Looking for a not-so-secret garden to enjoy the weather?

Find this splendid restful North Loop courtyard between the old and new locations of Askov Finlayson (now at 204 N. First St., Mpls), the men's store owned by Eric and Andrew Dayton. Enter the garden through either the side door of Askov Finlayson or through the adjacent wrought-iron gate between the two buildings.

Weeks ago this spot housed a nondescript alley where the Dayton brothers and staff parked three cars. Today it's been transformed into a mini-park with trees, picnic tables and matching ledge for beverages (more greenery to come soon).

You can use those picnic tables to enjoy the sausage and ever-changing condiments sold from a cart run by the Bachelor Farmer in front of the courtyard (open noon-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday until Labor Day).

Or you can wait and drop by later in the fall (November or earlier) when the cafe at the Bachelor Farmer opens (to be housed in the former spot of Askov Finlayson). The cafe will be open daily with breakfast bakery items from the TBF pastry staff and a lunch menu focused on sandwiches.

The name of the cafe will be kept simple. "We honestly aren't going to name it because I don't want to have to manage any more social media accounts," said Eric Dayton. "We already have three strong brands with Askov Finlayson, the Bachelor Farmer and Marvel Bar, and three is plenty." Likely name: The Bachelor Farmer cafe, or TBF cafe.

Photo by Lee Svitak Dean

Next spring, a small Airstream trailer will be parked in the back of garden, where snacks and beverages (though no cocktails) will be sold after the cafe is closed. "We're thinking of the courtyard as an intimate beer garden in the evenings," said Dayton.

The business offices of the Dayton brothers will move from the upper floor of the Bachelor Farmer to the upper floor of the new Askov Finlayson, which will provide enough space for another kitchen to be built on the second floor of TBF building. The new kitchen will prepare food for both the cafe and for events on its upper floor, freeing up space in the main-floor kitchen for the serious work of feeding guests at the Bachelor Farmer.

(Notes for gardeners: One of the brick walls that straddle the park (the one on the right) is ready for ivy with heavy gauge wire strung vertically. In the back of the park, which overlooks the foliage along the Mississippi, a "fence" of stacked river rocks (called a gabion wall), soon to be topped with boxwood shrubs, hides the parking lot below and directs the attention to the green horizon ahead. The charming landscaping design is from Oslund and Associaties, which also did Gold Medal Park.)

The courtyard will be temporarily closed after Labor Day while construction work takes place on the exterior of the cafe.