Blue Door - and the Juicy Blucy - headed to Longfellow

Blue Door - and the Juicy Blucy - headed to Longfellow

It's not a done deal yet, but it's close: Blue Door Pub (1811 Selby Av., St. Paul, www.thebdp.com) co-owners Jeremy Woerner and Patrick McDonough plan to replicate their popular three-year-old burgers-and-beer business across the river in Minneapolis' Longfellow neighborhood.

"The talks are progressing, and we're incredibly excited," said Woerner. "We've had a warm and welcoming reception from the Longfellow community, and we hope it all works out."

The new address, at 3448 42nd Av. S. -- just down the block from the neighborhood's terrific new Turtle Bread Co. outlet -- certainly means more breathing room.

"It will be slightly larger from what we have now," said Woerner. "Let's say it'll go from tiny to small." That means roughly 80 seats, compared to 40 at the current Blue Door.

The former appliance store is going to require a lot of work. "The building was built in 1919, and it seems like no one has put any money into it ever since," said Woerner. "It has been used and abused. It takes a lot of imagination to see the possibilities, I'll just say that. But when you walk in, it's a great space. We fell in love with it."

Food-wise, expect to encounter the same emphasis on cheese-stuffed burgers -- dubbed "Juicy Blucys" -- and what have to be some of the Twin Cities' best French fries. The bar will continue to focus on craft beers.

The two have had their eye out for a second Blue Door for a few years; an attempt in a different south Minneapolis location fell apart last year.

"We feel we have a good concept and we want to keep pushing it forward," said Woerner. "If we don't do it, someone else will, so it might as well be us. And for us, the appeal is to become part of a neighborhood, to become a staple."

Wayzata Eatery out, Woodfire Grill in

There have been changes in the restaurant division at Taher Inc. The company's four-year-old Wayzata Eatery has closed, and the building that once housed Taher's Alaska Eatery (and, before that, Shelley's Woodroast) is now home to the St. Louis Park Woodfire Grill (6501 Wayzata Blvd., St. Louis Park, www.slpwoodfiregrill.com).

All hail the bivalve