The Revival of Hennepin Ave

This article from yesterday's Business Journal was fun for us to read....not only because it mentions Shea's upcoming office move....but because so many of our projects were also mentioned: The Butcher & the Boar, Rosa Mexicano, Crave and Lunds. We're proud of our role in helping to transform Hennepin Avenue. We'll see you there in June!

The Butcher & the Boar restaurant opening on Hennepin Avenue

by Justin Horwath, Staff Writer, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 2:45pm CST -

The Butcher & the Boar will be the latest addition to a changing Hennepin Avenue when the restaurant opens later this month.


The restaurant is located at 1121 Hennepin Ave., in the Harmon Place Historic District.

Jack Riebel described his new restaurant to the Downtown Journal as an “American craft food and bourbon house.”

As the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported in September, new eateries to the corridor include Rosa Mexicano, Crave, Thom Pham's Wondrous Azian Kitchen and Bullfrog Cajun Café.

Also, Shea Inc., a design firm, is moving its corporate headquarters to the former Shinders building at Hennepin and 8th Street. Lund Food Holdings broke ground for a new Lunds grocery store at 12th Street and Hennepin on September 1.

Construction has begun on the future Shea, Inc. headquarters at the corner of Hennepin and 8th Street.

Shula Burger featured in the Miami Herald

Shea recently worked with legendary Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula on a new concept in his family of restaurants. The first location of Shula Burger just opened in the Florida Keys. The Miami Herald just ran a piece on it that you can read right here. Go team!

Shula Burger opens in the Keys

By Cammy Clark, Miami Herald

The first Shula Burger opens in the Keys, making the legendary Miami Dolphins coach’s empire even meatier

ISLAMORADA -- Miami Dolphins legendary coach Don Shula has conquered the steak business. Now he is tackling burgers, albeit gourmet versions of the American classic with toppings that include fresh goat cheese, sliced avocados and crushed garlic croutons.


“I’m a meat-eater,” Shula said. “I like steak, but I also like hamburgers.”

The first Shula Burger opened last month in the Florida Keys, near the World Famous Tiki Bar at the newly renovated resort complex now called Postcard Inn at Holiday Isle.

It is restaurant No. 33 and concept No. 6 of a restaurant empire whose franchises have expanded far beyond Shula’s friendly home turf.

They are in 16 states, as far west as Arizona. Shula has attended every grand opening, and eaten at every restaurant bearing his name. “You can tell I haven’t missed many meals,” he said laughing in reference to his ample gut.

Many of his restaurants are in NFL cities of Dolphin rivals. “But, we don’t have one in Buffalo,” Shula said with a grin. The Bills once lost 20 straight games to his Dolphins in the 1970s.

Shula thrives on competition. But 22 years ago he entered the grinding restaurant business as reluctantly as 300-pound linemen arrive for two-a-day practices in summer heat and humidity.

David Younts, who was president of the hospitality division of the Graham Cos. that owned the Miami Lakes Inn and Golf Resort, prodded Shula into finally agreeing to lend his legendary name to the resort’s struggling Legends Steak House.

It became Shula’s Steak House and was themed around the Dolphins 1972 undefeated season. They featured a 48-ounce porterhouse.

In the first year, revenue went from less than $1 million to $3 million plus. “The food was good. People enjoyed it,” Shula said. “I thought, ‘This is not so bad.’ ”

For most sport-celebrity eating establishments, sizzle is followed by fizzle. Shula’s steak house not only flourished, its sustained success led to more upscale steakhouses. To date, 37,426 of Shula’s 48-ounce porterhouses have been eaten, including 187 by Taff Parker of South Carolina.

“The Shula name is almost like a cult, synonymous with success; nobody has had a perfect season except Miami,” said TV chef Walter Staib, a Philadelphia-based restaurant consultant who helped develop the Shula brand during its first 15 years. “Standards were set very high at the beginning, and they never changed course. That’s why the Shula brand became so powerful.”

Premium Black Angus steaks were purchased from one source, specially aged and specially packaged, with no middle man. “So a 32-ounce steak was a 32-ounce steak 365 days a year,” Staib said. “It was not like other restaurants, where steaks shrink at the end of the month.”

Shula, who likes his steaks medium well, demanded perfection in those early years. Staib said: “He was one tough boss. One thing went wrong, and you got your butt kicked. He used his coaching ways. Don’t screw up on my team.”

With the success of the upscale steak houses, the restaurant company began other concepts for franchises. Shula’s 347 Grill, named after his record 347 NFL coaching victories, is a mid-priced restaurant.

They also have Shula’s 2 Steak & Sports (casual sports bar), Shula’s Bar & Grill (for airports, including a recently opened one at Miami International Airport) and Shula’s On the Beach (waterfront dining that includes seafood).

The first foreign Shula’s restaurant, an On the Beach version, is being discussed for Cancun, Mexico.

