Tag: vegan restaurants

We’re counting down the days of the season and hoping to cram in as much joy, laughter and togetherness as possible. That means multitasking — it’s the only way to accomplish everything we need to accomplish before the holidays.

That’s why the growing trend of restaurants with added retail space is so incredibly helpful this time of year, when many who are gathering at restaurants are also looking for gifts to share. Along with rustic reclaimed-wood tables, there are shelves lined with possibilities from makers near and far, all curated to reflect the restaurant’s aesthetic.

At Vivir, the breakfast cafe from Jami Olson that’s adjacent to her Minneapolis taco spot Centro, the pivot came in part due to the pandemic. “We wanted to create a market feel,” she said, remembering the early pandemic days when she and chef Jose Alarcon shifted the Mexican fine dining restaurant Popol Vuh over to Vivir. “We wanted to add things that added energy to space.”

The goods stocked at the store are intentionally selected from Mexican makers or local artists from its neighbors in the historic Northeast arts district.

At Wrecktangle’s relatively new stand-alone pizza restaurant on W. Lake Street, the addition of shop space was a way to honor familial roots. Brothers Jeff and Alex Rogers opened Silver’s Market & Deli, named after the grocery store their grandparents operated in Hibbing, Minn.

Co-owner Breanna Evans said most of the items stocked inside Silver’s are small businesses just getting off the ground, many from their artistic friends and workers.

“Plus, with the pandemic, we thought why not give people a place to sell the things they made with their idle hands?”

Here are some of our favorite places to go for a bite and to linger for a little retail therapy.

Alma Provisions

This little beauty is a new concept for Alma that pulls together some of the greatest hits from its cafe, like divine breakfast sandwiches, and shelves stocked with gorgeous goods. While waiting for a coffee order, use the seasonal scents in the forms of candles, incense, sprays and oils. Pick up some handcrafted cooking tools, or a couple of Alma’s pantry staples that just happened to be the size of stocking stuffers.

812 W. 46th St., Mpls., 612-895-1251, almaprovisions. com

Bellecour Bakery

Cooks of Crocus Hill has long been a destination for those in search of the finest cookware and kitchen implements, but the addition of Bellecour Bakery has made it a must-visit for food fans. The North Loop location has indoor tables to order up a cup of Dorothy’s dark roast coffee and laminated treats (or a sandwich/salad combo). Nab a giant sprinkle-crusted macaron for later and then peruse all the Le Creuset, All-Clad, cookbooks and gadgets on the wish lists of your favorite foodie. (The St. Paul Cooks of Crocus Hill also has Bellecour goodies, but no space to stay and enjoy.)

210 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-223-8167, bellecourbakery.com

Churchill Street

This destination eatery in Shoreview is top-to-bottom beautiful — and so are the market goods they stock. Walking inside the restaurant, it’s easy to get swept away by the tall, airy ceilings, but don’t miss the shelves at the center front of the room and next to the door that demand attention. There are beautiful, sturdy burlap bags, small jars of delicious food stuffs, and candles with alluring scents.

4606 Churchill St., Shoreview, 612-466-2596, churchillst.com

Clancey’s Meats & Fish

The newly expanded butcher shop includes plenty of shelf space for artisan grocery goods. Stop by in the morning for an oven-fresh cinnamon roll, order up holiday roasts and then spend time lingering among all the pretty small jars and other goods to help complete a meal. There are plenty of host gifts that would add a killer cheese board.

3804 Grand Av. S., Mpls., 612-926-0222, clanceysmeats.com

Earl Giles

This massive warehouse space and distillery from Jesse Held, Jeff Erkkila and Nick Kosevich is also a greenery-filled winter wonderland during markets held on the second Saturday of the month through April. Stop by for local goods from artisan makers and stay for fantastic pizza and a cadre of cocktails.

1325 NE. Quincy St., Mpls., 612-345-5305, earlgiles.com

EaTo

Have your pasta and eat it, too, at this downtown Minneapolis Italian restaurant with market stations set up throughout the sprawling space. You’ll find a small grocery store with imported ingredients that would make a lovely gift basket for an Italophile, plus local artisanal goods and grab-and-go prepared foods. In the dining room, find kitchen and home goods, cookbooks, beauty supplies, plants and pots, and Baggu totes. The Bottle Shop, curated by beverage director Scarlett Carrasco Polanco, features a large selection of Italian hard-to-find wines.

