Heather’s all-day cafe opens in Minnetonka

The new Heather’s Minnetonka quietly opened at 5445 Eden Prairie Road last week, serving breakfast through dinner and cocktails seven days a week. The menu offers a little something for any dining occasion, with fresh bites like an açai bowl with housemade granola and lemon-blueberry French toast into lunch and dinner with a French dip, curried turkey burger and salads, including one starring golden beets. Entree prices range from $12 to $22.

Cocktails were created by the Libation Project, with a rye and bourbon blended old-fashioned, Trinidadian rum and cola, strawberry gin martini and more (a lavender-sage NA Negroni looks intriguing). The wine list is made to highlight cool bottles from intriguing producers, like the one at the original cafe, with many selections available by the glass.

Chef/owner Heather Asbury first opened her small restaurant on Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis as a cozy neighborhood spot where she could draw from her experience working at legendary farm-to-table restaurant Lucia’s. Now, more than four years later, that small cafe continues to tempt diners from far beyond that neighborhood. When she and her business partner/brother encountered the former Kazoku (and Copper Cow) location in Minnetonka, they had only been planning to expand for more catering space, but the restaurant was ready for new life.

The interior has been personalized with a bit more of Asbury’s favorite green color and filled with greenery and plants for a homier atmosphere.

Sticking to the western suburbs, there’s a new restaurant on the verge of opening in Wayzata. Eloise opens Oct. 11 from Grocer’s Table owner Lindsay Pohlad. The new restaurant opens right next door to the idyllic all-day cafe and market, in a former Lululemon that has been transformed into a space with moody, rich fabrics and textures.

Chef Craig Johnson has developed the menu that will change with the seasons, and general manager Meghan Walsh will oversee service. Reservations are already filling up on Tock, but bar seats will always be reserved for walk-ins. Eloise (326 Broadway Av. S., Wayzata, eloisemn.com.) will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m.

Pohlad bucked the restaurant trend in 2020 when she opened Grocer’s Table; the cafe with patio space had cozy fires burning through that first pandemic winter. As things continued to reopen, fans continued to show up to the cafe and storefront that serves exactly what the neighborhood needed. The combination of elevated comforts, snacks and soothing space have become a must-stop for anyone passing through Wayzata.

Pohlad plans to take what diners love about Grocer’s Table and build upon it with Eloise, where it’s just elevated enough to feel special, but not so fancy that it needs to be saved for special occasions.

Once again there are hot cups of coffee being poured on Chicago Avenue at George Floyd Square. Bichota has opened at 3740 Chicago Av. S. in Minneapolis Originally a whole bean importer/supplier, the company is committed to transparency, supporting workers both from where it sources the beans and the ones inside the storefront, and uplifting the community. According to its company values, “Bichota will be on the block in the neighborhoods where specialty coffee is usually not found. Not only do we want to serve coffee with the flavors of their homeland, we see ourselves as an anti-gentrification and displacement force too. This means we want to be a responsible steward of space by following community’s vision for itself.”

The shop is still in its soft opening phase, open from 8:30 a.m. until noon through Oct. 12 with plans to expand hours. Follow them on Instagram for updates.

Darling, the cafe from husband-and-wife team Juell and Ray Roberts, has expanded into nighttime service. After opening in the former Birchwood Cafe location in Minneapolis’ Seward neighborhood, Darling wooed diners with breakfast and lunch fare with lots of fresh veggie options. (We were particularly taken with the corned beet hash.)

The new dinner menu includes autumnal entrees like braised short ribs with polenta, brown buttered pappardelle with apples, squash and sage, a burger and more. Prices are in the $16 to $32 range. There’s also a cocktail list with classics that include a few fun twists, and dessert cocktails like a brandy Alexandra.

Darling, at 3311 E. 25th St., is open Mon.-Tue. from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and Wed.-Sun. from 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Just about everything about the 2024 James Beard Awards weekend was a blast for chef Christina Nguyen, not the least of which was bringing home the coveted Best Chef: Midwest hardware. But the experience she couldn’t stop talking about was the chance to cook with chef Lee Anne Wong. The two had been a part of a pre-awards special event and they just clicked in the kitchen. Now, the “Top Chef” alum is packing her knives to travel from Hawaii to Minneapolis for very special evenings with Nguyen at her restaurant Hai Hai.

On Oct. 15 there will be two seatings for what they’re calling a Hawaiian meets South Asian meal with “tropical punchy” flavors. Five courses with a la carte beverages are $150 a ticket with a portion of the evening’s proceeds benefiting Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit with the mission to help food service workers in times of crisis.