Rossi's is going to Hell Two weeks after Manny's Steakhouse moved into new digs across the street, Rossi's Steakhouse (90 S. 9th St., Minneapolis) announced that it's calling it quits. But the lower-level space won't be empty for long. Come mid-October, it will be the new home of Hell's Kitchen, currently located a block away at 89 S. 10th St.
"I think it fits that we're going underground," said Hell's Kitchen co-owner Cynthia Gerdes with a laugh. "We're going to have so much fun re-branding the place."
Breakfast and lunch will continue, and Gerdes and co-owner Mitch Omer will be adding dinner service and a full bar, mimicking the program at the Duluth chapter of Hell's Kitchen. Rossi's live music roster is getting the deep-six for now (with the exception of a Sunday gospel brunch), but one feature that's not going to disappear in the transition is happy hour. "Rossi's has a fabulous happy hour," said Gerdes. "We're not going to change that."
Lyn-Lake sushi Fans of Tiger Sushi (Mall of America, Bloomington), listen up: your favorite megamall sashimi stop is getting a Lyn-Lake sibling. Co-owners Lisa Edevold and Chris (Tiger) Katayama are expanding into much larger quarters at 2833 Lyndale Av. S. on the ground floor of a new apartment building.
The restaurant (designed by Ryan Thuftedal of rt design in Golden Valley) will include a large patio overlooking the Midtown Greenway and an unusually shaped sushi bar designed to accommodate larger groups. The new location will also feature a full bar, and its menu will be more ambitious than its megamall predecessor, offering a number of grilled and broiled dishes.
"Everyone will be able to find something they'll love, not just the hard-core sushi lovers," said Edevold. "I hate to use the word fusion, but we'll be bringing in all these cultures and flavors from all over the globe."
Translation: New pub When Jeremy Woerner and Patrick McDonough took over the former Puerta Azul space, they decided to give a nod to their predecessor and name their place the Blue Door Pub (1811 Selby Av., St. Paul). (Puerta azul is Spanish for blue door).
The Caribbean menu is history. "We know a lot of people are going to miss those great black beans," said Woerner. "We just don't know how to cook them."
Taking their place will be all-American fare and craft beers. "We're going to focus on making a really great burger," said Woerner. "And there will be some Minnesota-centric stuff as well, like a tater tot hot dish and Spam appetizers. And we can't escape walleye."
Regulars of the Groveland Tap (1834 St. Clair Av.) will recognize the duo, where they've logged a combined 17 years. Timing was everything for their new business.
"When we first approached the idea of buying a restaurant, we thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if Puerta Azul was available?'" said Woerner. "And then it was."
Now open Three new faces have popped up in the past few days, just in time for the RNC: Pop!! (6 W. 6th St., St. Paul) is drawing crowds at the former Fhima's. Barrio (925 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis), the Mexican sibling to La Belle Vie, Solera and Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque & Pirate Bar, is now pouring tequilas and serving crab empanadas. And McCormick & Schmick's has launched its second Twin Cities outpost, at the Westin Galleria in Edina.
RICK NELSON
