Fast-casual favorite Brasa is opening in the suburbs

Brasa Premium Rotisserie, the fast-casual restaurant from chef/owner Alex Roberts, is adding a fourth location — the first outside Minneapolis and St. Paul. Plans are in the works for the restaurant to open at 1728 Mainstreet in Hopkins. Construction is just getting started, and if all goes well the restaurant will open this fall.

Known for locally sourced slow food served quickly, Brasa's menu features long-roasted meats like rotisserie chicken and pulled pork and sides that include collard greens, grits, beans, rice and yuca fries. (The restaurant's popular "green sauce" was named one of the Star Tribune's 40 iconic dishes of the Twin Cities.) Prices are affordable, with most dishes $16 and under.

Roberts, who also owns Alma, Alma Cafe and Alma Provisions, opened the first Brasa on E. Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis in 2007. The second outpost came to St. Paul's Grand Avenue two years later, with the third location on W. 46th Street in Minneapolis following in 2020.

Minnesota will get its first taste of Dave's Hot Chicken when it opens June 30 near Ridgedale Center. The restaurant (1805 Plymouth Road, Minnetonka, daveshotchicken.com) is the first of 15 planned franchises from the Humphries family, which includes former NBA player (and Gopher standout) Kris Humphries.

Dave's Hot Chicken was founded in Los Angeles with a menu built around Southern-style hot chicken, a type of spicy fried chicken that's been the dish of the moment for the past couple of years. Dave's offers a variety of spice levels, from mild to blazing hot. Dave's will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The private event space Steady Pour (2125 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls., steadypour.com) will be open to the public starting July 6.

Owner and drink expert Jeff Seidenstricker says beverages will include an assortment of classic cocktails as well as fun sippers like slushies and Jell-O shots. Seidenstricker has paired with chef Jamie Malone's Paris Dining Club to provide a French-influenced snack menu. Steady Pour will be open from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

To kick things off, the duo is holding a series of ticketed dinners June 28-30. Tickets are $75 and available for purchase at parisdiningclub.com. (Curated beverage pairings can be added at arrival.) The dinners will continue on Thursdays in July and August.

Milly's Wine Bar & Bistro (1129 Washington Av. S., Mpls.) is almost ready to welcome guests and will open to the public July 29. Behind the project are Brandon Witzel (of Quinn Design), Jill Mortensen and Kay Phillips, who also co-own the Flock co-working space on Nicollet Avenue.

"We're building the menu very specifically on a New York-style wine bar where it's lighter portions you can build on," Witzel said.

The slim restaurant and bar is dotted with white marble topped tables, dangling Edison bulbs and finishes that bring a bit of modernity to the historic building. Mortensen and Phillips will be curating the wine selection; food will mostly be charcuterie and nibbles.

Chef Remy Pettus has announced his plans to leave the Dakota — and the culinary industry. The onetime owner of Bardo has helmed Minneapolis' downtown music club/restaurant on Nicollet Mall for the past two years. Asher Larson, Pettus' sous chef, will step into the kitchen's lead role.

Larson has worked at Fika, Red Wagon and the Hi-Lo Diner before coming to the Dakota. "He has the rare intangibles that make a great chef and leader," Pettus said.

Larson will be the Dakota's sixth chef since its 1985 opening. It has become known as one of the best music venues in Minneapolis.

There's been a lot of pasta served over the years at the St. Paul red sauce institution DeGidio's, enough that the kitchen floors are showing some wear. Starting July 2, the restaurant (425 W. 7th St., degidios.com) will go on what's expected to be a two-week hiatus while the kitchen gets a couple of upgrades.

Starcade has moved into St. Paul's Keg and Case Market (928 W. 7th St., kegandcase.com). The collection of retro video games has taken over the space that originally opened as the wood-fire fine dining restaurant In Bloom, including the upper level that was used as private event space.

It's among the major changes at the hall from when it first opened as a collection of marquee food-world names to an evolving neighborhood space.

Starcade first opened as a vintage video game stop inside Rosedale Center in 2021.

According to the Pioneer Press, guests pay $15 for access to unlimited play on the vintage video games. Pinball machines are also available, but those are pay-to-play. The kitchen will serve snacks like frozen pizzas and pretzels.

The reboot of the Taste of Minnesota (July 2 and 3) is putting the emphasis on taste. Food will include bites from Animales BBQ, Soul Bowl, Red Wagon Pizza Company, Nixta and the Oceanaire. Food trucks are also pulling up and will include representation from Parlour Burger, MN Nice Cream, Anchor Fish and Chips, Tom Thumb Donuts and more.

The party happens in downtown Minneapolis from noon to 8 p.m. Plus there will be nostalgia-tinged musical acts including Third Eye Blind, Big Boi, Uncle Kracker and Motion City Soundtrack. Admission is free, but tickets are required; find more information and a link to tickets at tasteofmn.com. There also will be a QR code for tickets available at the event.