Restaurants
Epic Restaurant & Lounge opening soon in Superior
Superior will have a new fine-dining establishment with the opening of Epic Restaurant & Lounge, tentatively planned for sometime in May.
The restaurant, lounge and event venue will be located in the old Joe’s Pagoda Chinese Restaurant location at 3223 Tower Ave., between Campbell Lumber & Supply and Grizzly’s Food-Fired Grill. Joe’s Pagoda owners, Joe and Sue Hear, retired in 2015 after 16 years in business. (more…)
Seasonal restaurants reopening in and around Duluth for 2016
Nothing signifies the emergence of spring quite like the reappearance of malts on the Duluth Lakewalk and the wafting scent of fried fare from seasonal burger joints. For those ready to indulge, here’s a rundown on seasonal restaurant re-openings. (more…)
Canal Park Timber Lodge Steakhouse won’t reopen
After 20 years in business, the Timber Lodge Steakhouse in Canal Park is calling it quits. Bruce Taher, CEO of Timber Lodge’s parent company, Taher Inc., says he regrets having to make the decision. He hoped to close the restaurant for the winter and reopen it this spring, but a number of challenges precipitated the restaurant’s demise. (more…)
Perfect Duluth Easter Brunch?
So, being of a mindset that doesn’t lean particularly religious, the wife and I tend to sleep in on Easter Sunday. I had always been under the impression that Easter brunch was sort of a big thing, so a few years back we ventured out seeking a leisurely breakfast/lunch combo with bloodies and mimosas, only to discover all the usual downtown brunch suspects were closed!
We probably gave up a bit too early in our search since we ended up at the bar at Tycoons, but there were surprisingly few open places. To save me from that situation again, what does PDD suggest as the best place in the area to get a proper Easter brunch?
Not your typical cookbook review
Once upon a time we stopped caring about where our food came from, and had no knowledge of the people who grew it. We stopped cooking, ate out of boxes, and tore cellophane wrappers off microwaved “TV dinners.” We even ate fast food meals in our cars without stepping foot outside. Sounds crazy, but it’s actually true! Americans across the socioeconomic spectrum came to rely solely upon international corporations to feed us, even though they’ve proven time and again that their only care is for profits.
Slowly, surely, relentlessly, we are waking up. There is another way. The Duluth Grill Cook Book II is the latest contribution toward our community’s drive to create a sustainable local food system. I lingered over a scratch-made pie and perused the book for a couple hours while taking in the atmosphere. Read my thoughts on Ed’s Big Adventure.
The Vintage Kitchen serves up cheap eats and antiques
Ron Garatz and Wally Berg, owners of the Vintage Kitchen
A charming little diner in Duluth’s Endion neighborhood is serving up homestyle food on colorful, classic Formica tables. But what truly makes the Vintage Kitchen distinctive is that antique furnishings and décor are also on the menu. (more…)
Northern Waters restaurant open on Woodland Avenue
Fans of all things cured and smoked will rejoice in knowing Northern Waters Smokehaus has opened its much-anticipated Woodland Avenue location in the Chester Park – UMD neighborhood. While the new restaurant offers some familiar lunch items from the Smokehaus, the menu is more expansive and includes alcoholic beverages. (more…)
Mon Historie d’Amour avec Mon Estomac (My Romance with My Stomach)
I’m a Minnesotan in Paris. And I’m alone.
It’s not romantic. Paris with the one you love is romantic. Paris while you navigate the rain, the metro transit system, and a creative-writing residency class-load and its homework, is challenging and more than a little lonely. I’m one of the new kids here, and while I’ve made friends, it’s hard to step up to a circle and demand to know what we’re all doing tonight. I’m not built that way. I’m built for books and Netflix. I’m built for empty movie theaters and empty seats next to me on planes. I’m built for my wife. She is my co-conspirator and without her every experience feels drenched in a demi-glace of melancholy that mingles with the January mist and chills my bones.
JESUS. Chill out, Bennett. Someone’s been spending too much time talking imagery and not enough time eating.
And, since I’m in Paris, eating is a must. So I’m taking my stomach on a date. Instead of flowers, I will buy my stomach flour. We will take a long walk in the rain to a restaurant void of tourists, and the wine will flow. And, after a date like this, my stomach will totally put out.
Okay, I may have extended that metaphor too far. But, you know, that’s why I’m in school. To learn how to not make it sound like I expect my stomach to have sex with me. (more…)
Sunshine Café reopening after owner’s recovery from injury
Sunshine Café, a 30-year-old West Duluth restaurant known for its affordable, tasty breakfasts and cheery atmosphere, will reopen Thursday after a five-month hiatus.
Owners Young-a and Steven Clement closed their café at 5719 Grand Avenue in August when Steven fell two stories from a ladder while cleaning the gutters on his home. He was in intensive care for a month and has been recovering ever since. He fractured ribs and vertebrae, damaged the orbital bone in his eye and sustained a nasty head wound. (more…)
Best/Hottest Wings in Duluth and Superior
My friends and I are having a bit of a competition/pissing match. We’re having two side-by-side debates. Here are the questions: What are the best wings in the Twin Ports (and why)? Also, what are the hottest wings in the Twin Ports? This debate will culminate in a wing-off with the four of us, based on your suggestions, agreeing on the establishment and seeing who can make it through the hottest order of wings in the Twin Ports with the most grace and bravado. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Duluth ups its caffeination with opening of Grand World Coffee
West Duluth welcomed another neighborhood coffee shop on Jan. 4. Grand World Coffee opened in the former Subway sandwich shop space at 4918 Grand Ave., next to Vision-Pro Optical. (more…)
Cider in Duluth?
