Shea: Anything

Super soups

2012-01-26T11:26:00.000-06:00

Star Tribune food dude Rick Nelson takes a look at some of the best soups in town this week in the Taste section. We're happy to see so many Shea clients and friends on the list, including Macy's, Yum! Kitchen and Bakery and Meritage. We happen to agree with Rick's picks and think you should try out a few of his suggestions to warm winter's chill.

Going out? Super soups for supper
Article by: Rick Nelson , Star Tribune Updated: January 25, 2012 - 4:33 PM

Minestrone. Beer-cheese. Hot-and-sour pork. Pho. Chicken with matzo balls. Twin Cities chefs are crafting a wide variety of flavor-packed soups to warm winter's chill.

A taste of pho
Here's the thing about pho: Each proponent of this cornerstone of Vietnamese cuisine has a rock-solid opinion about its composition, which means that there are countless ways to enjoy this fantastic soup.

My favorite? The deeply fragrant versions at Ngon Vietnamese Bistro, where chef/owner Hai Truong wrings every possible flavor molecule out of each carefully selected ingredient, and the parts add up to several wholes. Making stock is a two-day process, involving oxtails and knuckle bones from grass-fed, family farm-raised cows. ("There are no feedlots in Vietnam," he said. "It's important to get as close to those authentic flavors as possible.") Then there are slow-roasted onions, fennel and ginger and a nuanced combination of spices and herbs. Each gigantic bowl is prepared to order, so the slurp-worthy noodles and top-shelf proteins (order the rare rib-eye steak, or the beef meatballs) aren't overcooked and everything is tantalizingly fresh.

"In the winter, we sometimes run out because it's so popular," said Truong. "But there is only so much that we can make at a time. We can't rush it."

799 University Av., St. Paul
651-222-3301
http://www.ngonbistro.com/

No popcorn on this cheese soup
Leave it to Tilia chef Steven Brown to burnish a contemporary gloss on that midcentury culinary anachronism, beer-cheese soup ($8). In Brown's imaginative hands it becomes luxury personified, a silky swirl of lovingly aged white Cheddar and Minneapolis-brewed Fulton Beer's beautifully balanced version of an India Pale Ale. A gentle mustard-infused oil garnish, traces of thyme and an oven-warmed bowl complete this perfect wintertime repast.

2726 W. 43rd St., Mpls
612-354-2806
http://www.tiliampls.com/

Memorable Korean dishes
At Green Spoon in Minneapolis, the majority of the menu is tailored for the neighborhood's college crowd, but it's also peppered with Korean-accented dishes that have their roots in home cooking.

"When we first opened the restaurant, we struggled with our traditional Korean dishes, they didn't come out the right way," said owner Jinsoo Park. "So my mother visited and fixed the recipes, and now everything is coming out perfect." The fishcake soup, for instance, served only at dinner. It's a meal in a bowl, a steaming pool of amber-tinted dashi fortified with dried anchovies, soy sauce, seaweed and green onions, and dressed with crêpe-like, crab-flecked fishcakes that are speared on wooden satays.

"It's definitely a popular seller among our Korean crowd," said chef Chris Paddock. "But it's not really something that our American guests order." Their loss.

2600 University Av. SE., Mpls
612-208-0529
http://www.greenspooncafe.com/

Fresh from the produce counter
"I like making soup," said Salty Tart baker/owner Michelle Gayer. And on winter weekdays, she does just that, a vegetarian soup that changes frequently, "that's based on what everyone is in the mood to eat, and whatever is seasonally available at the Produce Exchange," she said, referring to her greengrocer neighbor in the Midtown Global Market.

Lately that means a cauliflower-Parmesan purée, with bits of roasted cauliflower for texture, or a colorful and equally flavorful medley of white beans, kale, zucchini and potatoes, each portion ($4, served with a slice of one of the bakery's first-rate breads) carefully reheated to order to maintain the ingredients' essence. "It's my vegetable replacement meal, and I like texture in my soup," Gayer said. "I don't like mush."

920 E. Lake St., Mpls
612-874-9206
http://www.saltytart.com/

Minestrone and more
Be'wiched Deli owners Mike Ryan and Matthew Bickford are not only masterful sandwich makers, they're also gifted soup artisans. The imaginative selection ($3.50 to $5) changes daily -- it could include a roasted butternut squash garnished with apples and house-cured bacon, or a luscious sunchoke-potato purée -- but the duo always has a knockout minestrone on hand, a steaming bowl of Parmesan-kissed tomato broth brimming with toothy cannellini beans, the carrot-onion-celery mirepoix triumvirate, poached chicken and a garden's worth of herbs. To order it is to love it.

800 Washington Av. N., Mpls
612-767-4330
http://www.bewicheddeli.com/

The wild rice favorite
In the Twin Cities, before there was Macy's, there was Marshall Field's, and prior to that, for more than a century, there was Dayton's. The department store's restaurants have always specialized in timeless fare, starting with wild rice soup ($3.95 to $4.95). The quintessentially Minnesota formula -- prepare it yourself, using the recipe at right -- remains an ultimate comfort food, with mushrooms and sherry notching up the soup's creamy richness, carrots contributing a pop of color and almonds boosting the wild rice's intrinsic nuttiness. Enjoy it with a popover, naturally.

