OG Zaza brings its New Haven-style pizzas to St. Paul distillery

St. Paul distillery King Coil Spirits has tapped OG Zaza to take over its pizza program. The year-old distillery inside the Vandalia Tower opened with pan pizzas, but is making a switch to bring in the proven pizza success of chef Josh Hedquist’s business.

The switch comes in mid-December, when the OG Zaza New Haven-style pizzas will be added to the menu. OG Zaza has been in growth mode. A location recently opened in Shakopee, and it continues to run a pizza trailer while maintaining its OG location in Rosedale Center’s Potluck food hall.

King Coil’s impressive array of cocktails and spirits will continue to shine inside the space at 550 Vandalia St., St. Paul, kingcoilspirits.com.

Razava Bread Co. is expected to open this week on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. The bakery brings together Old World traditions and experiences into a new but familiar business. The players involved include operators and cousins Alex and Steve Baldinger, whose family founded Baldinger’s Bakery, along with head baker Omri Zin-Tamir, who started out as a cottage food baker under his own brand, The Bakery on 22nd Street.

The menu includes a bread lineup with sourdough, miche, baguette, New York-style bagels, challah and more. There are a few larger food options to sit and enjoy in the cafe for breakfast through dinner: shakshuka, pan con tomate and other fancy toasts, Israeli-style bagels with za’atar and labneh and more. Beverage options include coffee drinks, shrubs and tea.

Hours haven’t been released yet, but look for doors at 685 Grand Av., St. Paul, razavabread.co to open Dec. 11.

Chicken n’ Whaaat has opened in West Duluth with a fast-food inspired lineup of crispy fried chicken and chicken fingers with sauces like Hot Honey Pimento, Bama White BBQ, Nashville Hot and Horseradish Honey Mustard. Described as the poultry answer to the company’s beef-centric Burger Paradox restaurant in Lincoln Park, this place holds promise for a pre-Bentleyville bite for those heading up to check out the annual light show. Find it at 231 N. Central Av., Duluth, chickenandwhat.com.

For anyone who missed the news last week: Red Dragon, the Lyndale Avenue Chinese restaurant that was a favorite drinking den, will close Dec. 29 after nearly five decades. There’s a decent swath of Gen Xers who recall the depths of the restaurant’s fishbowl-sized fruity cocktails, like the famous Wondrous Punch, while giving the jukebox a mighty workout. From fried rice and pupu platters and the red, black and gold decor, Red Dragon was a dark room waiting for many wonderful, if foggy, fun nights. While the shine might have dimmed from the gold trim, it was nice to know the place was still there, as it had been since 1976. Now, there’s one last month to split a tropical drink and maybe an Uber home before doors lock for the last time. Red Dragon is at 2116 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls.