off Sept.…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Openings and closings and other changes Several exciting new restaurants have opened in the Twin Cites. The Rondo Community Land Trust has opened a New Orleans-themed Golden Thyme Restaurant and Bar (catfish po’ boys!) along with their reopened Golden Thyme Cafe a few blocks away,…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE A perilous time for immigrants I am proud, I am proud I am proud of my forefathers and I say They built this country They came from far away To a land they didn’t know The same way you did, my friend – from “Welcome Welcome…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE The Avenue is great for coffee or breakfast If you want to go out for breakfast or a coffee and snacks, Franklin Avenue will spoil you with choices. Norway House, 913 E. Franklin Ave., now has a full-service cafe with Scandinavian type coffee drinks, bakery items,…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE A big old church and other caring organizations Near the northern end of Nicollet Avenue there stands a beautiful old building that embodies some of the best values of Minnesotans – religion-based but nondoctrinaire, justice-oriented but also with attention to the arts and personal growth, liberal…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE More closings than openings I literally can’t find any newly opened restaurants or food businesses beyond those I’ve already covered, or ones that opened months ago but are not relevant to us. Closings on the other hand… Just before I sat down to write this in…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Coffee Shops along East 38th Street — quality and quirk There are no bad coffee shops on East 38th Street! At 3745 Nicollet Ave. S. there is Five Watt Coffee, one location of a familiar local artisan roastery. Five Watt is known for its unique menu…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Culture and art Culture abounds on Minnehaha Avenue South! The corner of Lake and Minnehaha is unofficially “Downtown Longfellow” and it’s one of the few places in the Twin Cities with not one but two bookstores! (Three, if you count the “Uncles” separately.) Moon Palace is…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Retail shopping — groceries and more The hub of businesses at 34th Avenue, between 49th and 51st Streets, is the largest in the Nokomis neighborhood. It tends toward retail and services. Oxendale’s market is the largest physically. Oxendale’s has been on that corner for decades. In…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Openings, closings, and changes The newest tenants at Eat Street Crossing are Hikari Hand Roll Bar (opened January) and El Sazon Tacos & More (opened March.) I have tried Hikari Hand Roll, and it’s good. I have not yet tried FRGMNT coffee and they are now…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE The battle plan against Mother Earth Project 2025 — which is apparently the project plan for our present federal administration now — is particularly hostile to the planetary wellbeing of our home planet. It goes way beyond mere climate denial. In an attempt to get a…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Food and drink in the Chicago and 48th hub In the stretch from 47th Street into the 50s along Chicago Avenue there are many choices for food and drink. Creekside Supper Club, Town Hall Tap, BaGu Sushi & Thai, Pizza Biga, Pumphouse Creamery and Turtle Bread…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Lake Street, old and new Lake Street is one of the main arteries of commerce, traffic and history in South Minneapolis. It contains buildings and sites more than 100 years old, and some of the most interesting brand-new restaurants and businesses, and everything in between. Possibly…
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BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Openings, closings, and other changes After many trials and roadblocks, including a devastating fire just weeks before a planned opening, Khue’s Kitchen finally opened on March 6 at 693 Raymond Avenue in South St. Anthony Park. A week later, there was the opening of Café Yoto…
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