Oak Grill (700 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-375-2938)
River Room (411 Cedar St., St. Paul, 651-292-5174)
Lakeshore Grill (Southdale, Edina, (952-924-6727)
Lakeshore Grill (Ridgedale, Minnetonka, 952-591-6727)
http://www.macys.com/

Which came first, the chicken or the soup?
The chicken soup pinnacle? It's a tie. Unadulterated goodness reigns at Meritage, where chef/co-owner Russell Klein garnishes an ultra-refined, deeply flavorful chicken broth with painstakingly diced carrots, snips of fresh dill and a pair of tender matzo balls ($7). Across town at Yum! Kitchen and Bakery, owner Patti Soskin's crew puts together the ultimate in cold-season comfort, a golden broth accented by garlic and black pepper and filled with egg noodles, juicy chicken and onion ($3.95 to $4.95). If Soskin made a cough-drop version, she'd be a billionaire.

Meritage (410 St. Peter St., St. Paul, 651-222-5670, http://www.meritage-stpaul.com/)
Yum! Kitchen and Bakery (4000 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, 952-922-4000, http://www.yumkitchen.com/)

A big bowl of comfort
Don't let the busy chain restaurant surroundings lull you into culinary complacency, because Big Bowl knows how to cook. Case in point: the restaurant's spectacular hot-and-sour soup ($6.95), which is not only seductively delicious but is also quite possibly a cure for the common cold, or a high-performing cold relief medicine, anyway.

The high-fidelity flavors waft right out of the tureen, tickling your nose before they caress your taste buds. A zingy vinegar sting is balanced against the earthy punch of thinly sliced shiitake and cloud ear mushrooms, and fresh eggs and traces of sesame oil dance in and out of a robust, carefully nurtured pork stock. Enjoy it with one of the bar's zesty, immunity-boosting ginger ales.

3669 Galleria, Edina, 952-928-7888
12649 Wayzata Blvd. (Ridgedale), Minnetonka, 952-797-9888
1705 W. Hwy. 36 (Rosedale), Roseville, 651-636-7173
http://www.bigbowl.com/

Hot Mama to open Detroit store

2012-01-23T09:46:00.000-06:00

At Shea, we've been design partners to Hot Mama since they developed and opened their first store in Edina in 2004. We love the association, simply because EVERYBODY LOVES THEM! What's so impressive about onwers Megan and Mike Tamte is that they are growing the company rapidly nationwide...and this year, the pair is planning to open eight more (!) stores...all from operational cash flow! Read below for the announcement about the new Detroit store.

HOT MAMA TO OPEN ITS FIRST STORE IN DETROIT
Seven years ago, Megan Tamte was so convinced that moms wanted designer clothing with unparalleled service that she and her husband, Michael Tamte, opened their first Hot Mama store in Edina, Minnesota. Today, Hot Mama has 22 stores in eight states. Each year Hot Mama receives hundreds of customer requests to add a Hot Mama store in cities across the United States—which affirms the founding couple’s belief that the U.S. is filled with hot mamas.

Hot Mama signed a lease this week to open a store this spring at the Village of Rochester Hills in Oakland County, MI. Megan and Michael were attracted to The Village’s surrounding demographics and its ability to draw Hot Mama’s core customer of fashion forward moms. This will be Hot Mama’s second Michigan store. The retailer already has a footprint in Michigan with its store in East Grand Rapids.

Megan and Michael have assembled a team of 300 uniquely trained employees, who are committed to the company’s core purpose of empowering moms through its merchandise, store layout, and interactions. Hot Mama and its companion website, shopmama.com, have been noted in magazines such as Fast Company, Shopping Centers Today, InStyle, Real Simple, Self, Pregnancy & Newborn, People StyleWatch. In the past few years Hot Mama won critical praise, evidenced by its selection in "Top of the Town" by Denver’s 5280 magazine, “Best of Cincinnati” by Cincinnati magazine, “Best of Grand Rapids” by Grand Rapids magazine, and “Best of the Twin Cities” by Minnesota Monthly magazine.

Hot Mama was created to be an upscale boutique that is a fashion resource for moms by offering contemporary designer clothing and premium denim that fits a mom’s age and lifestyle. In describing why she opened Hot Mama, Megan Tamte explains, “I need clothes that are quick and easy to wear that can take me from a board meeting, to my son’s baseball game, to a date night with my husband. I’ve learned over the years how important it is for me to take care of myself physically, mentally, and spiritually so I can be the best mom I can be.”

Within its “mom” niche, Hot Mama focuses primarily on a customer who wants to stay current in fashion, parenting, and lifestyle. Michael Tamte estimates the domestic “designer mom” apparel market to be worth over $15 billion a year, comprising of hip moms between the ages of 25 to 50. In a recent survey, Hot Mama found that half of its customers were in their thirties while 40% were forty years old or older.

Hot Mama’s sales have more than doubled in the past two years. With surging sales Hot Mama continues to be in expansionary mode. In 2012 the company plans to open eight stores, all from operational cash flow. Besides its current stores in Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, the company recently signed leases to open stores in Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and two more stores in Cincinnati.

Pioneer Press looks at upcoming Twin Cities restaurants

2012-01-19T13:59:00.000-06:00

Kathie Jenkins of the Pioneer Press has the scoop on lots of upcoming restaurant projects in 2012. We at Shea are working diligently on three of them: Butcher & the Boar, Masu's second location in the Mall of America, and a new Grand Avenue location for Cupcake. Read about these and more below, but to warn you, it will make you hungry!

In 2012, these restaurants are opening soon in a Twin Cities neighborhood near you
by Kathie Jenkins, Pioneer Press

JANUARY
Which Wich (2073 Ford Parkway, St. Paul; 651-328-8044; whichwich.com): This is the second metro location for the Dallas-based fast-casual chain. (The first was Blaine, different franchisee). In addition to 51 types of customizable sandwiches, there are also salads, chips, cookies and thick shakes. Wi-Fi, loyalty cards, a kids' menu and a free birthday sandwich are also part of the mix.

"We're really committed to the whole customer-service aspect," says franchisee Patrick Melody. "It's got to be more than just good food. It's the only way to keep people coming back." Opening is Jan. 28. More will likely follow.

Blood and Chocolate (495 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-492-4799): The goal of Kerry D'Amato and Bo Wayne is to hook locals on chocolate. They'll have chocolates and confections from around the globe as well as chocolate drinks and a line of house-made truffles named for dead rock stars - the Janis (bourbon-based), Elvis (peanut butter and banana) and Jimi (red wine). Eventually, the two want to get a liquor license so they can do chocolate and wine pairings.

"We're a small shop with big ideas," says D'Amato.

FEBRUARY
Sweet Ducky Cupcakery (117 W. Churchill St., Stillwater): Two years ago, Andrea "Ducky" Zimmerman was killed in a car accident at age 20. Now, Andrea's mom, Nancy Zimmerman, and aunt, Sally Hanks, are honoring her memory by opening a cupcake shop.

The former Meister's South Hill Liquor near Fourth Street is being remodeled, and the goal is to be open before Valentine's Day. In the meantime, the sisters are inventing cupcake flavors and naming some after Andrea's closest friends. The chocolate-chocolate will be for Andrea. It was her favorite.

Butcher & the Boar (1121 Henne-pin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-222-7171): Ex-Dakota chef Jack Riebel is opening this 150-seat restaurant and bar in the historic Harmon District. He's calling the menu "American craft" and installing a smoker in the basement. Expect plenty of smoked meats and fish and great beer and bourbon lists.

MARCH
Osaka Express (108 N. Main St., Stillwater; osaka seafoodsteakhouse.com): Osaka owner Michael Lee is turning the former Savories in downtown Stillwater into a mini clone of his Japanese seafood and steakhouses throughout the metro area. This one will be one-fourth the size of the other Osakas, but expect the same Asian decor, full bar, sushi and hibachi grills.

Cupcake (949 Grand Ave., St. Paul; cup-cake.com): Remodeling of the former Wonderment Toy Store is under way. Unlike the Minneapolis location, this one will have a wine bar along with a bakery and cafe. The restaurant will seat 35.

Owner Kevin VanDeraa hopes to attract a mature crowd that's looking for a glass of wine or a draft beer after a movie or a show, so expect a setting with low lighting and soft music. "There'll be no shots whatsoever," he says. March 1 is the target opening date.

APRIL
Bar Louie (1320 Lagoon Ave., Minneapolis; barlouieamerica.com): The hip, Glenville, Ill.- based tavern and grill is going into MoZaic development in Uptown. Like the others in the chain, the menu will be burgers, oversized sandwiches, jumbo martinis and microbrews.

Gary Perel, a real estate broker for Indianapolis-based UrbanSpace Commercial Properties, which represents Bar Louie in its search for sites, said to expect four or five more in the Twin Cities during the next couple of years. Hopefully, one will be in St. Paul. Two years ago, the company looked to open a Bar Louie in St. Paul's Lowertown, but "the timing wasn't right," says Perel.

MAY
Selma's Ice Cream Parlor (3419 St. Croix Trail S., Afton): Becky and Paul Nickerson just bought Minnesota's oldest ice cream shop and plan to be selling cones, malts and sundaes by May 1. An Afton staple since the 1930s, when Selma and Eddie Holbert started the business, the place was shuttered two years ago when the owner filed for bankruptcy.

This is the Nickersons' first foray into the ice cream business. But with six children, they've had plenty of practice scooping ice cream. The kids, ranging in age from 6 to 16, will be working behind the counter but under their parents' supervision. Can't have them eating up all the profits. "We want to be successful and do well with the ice cream business," says Becky.

Postmark Grill (225 Locust St., Hudson, Wis.): Russell Evenson, who owns Village Pizzeria in Amery, Wis., bought the old post office in downtown Hudson. It was built in 1939 and is in need of major renovations - a kitchen, for instance! - before it can open.

"We'll be putting a lot of time and money into that place," says Evenson's son Derek, who will manage the restaurant along with his two sisters. "But it's worth it. We just love the area."

They plan to start the remodel any day now. The menu will be Italian-American.

Masu Sushi and Robata (S344, Mall of America, Interstate 494 and Cedar Avenue, Bloomington; masusushiand robata.com): The Northeast Minneapolis restaurant offering sushi, robata grilling and noodle soups is branching out to MOA. It has taken over the short-lived Soul Daddy's and will offer the same Masu mix but with more emphasis on noodle dishes.

"People don't want to come to the mall and spend two hours eating multiple courses," says Masu corporate chef Stephan Hesse. "They want to be in and out in half an hour." Finally, someone who understands shopping!

Smokehouse Brewpub (38th Street and 28th Avenue South, Minneapolis; smoke housebrewpub.com): "Invest $1,000 and drink free beer for the rest of your life." It was an offer too good to resist. Owner/brewer Jamie Robinson had the space and the idea but not the $175,000 down payment on $800,000 needed to start the business. He put the word out about a lifetime of free beer, and the money started rolling in - $1,000 at a time.

"It's all about social networking and getting other people to talk about it," says Robinson, a veteran of Town Hall Brewery. "We hit our fundraising goal, and we had a wait list in case we needed it."

When Smokehouse Brewpub opens in late May, it will have an on-site craft brewery and a menu based on house-smoked meats. Plans include a long oak bar, seating for 75 inside plus another 50 on the patio and floor-to-ceiling windows so customers can watch the brewing in action.

"Everything looks like it's coming together," says Robinson. "We're working hard keeping things on track."

JUNE
Rooftop restaurant, name to be determined (Cossetta Italian Market and Pizzeria, 211 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-222-3476): Cossetta's turns 100 this year, and owner Dave Cossetta is celebrating to the tune of $11 million. That's what it's costing to substantially expand the existing space at West Seventh and Chestnut streets near downtown St. Paul. Plans include a bakery, meat market, gelateria, basement wine cellar and rooftop restaurant.

When everything is completed, the place should change grocery shopping from a chore into an event and elevate Italian dining in this city to a higher level. The rooftop restaurant menu will be authentic Southern Italian. Dishes include fresh, creamy burrata cheese with truffle oil, Sicilian tuna, pappardelle, bucatini, veal saltimbocca and cacciatore-style short ribs.

The current deli-style restaurant and pizzeria will double in size, and its menu will expand. Caprese salad, Italian sausage sliders and risotto rice balls will be some of the new dishes.

JULY
Intelligent Nutrients (983 Hennepin Ave. E., Minneapolis; 612-617-2000): Get ready for a little zin with your zen. This one-of-a-kind store/beauty spot, run by organic/chakra guru Horst Rechelbacher, is bringing back its all-organic deli. Details aren't finalized, but you can expect a new look and a new menu.

OCTOBER
Crooked Pint Ale House (location undetermined; crookedpint.com): Green Mill CEO Paul Dzubar is eager to open another pub, but he's still looking for the right location. He says it will be the same mix of bar food and beer as at the original House, which opened last year near the Guthrie in Minneapolis.

DECEMBER
Chilango Cantina (location undetermined): Last year at this time, Bin Wine Bar owner Rebecca Illingworth was planning to launch Chilango Cantina around the corner from her Lowertown spot at Sixth and Sibley in St. Paul. It didn't pan out because the space was in a historic building and she ran up against costly rules and regulations.

But Illingworth hasn't given up on the idea of opening a true Mexican cantina with low prices, late hours, tacos wrapped in tin foil and front windows that can be cranked open for walk-ups. All she needs is the right location.

"I'd like to stick to St. Paul, but I'm keeping my options open," says Ilingworth. "The rent has to be right, and I need flexibility."

ON THE DRAWING BOARD
A brew pub in Hudson: Pete Foster, owner of San Pedro Cafe and Barker's Bar & Grill, both in downtown Hudson, wants to add a brew pub nearby. He has even figured out the location. If it happens, it will go on the north or south side of Barker's.

A neighborhood grill: Blue Plate Restaurant Co. opened Scusi in St. Paul in 2010 and The Lowry in Minneapolis in 2011. And the partners haven't finished expanding."We want to do another neighborhood grill concept like The Lowry, and 2013 would be the year to do it," says co-owner Stephanie Shimp. "This is the year to work on fine-tuning our operations."

Butcher & the Boar Coming Soon!

2012-01-14T11:48:00.022-06:00

Get the scoop from Star Tribune's nightlife writer Tom Horgen on all the upcoming Twin Cities Bar openings, including one of Shea's latest design projects, Butcher and the Boar, from chef Jack Riebel and Tim Rooney...

Nightlife: A winter warm-up of new bars

Our guide to upcoming openings.

by Tom Horgen, Star Tribune

.

Jack Riebel had a big smile on his face. Last Friday, the acclaimed chef (formerly of the Dakota) was standing in the middle of a loud, dusty construction zone -- the site of his hotly anticipated Butcher and the Boar.

The bar, at 12th and Hennepin in downtown Minneapolis, was still in build-out mode. But Riebel's excitement was palpable. If the bourbon and beer arrived today, he'd be ready to serve customers right on the spot.