There was a Shula’s On the Beach in Key West, but it closed after five years in 2006 because new ownership of the hotel wanted to lease out the space and not operate a franchise, Shula Burger president Bill Herman said.

The concept of Shula Burgers — fast gourmet burgers at a casual place that serves alcohol — was the brainchild of Shula’s wife Mary Anne, who also is the Shula Steak Houses CEO.

The burgers are 5.3 ounces and made from 5 percent brisket, 5 percent short rib and 90 percent Black Angus beef chuck.

“Make sure you try ‘The Don.’ It’s hamburger with a hot dog on top,” Shula said.

The Islamorada Shula Burger is just around the corner on U.S. 1 from the Ocean View Pub & Inn, another casual place that sells burgers and is associated with a two-time Super Bowl Champion: former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Gary Dunn.

But unlike Dunn, who is hands on, Shula these days primarily plays the role of company ambassador. The day-to-day operations are run by others, including son Dave, the company president.

After being fired as head coach from the Cincinnati Bengals in 1996, Dartmouth-educated Dave Shula found his coaching options limited. He tried the restaurant business, working at almost every position, including dishwasher.

“I learned a restaurant is a lot like a football team,” he said. “To be effective, the talented people and everybody else on the team have to work together. You have to depend on each other.”

At the grand opening last week in Islamorada, Don Shula held court like the icon that he is, signing pictures, footballs and anything fans and new Shula Burger employees brought him.

Each Shula Burger will have a wall dedicated to one of the old coach’s favorite plays. At the Islamorada joint, it was play No. 70 HB SO, which stands for halfback short option.

Former Dolphins quarterback great Bob Griese, who came to the grand opening to support his old coach, pointed to his No. 12 on the play painted on the wall.

“It was designed for the back coming out of the backfield to catch a pass to get a first down or perhaps bigger play,” Shula said. “I had a lot of confidence that it would work against whatever coverage.”

The goal in the next five to 10 years is to have “hundreds of Shula Burgers” across the United States, Herman said.

While the Islamorada version is full service with a full bar and offers breakfast, most Shula Burgers are just lunch and dinner places with counter service and only beer and wine. The wine will be in special coolers that dispense servings of wine by the ounce, paid for with a card.

Shula Burgers are in the works for three other South Florida locations: in a new Publix shopping complex on Killian Parkway near Miami-Dade College that will open in June, on the 17th Street Causeway, formerly Edwin Watts Golf, in Fort Lauderdale that will open in September and one at the Delray Marketplace that will open in November.

The company also is finalizing a deal with a franchisee to open 10 additional Shula Burgers in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

“I believe if you do a good job on the food, atmosphere and service, you will end up being a winner,” Don Shula said.

And maybe one day there will be a Shula Burger in Buffalo.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/26/v-fullstory/2607548/shula-burger-opens-in-the-keys.html#storylink=cpy

MSP International Airport concessions' first 50 years

The following story just ran on KARE 11 featuring some interesting facts about the evolution of the food concessions at MSP International Airport's Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) over the last 50 years. The station highlighted Shea project, Surdyk’s Flights, as one of the airport's healthier options. (They also reveal that Surdyk's Flights carries a very common item and charges less for it than any other place in the airport.)

The story also mentions the future of concessions at the airport, including lots of activity at the new Concourse G and the new mobile app, B4 You Board.

Rye Deli in the Strib

Rick Nelson from the Star Tribune reviews one of Shea's recently completed projects. Rye Deli and has some very nice things to say about it. When you're done reading it, you'll probably want to head right over for some chicken soup and a reuben....

A Lowry Hill deli gets diners talking

Article by: RICK NELSON , Star Tribune Updated: February 2, 2012 - 11:30 AM

Is Rye the dream come true for deli-starved locals? It depends. But it's worth a visit.

photo by Bre McGee

Those with an appetite for viciousness should ignore the latest episode of "Dance Moms" and spend a few hair-curling moments trolling the online commenters' spare-no-expletives takedowns on Rye, the new deli that materialized late last fall on Lowry Hill in Minneapolis.


Or don't. After making the mistake of doing just that -- and then taking a shower -- my first thought was, never open a delicatessen. Not that my slacker self would ever dip so much as a big toe into the demanding restaurant business. But there's something about the deli genre that really bundles the undies of a vocal segment of Twin Cities diners. You know, scratch a deli fanatic, find the One True Way to Prepare Corned Beef, and heaven help the operator who doesn't adhere to the party line. Thanks, but no thanks.

As for Rye, I like it. So sue me. And this diner is grateful that owner and first-time restaurateur David Weinstein has entered the landmine-strewn deli territory. Weinstein hired longtime chef and consultant Tobie Nidetz -- he's opened more than 40 restaurants, an astonishing track record -- to get the kitchen on its feet. One of the many characteristics I appreciate about Nidetz's work at Rye is his sense of editing; he's not trying to cover all the bases, but instead focuses on an abbreviated Deli Greatest Hits.

And he often nails it. The menu's nucleus is a quartet of carved meats, and the star of the show is a close proximity to pastrami that Montreal delis simply refer to as "smoked meat." It starts with a near-the-brisket cut that's brined for four days, dry-rubbed for three, then smoked three hours before being steamed for three. The pink-rose color is gorgeous, it's got just the right amount of fat and it's so tender that it fairly collapses in your mouth. "We take it as far as we can without shredding," said Nidetz, and that's a pretty accurate description.

It lands in a straight-up, stacked-high sandwich, swiped with a feisty house-made mustard, or laced with punchy sauerkraut in an open-faced Reuben that is, justifiably, the menu's No. 1 seller. It's the same formula for the other meats, especially the whole-roasted turkeys, where thick slices of juicy, flavorful dark and white meat become the centerpiece of a satisfying hot sandwich with creamy mashed potatoes and a potent, handled-with-care gravy. Count me a fan of the brined-for-a-week corned beef, although I seldom found its uncured cousin, the brisket, to rise above the so-so level.

Plenty to enjoy

Along with reasonable portions at equally reasonable prices, Rye really gets a lot of details right. The chicken soup is obviously carefully nurtured, with an intensely chicken-ey broth (the secret: free-range, Amish-raised birds) and all the right accoutrements, including wonderfully tender, baking powder-powered matzo balls, flecked with parsley. Lemon and sugar add just the right sweet-sour notes to the short ribs-packed borscht. Turns out it's an old Nidetz family recipe, as is the formula for the fine chopped liver, a smooth chicken-beef combination that has an enviable Jewish-grandmother quality.

The Reuben burger -- an exercise in excess -- is a blend of brisket and chuck that's topped with slabs of smoked meat, tangy sauerkraut and a generous splash of Russian dressing. That's all stacked inside a buttered and toasted onion bialy, and the result is a heart attack waiting to happen. Nidetz's sense of humor is evident in another Reuben variation, fashioned with plus-sized potato pancakes (which get crispy, thanks to a quick finishing spin in the deep fryer), a cholesterol fest that could have come from Paula Deen, were she a card-carrying Hadassah member.

On the lighter side, tabbouleh pops with fresh mint and parsley, and the light, irresistible coleslaw has a cool cider-vinegar bite. The hand-cut fries are tops in their class. For all the baking that's going on, the bagels aren't quite there yet -- although the bialys are terrific. Ditto the blintzes, especially the a.m. versions, lavished with a not-too-sweet strawberry jam.

For the sweet tooth

The modest, tradition-focused dessert selection is headlined by an agreeably cakey and not-too-sweet black-and-white cookie and an unadulterated cheesecake. The long, tender eclairs, generously filled with a gooey, vanilla-infused custard and topped with a thick coating of dark chocolate, are marvelous. Skip the dull, dry chocolate babka.

Nidetz and chef Ted Jude have a knack for selecting the few items that aren't produced in-house. The ultra-smoky whitefish from Superior, Wis., is fantastic; too bad it's served on a sad-looking plate of greens. I could devour the silky Canadian-sourced lox on a daily basis. Mainstreet Bakery in Edina is responsible for the chewy-crusted caraway rye, which doesn't get mushy under the strain of the meats' juices. The divine challah hails from Sun Street Breads in Minneapolis.

At dinner, a first-rate chicken pot pie stands out over conventional roast chicken and brisket dinners. It's a shame to see that the more esoteric -- well, for Minnesota, anyway -- dishes, including kishke and tzimmes, have disappeared.


The restaurant's quick-casual format suits the former Auriga space. The building's overhaul, designed by Shea Inc. of Minneapolis, has sensibly reorganized the awkward space, placing the counter front and center and chiseling out several distinct seating areas, most notably a cozy bar. It's comfortable and accessible, the walls peppered with art for sale (my favorites are the dog portraits by painter Kat Corrigan) and heavy library oak chairs. One winter note: Prepare for drafts.

Breakfast is particularly pleasant. Sunlight pours in through large east-facing windows, and the kitchen cranks out several memorable dishes, including what might be the Twin Cities' most awesome French toast, a custard-soaked challah embellished with Minnesota-made butter and maple syrup. After swearing to limit myself to a single slice, I very nearly polished off the whole plate, which speaks more to food quality vs. any pathetic sense of self-discipline.

Speaking of unnecessary carbs, I can't imagine not indulging in the cinnamon-enriched, caramel sauce-topped golden spiral that is the bakleke, or the aforementioned poppyseed- and onion-crusted bialys, smeared with an unhealthy amount of tangy cream cheese. Naturally, there's corned beef hash, but the smoked meat version is even better. If only the smoked meat Benedict, a don't-miss weekend brunch item, were available daily, because its intrinsic appeal might stop the haters. Remember, people, it's a deli, not the presidential election. Relax, and enjoy.