Counter Intelligence: Victory 44 closes, Upton 43 moving

Big changes for chef Erick Harcey.

First, he has quietly closed Victory 44 (2203 44th Av. N., Mpls.), his casual, nine-year-old restaurant and coffee bar.

That news is a blow to the city's North Side, which has not enjoyed the restaurant boom that has transformed the dining scene across much of the rest of the Twin Cities metro area. It's also a drag for lovers of great burgers, as Harcey's aptly named "Perfect Burger" was one for the ages.

Here's the other major announcement: Upton 43 (4312 Upton Av. S., Mpls. upton43.com), Harcey's remarkable contemporary Swedish operation, is moving.

The much-lauded restaurant — it was the Star Tribune's 2016 Restaurant of the Year — is giving up its Linden Hills address for a new home in — where else? — the North Loop, the metro area's hottest restaurant neighborhood.

Harcey isn't ready to announce the exact location just yet. This much he will say: The new North Loop location will have roughly half the number of the current location's 112 seats.

"We are thrilled for the opportunity to relocate Upton 43 to a more dense neighborhood closer to downtown," said Harcey in a statement. "The new space will be a bit smaller which will allow us to continue to push boundaries in food and service like we always have."

There's no date for when Upton 43 will materialize in the North Loop, so fans of Harcey's Swedish meatballs will have to keep their eyes and ears open for alerts.

"We'll be starting on construction right away," said marketing director Josef Harris. "We want to make that time as short as possible."

When chef David Fhima closed seven-year-old Faces Mears Park (373 N. Sibley St., St. Paul) earlier this year, the plan was to remake the Galtier Plaza concept and re-christen it Bistro 3.7.3. No more. Now he's headed to downtown Minneapolis, taking over the former Forum Cafeteria, the glorious art deco palace hidden within the dreary City Center complex.

"It's a stunning, stunning space," he said. "When I walked in, it was like seeing Lori [his wife] for the first time. You know, 'That's it, that's the girl.' "

The restaurant's name is making the move, sort of. When Bistro 3.7.3. La Belle Epoque (40 S. 7th St.) opens next winter, post-Super Bowl, the plan is to serve lunch, happy hour and dinner ("We'll be serving classic French bistro fare," he said). Fhima said he's also adding a retail bakery and coffee bar, and will emphasize private events.

North Loop pioneer HauteDish (119 Washington Av. N., Mpls.) has closed, after a seven-year run.

After less than eight months, Rustica Cookies & Creamery has called it quits at the Mall of America.

Starbucks announced that it's closing all 379 of its Teavana (teavana.com) retail locations in the U.S., including seven in the Twin Cities metro area. Most will be closed by spring 2018.

The website Eater has named Young Joni (165 13th Av. NE., Mpls., youngjoni.com) one of the country's 12 best new restaurants. Meanwhile, the expanded and remade Alma (528 University Av. SE., Mpls., almampls.com) made Bon Appétit's list of America's 50 best new restaurants. The magazine will announce its top 10 picks on Aug. 15.

Read full reviews and other restaurant news at startribune.com/dining.