Kaskaid expands Crave and new Restaurants to Metro Area

Shea Inc. continues its partnership with Kaskaid Hospitality and celebrates the expansion of the Crave brand as well as the creation of new restaurants in the Metro area.  Shea is working with Kam to bring Sopranos Restaurant to the Shops at West End in St. Louis Park this spring.   Rick Nelson explores the company's expansion with his article in the Star Tribune (see below):

Twin Cities restaurateur craving growth

Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune
Brothers and restaurateurs Keyvan and Kam Talebi last year at their Mall of America location.

Restaurateur Kam Talebi is opening the Twin Cities' fourth Crave in April. But first he's launching an Italian eatery in St. Louis Park and a Calhoun Beach Club gastropub.
By RICK NELSON, Star Tribune
Last update: January 13, 2011 - 10:59 PM

Restaurateur Kam Talebi is going to go where few, if any, Twin Cities restaurateurs have dared to tread, particularly during a jittery economic climate. Starting in February, the CEO of Kaskaid Hospitality is aiming to open three high-profile restaurants in as many months.


Talebi, who owns the Crave chain with his brother Keyvan, is taking over the shortlived Ringo -- located next door to the Crave outlet in St. Louis Park's Shops at West End -- and remaking it as Sopranos Italian Kitchen.

"It has been in the works for about nine months," said Talebi. "We have wanted to expand our horizons from American into Italian, but we didn't have the players, at least not yet."

Now they do. Talebi has recruited a top-tier Twin Cities chef -- J.P. Samuelson, formerly of Solera, D'Amico Cucina and his own jP American Bistro -- to run the kitchen.

"We're committed to continue building a culinary team to demonstrate that we are serious about food," said Kam Talebi.

The kitchen's wood-fired grill will turn out steaks and pizzas, and Samuelson will emphasize fresh pastas, rotisserie meats and an ever-changing selection of antipasti. There will be salads prepared tableside, and the bar will tap wines from a half-dozen barrels. "It's going to be the next generation of Italian restaurants," said Samuelson.

A mid-March opening is planned. But first, the Talebis are transforming View Restaurant, their underused property in the Calhoun Beach Club in Minneapolis, into Urban Eatery. Crave culinary director Jim Kyndberg -- chef/owner of the former Bayport Cookery in Bayport -- has devised what he calls a "Scratch Cooking 101" menu that's a moderately priced, gastropub-neighborhood cafe hybrid.

"Crave seats 400, and Sopranos will seat 200, but this is closer to 100 seats," said Kyndberg. "That's a lot closer to my chef-drive comfort zone."

The dining room and bar, with their Lake Calhoun views, are in the midst a makeover. Opening date is set for Feb. 11.

Finally, in April, Crave's fourth Twin Cities outlet will replace the former Palomino at 9th St. and Hennepin Av. S. in downtown Minneapolis. The sprawling location will feature three private dining rooms and the now-requisite rooftop patio and bar. "We hope to serve a market that's looking for an alternative to steakhouses," said Kam Talebi.

That's not all. Later this year, Crave is expanding into the Coral Gables, Fla. market -- following last year's excursions into Orlando and Omaha, Neb. -- and Kaskaid Hospitality has also launched a catering division. It's a steep uphill growth pattern for a company that opened its first Crave in the Galleria in Edina in 2007.

"Our restaurants grew during the recession," said Kam Talebi. "That growth has given me the confidence to continue to push for more opportunities."

3 month old Kindred Kitchen is cooking!

Shea worked with Catalyst Community Partners on the development and design of Kindred Kitchen, a rental commercial kitchen and food business incubator program which opened in North Minneapolis last November. Check out today's Star Tribune which features one of the kitchen's early users, a former County Commissioner who now has a cake business. Also included here is a piece from City Pages writer Joy Summers that gives a little more insight to the program and its people.

Back in the Big City
Former Hennepin County Commissioner Penny Steele has moved her business from the suburbs to north Minneapolis.

