New restaurants springing up across the Twin Cities area

Travelers will have three new dining options at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as OTG hospitality group continued its makeover of Concourse G, working with chefs and artisans from around the region.

Poppy's Bagels & Custom Burger: The airport's first "transforming" concept will serve breakfast as Poppy's Bagels, offering freshly baked New York-style bagels and homemade spreads, and after 10:30 a.m. will convert to Custom Burgers, with options from cheeseburgers to Impossible patties and all the appropriate sides.

Mill City Tavern: After a three-year hiatus, the restaurant returns to MSP with a refreshed space overlooking the airfield while continuing to celebrate hearty fare and local produce. The menu will include items such as wild rice-crusted walleye, fried cheese curds, roasted cauliflower and grilled rib-eye as well as locally sourced beers and spirits.

Crisp & Green: The local healthy fast-casual chain continues to be in expansion mode. Look for grain bowls, salads, smoothies and more, all handcrafted with consciously sourced ingredients.

Not far away, the Mall of America is continuing to evolve its culinary offerings.

Mochinut (Level 2, East), brings the mochi doughnut — a little chewy, a little crispy — to the mall. Available in different colors and in that distinctive, bubble/round shape, they make for an easy walk-and-munch snack while roaming. You'll also find Korean rice flour hot dogs, bubble tea and soft serve.

Master Noodle (Level 3, South) is the second location for the St. Paul-based Chinese restaurant known for its hand-stretched noodles. The menu also will include dumplings, fried rice and egg rolls.

Vitali's Kitchen (Level 3, South) is also locally owned. This one is a kosher dairy cafe that serves a menu of wraps, sandwiches and sweet and savory crêpes with vegetarian and gluten-free options.

All are expected to open this spring; find all the details at mallofamerica.com.

From a restaurant group that never seems to have a shortage of suburban restaurant ideas comes Pizzeria Social. The new restaurant takes the place of Mezcalito Butcher in Apple Valley and is the latest concept from Misfits Hospitality Collective, which also operates Farmer & the Fishmonger, the Bourbon Butcher, Volstead's House, Shakopee House and several others.

The new menu (see it at pizzeriasocial.com) boasts wood-fired pizzas as well as square-cut pizzas, handhelds, salads, dessert and more, including other food items that benefit from a little wood-oven char.

You'll also find Curiouser Coffee & Conservatory (curiousercoffee.com), a combination coffee shop and plant-enthusiast nirvana. In addition to coffee drinks, pastries and breakfast food, you'll find an overabundance of plants — all available for purchase.

Both concepts are at 14889 Florence Trail in Apple Valley.

Pinoli, the latest Italian restaurant to occupy the corner of Lake Street and Irving Avenue S. in Uptown Minneapolis, is now open for dining. Kim Bartmann's Placemaker Hospitality bought the business (1601 W. Lake St., Mpls., pinoli-mpls.com), which is across the street from its restaurant Cafe Barbette, last year. Pinoli opens on garlic-scented ground, having served as the prior home to Amore, Amore Victoria and Giorgio's — all serving Italian cuisine. On the menu are starters like braised mushrooms with white beans, focaccia, pastas, and entrees such as white fish with preserved lemon. There's also a small selection of pizzas.

Big Biscuit Bar is now open and serving across from Mears Park in the original Handsome Hog location (203 E. 6th St., St. Paul, bigbiscuitbar.com). The new restaurant is bringing diner vibes with sit-down service and a Southern-influenced menu seven days a week. Curbside and to-go ordering are also available for biscuit breakfast sandwiches, biscuits topped with berries, whipped cream and black pepper, plus a couple other Southern dishes, like shrimp and grits or gumbo.

The restaurant is under the same ownership umbrella as Handsome Hog, Noyes & Cutler and others, Madison Hospitality. Chef Aaron Cave is overseeing the kitchen. He's previously run the kitchens at Noyes & Cutler and the Gnome.

The big-name chef pop-ups continue at the Robbinsdale restaurant with Travail's Grand Lodge, a collaboration with Jamie Malone of Paris Dining Club. The tasting menu is inspired by a classic steakhouse dinner — think bites, crudos and lots of beef — with a French influence and Japanese flair. Travail (4134 Hubbard Av. N.) will run the concept May 5-June 3. tickets, which are $120 per person, plus fees and cocktail pairings, are available now at travailkitchen.com/grandlounge.

In case you missed it: The last call for Jester Concepts' dual restaurant/bar inside the Hotel Ivy is May 31. The restaurant group announced Monday that Monello and its subterranean/gothic counterpart Constantine will close, and a new restaurant group will take its place.

Monello (1115 2nd Av. S., Mpls., monellompls.com) first opened in June 2015 with chef Mike DeCamp at the helm. DeCamp would eventually rise to the ranks of co-owner of the entire restaurant group, along with founder Brent Frederick.

What's next? Last year Hotel Ivy was acquired by New York-based Monarch Alternative Capital. A statement from Jester Concepts says that the new ownership made the decision to move the hotel's food and beverage program in a different direction. APICII Hospitality is set to develop the new concept.