Although off the beaten path, I enjoy Endion Station‘s cider selection. Is there anywhere else in town with a comparable cider menu?
OMC Smokehouse anticipates November opening
Duluth Grill owner Tom Hanson stands in the gutted 1886 structure that will house his next restaurant venture.
If all goes as planned, the nascent commercial stretch of the Lincoln Park neighborhood — home to Bent Paddle Brewing, Damage Boardshop and Frost River Trading — will gain a distinctive new restaurant before the end of 2016.
OMC Smokehouse is Duluth Grill owner Tom Hanson’s latest project. OMC stands for oink, moo, cluck. The aptly named eatery will cater to carnivores with its smoked meats and cured sausages, but Hanson promises there will be menu items aimed at vegetarians, too. (more…)
The story of Duluth’s Best Bread: Sourdough in lieu of a PhD
I recently spent a day trying out the role of assistant baker for Duluth’s Best Bread. The amount of time and effort that goes into their scrumptious goodness defies belief. Furthermore, the simple ingredients that go into a traditional sourdough are completely unimpressive. The real feat is accomplished by the wild yeast and lactobacilli that run wild in a symbiotic relationship through Michael Lillegard’s time-tested method of cold fermentation. (more…)
New owner takes over Superior’s Cedar Lounge
The Cedar Lounge is located just off Tower Avenue at Third Street in Superior’s North End. The new owner has not announced plans for the property.
The wife of former Fitger’s Brewhouse co-owner Tim Nelson has her name on the recently transferred liquor license of a decades-old Superior tavern.
The Superior City Council granted Cedar Forest LLC a Class B liquor and beer license for the Cedar Lounge, 1715 N. Third St., at its Dec. 15 meeting. The license application lists the sole member of Cedar Forest as Naomi C. Nelson, wife of Duluth micro-brew trailblazer Tim Nelson. (more…)
Toasty’s Downtown Duluth location open
The Duluth News Tribune reports Tom and Rachael Hagen opened their second Toasty’s Grilled Cheese Shop on Dec. 11. The new location at 220 W. Superior St. is best known as the former home of Mr. Nick’s Famous Charburger and the short-term location of seven different failed restaurants since 2002. The Downtown Toasty’s will be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 pm., offering a similar menu to the Hillside location — sandwiches, soups and salads.
Story link: Toasty’s opens new downtown Duluth location
Lark o’ the Lake Ice Cream Coffee Café open in Greysolon Plaza
The Duluth News Tribune reports the new Lark o’ the Lake Café opened in the Greysolon Plaza on Nov. 27. Owners are Sandra Ettestad, Mark Marino and Don Monaco.
“The menu includes coffee and espresso drinks, smoothies, pastries, deli sandwiches, soups, salads and old-fashioned ice cream desserts,” the DNT article notes. “Prices are affordable, with most lunches less than $10. The cafe has Wi-Fi and is close to getting a wine and beer license.”
Duluth News Tribune: Lark Café opens at Greysolon Plaza in Duluth with a focus on aviation
Jade Fountain closed; Gannucci’s expansion planned
Within six months of acquiring the Jade Fountain, Bill Kalligher locked the big red doors to the iconic Chinese restaurant. He reached the decision in September, fed up with a dirty kitchen he says he’s still trying to clean, alleged poor product quality from food suppliers and a box filled with bounced checks from customers. (more…)
Anchor Bar & Grill on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives featured five Duluth-area restaurants in segments shot during the spring and summer of 2010. The clip from the Anchor Bar & Grill in Superior was shot on July 1, 2010 and aired on Jan. 31, 2011. It should be noted that Guy Fieri did not actually make an appearance at the Anchor; this segment was for a “Viewer’s Choice” episode. The segment can be viewed at foodnetwork.com.
Pak’s Green Corner on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip he visits Pak’s Green Corner in West Duluth. Pak’s closed shortly after the segment aired. The building was sold and demolished to make way for a new Superior Choice Credit Union location. (A 15-second commercial precedes the segment.)
Kounty Quarthouse on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip he visits the Kounty Quarthouse, a “five-star dive bar” in South Range. (A 30-second commercial precedes the segment.)
Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meat on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
See the video on foodnetwork.com.
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip — from season 21, episode 3, “Cross-Country Classics” — he visits Shorty’s Pizza & Smoked Meat in Superior.
Duluth Bread CSA
Duluth’s Best Bread croissant
Photo by Rolf Hagberg
Would you like to get bread and croissants every week and support local foodways? Duluth’s Best Bread is starting a community-supported agriculture program this month.
The way a CSA works is that you pay a fee up front and in turn are guaranteed bread every week — including occasional special loaves not usually offered, like challah, rye or whole wheat. All you do is come pick it up. (more…)
List of Duluth-area restaurants that are closed on Mondays
Many years ago I made the blunder of driving a friend out to Eddie’s in the outskirts of Superior on a Monday to discover it was closed. Last week some friends were texting about a meetup at the Spirit Room. The final text read: “Spirit Room is closed. Thirsty Pagan!”
In an effort to prevent other Monday-dining disappointments, and because PDD loves lists, here is a rundown of the eating establishments in the area that are closed on Mondays. If you notice a place is missing from the list, shout it out in the comments.
- Dreamland Supper Club (Also closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
- Eddie’s World Famous Ribs
- Johnson’s Bakery (Lakeside location closed; West End location open)
- Sclavi’s Italian Restaurant (Also closed Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
- Snooty Fox Tea Shop
- The Spirit Room (Also closed on Sundays)
Gannucci’s Italian Market on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Guy Fieri buzzed through Duluth and Superior in July 2014 to shoot four segments for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In this clip he visits Gannucci’s Italian Market in West Duluth. (A 30-second commercial precedes the segment.)