By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune

January 25, 2011



Richard Sennott, Star Tribune
Penny Steele has brought her bakery back to Minneapolis. Above left, cakes made to look like fast food.

 For years, Penny Steele went to Minneapolis to shape policy for Hennepin County. Now she's back in the big city again -- only this time, the thing she's shaping is fondant icing.

Steele launched a suburban custom cake business in 2009 when she stepped down from the County Board after 14 years as commissioner for the northwestern suburbs. But two months ago she moved the business to Kindred Kitchen, a newly opened business incubator in north Minneapolis.

The new space has two full-sized commercial kitchens, big enough for three teams of cooks, that are rented monthly by a dozen food entrepreneurs who are either just getting started or, like Steele, already in business. Several more are on the waiting list.

"It's kind of an amazing place," Steele said. "They have a big walk-in freezer and cooler, and you can rent a sliding bin and lock it up. They've thought it through quite nicely."

The cakes that Steele bakes are pretty amazing, too. Weddings make up about two-thirds of her business, including groom's cakes. With the help of her son Mark, a genuine edibles artist who can sculpt a cake to look like anything from a hot dog to a real dog, she turned out 80 custom wedding cakes last year.

It was, she said, too much. When an opportunity came along to expand the space she was occupying in Hamel, she realized that she really didn't want to grow the business. Instead, she wanted to cut back a bit, save on overhead and spend less time at work.

Kindred Kitchen was developed by the nonprofit Catalyst Community Partners in response to food entrepreneurs who had been working out of their homes and church basements and needed commercial kitchens to take their businesses to the next level. It opened in October, said sales and marketing director Austin Aho.

"We see it as an investment in our community," he said. "We're hoping to create jobs. We're trying to lower the barrier to the food industry in north Minneapolis, as well as provide a quality service to chefs all over the Twin Cities."

In addition to the rental space, Kindred Kitchen offers classes and workshops and also helps budding restaurants and bakeries develop business plans. A Minneapolis food business license, safety certificate and insurance are required to cook there.

Dozens have expressed in interest in using the kitchens, he said, including everything from "food trucks serving hot dogs to cupcakes-on-a-stick, specialty foods, salsa and spice manufacturers, caterers of all different cuisines -- Jamaican, Creole, Thai, Asian."

For Steele, Kindred Kitchen was perfect. The facility rents for $20 to $35 an hour, depending on the number of hours you work there each month. It's well-equipped and features a cheerful front window for curious passersby to watch what's happening inside.

"And I really did miss Minneapolis," said Steele.

KINDRED KITCHEN

Where: 1210 W. Broadway, Minneapolis

Mission: To provide "affordable, high quality commercial kitchen space and business technical services" for startup or growing businesses

More info: www.kindred kitchen.org

____________________________________

photo by Andy Lien

Kindred Kitchen gets food entrepreneurs cooking in North Minneapolis
by Joy Summers, City Pages
On West Broadway a new business venture is fostering foodie dreams and hope for a revitalized neighborhood. On November 11 the Kindred Kitchen officially opened as a community resource for people hoping to begin or grow their own food businesses.


The idea for the Kitchen came about over a year ago, when the nonprofit Catalyst Community Partners put together a focus group of North Minneapolis residents to discuss what they wanted to see in their community. The overwhelming answer was a way for them to make their burgeoning food businesses, mostly being run out of their own kitchens, viable career options. They are referred to as the "hidden food entrepreneurs." With that, a unique idea and space was created.

A commercial kitchen space available for rent without a monthly lease obligation, open cafe area, and conference room space, where classes will begin in February are steeped with the excitement and enthusiasm of a great idea just beginning to take off. Ever wondered how to take your gourmet ideas to greatness? Kindred Kitchen has the answers right here.

​The kitchen was built with enough space for three tenants to be working in the kitchen at a time, with five prep areas. They are available for use 24/7, with an electronic key card access programmed specifically for each tenant.