He's not alone in his enthusiasm. The weather is finally cooling, but a warm front of new bars is about to hit the Twin Cities. Stepping back from his own project, Riebel sees a trend among this new crop:

"People want neighborhood bars," he said. "There was a time when every neighborhood needed a bar -- and I think there's a renaissance going back to that."

Of course, he's not talking about dive bars. Yes, the following six spots will cater to locals (in Riebel's case, thousands of nearby condo dwellers), but each one has the potential to draw crowds from all over the Twin Cities.

BUTCHER AND THE BOAR

Opening: First week of February.

Who's behind it: Jack Riebel. Also: Tim Rooney of Bar La Grassa and Barrio.

What to expect: The hot trends in bargoing right now are craft beer, heritage liquor brands and artisanal bar food. Butcher and the Boar feels like a culmination of all that. The bar's all-American stance will include 30 domestic craft brews on tap, 50 bourbons and a serious selection of smoked and cured meats (wild boar from Texas!). Best of all: The beer garden out back will seat 150 people.

Find it: 1121 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. 612-222-7171.www.butcherandtheboar.com.

EAT STREET SOCIAL

Opening: Late January.

Who's behind it: Joe Wagner and Sam Bonin, owners of Northeast Social.

What to expect: Cocktail nerds have been pulling their hair out as they await the opening of this drinking destination. And for good reason. While the new restaurant's farm-to-table menu is enough to coo about, much of the fervor relates to the bartending wizards behind its beverage program. Nick Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz of Bittercube have a vaunted pedigree (the former opened Town Talk Diner, the latter spent time at Chicago's Violet Hour). They've designed a stunning drink list and are training the staff in the art of the cocktail. Also on tap: a real-deal soda fountain, featuring 19th-century-style phosphates, egg creams and other non-alcoholic concoctions.

Where: 18 W. 26th St., Mpls. www.eatstreetsocial.com.

ELI'S EAST

Opening: Monday (maybe sooner).

Who's behind it: The owners of Eli's Food & Cocktails.

What to expect: The guys behind Eli's in downtown Minneapolis didn't travel far for their second location. Just a couple miles away, they've rehabilitated the old O'Brien's Decoy Pub on East Hennepin, outfitting it with Eli's classic-comfy style. The dark wood interior will feature antique lighting, buttoned leather booths and a copper-top bar. Some of Eli's signature plates (like the mac and cheese) will migrate to the new spot, but much of the menu will be new and a bit more polished. Bartender Richie Rivera has designed a new cocktail list, too.

Find it: 815 E. Hennepin, Mpls. 612-331-0031.www.elisfoodandcocktails.com.

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

Opening: Early February.

Who's behind it: Erik Forsberg, owner of the Ugly Mug.

What to expect: If downtown Minneapolis is missing anything, it's a craft-beer gastropub like the Happy Gnome in St. Paul. Forsberg thinks that concept will work wonders in the space formerly home to short stays by Subo and the Inn. He's remodeling the place, adding a larger front bar and building a brand new bar in the back. He'll have 40 draft lines and American bistro grub. What's with the name? "We're taking a break from the norm," Forsberg said, "and creating a new argument."

Find it: 89 S. 10th St., Mpls.

BLUE DOOR LONGFELLOW

Opening: Late April, early May.

Who's Behind it: Blue Door Pub owners Jeremy Woerner and Patrick McDonough.

What to expect: "We like to joke that we're going from tiny to small," Woerner said of the Blue Door's second location, located three blocks north of the Riverview Theater. Unfortunately, the St. Paul burger joint's slightly larger Minneapolis outpost is still in the paperwork stages. Woerner said they've signed a lease and are working on getting the beer/wine license this month. In the meantime, diehard Blucy lovers will have to contend with 45-minute waits in St. Paul.

Find it: 3448 42nd Av. S., Mpls. www.thebdp.com.

ICEHOUSE

Opening: May.

Who's behind it: Matthew Bickford and Mike Ryan, owners of Be'iched Deli.

What to expect: The long-talked-about rock bar/deli/cocktail den still has a long way to go. But they finally broke ground this month near the new Vertical Endeavors on Eat Street in south Minneapolis. The Be'Wiched guys have high hopes. An intimate listening room will have seating for 125, but also include a mezzanine. On the bar side, their secret weapon is La Belle Vie star Johnny Michaels, who's designing a cocktail bar built for churning out complicated drinks at high speeds. "He's gonna have his own little cockpit," Bickford said.

Find it: 2528 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls.

Follow Horgen on Twitter: @tomhorgen

Shea architect appointed to Minneapolis City Planning Commission

2012-01-09T14:18:00.001-06:00

Check it out: Ryan Kronzer from our office, has been appointed a seat on the City Planning Commission. Pretty cool! Congratulations Ryan!

Ryan Kronzer AIA, LEED AP O+M, Shea Inc.

Ryan Kronzer AIA, LEED AP O+M, a senior architect at Minneapolis-based design firm, Shea Inc., was appointed to the Minneapolis City Planning Commission in December. His seat is a City Council-nominated appointment that went into effect on December 12, 2011. He filled a seat that was recently vacated and will be reappointed for a two-year term at the end of this month.

