Blondette now open in Rand Tower Hotel in downtown Minneapolis

Months after chef and restaurateur Daniel del Prado's Bar Rufus opened on the first floor of the splashy art deco Rand Tower Hotel, del Prado's other two concepts — Miaou Miaou and Blondette — are finally open for business.

Miaou Miaou is the sleek fifth-floor lounge space that looks to honor the post-Prohibition cocktail culture with French ingredients. In addition to island rhums and punch cocktails, the bar also features small bites. Open 5-10 p.m. Wed.-Thu., 5-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; miaoumiaoumpls.com.

Walk a few steps farther and you'll find Blondette, del Prado's "French punk-inspired" restaurant that leans on classic French dishes and techniques using ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. The restaurant's retractable glass roof provides views, too. Open 5-9 p.m. Wed.-Thu., 5-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; blondettempls.com.

The Rand Tower Hotel restaurants make four openings for del Prado this year — Macanda opened this summer in Wayzata — and he'll also debut a restaurant in the former Bachelor Farmer space in summer 2023.

Wednesdays just got a whole lot tastier at Red Wagon Pizza, where Aliment Pasta Co. founder Alex Dayton will take up residency through November.

The Aliment menu, available only on Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m., will include raviolo with goat ricotta, brown butter squash, pickled apples, crispy prosciutto and toast points; agnolotti with fennel sausage and charred cabbage; anolini cacio e pepe; and a fried ravioli starter with smoked ham hock and truffle aioli.

Reservations aren't required, but don't chance it. Red Wagon is at 5416 Penn Av. S., Mpls., redwagon-mpls.com. Also find Aliment Pasta in several stores and restaurants, and its meal kits are available to order online at alimentpasta.co.

Clancey's has left its original Linden Hills location and is now open at its new location at 3804 Grand Av. S., Mpls., just 3 miles away. Customers will find a significant boost in square footage and expanded market and deli options — and seating. The meat counter still sells cuts and sausages, but there also are prepared plant-based dishes, a retail area and a menu from breakfast through early dinner that includes breakfast sandwiches, the epic sandwiches on Patisserie 46 breads (until sold out), soups and rotating entrees. The retail area will stock specialty ingredients such as local popcorn, spiced nuts, imported goods and cookbooks. Hours are 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Tue.-Sat.

Backstory Coffee Roasters has opened a second location in the Duffey lofts in Minneapolis' North Loop (528 Washington Av. N.). The St. Paul-based roastery began as Bootstrap Coffee Roasters in 2014 and opened its first location there in 2019 at 432 Wabasha St. The name change came over the summer, a move that founder Micah Svejda said was made to align with the stories they tell through their coffee. Both locations are open daily from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Minneapolis-based Spyhouse Coffee Roasters (spyhousecoffee.com) is adding a seventh location — in Rochester, its first outside the Twin Cities. The cafe will sell a variety of Spyhouse's packaged blends and its signature drinks, including the Spygirl, Carmella and Solid Gold lattes. Located at the TownePlace Suites (2829 43rd St. NW.), the cafe will be open daily and is close to downtown Rochester and the Mayo Clinic. Look for a December opening.