Birchwood Cafe might have said farewell to their original location to make way for a major renovation, but owner Tracy Singleton and Chef Marshall Paulsen aren’t sitting still for long. They have instead expanded their partnership with Verdant Tea. I was treated to a special preview of their new breakfast menu that is popping up inside the beautiful Verdant Tea space on Franklin Avenue. Birchwood breakfast dishes are mixed with Northern Chinese cuisine and the result is delicious. A house-made hoisin glazed Fischer Farms bacon was a good thing made even better. Sweet corn studded pancakes were laced with scallions and doused in a sambal spiked maple syrup were a perfect hearty combination of East meets West meets Minnesota local. The menu is served every day from 8 a.m. – noon.
As promised, I got a first taste of the new Kyatchi on Nicollet. Their sustainable sushi was good, but the miso noodle soup was my favorite thing I tried. They have a great sake list and I’ll be back to get in on their ramen noodles. The menu is a mix of Japanese and American dishes. The room is adorable and comfortable. It’s amazing to watch the transformation of this neighborhood. They’re blocks away from the forthcoming Hola Arepa restaurant and across the street from the forthcoming Five Watt Coffee. I remember when all that was over there was Shorty and Wags (rest in piece fried catfish).
Boneyard will open for business on Friday. The Southern styled menu from Kaskaid Hospitality (owners of Figlio 2.0, Crave and Union, among others) has already set off some transplanted Southerners. A Tennessean friend of mine is offended by the Mee paw, Pepa’s—gee shucks verbiage. The spelling and punctuation mistakes bother me more. They have a Southerner at the burners, Chef Jason Bush, who was born in Georgia.
The Hot Indian food truck is coming to Midtown Global Market. The makers of the induritto (that’s an Indian Burrito) will open in the former Left Handed Cook stall some time in May.
Sadly, it’s not all opening news circulating this week. Kozlak’s Royal Oak will be closing March 15. They hope to resurrect the business in a new location, but have yet to find the right space.
Bistro 11 in Loretto has also closed their doors.