305 Washington Av. S., Mpls., 612-208-1638, eatompls.com

El Burrito Mercado

Through the generations, this Mexican grocer, deli,

While not the end of the world, this is still a sad development…

Venture X cutting some Priority Pass access in 2023

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has become one of the most popular premium travel credit cards, since launching just over a year ago.

While the card has a $395 annual fee, there are so many reasons to get this card, from the excellent welcome bonus, to ongoing perks like a $300 annual travel credit, 10K anniversary bonus miles, and much more.

The Capital One Venture X has offered an extremely well rounded lounge access benefit, all of which apply to both the primary cardmember and authorized users:

Unfortunately as of January 1, 2023, a change will be made to the card’s Priority Pass membership — the card will no longer offer credits or experience at Priority Pass’ non-lounge airport experiences, including Priority Pass restaurants, spa discounts, and more.

As far as premium credit card Priority Pass memberships go, this aligns the Capital One Venture X with the policy of The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) rather than that of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review).

My take on this Capital One Venture X lounge access perk change

It goes without saying that this is a negative change, and I’m sad to see this. This now makes the Chase Sapphire Reserve the popular premium card that continues to offer Priority Pass restaurant credits, at least for now (hopefully Chase doesn’t make the same change).

While this is of course disappointing, to me it doesn’t fundamentally change the value proposition of the Capital One Venture X. The way I view it, the card’s $395 annual fee is still more than covered by the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit plus the 10,000 anniversary bonus miles.

Everything else is the icing on the cake, and this remains the best premium card for families, as you can add up to four authorized users, and they all get lounge access as well. Also keep in mind that unlike the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Capital One Venture X offers access to Plaza Premium Lounges and Capital One Lounges.

Bottom line

As of January 1, 2023, the Capital One Venture X is changing its Priority Pass benefit. Priority Pass memberships issued through the card will no longer offer non-lounge airport experiences, such as Priority Pass restaurants and spa treatments.

What do you make of this Capital One Venture X card benefit change?

The pandemic restaurant casualties just keep coming. This time, unfortunately, it’s a true leader in sustainability.

Copenhangen’s Amass has closed its doors as of Tuesday, the chef-owner Matt Orlando announced on Instagram. In a post on the restaurant’s website, the closure is accompanied by a note stating that Amass was taken under bankruptcy proceedings.

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“Amass is not a physical space, but a mindset that transcends these walls,” Orlando wrote on Instagram. “It’s an ethos that is in the grasp of anyone who is willing to go through the motions to understand what it means for us as individuals to exist.”

That statement continues Orlando’s longtime project at Amass, which he ran with an eye—and a palate—toward sustainability in all its forms. He took that mission to heart, rather than simply using it as a vanity project to score points with both the culinary and environmental worlds. Case in point: He worked with outside analysts to assess Amass’s carbon footprint, and then made changes to the menu and the restaurant’s practices based on the numbers.

Most notably, Orlando ran a test kitchen devoted to finding new—and delicious—ways of reusing food waste. Many people have worked toward making food ways more sustainable, but often to the detriment of the actual taste of the end product. “If you’re a person operating in this sphere of upcycling and being responsible and you make something that is not delicious, you’re actually working against me,” Orlando told Robb Report last year. Instead, he’s found ways to turn old loaves of bread into ice cream, or coffee grounds into miso. In other words, Orlando’s the real deal when it comes to sustainable cuisine.

Chefs throughout the industry know that, and they mourn the closing of his groundbreaking restaurant. In the comments on Orlando’s Instagram post, notable names from across the globe mentioned his influence and that of Amass, as did everyday diners who had the chance to eat at the restaurant. The team at Noma wrote, “Copenhagen is losing arguably the most influential restaurant of the last decade,” while the chef and fermenter David Zilber said, “Matt, you were an inspiration to me before I ever set foot in Copenhagen, and will continue to be forever after!”

Story continues

With the bankruptcy proceedings, potential buyers may be able to continue to operate the restaurant, potentially including the lease agreement and employees. But as Orlando noted, Amass is more than the physical space, meaning it could—and will—come back in some form in the future.

“I am not sure what form this mindset will take moving forward,” he wrote. “But rest assured, it is far from being over.”

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