Restaurant news: Town Hall Brewery

It's the season for restaurant renovations. As a part of a complete overhaul of its Seven Corners home, Town Hall Brewery (1430 Washington Av. S., Mpls., www.townhallbrewery.com) is doubling its brewing capacity. Look for a re-opening around March 1.

What started out as a quick facelift at venerable Tracy's Saloon & Eatery (2207 E. Franklin Av., Mpls., www.tracyssaloon.com) turned into one unforeseen structural issue after another for owner Sanjaya Wanduragala. Closed since Dec. 9, the restaurant and bar is re-opening on Feb. 15.

As a part of the Radisson Plaza Hotel's top-to-bottom remake into a Radisson Blu hotel, the property's FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar (31 S. 7th St., Mpls., www.firelakerestaurant.com) is undergoing a revamp, starting on Feb. 3. The street-level restaurant is expected to reopen in mid-April.

February 22 is the last day that the Birchwood Cafe (3311 E. 25th St., Mpls., birchwoodcafe.com) will remain open, prior to implementing some serious renovation and expansion plans. The restaurant will be closed for about 10 weeks.

The Birchwood won't remain idle, however. Starting March 1, Verdant Tea (2111 E. Franklin Av., Mpls., www.verdanttea.com) will be hosting a Birchwood breakfast pop-up. From 8 a.m. to noon daily, Verdant will feature a selection of Birchwood breakfast items — including pastries and its signature savory waffles. Birchwood chef Marshall Paulsen and Verdant tea master David Duckler also plan to collaborate on creating a menu inspired by northern Chinese street fare.

Finally, it's great to see that Ngon Vietnamese Bistro (799 W. University Av., St. Paul, www.ngonbistro.com) is back in business, after a burst water pipe flooded the dining room earlier this month and required chef/owner Hai Truong to replace the ceiling.

Eat Street, that stretch of Nicollet Avenue S. in Minneapolis, continues to draw new food-and-drink tenants.

When they first envisioned their new enterprise last year, owners Danielle and Chris Bjorling were billing it as a "farm-to-table" cakes and desserts destination.

Now they've expanded upon that premise and plan to offer what they describe as a "farmhouse-style" lunch, dinner and brunch service, featuring such sturdy items as chicken pot pie and shepherd's hand pies, along with pizzas, soups, salads and sandwiches made on house-baked breads.

Be on the lookout for an early April opening.

Plenty of restaurants are offering Chinese New Year specials. Here's a deal for tea drinkers: On Friday, Jan. 31, TeaSource (three Twin Cities locations, including 561 Prairie Center Dr., Eden Prairie, www.teasource.com) is having a one-day-only sale, taking 50 percent off the price of all Chinese teas.

Day Block Brewing Co. (1105 Washington Av. S., Mpls., www.dayblockbrewing.com) is now open in the 131-year-old Day Block building, serving a half-dozen specialty beers brewed on the premises, as well as pizzas and a short list of beer-friendly snacks.

Then the company — which operates eight Twin Cities locations, and will open a ninth this spring in the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes complex in Maple Grove — launched a novel promotion.

Here's how it works: Buy a $25 T-shirt and receive a 25 percent discount every time you wear said apparel into a Punch location during 2014. The company is selling up to 1,000 T-shirts.

RICK NELSON