The Planning Commission is charged with long-range planning for the City and is responsible for advising the City Council on matters of development, zoning, and capital improvements. It is a citizen's committee that works with the staff of the Planning Division of the Community Planning and Economic Development Department (CPED) on the development of plans and the review of development applications. The Planning Commission consists of mayoral appointments and representatives from the School Board, Park Board, Hennepin County and the City Council.

Kronzer has been a practicing architect and urban designer since 2001 and has been with Shea since 2007. His experience includes numerous Minneapolis-based commercial, multi-family and residential development projects. Through diligent professional and civic involvement, he has dedicated his time, talent and service to a multitude of efforts. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He has a long history of public service and volunteering centered on his interests in planning, design and the arts. He serves as Board Chair of the Soap Factory, is an active member of civic planning groups including Hennepin Avenue 2012 and 2020 Partners, and was a part of the Mayor’s Great City Design Team Steering Committee, among others.

Shea Inc. founder and owner David Shea states, “As cities evolve in the 21st century, Ryan has demonstrated a clear understanding of the importance of smart growth through creative design. His forward-thinking approach combined with his dedication to historic preservation and urban design has been a major asset to Shea, to our clients, and ultimately, the communities he serves.”

Hot Mama opening two new stores in Cincinnati

2012-01-09T14:10:00.000-06:00

Just announced on Cincinnati.com's Chic This Week blog:

Cincinnati just got a whole lot hotter! Obviously not talking about our weather here (ugh, thank goodness for hot coffee and seat warmers this morning!!). But I AM talking about Hot Mama just inking deals to open two more stores this year! With newly signed leases at the Kenwood Towne Center and Deerfield Towne Center in Mason, Hot Mama is looking to expand its clothing empire! My contacts at Hot Mama tell me that after much success at their Rookwood location, and a demand for more locations in the area, owners Megan and Michael Tamte are excited to open two new Tri-State locations. So be sure to look out for the two new stores this Spring. Just in time for warmer weather all you Hot Mamas out there!

By Amy Scalia - editor in chief, publisher and founder of Cincy Chic - shares her insider tips on everything the chic woman needs to know about what's going on in Greater Cincinnati this week. From trunk shows and fashion shows to sales, sites and shop-savvy tips, stay tuned to this fun and functional blog that's keeping Cincinnati women chic one blog post at a time! Thanks to my intern Sara Elliott for helping me put this blog post together!

Masu to open MOA location

2012-01-09T13:56:00.005-06:00

Just announced in Mpls St. Paul magazine's Foodie File:

December 27, 2011, 9:42 AM
By Stephanie March

I'm stirring from my footy-pajama clad vacation week just to bring you this news, which given my two trips to the Mall of America this past week, seems important.

Masu, the sushi/robata/ramen house of Nordeast is opening a second location in the Mall of America. Funny enough, it is taking over the former Soul Daddy location (which should go down as one of the biggest gaffes of 2012).

Designing firm Shea plans to keep the urban Tokyo vibe, but mash it up a bit more by putting the sushi bar next to the robata grill and kitchen to create a more seamless, interactive food show for the diner. The space isn't cavernous, there will be about 120 seats. And word has it that the munny dolls will be designed by local artists.

While Stephen Hesse is head chef, Tim McKee continues to consult for the restaurant and one has to wonder what Mr. LBV thinks about feeding the Mall crowd. Being one of them last week, I was overwhelmed by the amount of schlock being eaten. Tiger and Crave have already successfully brought sushi to the mall, maybe Masu can elevate it and create a rightful ramen revolution. I'm only hoping.

Opening is scheduled for early spring of 2012.

Rick's Picks for his 10 favorite dishes of the year

2012-01-06T11:31:00.000-06:00

Star Tribune food writer Rick Nelson looks back at 2011 and chooses his 10 favorite dishes from Twin Cities restaurants. Actually, it was an "unusually delicious" year for new restaurants and he didn't stop at 10; he also included 10 more worth raving over. At Shea, we were pleased to see so many friends and clients on both lists (although we weren't surprised.) To read the entire article, you can click here, but first we'd like to give a shout out to our clients that made the cut...

Congrats to:

Meritage for Chef Klein's "over-the-top ode to lobster"

Masu Sushi & Robata for Chef McKee's "stunning series of Japanese noodle soups"

Sopranos Italian Kitchen for Chef Samuelson's "spectacular porchetta"

Mill Valley Kitchen for their chocolate cookies and their "buttery naughtiness"

Saffron Restaurant & Lounge for their "knockout of an entree"- whole grilled branzino

Refreshing dated office properties

2012-01-03T15:04:00.000-06:00

At Shea, we have been helping companies around the country refresh their dated commercial office properties and many of them are seeing an immediate increase in occupancy. Prospective tenants are getting very savvy about their choices and we are finding that clean, contemporary design combined with great tenant amenities are capturing the attention of prospects and getting leases signed. This month, Shea is unveiling some updates at Toronto-based Sun Life Financial's 29 North Wacker building in Chicago. The article below by Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News looks at some buldings in the Dallas area that are also seeing new life after renovations.

