Re-greening Dan Kelly's
Dan Kelly's Bar & Grill has officially entered the O'Reilly era. After acquiring the downtown Minneapolis Irish bar from its retiring owner last year, Republic owner Matty O'Reilly and his partner Richard Guntzel reopened the 4,800-square-foot tavern — now going by Dan Kelly's Pub (212 S. 7th St., Mpls.)— in the WCCO Radio building this week. A mini-makeover/restoration project involved stripping jerseys and macro beer banners off the walls, fresh paint (no more kelly green) and kitchen upgrades. The beer-bar vets upped the tap list to 24 unique drafts, including three nitro stouts and four ciders.
Expect Irish-inspired food from Republic chef Kevin Kvalsten and 40-plus Irish whiskeys, although Guinness and Harp are the only beers from the Emerald Isle offered due to a dearth of available Irish craft beer in Minnesota, O'Reilly said. The bigger surprise is the two remaining TVs above the 47-foot bar. "It'll be my first place that we're not taking out all the TVs," O'Reilly said, laughing. Just don't expect them to be on all the time.
#MPLS Beer Brunch
You've heard about beer dinners. Icehouse is applying the concept to the most Instagram-able meal of the weekend. The south Minneapolis restaurant and music club will host a beer brunch on Jan. 17, pairing brews from Indeed, Fulton, Surly and a cocktail using a Norseman Distillery spirit with late-morning (or early-afternoon) eats. The ticketed multicourse food fest also features live music from Gabriel Douglas and friends. (11 a.m. Sat. $65, includes tax and gratuity. Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls. 612-276-6523 or www.icehousempls.com.)