To be able to sign the lease and use the space, an entrepreneur must first have a business license, liability insurance, and food manager certification. This is the part of the process where the giddiness that comes with a great idea can begin to dwindle in the face of practicality. And that's where Terese Hill comes in. Hill is the kitchen operation manager. With a degree in food nutrition and business from St. Catherine's, she is uniquely qualified for her position to assist people in getting their food business inspiration out of their dreams and onto main street.

​As Hill walked us through the gleaming stainless steel work areas and the pristine walk-in coolers, she talked about the hurdles that a start-up food business experience: the paperwork, fees, licenses. She has already walked a few young businesses through the steps and learned through experience what each situation requires.

photo by Andy Lien

 "We have a woman from the Department of Agriculture that has been a wonderful resource. She will be coming in to teach a class on food labeling." The Kitchen also has a food scientist it found through General Mills to come in and discuss food safety, along with a marketing specialist to help entrepreneurs find their best advertising strategies. "It can be daunting."

Biweekly kitchen tours are the first step. Walking around the giant range, ovens, tilt skillet, it's hard not to want to just jump right in and get down to business. While it's not that simple, it is doable.

The chefs of Nature's Prime Organic Foods are sizzling over the cooktop inside the Kindred Kitchen, the scents of seared ham and freshly blanched peas fill the room. They are preparing ready-made organic meals for delivery around the Twin Cities. They are one of the approximately 10 businesses already renting the space available in North Minneapolis's new business venture.

The types of food businesses lined up at the Kindred Kitchen are eclectic. There are TV close-up ready structural cakes, a father-son catering team specializing in Southern-style foods, egg rolls for fundraising, an Ethiopian bread maker, Italian pastry maker--even a cake diva. Each business is as unique as the food maker, and each is finding tailored assistance from the people at the Kindred Kitchen.

photo by Andy Lien

At the Kitchen, "we're creating a story and finding out where our story will evolve," says Jan Lysen, senior program director at Catalyst Community Partners, the nonprofit group that helps steer the kitchen. "We're growing organically."

One of the ways the Kitchen is looking to grow is by expanding into the now-empty cafe space next to the kitchen. One of Catalyst's board members is restaurant marketing and design virtuoso David Shea, who has collaborated on such successful restaurant designs as La Belle Vie, Pizza Luce, and Brasa, among others. He has submitted a design concept for the cafe, and the organization is now looking for an owner-operator to run the space. Catalyst plans to put together a tentatively titled Kitchen Cabinet of successful entrepreneurs who can help guide the kitchen and the Kitchen's new food entrepreneurs.

​Classes and kitchen space are open to anyone, but the hope is to draw in the hidden food talents in the neighborhood. The initial startup costs are around $1,000. The Kindred Kitchen offers food manager training classes for $135 and a class about starting your own business for $30. For residents of the surrounding North Minneapolis area, scholarships are available.

If you're interested in starting your own business, or just curious to see what the kitchen has to offer, the first step is to schedule a tour. They are available free, with registration biweekly.

ADOGO to open in February

Shea worked with hotel developer John Sturgess on a very different kind of development: a hotel for dogs. We assisted with brand development and design of the 17,000 SF space in Minnetonka. This week, Burl Gilyard of Finance & Commerce spoke with Sturgess about his new venture, set to open in a few weeks:

John Sturgess, shown with his golden retriever Frankie, is gearing up to open ADOGO, a new dog boarding facility in Minnetonka. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz)

Hotel developer: Dog lodging concept has legs

by Burl Gilyard, Finance & Commerce

John Sturgess, 44, has spent his career in what he calls the “human hotel business.” His 23-year resume includes stints with big names like Carlson Hotels Worldwide, AmeriSuites and Doubletree Hotels.

Sturgess is still in the hotel business, but his new “hotel” will cater to a shaggier group of clients. Still, he thinks the concept has legs - four legs, to be exact.

