Roper: Nicollet Mall sparkled at Dinner Du Nord, a culinary spectacle in downtown Minneapolis

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Nicollet Mall didn’t feel like its usual self on Thursday evening — and that is a good thing.

The often-forlorn street brimmed with conversation, music and movement as roughly 2,000 people descended on a giant dinner party in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. “Dinner Du Nord” showcased both the city’s core and its restaurants — several dozen of which divvied up more than 200 tables to dole out their signature cuisines.

The food and unique setting were the stars of the show. But the scene got a lift from musicians playing accordions, guitars, violins, cellos, basses. Car enthusiasts beamed over vintage Datsuns and Packards on display. Meats roasted in the orange glow of a multi-tiered Fogo de Chão barbecue. And local boldface names mingled among the crowds of strangers making lively conversation with each other.

“It’s awesome to see all these people downtown,” said Barb Piculell of Edina, who attended with her husband. “I just love the idea that they did this. I think they should do this on a regular basis.”

The event was, first and foremost, a magnet to bring people to downtown and the mall — as if to reset people’s impressions of the place. Buses were removed, but the normal pedestrian hum of the city was allowed to move freely around the area.

The tickets, which sold out, were priced by restaurant. They ranged from $20 to $262.

“It’s fun to see it come back,” Mo said. “Because the last time we came, there was nobody here.”

Restaurateur David Fhima’s section was outside his new Mother Dough coffee shop on the mall at 8th Street.

“Why is every great idea temporary? Why isn’t this a permanent thing?“ Fhima said. “Why don’t we close this frickin’ street and create an energy where people are walking and socializing?”

Lingering beneath the joyful ambience was a contentious policy debate: Should Minneapolis “close this frickin’ street”? In other words: Remove the buses?

Built as a transit mall in the 1960s, Nicollet Mall is the primary spine for local bus riders entering downtown. Mayor Jacob Frey wants to move the buses to nearby streets and rethink Nicollet as some new kind of urban space. The idea has received mixed reactions (some bus riders took the city to court) and hasn’t so far moved forward.

“We really want people to be able to feel that Nicollet Mall is the centerpiece of downtown. And actually, it’s Minnesota’s Main Street,” Mayer said. “So we want people to come downtown and we want people to feel comfortable downtown.”

The event was a partnership between Mayer, the City of Minneapolis, Hospitality Minnesota and roughly 40 participating restaurants and food trucks. Former Council Member Lisa Goodman, now the city’s director of strategic initiatives, led the city’s side of planning.

The first priorities were supporting the hospitality industry and showing what’s unique about downtown Minneapolis, she said.

“The second piece of it is to show, in this troubled time, that [2,000] unrelated people can come together and break bread in public on a beautiful night in the center of downtown Minneapolis — a city that is proud to have people participating in civic life," Goodman said.