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.


Dehn steps into Modern Times

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE If you’re reading this after Nov. 7, either our choice for mayor, Raymond Dehn, is the new mayor-elect (and this will give you an insight into why), or, he isn’t (in which case this is just a nostalgia piece). If you’re reading this on the 6th…

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How to be jolly

polarized

DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE OK, so admittedly this has not been such a celebratory year. This time a year ago we were stunned (most of us) by the election results and dreading the year to come. It could have been worse, but it was still pretty hard. The hurricanes and earthquakes…

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THE DISH: Viva Mexico, la Primera Parte

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE The Dish visited two casual but popular Mexican restaurants for Part One (la Primera Parte) of our Mexican food exploration and rating report. The first, Dominguez Family Restaurant, is in South Minneapolis and is a full-service restaurant with beer and wine. The second, Andale Taqueria y…

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Stan-Eric’s Main Street

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Last year we suggested that there is a virtual small town called Stan-Eric, taken from the identifier of the e-democracy email list for Standish-Ericsson neighborhood. And 28th Avenue is that town’s main street. For most of this town’s virtual life, the commercial corner at East 42nd…

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Twin Cities DSA’s short, hot summer

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE The amazing growth and emerging political relevance of Democratic Socialists of America has been covered by much of the mainstream media, including publications like LA Times, The Guardian, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone; networks like CNN and CBS; and online media like HuffPost…

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J. Selby’s feels the stress of success

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Matt Clayton is describing how things are now at J. Selby’s, which is buzzing around us even though it’s their Sunday “quiet hour” from 2 to 3 p.m. when the kitchen changes from brunch to dinner and you can only order drinks and dessert. But to…

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THE DISH: Dining out at the co-op

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Creamery Co-op Cafe 2601 E. Franklin Ave. Minneapolis Food co-ops may not come to mind as your first choice when looking for a place to eat where you don’t have to do the dishes. But that should maybe change. Seward Co-op offers not one but three…

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Food, art, and food art on Chicago Avenue

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE The corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue is a little world of its own. There is a strange mixture in the businesses there, a clash between the quotidian and the exotic, the aspirational and the gritty. It’s not all art and food, but there are…

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Grand Avenue shines in Saint Paul

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Grand Avenue is widely thought to hold some of the best shopping and dining venues in Saint Paul. Grand Avenue starts in the west near the gates of St. Thomas University, and stretches eastward several miles, passing by the Macalester campus in the Mac-Groveland neighborhood, going…

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Open Streets on Franklin Avenue

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE This year Franklin Avenue’s Open Streets celebration will be on Aug. 27, at the usual times: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The boundaries of the Franklin Avenue festival are Portland Avenue in the west and 32nd Avenue in the east (four blocks longer than last year).…

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Healing body and/or soul on Bloomington Avenue

BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Although primarily a residential avenue, Bloomington Avenue has a plethora of small businesses, quite a few of them dedicated to wellness of one kind or another. There are also a few venerable but unconventional churches on or near Bloomington, which adds up to many varied resources…

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