The ADOGO Pet Hotel (www.adogopethotels.com) opens Feb. 1 near Highway 62 and Interstate 494 in Minnetonka. ADOGO will offer overnight and “day care” boarding services for dogs, as well as grooming and training services. Like many human hotels, ADOGO will offer shuttle service for four-legged guests.

“My entire career has been in the hotel industry - about half in operations, half in development,” Sturgess said. “I love this business. I also love dogs.”

Sturgess said he began kicking the idea around about nine years ago. As he traveled extensively for his job, he was often boarding his own dogs and found the quality of accommodations hit-and-miss.
ADOGO will offer 93 boarding rooms for dogs, including five larger “suites.”

“Primarily, a suite is a much larger room,” Sturgess said. “Most of our suites are going to be used with families that might have two, three or four dogs.”

According to the website, deluxe rooms start at $29 per night (including day care), and suites range from $59 to $69.

The unusual name is pronounced “ah-dog-oh.”

“I wanted a unique name,” Sturgess said. “It wasn’t like it was some Latin word that meant something. It was something we thought would kind of resonate with people. It also was playful, we thought.”

Minneapolis-based Shea Inc. worked on the design and branding of ADOGO.

Sturgess scouted numerous locations for the new business, focusing on light industrial spaces that could be converted to a dog boarding facility. He ultimately settled on leasing the two-story building at 6133 Baker Road in Minnetonka. Savillex Corp., a plastics injection-molding manufacturer that moved to Eden Prairie, previously occupied the space. The building is just under 17,000 square feet.

“I looked everywhere within the western suburbs. I believe that [the intersection of highways] 62 and 494 is about as central as you can get,” Sturgess said.

Sturgess brings a background in hotel development to the venture. He served as senior vice president of development for Carlson Hotels Worldwide and vice president of development for AmeriSuites. He has other investors, but he is the majority owner and managing partner of ADOGO.

“I wasn’t going to build right now; leases are where it’s at,” Sturgess said of the real estate climate, which is, um, dogged by high vacancy. “I don’t think there’s a better location. I think the facility is top-notch.”

Brokers Peter Dugan and Susan Wilson of the local office of CB Richard Ellis represented ADOGO in its search for space.

Sturgess has long-range plans for expansion.

“I am definitely looking to grow this. My goal is to have the second one open by this time next year,” Sturgess said.

He said the second location would also be in the Twin Cities.

“I believe that this industry is a fragmented industry,” Sturgess said. “There aren’t really any major players like in the human hotel business.”

Despite the recession, the amount of money that Americans spend on their pets has continued to increase, according to industry statistics.

The Washington, D.C.-based American Pet Products Association estimates that Americans spent $47.7 billion on their pets in 2010. The APPA estimates that $3.45 billion of that was spent on pet services such as grooming and boarding.

The total spending reflects an increase of 4.8 percent from the $45.5 billion spent in 2009. According to APPA statistics, pet spending has climbed 68 percent since 2001.

A just-released market survey from Bloomington-based NorthMarq noted that owners of empty industrial space around the Twin Cities are increasingly striking deals with “nontraditional users,” including “pet day cares.”

In December, Finance & Commerce reported on another entrepreneur’s plans to open the Lucky Dog Pet Lodge. The project is slated for former industrial space at 1055 American Boulevard in Bloomington.
“This industry is one of the few industries that continued to grow,” Sturgess said. “People want their dogs treated like they want their kids treated.”

The new ADOGO is not meant for other quadrupeds.

“We are not taking cats, just dogs,” Sturgess said. “Cats do not necessarily go to day care.”

Looking ahead, Sturgess is bullish on the dog business.

“I thought that I would someday be running my own human hotel business, but I think this is perfect,” Sturgess said. “I think the timing’s right.”

By the numbers
$47.7B
Estimated U.S. spending on pets, 2010
4.8%
Increase in spending from 2009

Source: American Pet Products Association

Meritage makes top 10

The Star Tribune's Rick Nelson released his favorite dishes of 2010, and two of Shea's projects this year made the list!  Check out the review and check out Meritage!

