Mixology fans across the Twin Cities shed a tear in their $10 cocktails this week after hearing that the Town Talk Diner had closed.
Since opening in 2006, the south Minneapolis destination at 2707 E. Lake St. has had a deep impact on Twin Cities cocktail culture. But when its original owners departed in 2008, its acclaim seemed to slowly fizzle. Still, a steady stream of talented bartenders continued to grace the retro diner counter. The last cocktail guru to run the bar before it suddenly closed Sunday said he's bummed but ready to move on.
"It's sad," said Jesse Held. "It was an institution."
The current owner, Theros Restaurant Group, has been looking for a new buyer, according to Held.
Held, who was already working part-time at The Inn, said he will now shift to full-time status at that downtown restaurant. Coincidentally, The Inn is operated by former Town Talk owner Tim Niver. Held said he's been charged with building a new cocktail program there. His list at The Inn will be "on a smaller scale, but more intense" than at the TTD, he said.
Under co-owner Aaron Johnson's guidance, the bar at Town Talk was an incubator for talent in the Twin Cities. It spawned successful careers for Nick Kosevich, as well as Birk Stefan Grudem, of Bradstreet, and Adam Harness, of Prairie Ale House. As Held says, "the alumni is thick.
"It's exciting to know that the Town Talk Diner will live on in the people who worked there," Held said. "If any good is going to come out of this, that would be it."
Beer fests heat up Are your tastebuds feeling adventurous? The Muddy Pig's Festival of Hops begins Tuesday and runs through next weekend. For the third annual event, owner Mark van Wie will fill 43 draft lines with pungent, tongue-biting pale ales, India pale ales and imperial IPAs. The beers will be served in flights of three. (Tue.-Jan. 30. 162 Dale St., St. Paul. Free admission. 651-254-1030. www.muddypig.com.)
