Saying goodbye at 38th and Nicollet
Fried okra fans, listen up: Oct. 30 is the last day to enjoy your favorite delicacy -- along with chicken wings, fried catfish, chicken gizzards and corn muffins -- at the one and only Shorty & Wags Original Chicken Wings (3753 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., www.shortyandwags.com), which is closing its landmark corner shop after a 31-year run.
"He's going to retire," said Kerry Johnsen of her boyfriend Harold "Shorty" Prebish. But not for long: Prebish and Johnsen are relocating to their lake home in Longville, Minn., about 3 1/2 hours north of the Twin Cities, where they plan to reopen the restaurant, "hopefully sometime next year," said Johnsen.
More farewells
Cafe Twenty Eight (4743 W. 43rd St., Mpls., www.cafetwentyeight.com) co-owners Linda and Todd Haug have announced that they are closing their 10-year-old Linden Hills restaurant at the end of December. Which means there's still time to enjoy the Haugs' terrific Friday night fish fry and terrific beer-friendly menu (Todd is head brewer at Surly Brewing Co.). "We're going to keep doing what we've always done," said Linda. "It just happens that we now have an end date."
Opening Monday 10/17
The Galleria's latest opens its doors Monday: Pittsburgh Blue, in the space previously occupied by Kozy's. It's the second outlet for the steakhouse/tavern concept, owned by Parasole Restaurant Holdings; the first is in Maple Grove (11900 Main St. N.). As he has done at other Parasole properties, La Belle Vie chef Tim McKee has refined the menu. The kitchen is being overseen by chef Jason Smith (an Il Gatto and St. Paul Grill veteran), who will be preparing lunch and dinner daily, along with Sunday brunch and a daily happy hour with $2, $3 and $5 food options.
Fro-yo in Highland