Critic Rick Nelson recalls his 10 favorite dishes of 2010.
By RICK NELSON, Star Tribune
Last update: January 5, 2011 - 3:41 PM

No bones about it
A handsome new bar at Meritage is inspiring a dazzling new bar menu, rolled out in stages as chef/co-owner Russell Klein oversees his kitchen's much-needed renovation and expansion. First up: beef bone marrow ($10.50), which looks like a delicacy out of "The Flintstones," but is anything but cartoonish. The long bones, split lengthwise for easy access and then roasted, dance with hints of parsley and preserved lemon, and the ultra-rich marrow is designed to be spread, like the world's fattest marmalade, over grilled bread brushed with clarified butter ("because you need more fat with the marrow," Klein said with a laugh). Order it with one of the bar's wicked absinthe cocktails.
410 St. Peter St., St. Paul, 651-222-5670, http://www.meritage-stpaul.com/

Soup's on

Because the menu changes daily at the hyper-seasonal Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, diners never know what chef/co-owner Lenny Russo and his crew will be serving. But here's one constant: Whatever the formula, the complex, soul-satisfying soups ($10 to $12) are complete meals in a bowl, whether it was the pitch-perfect combination of a mushroom broth brimming with poblano chiles and tender pieces of Duroc pork, or a robust chowder of northern pike, lamb bacon and cuts of Russet potatoes, or a pool of puréed golden beets, kissed with curry and topped with spicy crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds.
289 E. 5th St., St. Paul, 651-699-3536, http://www.heartlandrestaurant.com/

Mazopiya opens in Shakopee

Shea Inc has been working with the Mdewakanton Sioux Community in the creation of the new organic market called Mazopiya.  It opened to the public on January 3rd, though a grand opening will follow at a later date.  Below are a couple of articles recently posted from Minnesota Public Radio and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community's website regarding the market and why they chose to take on this venture.
Shakopee Mdewakanton open organic market

January 6, 2011 MPR News

Prior Lake, Minn. (AP) — The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is getting into the local and organic food craze with its own natural food market on its reservation south of the Twin Cities.

The market called Mazopiya opened to the public this week. It offers a large inventory of organic items including free-range grass fed meats and local and organic produce, as well as a deli and prepared meal area with cafe seating and a coffee bar.

Community member Lori Watso, the driving force behind the store, says Sioux ancestors thrived on a diet free of foods with pesticides, growth hormones and manmade chemicals, and that trying to return to that tradition will pay health benefits for the community.

Shakopee Mdewakanton Open Mazopiya, a Natural Food Market

Date: Monday, January 3, 2011
Prior Lake, MN – With a focus on local, clean, and organic foods, the natural food market Mazopiya will open to the public January 3, 2011, as the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s newest enterprise.

Mazopiya [mah-zoh-pee-ya] focuses on natural as well as locally produced foods. In the Dakota language, Mazopiya means “a store, a place where things are kept.” With a focus on local and natural foods, Mazopiya offers a large inventory of organic items, including free-range grass fed meats; fresh, organic, and local produce; a deli; coffee bar; full-line of groceries, paper goods, breads, healthy supplements, and personal care products, even pet foods. In addition, a certified executive chef is on staff creating freshly prepared dishes sold at the deli and a prepared meal area for takeout with daily specials along with homemade soups and a salad bar. Cafe seating and a demonstration food preparation area will be a focal point used to provide classes about healthy and clean eating.

“A natural foods store is perfectly in line with our philosophy of protecting and preserving the environment for future generations. As Dakota people it is important to us to continue to take care of the earth to leave a legacy of a healthy planet for future generations,” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks. “We chose to use organic farming methods in our own garden, Mdewakanton Wozupi, which just completed its first growing season. We had a very successful harvest and plan on growing our garden significantly in the future. Organic produce from our Wozupi will be sold at Mazopiya next year.”

Why Local? Why Natural? Why Organic?

