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.


Highland Park: Growth and Diversity

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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Entertainment and History on Cedar Avenue South

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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Welcome, Welcome Emigrantes!

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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Business thrives on Franklin Avenue

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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Food news and a mini-review of an old favorite

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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Spring on East 38th Street

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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Spring on Minnehaha Avenue South

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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Spring on 34th Avenue South

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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Fine Dining at the Walker Art Center

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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Celebrating Spring on East Lake Street

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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