A small crowd gathered in downtown Minneapolis Tuesday to watch the installation of Star Bar's flashy new sign. The restaurant is the latest project from the Placemaker Hospitality Group, led by restaurateur Kim Bartmann.

Star Bar will be the restaurant and wine bar inside Hotel Indigo (618 2nd Av. S., starbarbistrompls.com). There will be two different spaces: One will be French-influenced, serving breakfast and lunch; the other will be happy hour and dinner. Expect a summer opening.

The group just opened Pinoli in Uptown, inside the former Amore Victoria, and other restaurants include Book Club, Cafe Barbette, Tiny Diner, Gigi's and Pat's Tap.

Indigenous Food Labs Market debuts at Midtown Global Market

The new Indigenous Food Lab Market will have its grand opening on June 1. The market has a tea bar, hot meals prepared to order and Dakota opened-faced čhoǧíŋyapi sandwiches, which is described like a sope — the thick masa griddled base. All foods are made without any post-colonial ingredients, making it naturally gluten- and dairy-free.

Additionally there are pantry items, frozen game (elk, venison and bison), plus whitefish and trout. Shelves are stocked with products from Indigenous makers and include maple syrup, wild rice, corn, honey, beans and more.

It's the newest business venture from the Sean Sherman-led NATIFS — North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems — a nonprofit dedicated to re-establishing Native foodways and addressing economic and health crisis affecting Indigenous communities.

The Indigenous Food Lab Market is open Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and will serve hot food Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Midtown Global Market (920 E. Lake St., Mpls., natifs.org/ifl-market).

"This is planting a seed for what is possible for Indigenous food access in the future: our first market is just the beginning," Sherman said in a statement. More Indigenous Food Lab Markets are expected to roll out nationally.

La Boulangerie Marguerite heading to Northeast

La Boulangerie Marguerite is expanding to Minneapolis with a new location planned for the former Mary Ellen's Bistro space (300 13th Av. NE.).

Melissa and Francois Kiemde took over St. Paul's PJ Murphy's bakery on Randolph Avenue in St. Paul in 2017. They shifted the neighborhood bread and sweets shop into more of a French bakery, adding pastries and raising the bread game while maintaining many of the treats fans have known and loved for generations.

The new bakery hosted a pop-up during the recent Art-A-Whirl and is expected to open before the end of summer. Find more information at la-marg.com.

Matt Gillmer
Video (01:05) Two brands officially become one at this hybrid bakery, cooking school and retail shop.

Cooks | Bellecour now open

After a temporary delay, the new bakery-retail shop-cooking school Cooks | Bellecour quietly opened in Edina over the weekend. The new concept brings together two Twin Cities culinary powerhouses — chef Gavin Kaysen's Bellecour and Cooks of Crocus Hill owners Karl Benson and Marie Dwyer — in a new way, with the two collaborating on the space from the start. The store is at 3934 Market St., Edina, cooksbellecour.com.

Southern Social is now serving comfort fare in Eagan

The number of locally owned food offerings in Eagan continues to grow with the opening of Southern Social inside the old Green Mill (1940 Rahncliff Court, southernsocialmn.com). The menu is stacked with fried comforts like green tomatoes, chicken, po'boys and more. There's also a patio situation and a wide beverage selection. The restaurant is the work of Trellis Hospitality, which also runs Barley & Vine in Lakeville and Tamarack Tap Room in Woodbury.

Korean fried chicken chain expanding

Well, the setup is likely already there for bb.q Chicken as the restaurant moves into the former home of Bap and Chicken on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. This is the second local outpost for the chain; the other is at 1500 W. Lake St. in Minneapolis. Both are franchises owned by Emily Krouse, a Korean adoptee who told Bring Me the News about reconnecting with her birth mother over this fried chicken. Look for a mid-June opening.

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