29 North Wacker Building, Chicago

Dallas building owners editing out ’80s styles
by Steve Brown, The Dallas Morning News Real Estate Editor

RelatedGranite is gauche, but wood is good.

Dark stone is so yesterday. Light and airy is now where it’s at.

And brass is best left for spittoons.

Developers and designers are making over many of Dallas’ 1980s commercial buildings with styles that eschew some of that decade’s overwrought designs.

The owners of the 26-year-old Providence Towers on the Dallas North Tollway are doing a $2.5 million renovation that includes erasing some of the ’80s architecture from the buildings’ lobbies.

“I saw it as a mausoleum,” said Kim Brooks, a principal with Transwestern, which leases the property. “We are ripping out the floor and lightening and brightening it — bringing it up to a new level.”

Dallas-based Entos Design orchestrated the building’s makeover.

Acres of dark red granite that line the floors and walls of the buildings will be replaced with lighter polished stone and wood.

“We are going in with an off-white and creamy marble,” Brooks said. “It will have a beautiful design.

“And we are doing some burled wood and adding more lighting,” she said.

Cheaper to renovate

Just the mile farther up the tollway at Belt Line Road, Granite Properties has completed a more costly refurbishment of its Spectrum Center buildings.

Built in 1983, the project was once considered a showplace. But office occupancies fell with the construction of newer office buildings in West Plano and Frisco.

Granite spent $6 million in renovations that included taking out some of the ’80s interior features.

“The building lobbies had black slate floors and gray granite walls and dark panels on the ceiling,” said Granite chief operating officer Greg Fuller. “We updated it with stone floors of a lighter color and wood.

“It feels lighter and airy.”

Fuller said occupancy in the buildings is now close to 90 percent.

“It’s not cheap to renovate,” he said. “But it’s cheaper to buy and renovate than build something new.”

Investor Gaedeke Group spent more than $5 million redoing its One McKinney Plaza office tower in Uptown, which was built in 1985.

The cramped, dated ground-floor lobby has been replaced with a soaring space that features polished wood and metal, light stone on the floors and bright artwork.

The building is now 96 percent leased.

“We’ve had nothing but rave reviews from our tenants. They are thrilled with the end result,” said Belinda Dabliz, Gaedeke’s vice president.

‘Gone and passé’

Landlords of aging buildings that have not gotten a fashion update are taking notice of this success.

“The ones that are renovated do much better,” said Joel Pustmueller, a principal at Peloton Commercial Real Estate. “They are de-brassing everything.

“There is a trend toward simple, contemporary and clean lines,” he said.

Peloton leases downtown Dallas’ largest office tower — the 72-story Bank of America Plaza — that also will be getting a new look in the lobbies and public areas.

“It’s all about making the product lease quicker and at better rental rates,” Pustmueller said. “The buildings that are left unrenovated will be at a definite disadvantage.”

Architects who designed some of Dallas’ 1980s office towers aren’t maudlin about the changes to the old styles.

“It’s gone and passé,” said David Habib, who designed buildings including downtown’s 1700 Pacific and Harwood Center and the 8080 Central tower in North Dallas. “The styles of the ’70s and ’80s are gone.”

Habib said it’s rare to see an office tower constructed with the granite exteriors popular 30 years ago.

“Glass is taking over,” he said. “It makes the building less heavy and playful.

“I think you will see architecture become much more light and environmentally correct.”

Mertiage tops list of places in Nation for Oysters

2011-12-30T13:55:00.003-06:00

When you make USA Today's list of top places to find oysters, you MUST be good. We've been saying it all along about our local gem Meritage. Shea worked with owners to expand the oyster bar and the nation is taking notice. See the article below:

10 great places to savor oysters on the half shell

If Champagne is the drink of choice on New Year's Eve, oysters are the meal. "They're celebratory and light," says Erin Byers Murray , author of Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm (St. Martin's, $25.99). "There's no better way to bring in the new year." Murray says the bivalve is in the midst of a comeback, with new producers and restaurants featuring them both raw and cooked. She shares some favorite places to sample the shellfish with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.

Meritage

St. Paul
Its inland location doesn't keep this restaurant from serving a wide variety of fresh oysters. "In the age of FedEx, all oysters in the U.S. can be shipped everywhere overnight," Murray says. Other pluses: a striking art noveau-style building and a staff that knows its oysters. 651-222-5670; meritage-stpaul.com

Click here for full article.

Shea and Bombay Spice featured on FINE

2011-12-19T10:45:00.000-06:00

Shea recently worked on Bombay Spice, a contemporary Indian restaurant in Chicago, and it is featured today on FINE, a blog by writer Harlene Ellis that focuses on Dining, Wine and Design. You can jump to the article by clicking HERE.

