Walkin’ Around Checkin’ Stuff Out. #5
Restaurants. I love them, and they are so important to the life and vibe of a city.
The people that run them have endless passion and energy for making something better. But it’s not just the food, it’s the space and the service. Keeping all of those things working well at the same time can’t be easy.
And man, they’ve got it tough. Rising food costs, labor costs, rent, insane competition…it’s crazy.
So get out and admire what they do, support the ones you love…and avoid the chains.
On that topic I’ve got a few cool places to feature this week…enjoy.
Restaurants.
Bar + Cart. St. Paul, MN
Cool little spot on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. The name would lead you to be believe they are mostly about the drinks, but they have a pretty decent food menu. When we saw they had a coney dog, we knew we had to check it out.
Love the space…nice and dark, it’s got a good vibe. And the coney? Fantastic. It’s a foot long coney so it will put you down for the count, but it’s worth it.
Someone mentioned it was a place that didn’t seem to know what it was. I can see that…fancy cocktails and coney dogs seem like an odd pairing, but I’m cool with it. I’m getting tired of overly slick and stiff spots that know what they are and become almost a cartoon of that thing.
If you can make a great fancy cocktail AND a killer coney dog, hats off to you, I’ll be there.
(It’s hard to beat people watching in a restaurant.)
Sparrow Cafe. Minneapolis, MN
Not really a restaurant, more of a coffee shop, but they do have some food items and they are pretty good. I had a burrito here a while back and it kicked butt.
Sparrow is the perfect example of a neighborhood spot that’s been around long enough that it has become a part of people’s lives. I know this because I’ve had people commission drawings of their family in front of the coffee shop. It’s the kind of place people feel is their own in a way something like Starbucks never will. We need those independent places to make where we live feel special and not some generic suburb with a generic chain in a generic strip mall.
Not to mention Sparrow is right next door to the Paperback Exchange used bookstore (as seen in my last post), and two doors down from a restaurant/bar. That’s one hell of a good city block if you ask me.
Kyatchi. Minneapolis, MN
Kyatchi is a great little sushi joint that’s been open long enough to feel like it’s built into the foundation of the neighborhood. It’s got character and a great worn-in, lived-in feel. Still feels cool, but it’s comfortable.
And they serve hotdogs…killer hotdogs.
Oh, and they have a killer happy hour. Remember happy hours? Don’t see those much since Covid.
Davis.
Ok, he’s not a restaurant, but he does like food. A lot.
Anybody that knows me is probably tired of hearing about this dog, but man…he is the best. Dogs are the best.
I took Davis to the vet this week and he (finally) hit 40LBS. That’s pretty small for a 9 month old male bulldog and I couldn’t be happier. I hope he stays on the small side.
Davis has a pretty good paint job. Kind of like cow spots. He’s “flashy”, someone said.
He’s also a stuffed toy’s worst nightmare. He is methodically working his way through 25 years of stuffed toys leftover from all our other dogs…destroying each one in a way the other dogs never bothered to do.
And of course Davis is spoiled. He gets all the attention he wants, when he wants. And when he doesn’t? He pouts.
People On The Street:
I love walkin’ around the city checkin’ people out. All the characters. I wish I could know all of their stories.
Like this guy…dressed top-notch and waiting for the bus on Hennepin Avenue. A suit and tie is not your typical bus attire. He even had a pocket square.
Along with the rolling bag he also had a sizable cushion for sitting on. What’s that all about?
And hats with little feathers…can we bring that back?
The mail system is a pretty amazing thing. Easy to complain about, but a human being walks to and delivers something to every single address in this country almost every day of the week. That’s amazing.
And they look good doing it…from the mailbags (the old ones used to be all leather, those were amazing), to the uniforms (I want those blue side-striped pants), to the trucks (remember when they drove old Jeeps?). Sadly they don’t issue Redwing Postman’s Chukka boots anymore, but I have a pair. Comfortable as hell.
Maybe becoming a postman should be my retirement plan?…I already walk a lot…I have the shoes, I even have an old leather mail bag. And I can’t think of a better excuse to pick up an old postal Jeep. Damn…that’s a good idea. Walkin’ Around Checkin’ Stuff Out Delivering Mail.
I see this oldster around the lake all the time and he always wears the hat. That’s his look. Winter, summer…doesn’t matter, he’s got the hat looking sort of like Inspector Clouseau or something like that.
Can you imagine if another dude came along wearing one of those hats? What would happen?…
Lyndale Avenue Checklist.
Just one of the over 70 or so places we’ve visited on our Lyndale Avenue Checklist found over at Heavy Table.
Caffetto Coffee House. Minneapolis, MN
Caffetto is one of the first coffee shops in Minneapolis (proven by the fact they call themselves a “coffee house”).
It’s punk rock coffee for sure and worn-in as such.
But the place holds a secret I never knew about…
…a neon sign in the window caught my eye: PLAY PINBALL HERE.
Thinking the sign was just decoration I went in and asked about it. The barista pointed to the dingy black stairs leading to the basement.
Instead of leading to hell like it looked like they might…they lead to hell, WITH pinball machines. A lot of pinball machines. I wondered if my coffee had been roofied.
This officially makes Caffetto a gem of the city.
The point about the US mail! Just amazing.