Steakhouse moving into former Barnes & Noble in Minneapolis

Ever since the downtown Minneapolis Barnes & Noble anchoring RSM Plaza closed in April 2017, the prime corner at 8th Street and Nicollet Mall has remained vacant.

That will change next fall when 801 Chophouse (801chophouse.com) takes over the storefront. The 11,180-square-foot-space will become the seventh location in the Midwest for the Denver-based chain, and the company's largest, said co-owner Jamie Lynch.

"It's a New-York-style steakhouse that we believe will stand the test of time, and we feel like this type of venue is underserved in the Minneapolis marketplace," Lynch said. "There are a lot of one-offs, very interesting restaurants in the Minneapolis area. We are a commercial New York-style steakhouse and have had a successful track record."

The site's proximity to the IDS Center and other office buildings and sporting venues is an advantage, Lynch said.

"I think that Minneapolis is really a blue-chip city," said Lynch, who lived in Minneapolis for more than a decade, but currently calls Denver home.

"It's got sort of a dense, consistent, executive activity sort of reputation so you have a lot of executive entertainment occurring," he said.

"You have a lot of terrific visitation from the surrounding areas. There's a tremendous footprint of hotels in the area."

"It'll be gone by the end of the week," said owner Omar Ansari.

What Surly brewers tout as their freshest beer is in short supply, made from just one semitrailer loaded with 6,000 pounds of just-picked Citra hops from 3 acres of Gasseling Ranches. Available in a can from retailers, Wet is only good for about 90 days.

Most beer is made with hops that have been dried. But when the little cones are harvested, usually in late August or early September, brewers get a one-off chance to use them fresh. Surly was one of the first brewers in the Twin Cities to take advantage of the fresh hop harvest and is now one of the largest brewers in the country dropping everything to work with the fleeting, finicky flowers.

"If you look at it on paper, it's kind of a dumb beer," said Surly "sensory specialist" Bob Galligan. "It's dumb, but super-cool."

Beer made with fresh hops has a "nice, sticky mouthfeel," Galligan said. Dry hops provide a "cheesy" feel.

And there's a new menu to go with it. Surly's celebrated burger has undergone a reboot inspired by Au Cheval in Chicago. Its two patties are topped with white American cheese, Dijonnaise, sweet dill pickles and minced red onion. Executive chef Ben Peine has also introduced a pulled pork sandwich, a classic meatball hoagie on a housemade bun (lunch only), and a weekly wing special (this week's wings are flavored with ras el hanout) to the beer hall and pizza restaurant's offerings.

Fans of Hibachi Daruma's signature teriyaki and yum yum sauces will be able to get them day or night when the popular food truck opens a full Japanese restaurant early November in the former Bombay Bistro (820 Marquette Av., Mpls., hibachidarumamn.com). Co-owners Ying Alvarez and Miguel Alvarez say the plan is to serve lunch and dinner to downtown Minneapolis diners.

"It has been my husband's dream to have his own restaurant," said Ying Alvarez. Miguel runs the kitchen. "He has a big passion for Japanese food."

The Alvarezes have run the food truck for six years and have been waiting for a space like the old Bombay Bistro. All the usual lunch favorites, including fried rice and gyoza, will be on the menu, with the addition of rotating monthly dinner specials.

Like its food truck origins, the restaurant will be oriented to counter service. The 2,000-square-foot space, which is currently under construction, will also seat 50 when complete.

Two bars and a cookie shop are the latest venues to close their doors as their aging buildings get reboots.

After eight decades on the corner of Selby and Snelling avenues in St. Paul, landmark bar O'Gara's was shuttered last weekend as part of a redevelopment of the entire 110-year-old building owned by the O'Gara family. A new version, a quarter of the original size, will open late next year or early 2020.

Another nightlife stalwart, Grumpy's Downtown in Minneapolis, served its last order of cheesy Tater Tots last Saturday. The building that houses the Washington Avenue dive known for its karaoke nights will soon be razed to make room for an eight-story, 150-unit apartment complex.

And T-Rex Cookie & Coffee Cafe (3338 University Av. SE., trexcookie.com) will close at the end of the year while its Prospect Park building is redeveloped, according to a Facebook post from the owners. When the property is complete, sometime in late 2020, T-Rex plans to return to the same location.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese restaurant Lotus closed its Uptown location (2841 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.) over the weekend. The address has had difficulty holding onto restaurants in recent years: BoneYard, Salsa a la Salsa and Game Sports Bar all opened and closed there since 2014.