Co-op Creamery Cafe (2601 E. Franklin Av., Mpls., coopcreamery.coop), the restaurant operated by the Seward Co-op, has temporarily closed for a format reboot.
In late April, the restaurant's chef and general manager — Lucas Almendinger and Chad Snelson — parted ways with the restaurant (sad news for this critic; I gave their dynamic, vegetable-centric efforts a three-star review in January), and dinner service was eliminated. Co-op members were asked to participate in a listening session, and their input has been used to create a new format.
"The truth is that we missed the mark when we opened a more formal dining experience than our co-op owners or the broader neighborhood wanted," said Seward general manager Sean Doyle in a statement. "We hope to learn from our mistakes by creating a format that will better meet the community's needs."
When it reopens — the goal is late August — the restaurant will feature an all-day menu (boosted by nightly specials), ice cream (scoops and soft-serve), a renovated dining room, a new chef and front-of-house supervisor (both will be hired this month) and a new name: Seward Co-op Creamery Cafe.
Upcoming events
The Bachelor Farmer (50 2nd Av. N., Mpls., thebachelorfarmer.com) and Marvel Bar are marking their fifth birthday with their fifth annual (and final) Kräftskiva street fair and crayfish fest on Aug. 6.
From 5 to 10 p.m., expect music (headlined by Metric), food, drink and Fulton Brewery beer. Admission is $25, at eventbrite.com.
Smack Shack (603 Washington Av. N., Mpls., smack-shack.com) is holding its Crayfest on Aug. 20 from noon to 8. They'll be an all-you-can-eat Louisiana-style crawfish boil, all-you-can-drink Hurricanes and beer, a crayfish eating contest and a live music roster that includes Paul Mayasich, Frogleg, the New Primitives, Solid Gold, Wain & Friends and the Suburbs. Tickets are $50 at tempotickets.com, $60 at the door.
Get a taste of Funky Grits — the restaurant that entrepreneur Jared Brewington and chef Benedict Frank hope to open soon — at a pop-up event at Hazel's Northeast (2859 NE. Johnson St., Mpls.) on July 31.
"We call it 'urban Southern fusion,' " said Brewington. "It's contemporary, soul-inspired comfort food of the American South, with street-food flair."
The pop-up will feature five courses — smoked walleye cakes with Stilton grits for meat eaters, gold-rice/red-pea sliders with curry aioli for vegans — with two beverages. Price is $50, with seatings at 5 and 7:30 p.m.; tickets at https://funkygrits.ticketspice.com/funky-grits-pop-up-hazels-northeast.
As for the restaurant, the original plan was to open in northeast Minneapolis, but now the pair is close to landing a storefront in the Uptown area.
Fine dining's twilight
The shift away from fine dining (La Belle Vie and Brasserie Zentral, for starters) isn't a local phenomenon. Witness the impending (and depressing) demise of the American Restaurant, a Kansas City, Mo., white-tablecloth institution.
The glamorous restaurant, where chef Michael Corvino's multicourse tasting menu runs $110, has been a culinary high-water mark since the day the Hall family (of deep-pocketed Hallmark Cards) opened the doors in 1974, a jewel in their Crown Center hotel/office/shopping complex.
The American's history is rooted in a visionary trifecta: culinarian James Beard, restaurateur Joseph Baum and architect Warren Platner all acted as consultants on the project. All three would later collaborate on Windows on the World in New York City's World Trade Center.
Corvino is departing at the end of the month. The American will continue to operate until the end of the year, and then Platner's landmark dining room will be used as a special-events venue.
Read full reviews and other restaurant news at startribune.com/dining.
