Vegan burger trailer upgrades to Sen Yai Sen Lek restaurant space in Minneapolis

Soon Francis Plant Based Burgers will be available full time on Central Avenue in Minneapolis as the popular food trailer, currently serving a residency at Sociable Cider Werks, plans a full restaurant. The cruelty-free restaurant will take over the recently shuttered Sen Yai Sen Lek and Dipped & Debris locations at 2422 Central Av. NE. In addition to the burgers, the burger joint is known for crispy fries, "chicken" nuggets and a lot of sauce options. No opening date has been set; meantime, get your fix at Sociable Cider Werks (1500 NE. Fillmore St., Mpls.) from 5-9 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Sarah and Brian Ingram's Purpose Restaurants group has already announced its next restaurant, even as they're building another. Spring Break will be an ode to a more tubular time with nods to '80s movies and music at the new Courtyard by Marriott being built in downtown St. Paul across from Xcel Energy Center.

This will be the second eatery in that area from the Ingrams. Apostle Supper Club and False Eye Doll Lounge are expected to open late summer at 253 Kellogg Blvd. The restaurant group also includes Hope Breakfast Bar, the Gnome Craft Pub and a Duluth outpost of the Apostle Supper Club.

Red Cow, the local mini-chain of gourmet burgers, is expanding to Rochester. The newest restaurant is staffing up to open on the ground floor of the Berkman Apartments, at 1406 SE. 2nd St., and is expected to occupy 6,000 square feet with 130 seats inside and 50 more out on its patio. Owned and operated by restaurateur Luke Shimp, the other Red Cow locations are in Edina, St. Paul and Uptown and the North Loop in Minneapolis.

Lake Ave Restaurant & Bar has expanded outside the Duluth city limits with the new Lake Ave Drivein near Island Lake (7046 Rice Lake Road). The bright red and white building is serving ice cream scoops from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thu.-Mon. during the summer season. Flavors include kid-pleasing classics such as Superman and more sophisticated options such as espresso salted caramel. There also are savory snacks such as burgers, fries, cheese curds and rotating specials; on opening weekend Korean barbecue wings were on the menu.

Smack Shack has changed the date of its first Lobsterfest to Sept. 25 to coincide with National Lobster Day. Tickets are still $75 in advance and $80 at the door; get them at smack-shack.com. The party goes down from noon-4 p.m. at the Bloomington location, 3801 Minnesota Drive.

Mark your calendars for a celebration of Southeast Asian food and culture: The third annual MinnesoThai will take place Sept. 17-18 at 5376 Gamble Drive in St. Louis Park. The free event is family- and pup-friendly. Peruse stands, pick up snacks like a saucy cup of papaya salad, bubble waffles or mounds of sticky rice. Festivities kick off each day at 11 a.m. For more information, go to thaiculturemn.us.

The St. Paul Food Truck Festival is back at Union Depot Aug. 6 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. More than 45 food trucks will be serving all kinds of worldly treats from Cornish pasties to paella, doughnuts to cookie dough, egg rolls to empanadas. Admission is free (food is not) but donations will be collected to benefit Feed My Starving Children.

Team USA took home the win in the Americas continental division of the world's most prestigious culinary competition, the Bocuse d'Or. The team was represented by chef Jeffrey Hayashi and his commis Franco Fugel, who beat out teams from Canada and Chile, which came in second and third. Local chef/restaurateur Gavin Kaysen is a coach for team USA.

The Bocuse d'Or Final will be held in January 2023 in Lyon, France, and will bring together 24 chefs from all over the world from the four continental regions — Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

After a truck smashed through the front of the Bungalow Club (4300 E. Lake St., Mpls.) late on July 13, taking out a disturbing amount of wall and window, the restaurant is back open. No customers were inside at the time and the workers were shaken, but not injured. Friends of the restaurant helped with cleanup, and after some construction it was secure enough to reopen. A GoFundMe has been launched to help with costs not covered by insurance. Meantime, the patio is unscathed and serving Wednesday through Sunday.