Bite of the Week is a weekly feature showcasing an exceptional meal or dish, curated by The Growler. We’d like to thank Dual Citizen Brewing Company for their underwriting support. The essence of Bite of the Week is to highlight good food, and for the most part that’s what we’ve done. But once in a while, you … [ Read more]
Bite of the Week: Farmer’s Market Green Curry Ramen at Tori Ramen
August 12, 2020 by
Bite of the Week is a weekly feature showcasing an exceptional meal or dish, curated by The Growler. We’d like to thank Dual Citizen Brewing Company for their underwriting support. One-dimensional ramens and curries at mediocre restaurants obscure the fact that a carefully built broth is an awesome and multilayered thing of beauty that can stand on … [ Read more]
Bite of the Week: Fried Chicken Bao at Dumpling
August 5, 2020 by
Bite of the Week is a weekly feature showcasing an exceptional meal or dish, curated by The Growler. We’d like to thank Dual Citizen Brewing Company for their underwriting support. Generally, the word “bao” conjures up the soft, pillowy, fist-sized steamed pork dumplings that crowd dim sum carts from coast to coast. It does not, in … [ Read more]
Bite of the Week: House Beef Roll at Tea House Chinese
July 29, 2020 by
Bite of the Week is a weekly feature showcasing an exceptional meal or dish, curated by The Growler. We’d like to thank Dual Citizen Brewing Company for their underwriting support. Getting a good appetizer is half the battle of any meal, but if you can get a great appetizer—a craveable, inhalable, delectable appetizer—you can almost quit right … [ Read more]
Bite of the Week: ‘Best Pork Taco’ at Yeah Yeah Taco
July 22, 2020 by
Bite of the Week is a weekly feature showcasing an exceptional meal or dish, curated by The Growler. We’d like to thank Hop & Barrel Brewing for their underwriting support. Some of the most enjoyable tacos in town are produced by one of the most intriguing business groups around. The three-person team behind the insurgently weird and excellent Zettas (read … [ Read more]
Whirlwind Tour: St. Cloud is the most underrated dining city in Minnesota
July 16, 2020 by
This Whirlwind Tour was underwritten by the Visit Greater St. Cloud. The Growler retained editorial control of the content. St. Cloud is the most underrated dining city in Minnesota. This college- and healthcare-focused urban area of about 120,000 people is a 75-minute trip from the Twin Cities metro area—far enough to be a trek, but … [ Read more]
Order Up! With spike in COVID-19 cases, how will Minnesota’s food halls fare?
July 16, 2020 by
Updated July 15, 2020 Order Up! is the Growler’s ongoing weekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Due to the impact of COVID-19, much of this column documents restaurants altering, ceasing, or resuming service based on current pandemic conditions. Please send any tips to [email protected] All dates are approximate based on … [ Read more]
Bite of the Week: BBQ Pork Puff at Keefer Court
July 15, 2020 by
Bite of the Week is a weekly feature showcasing an exceptional meal or dish, curated by The Growler. We’d like to thank Hop & Barrel Brewing for their underwriting support. In 2019—a year that feels like several decades ago—The Growler ran a blow-out feature story about the Keefer Court bakery, a multi-generational monument to the beautiful tradition … [ Read more]
Elotes Woodfired Grill to take over In Bloom space at Keg and Case
July 14, 2020 by
The departure last week of Keg and Case anchor tenant In Bloom raised immediate questions about the future of the high-profile St. Paul food hall. But those questions were answered this morning with the announcement by Brian and Sarah Ingram (of Hope Breakfast Bar and the upcoming Gnome Pub in the former Happy Gnome space) … [ Read more]
Order Up! With In Bloom at Keg and Case closing, fine dining takes another hit
July 9, 2020 by
Updated July 9, 2020 Order Up! is the Growler’s ongoing weekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Due to the impact of COVID-19, much of this column documents restaurants altering, ceasing, or resuming service based on current pandemic conditions. Please send any tips to [email protected] All dates are approximate based on … [ Read more]
Bite of the Week: Fried Chicken Sammich at Nashville Coop
July 8, 2020 by
Bite of the Week is a weekly feature showcasing an exceptional meal or dish, curated by The Growler. We’d like to thank Hop & Barrel Brewing for their underwriting support. It has been a hot minute since food trucks caught much buzz in the metro area—even before COVID-19 put a cold hard hammerlock on dining and dishing … [ Read more]
Lean Times: Pandemic stories from Minnesota restaurants that survived the crisis—or didn’t
July 2, 2020 by
The hospitality industry exists somewhere at the intersection between magic and mathematics. On the “magic” side of things: the cheerful ambiance of a full dining room. Servers and bartenders who can intuit the guests’ needs before the guests can speak them aloud. Ingredients with connections to the land, to growers, and to traditions that make … [ Read more]
Order Up! Rustica is expanding and Steve Horton is back at the helm
July 2, 2020 by
Updated July 2, 2020 Order Up! is the Growler’s ongoing weekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Due to the impact of COVID-19, much of this column documents restaurants altering, ceasing, or resuming service based on current pandemic conditions. Please send any tips to [email protected] All dates are approximate based on … [ Read more]
Order Up! State of the Minnesota Dining Room – The Latest Restaurant Openings and Closings
June 25, 2020 by
Updated June 25, 2020 Order Up! is the Growler’s ongoing weekly account of noteworthy Minnesota restaurant openings, closings, and future openings. Due to the impact of COVID-19, much of this column documents restaurants altering, ceasing, or resuming service based on current pandemic conditions. Please send any tips to [email protected] All dates are approximate based on … [ Read more]
Dinner and the Plague: Even as the state okays dining out, patrons need to do the right thing
June 18, 2020 by
James Norton is The Growler’s Food Editor. The views and opinions expressed in this essay are his own. My mask is in my left hand. My glass is in my right hand. As the first sip of junmai ginjo sake hits my mouth, I can feel my eyes watering in response. I live with my … [ Read more]
