Augustine's Bar and Bakery to open this month in St. Paul

The folks behind the Happy Gnome in St. Paul are poised to open another Selby Avenue eatery this month.

Augustine's Bar & Bakery (1668 Selby Av., St. Paul, augustinesmn.com) — a nook toggling the line between two approaches to dining — is expected to open its doors in the last week of October.

Diners who are fans of owner Tony Anderson's Happy Gnome (498 Selby Av., St. Paul, thehappy gnome.com) can expect a similarly stout craft beer selection — Augustine's will have 40 on tap — alongside something new. Here, head chef Scott Brink will edge away from the meat-laden menus he created down the street and go for a fresher take, with nods to the Mediterranean coast.

"Think a lot of preserved lemon, harissa, za'atar, chickpeas, saffron," said Emily Brink, director of operations. "Different flavors like that. It's a little more vegetarian, a bit of a departure from what we've done in the past, but still conceptualized by the same team."

The 70-seat corner spot will function as a sit-down restaurant for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, with the entrance landing on the Selby side. A separate door, along the adjacent Pierce Avenue, will open up to a coffee counter — Tiny Footprint will be the java of choice — and a bakery stocked with fresh breads and pastries beginning at 7 a.m. Augustine's hired a few to do the baking, but Brink declined to give their names.

The menu for the restaurant portion, which will also feature desserts and breads from the bakery, is still being finalized, Brink said, but will be heavy on small plates with breads and spreads, starring bruschetta and dips.

Along with the beer selection, Augustine's will offer a Mediterranean-inspired wine list and a full bar.

The Lyn-Lake shop will focus on the morsel of its name — the dumpling — in a handful of variations, but will also offer side dishes, steamed buns and desserts.

"We're keeping the focus on the dumplings and buns, which makes us unique when compared to other Asian restaurants around town," said Chris Jackson, a co-owner, in an e-mail. "Dumplings are usually just served as appetizers or on weekends for dim sum."

Mrs. Dumpling, slated for a mid-to-late December debut, will serve lunch and dinner and have a walk-up window that will stay open until 3 a.m. in patio season.

While a few local farmers markets have limited hours and indoor operations in the colder months, many are heading into their final weeks as fall sets in. A few of the gems that will close in the coming days: Farmers Market Annex (200 E. Lyndale Av. N., Mpls., farmersmarketannex.com), open Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30; Mill City (704 S. 2nd St., Mpls., millcityfarmersmarket.org), open Saturdays through Oct. 29; Midtown (Lake St. & 22nd Av. S., Mpls., midtownfarmersmarket.org), open Saturdays through Oct. 29. Downtown (300 S. 6th St., Mpls., minneapolisfarmersmarket.com), open Thursdays through Nov. 10; Northeast (629 NE. 2nd St., Mpls., northeastmarket.org), open Saturdays through Oct. 22; Downtown St. Paul (290 E. 5th St., St. Paul, stpaulfarmersmarket.com), open Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 20; Seventh Place (7th Place Mall, St. Paul, stpaulfarmersmarket.com), open Tuesdays through Oct. 11.