“Traditionally we were taught that food is medicine. By putting healthy foods into our bodies, we can increase our overall well-being,” said Community member Lori Watso, the driving force behind the store. “Our ancestors ate natural foods that were free from pesticides, growth hormones, and manmade chemicals. We think returning to this way of nourishing our bodies is a key to overall wellness. Clean foods, those produced without the use of chemicals or antibiotics, are much healthier not only for people, but also for the earth.”

Local fruits and vegetables that are produced using organic or sustainable growing practices are a priority for Mazopiya. Sustainable growing is described as using crop rotation, natural fertilizers, natural pesticides, and other methods to produce food teeming with nutrients.

“Organic produce is fresher, more nutrient rich, and less harmful to people and the planet,” said SMSC Organic Gardener Rebecca Dalton. One of the tenets of organic farming she described as, “to maintain the level at which you found an area or better yet to enhance the natural world around you, for plants, animals, and bugs.”

Mazopiya Store Manager Peter Doolan agreed, “It’s important to know where your food is coming from. Food additives, artificial flavorings, food coloring, and other additives that aren’t natural – many of them are known carcinogens. There have been studies that show that people often have reactions to these additives. In the long run these dangerous chemicals can be toxic. It does nobody any good to eat those things.”

Foods that have travelled long distances are by necessity picked early, and their nutritional value can also be compromised by the long journey. In addition to higher nutritional values, local foods save on transportation costs, fuels, and emissions, yielding a fresher, tastier product at market. By eliminating the necessity of transporting foods long distances, local, independent farmers benefit while still producing a product with a higher food quality.

Information about monthly promotions, weekly produce and deli specials, and various events and activities can be picked up in store, or for more detailed information about Mazopiya, visit http://www.mazopiya.com/.   Mazopiya is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mazopiya.

Masu Makes Top 5 most anticipated restaurant

2011 will bring many new restaurants to the Twin Cities area and already people are buzzing about their favorite.  City Pages' food writer Rachel Hutton released the paper's TOP 5 restaurants for 2011 and the Shea-designed Masu Sushi & Robata made the list. See the blog entry below:

By Rachel Hutton, City Pages

Based on reader response, Shakey's may be the average City Pages reader's most highly anticipated restaurant opening this year. (This April in Plymouth, everybody!)

Here are five other soon-to-open eateries that the Hot Dish is especially excited about.

Heidi's
After 2009's Best Restaurant--Minneapolis was taken out in a fire last February, Stewart Woodman, a.k.a. Shefzilla, and his wife, Heidi, have been busily rebuilding their legacy. The new spot, in the former Vera's at Lyn-Lake, banks on the idea that the Heidi's concept--a "four-star dining experience at two-star prices," as they describe it--will go over just as well with a younger, broker, more fickle demographic than the one surrounding their old spot at 50th and Bryant. Has Uptown grown up since the Woodmans ran Five? We can't wait to find out. The opening is scheduled for 1/11/11, and the restaurant is accepting reservations.

Tilia
Steven Brown, another one of the Twin Cities' most lauded chefs, is striking out on his own and launching his new restaurant, Tilia, as an owner-operator. He's starting small, in Rice Paper's old home in Linden Hills, with a brief menu that merges both fine dining dishes and humble comfort foods. No opening date is set, but gift certificates are available.

The Donut Cooperative
We started hearing about the Donut Cooperative last summer when its owners started raising funds via Kickstarter. And we've been hearing about all sorts of vegan, glazed, cream-filled wonders from every media outlet in town. But collaborative efforts take time--lots of it. There are Donut Cooperative T-shirts for sale, but...no...donuts...yet. They've appeared at various events in the past several months and, for a brief window, via delivery, but that aspect is on hold while the retail space is being designed.

Bread & Pickle
Kim Bartmann already has a crew of successful restaurants under her belt (Barbette, Bryant-Lake Bowl, Red Stag), and several others on the way. There's the Gigi's redo at 36th and Bryant, Pat's Tap at 35th and Nicollet, and, the one we're most excited about, Bread & Pickle in the Lake Harriet concessions. Forget popcorn and ice cream sandwiches, Bartmann is planning some lovely sounding picnic foods--cold sandwiches and salads or European-style collections of bread, cheese, and charcuterie. Expected opening: April 1.

