Alma Provisions will sell products from Minneapolis restaurant and hotel

Alma Provisions will open next door to the newest Brasa restaurant at 46th Street and Bryant Avenue in southwest Minneapolis. The project is the latest from Alex and Margo Roberts; he is the James Beard Award-winning chef and she is the creator of bewitching elixirs used inside the boutique hotel above their restaurant and cafe in southeast Minneapolis.

The new Provisions will blend elements of their successful daytime cafe and the wellness products used inside the hotel. There will be standing-room-only food space and a takeout window for coffee, savory and sweet pastries, sandwiches and more.

Inside will also include retail space for items currently available online through Alma's store, such as hand-carved wooden spoons, spice blends, sauces and syrups as well as apothecary items such as seasonal aromas, natural bug spray and glow oil.

Construction is underway, but no opening date has been announced.

Restaurant Alma opened in 1999 and has since spawned a casual daytime cafe, hotel and the retail line. The Roberts also own and operate Brasa, with three area locations.

Adding verve to a newly constructed building, Flava Coffee and Cafe is now open at 623 W. University Av. in St. Paul, not too far from Dale Street. It's a coffee shop and restaurant with a mission to empower young women of color and gender-expansive youth. Founder Shaunie Grigsby has worked as a youth development practitioner, mentor and activist for years and the cafe will offer mentorship opportunities as well as employment for young women of color.

The menu is built with day brighteners like a Raspberry Beret smoothie bowl with açai sorbet, fresh berries and chia seeds, or an Audre Lorde cold brew with cinnamon, vanilla and honey cubes. For lunch there's a vegetarian Badu wrap with sweet potatoes and kale or the U.N.I.T.Y. sandwich built on sourdough with grilled chicken and chipotle mayo.

Flava is open from 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. Check flavorcafe.org for details and updated hours.

Mondays are the new Friday night with music and food at the Dakota (1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., dakotacooks.com). Beginning Sept. 12, chef Remy Pettus is going to whip up a special menu for the evening; curious or budget-conscious music fans can check out the venue, take in some music and experience a Southern-style dish or two.

For the first no-cover Monday, jazz group the Pick-A-Rib Three will perform. Reservations, including seat selection for the best stage views, can be made online or by calling 612-332-5299.

Fans of Red Cow can take their love on the road as restaurateurs Luke Shimp and Tracy Bachul have opened a fifth location — in Rochester, the first outside the Twin Cities area. Located in the Berkman Apartment complex (217 14th Av. SW., redcowmn.com), the restaurant seats 130 inside and 50 on the patio. The menu is the same as the other locations: signature burgers, craft cocktails and more than 40 beers on tap. Hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

The summer of eating continues with the Anoka Food Truck Festival on Aug. 20 from noon-10 p.m. in downtown Anoka (2015 1st Av. S.). There will be more than 50 food trucks offering a range of cuisine, from Indian dishes and breakfast hash to tacos and mac and cheese. Also, live music, games, beer and seltzer and a station to meet the needs of canine attendees. This year the festival's charitable partner is Feed My Starving Children; for each adult requesting a free wristband to enter the beer garden, the festival donates three meals to the charity. For more information, go to uptownfoodtruckfestival.com.