Blue Stone Steak & Seafood recently opened in the Grand Oak Business Park near the intersection of Hwy. 55 and Dodd Road in Eagan.

The new restaurant is locally owned and specializes in classic American dishes as well as Cajun and Creole cooking.

Partners in the establishment include the Jacob family of Mendota Heights, who own and operate the Ragin Cajun at the Minnesota State Fair and previously ran the Emporium of Jazz & Ragin Cajun Nightclub in Mendota.

Ron Jacob was the developer, major stockholder, and general manager of the Nicollet Island Inn in Minneapolis. He also redeveloped a vacant brewery in Duluth into Fitger's on the Lake.

Lakeville manufacturer is expanding

Menasha Packaging Co. is planning a 123,000-square-foot expansion of its facility in Lakeville's Airlake Industrial Park. The City Council recently approved the creation of a tax increment financing district to assist the Neenah, Wis.-based company with the $1.3 million in site improvements needed for the $5 million project. The expansion will create 15 new jobs and retain 221 existing jobs in Lakeville.

Menasha, which produces a wide variety of packaging for retail and consumer packaged goods companies, also has facilities in Brooklyn Park and St. Cloud. A subsidiary that specializes in plastic reusable packaging is in Windom, Minn.

Foreclosures drop

Foreclosures on residential and commercial properties continue to fall dramatically, according to figures from the Dakota County Community Development Agency.

Sheriff's sales for the first three months of this year totaled 179, the agency's foreclosure summary report said. That's down from 299 for the same period in 2013 and substantially fewer than the 417 through the end of March in 2012.

The report didn't break out how many of the foreclosures were homes and how many were commercial or industrial buildings.

New store for Von Hanson's

Von Hanson's Meats, headquartered in Apple Valley, is adding another location in Rosemount. The new store will be adjacent to the Cub Foods south of County Road 42.

Von Hanson's got its start in 1983 and currently has 21 stores in Minnesota, including outlets in Apple Valley, Eagan and Lakeville. It also has a store in Arizona.

Send your Dakota County business news to susan.feyder@startribune.com. Susan Feyder • 952-746-3282