Masu Sushi & Robata
We can't ever get enough sushi, and except for Obento Ya, we can't even find enough robata, so we're very much looking to the combination's arrival in the former Let's Cook space on East Hennepin--especially because Tim McKee's doing the menu and it also includes his take on soba, udon, and ramen noodles. Expected opening: mid-March. Most anticipated restaurant openings of 2011

Mill Valley Kitchen coming to the Ellipse

The word is out: the new Ellipse apartment development in St. Louis Park has signed a new restaurant tenant set to open this summer.  Shea has teamed up with Craig Bentdahl and Chef Mike Rakun to bring Mill Valley Kitchen to France Avenue.  Below is an article taken from the City Pages' food writer Rachel Hutton's "Coming Soon" section.

Mill Valley Kitchen coming to St. Louis Park

By Rachel Hutton  from CityPages.com

The Ellipse luxury apartment development that seemingly sprang up overnight at the corner of France Avenue and Excelsior has a new ground-floor restaurant in the works: Mill Valley Kitchen, named after the Marin County, California paradise just across the Golden Gate Bridge and adjacent Muir Woods.

Craig Bentdahl, the former Excel Bank CEO, is backing the venture and working with Anoush Ansari of Hemisphere Companies as a consulting partner on the project. Chef Michael Rakun, formerly of the St. Paul Hotel and Mission American Kitchen, is developing a menu inspired by the fresh, healthful, farm-to-table cuisine of Northern California.

Shea is doing the design work for a 165-seat dining room, private dining area, and outdoor patio. Mill Valley Kitchen will be a full-service restaurant and bar offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and should open in early summer.

Star Tribune Announces Best New Bars of 2010

New Years is a time to reflect on the good and bad of the last year.  Shea is proud that two of our projects (Psycho Suzi's and Surdyk's Flights) made Tom Horgen's best bars list:



Psycho Suzi's



Best new bars of 2010

By TOM HORGEN, Star Tribune

As I looked over the past year, I noticed my favorite new bars were often sequels, reworkings or offshoots of existing establishments. That brings me to the conclusion that we're either out of ideas in the Twin Cities nightlife scene or we're simply home to really smart bar owners who know when they have a good thing going.


1. Psycho Suzi's: As far as oversized kitschy tiki fortresses go, this one lived up to the hype.

2. Town Hall Tap: What makes this place such a great neighborhood bar? Beer lovers all over the Twin Cities now wish they lived at 48th and Chicago.

3. Depot Tavern: Yeah, it's a no-frills bar. But it's First Avenue's no-frills bar, and the best place to get a bacon-wrapped megadog after seeing your favorite band at the Twin Cities' favorite rock club.

4. Surdyk's Flights: With its sleek design and impeccable menu of wine, beer and cocktails, the small bar gave travelers a good reason to get to the airport early.

5. Uptown Cafeteria: Say what you will about the street-level lounge, the rooftop deck made a strong case for Uptown's best view.

6. Kieran's Irish Pub: Among the handful of bars that opened in anticipation of Target Field, only Kieran Folliard's massive Irish transplant hit a home run.

7. Aster Cafe: New owners reopened an old coffee shop as a serious music venue with drink and food to match.

8. Prairie Ale House: If you miss the old owners at Town Talk Diner, one of them has built a sequel of sorts in Eden Prairie.

9. Thom Pham's Wondrous Azian Kitchen: He closed Azia and is knee-deep in financial squabbles (lawsuit against his sisters; owes back sales tax to the state), but I still need somewhere to eat my cranberry puffs and look good doing it.

10. Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill: OK, this might not be everyone's cup of beer, but the massive honkytonk in St. Louis Park kept the Twin Cities nightlife economy alive in 2010. I'd tip a cowboy hat to that.