Chef Jorge Guzmán’s Mex-Tex spot Chilango opens April 18, and more restaurant news

Chef Jorge Guzmán’s anticipated new restaurant Chilango will open with Lake Bde Maka Ska views on April 18. The restaurant at the base of the Beach Club Residences, which replaces Urban Eatery, has a fresh menu with the James Beard Award-nominated chef’s modern take on Tex-Mex.

Guzmán, who was raised in Yucatán, calls his Mexico-forward version of the cuisine Mex-Tex. On the menu are dishes like chile con queso, nachos, wings, flautas, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, charro beans, Texas tamale pie and shareable dinners such as a whole fried fish or La Parrillada, with a 24-ounce rib-eye, grilled shrimp, sausages, beans and rice.

Overseeing cocktails is Javier Rojas, formerly of Meteor and P.S. Steak, with consulting by Adam Gorski (who did cocktails for Young Joni, La Belle Vie and more). Look for a bar menu centered on Mexican spirits, with margaritas and blender drinks put through a modern drinker’s lens, like the Sugar Magnolia slushy with watermelon juice, Mexican Gustoso and rum.

Reservations are open now on Tock; Chilango is at 2730 W. Lake St., chilangomextex.com.

Guzmán is also the chef/co-owner at Petite Leon, the buzzy neighborhood restaurant on Nicollet and 38th Street in Minneapolis.

Let warm-weather season commence: Sea Salt reopens on April 19, and the beloved Minnehaha Falls park stand is bringing a friend. In addition to specials of oysters, po’boys and icy cold beverages, the new owners are opening a sandwich shop at the other side of the pavilion. The Sandwich Room will offer eats to grab and bring down to the river, along the bike trails or over to the base of the falls.

Part of the Sea Salt experience has always been standing in line, but it can be rough for those of us who are patience-challenged. Neighborhood news source Longfellow Whatever got the scoop that longtime Sea Salt manager and now co-owner Bill Blood, who apparently goes by “Sandwich Bill” in some circles, has plans for simple, flavorful sandwiches along with a few rotating specials.

While Sea Salt opens soon, the sandwich shop is expected to get rolling sometime in May.

Southern Social has opened a second location in Woodbury (1424 Weir Dr., southernsocialmn.com). The new restaurant, like the Eagan original, focuses on Southern food and bourbon drinks. With a menu that spans lunch and dinner, dishes include classic comforts like hush puppies, fried chicken, shrimp and grits and the like.

Ava is taking shape inside the former Stilheart Distillery in the North Loop. According to a news release, the new club aims to be a destination for a “mature audience seeking a metropolitan bar and eatery experience that’s differentiated from the party-crazed bar scene on Washington Avenue.”

The idea comes from Ben Taheri, owner of the former Tangiers nightclub, which closed in 2016. Ava will be two floors with three distinct areas and a food menu from chef Kamal Mohamed of Nashville Coop, Parcelle and StepChld.

Construction is well underway, and Ava (124 3rd Av. N., Mpls.) expects to open this spring.

SoYen Desserts has been a popular weekend stop for pastries and congee on weekends in Lowertown. Owner Yen Fang described her recently opened bakery as, “a little bit of Italian, a little bit of Thai, a little bit of Hmong,” when she spoke with the Sahan Journal about her journey.

Fans can’t get enough of the filled doughnuts, pandan panna cotta, Basque cheesecake and other rotating treats. The bakery is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Fri.-Sun. (275 E. 4th St., St. Paul, soyen-desserts.square.site), and there’s online ordering, too.

Downtown St. Paul’s historic neighborhood bar Alary’s Bar (139 E. 7th St., St. Paul) is readying for a comeback. The bar is giving a little preview of its new era during the Frozen Four with continuous shuttles to Xcel Energy Center. The bar is open April 10-13 from 3 p.m.-midnight, and expectations are that the bar will fully reopen later this year.

Spice Shack is coming to the downtown Minneapolis skyways in the Deluxe Plaza (121 8th St., spiceshackus.com). With locations in Fridley, Bloomington and St. Paul, the mini-chain serves Indian fare, including chicken tikka, samosas, fresh naan and carrot halwa.

Sad to see another restaurant stand closing inside Minneapolis’ Midtown Global Market. Soul to Soul Smokehouse will exit the building on April 27. The small glimmer of hope is that there has been a Go Fund Me launched in the hopes that the barbecue business will be able to relocate in the future.

Owned by brothers Jewuan Marshall and Charles Robinson, Soul to Soul opened in May 2021 with a mission to serve the soul of Minneapolis with the food they’ve been cooking since childhood.

Soul to Soul Smokehouse joins Arepa Bar and Grassroots Gourmet as tenants that have left the Lake Street food hall in recent months.

The owners of A & Dubs on W. 3rd Street in Duluth have decided not to reopen this season. Citing health concerns and aging, owners Syl and Sandy Hantz wrote in a heartfelt social media post that they were grateful for everyone who drove through in the 46 years it served the Twin Ports.