When all nonessential businesses took a pause during the pandemic, it didn’t take long to cultivate a deep longing for missed “third spaces”: the wine bars that functioned as clubhouses, restaurants that served as backdrop to special occasions and those coffee shops that doubled as extra offices.
LynLake’s Third Space Cafe will close in October
Plus, it’s a great time for dining as Dexter’s, Forepaugh’s and Lynette are all open for business.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
August 20, 2024 at 4:00PM
As restrictions eased, Erin Ryan-Mosley saw an opportunity to create one of those special spaces, and in the fall of 2021, she opened Third Space Cafe at 2930 Lyndale Av. S. in Minneapolis. Now, she and her team have announced that the business will close at the end of October when the lease is up. “It’s an increasingly challenging time for small businesses in the industry, the neighborhood and the city. We are confident that we gave it our best,” read an Instagram post shared by Third Space.
The cafe’s signature is its creatively flavored coffee drinks, from lingonberry tonic to frosted cinnamon roll to a blue velvet latte, all available on their own or in flights. The cafe also has pastries and a savory food menu as well as space for local artists to sell wares and occasional evening classes — all of which have eased the neighborhood back to a pre-pandemic flow.
The silver lining: There’s still time to drop in and support this cool space. Third Space is open from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Tue.-Thu., and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
New sports bar serves fries with caviar
Dexter’s, the new “elevated sports bar” from Daniel del Prado and Carla and Spencer Jones, opened Aug. 19 near 50th and France. While there are the obligatory TVs for watching sports, there are also unexpected touches that aim for both a neighborhood hang and a date-night destination.
Menu items get creative with crispy potato waffles with trout roe-garnished dip, French fries cooked in beef tallow, and a lineup of burgers that range from California to chickpea to lamb. Lest anyone think it’s too fancy for the neighborhood, there is a simple kids’ menu with hot dogs and burgers. Plus, the dessert menu owns the Edina nickname with a Cakes Eater treat.
Like Del Prado’s other restaurants, the drinks are given as much care as the food menu, with a selection of modernized supper club ice cream drinks, including a Grasshopper made with Little Bird gelato. Plus, there’s a flight of tiny tinis.
Reservations are available starting Aug. 25 via Resy; hours are 4-10 p.m. Sun.-Thu., 4-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Dexter’s is at 3717 W. 50th St., Mpls., dextersmpls.com.
Forepaugh’s is finally open
One of the most anticipated restaurant reopenings of the year is finally here: Forepaugh’s in St. Paul is now open and taking reservations online or by phone.
Owner Bruce Taher spearheaded the painstaking restoration of the historic mansion. He also decided to give the menu a fresh start, bringing in James Beard Award-winning chef Tim McKee to consult. The opening menu includes bar snacks such as calamari and a burger, and a dinner menu of small plates/pastas and entrees (yes, Forepaugh’s famous beef Wellington is back).
On the bar side, prolific beverage consultant Nick Kosevich is heading the cocktail program, which features classics including a modern cosmopolitan and an espresso martini.
The restaurant (276 S. Exchange St., 651-666-3636, forepaughs.com) opens at 3:30 p.m. Tue.-Sat.
Lynette is now open in Longfellow
The restaurant located diagonally across from the Riverview Theater has been reborn as an all-day eatery by a crew of hospitality veterans. Lynette (3753 42nd Av. S., Mpls., lynettemn.com) is the work of Melissa and Ben Siers-Rients and Billie and Travis Serbus-White, with chef Brian Sharpe, formerly of Cōv, leading the kitchen.
The neighborhood was clamoring for the patio space and has been kicking back in a fully refreshed dining room with a central bar every night since opening. Hours and staffing are smoothing out, but for now it’s closed on Mondays, open for day service Tuesdays through Sundays and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Order at the counter in the morning and over lunch; dinner brings full service.
The menu is inspired by the first restaurant that teamed Ben and Travis together: Lyn65, the now-closed neighborhood darling in Richfield. The team has since opened other eateries with different ownership combinations, notably Petite León and Little Tijuana. But Lynnette is a place that’s built for the neighborhood. The Lyn65 burger is back. There are plenty of fresh veggie options — Sharpe is an avid gardener — and a new pastry chef has just joined the team.
The restaurant was in the works more than a year ago, but construction bumps added time to the project. Now its time has come, with pain au chocolat and a potiça-flavored latte to celebrate.
There’s new boba in town
The new 94 Bubbles promises bubbles, no troubles. The south Minneapolis boba, coffee and tea shop is now open with limited hours at 3346 Lyndale Av. S., next to Five Watt Coffee. Look for a selection of milk teas, coffee bobas and refreshers with a playful twist, such as the Cosmic Crusher with strawberry hibiscus tea and popping candy and kiwi popping pearls.
Celebrities love a good preshow meal, too
Two high-profile comedians performing separate shows in downtown Minneapolis over the weekend meant celebrity spotting of the comedians themselves or their famous guests around town. Besties Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King grabbed a bite at Young Joni before heading over to the Orpheum to see Ellen DeGeneres perform. They even posed for pictures with chef/owner Ann Kim at the northeast Minneapolis restaurant specializing in wood-fired dishes, including pizzas. Meanwhile, actress and comedian Ali Wong professed her love for Hmong Village in St. Paul — where she said she always stops when visiting the Twin Cities — during her Saturday night performance at the State Theatre.
Every year folks line up for this special stew and the community it fosters.
