Walkin’ Around Checkin’ Stuff Out. #8
Winter is still holding off in Minnesota so the people are out and the shovels are not.
Middle-Age Scooter Gang.
Gotta love a gang of middle-aged men and women terrorizing the lakes on a nice late November day. Last year at this time they would have been riding snowmobiles.
Central Avenue.
Central is one of the main drags that runs through the north end of the city up to the suburbs.
It’s a cool old street full of every kind of restaurant you can imagine. We ate at all of them on our Central Avenue Checklist a few years back.
A street like Central is always changing…a new restaurant here, and new building there…but a few iconic spots weather the decades.
Aaron Carlson. NE Minneapolis.
I’ve seen this building for years and always wondered what it was. I assumed it was vacant, but a Google search tells me it is a custom wood shop and still very much in business and has been since 1880. Impressive.
I imagine the conversation going something like this way back in 1880:
“What do you want to name your business.”
“Huh?…I don’t know…haven’t given it much thought.”
“Well, you need a name.”
“Name it after me.”
“You?”
“Yeah…and put my name real big on the side of the chimney.”
“Ok, boss.”
Starlite Motel. Columbia Heights, MN
A little further out, just past the city limits is the Starlite Motel. A classic old-school No-tell-motel with a killer neon sign.
There aren’t many of these places left, and sadly I don’t think this one has much more to go. Boy, if those rooms could talk…
Flameburger. Columbia Heights, MN
Flameburger is a classic 24 hour greasy spoon, with counter stools and servers that will give you the attitude you deserve.
There aren’t many of these places left either. In many way taking a drive down Central is like taking a drive back in time.
Where else can you order a cheeseburger at 5 in the morning? Throw and egg on it and call it breakfast.
Marc Heu.
At the absolute opposite end of the food spectrum from Flameburger is Marc Heu Patisserie Paris.
Lots of buzz around this place, and for good reason…the pastries are amazing, and they actually live up to the buzz.
Marc Hue Patisserie Paris. St. paul, MN
But I’m not gonna lie…I wanted to hate the place the minute I walked up and was met with a rope line and a woman at the front door with a clipboard letting one customer in at a time. Where am I…The Gucci store on Rodeo Drive??? The theme continued inside as the pastries were displayed like pieces of art in a museum.
Seems like a bit much for St. Paul, but hey…Marc makes some pretty good shit and if he wants to present it like couture fashion-wear, more power to him.
Dogs.
As crazy and weird as the world can be (and it doesn’t seem to be quieting down anytime soon)…there’s always dogs.
Your weekly dose of Davis Jones.
More Bars Of Northeast Minneapolis.
The N.E. Palace. NE Minneapolis, MN
I was in here once and ordered a Coors Light. The bartender reached in the cooler, pulled out a can of Coors Light (frosty cold…the beer are almost iced over at this place), looked at it real close and held it out at me: “Is this a Coors Light?” I told him it was and he thanked me and let me know he is blind. Wow. That’s pretty cool…a blind bartender. You don’t see that everyday.
Northeast Yacht Club. NE Minneapolis, MN.
I have to laugh a bit every time I drive by this place. It’s about as far from a “yacht club” as you can get. I suppose it is a few blocks from the Mississippi River so maybe someone thought they could own the yacht club market? Or more than likely someone had a sense of humor and named their dive bar after some fancy-pants kind of place. I guess I’ll have to stop in soon and get the real story.
Wow. So many bars....
So fun!