Shula Burger now open in the Florida Keys

2011-12-13T12:05:00.000-06:00

Shea has been working with Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula on development of new concepts for his growing family of restaurants. Shula’s Bar & Grill is an upscale casual full service restaurant developed specifically for airport environments. Shula’s and Shea worked with HMSHost to open a location in Concourse D of the Miami International airport in May, and a second unit opened in November at the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Meyers.
Shea also worked on the creation of Shula Burger, which is a comfortable, casual full service restaurant with a focus on hamburgers, made from the fine quality of beef that Shula’s is known for. The first location opens today in Islamorada, a village of islands in the Florida Keys. Larry Olmstead, a writer for Forbes.com gives the scoop on the new location here:

NFL Legend Don Shula Tackles Burgers And Fries
by Larry Olmstead, forbes.com

The winningest coach in NFL history, Don Shula is also the only one with a perfect season on his resume. Shula’s Miami Dolphins won Superbowl VII in 1972 and went 17-0 on the year. This was the highlight of perhaps the greatest coaching career ever, one that began after a lengthy stint as an NFL player for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts, and Washington Redskins before switching to management and winning two Superbowls with the Dolphins en route to 347 career wins, a record that still stands today.

Shula retired from the Dolphins in 1995 but hardly retired, trading the pigskin for cowhide and opening the successful Shula’s Steakhouse chain, a carnivore’s paradise that competes directly with the likes of the Palm, Ruth’s Chris, and Morton’s in the high-end red meat national arena.

The coach has enjoyed the same kind of success in the restaurant business that he did in the NFL. There are now 16 Shula’s Steakhouses nationwide, plus another 16 under the Shula’s 2 Steak & Sports, Shula’s On the Beach, Shula’s Bar & Grill, and Shula’s Grill 347 (get it?) labels.

Despite all the teams he played for, and all the teams he coached with, Shula is inseparable from Florida, where he is and will always be football royalty, so it is only fitting that his newest concept is debuting in the Sunshine State. Next week (December 12) will see the opening of the first Shula Burger on Islamorada in the Florida Keys. As Shula notes, “South Florida has been the backdrop for much of my career on and off the football field, and this location captures why so many of us call it home.”

The new restaurant is part of the new Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina at Holiday Isle. This hotel is a sister spinoff to the historic Postcard Inn at St. Pete Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast, a historic icon more than half a century old, and was created by an $11 million facelift of an existing hotel. Islamorada is a world-renowned sportfishing destination, and one of the things that makes the marina here appealing. The hotel is trying to maintain a low key and laid back Florida Keys feel while offering modern technology, amenities and luxury rooms – in other words, your iPad will get WiFi but you can go to Shula’s Burger in flipflops.

The burgers will be made from a proprietary beef blend including ground short ribs and brisket, and clearly a fan of the pun, one of Shula’s signature ingredients is “perfect seasoning.” The menu’s highlight reel includes The Don, combining two American classics, a burger and a hot dog, on one bun with pickles, onion sauce, American cheese, ketchup and yellow mustard. More stylish and esoteric is the Wine Country, topped with roasted peppers and tomatoes, fresh goat cheese and balsamic greens. The burger offerings range from standard to surprisingly inventive, the appetizers reflect the flavors of the tropics and Caribbean basin, and it’s cheap, with burgers from just $6.99.

For now the only place to try the burgers is at the Postcard Inn, and for his legions of Miami area fans, that is not a tough road trip. If successful – and who would bet against the combination of a famous and beloved sports figure with a proven track record in beef-centric dining teaming up with America’s favorite food? – Shula’s Burger will be franchised and rolled out across the country. So if you can’t get to Islamorada anytime soon don’t fret – I have a feeling Coach Shula plans to bring his burgers to you.

Banking in 2012

2011-12-13T09:44:00.001-06:00

The banking industry has been faced with many challenges in the last few years, including unprecedented technological advances and new customer habits and attitudes. This combination of factors is creating a revolution in the way banks do business. At Shea, we have been following this with great interest. Through observation, research and discussions with industry leaders, clients and their customers, we have found that the overarching conclusion is that banks need to provide a better EXPERIENCE for customers.

These days, only 20% of Americans think of going to the physical facility to do their banking, according to a survey by the American Banking Association. Customer attitudes reflect a lack of trust and because consumers don’t think banks are working in their best interest, they are open to sourcing products and services elsewhere. The current landscape also allows more competition from non-bank players, peer-to-peer networks, and credit unions. Many customers, especially Gen Y customers, have almost exclusively turned to the internet to manage their money, but as their financial lives become more complicated (car and home loans), they want face to face time with advisers they can trust.

These behaviors and attitude shifts certainly cause issues for banks, but they also present opportunities. With the fickle public more willing than ever to change their banking habits, the institutions that have the right tools and messages to lure them will win the new business.

Today’s customers:

Are not satisfied and don’t think banks are acting in their best interest
Want respect and trust
Are seeking VALUE
Are fickle, flexible and prone to flight
Want the ability to choose products without complication
Want their bank to be super-responsive and flawless in execution
Want access to the latest technology with multiple access points
Are open to sourcing products elsewhere

Banks need to consider:

Get back to basic services, but also consider taking business and operating models in new innovative directions.
Look at size and shape strategies: what’s the right scale, reach and size?
Provide an online and branch experience that is focused and unparalleled
Keep things simple, from messages to service packages
Scale back complexity of operations
Be more specialized with a focus on customers’ individual needs
Focus on core strengths and specialties
Have greater transparency
Keep up and respond with technology/cloud computing/smart phones
Pay closer attention to environmental/social concerns of customers
Look at customer-focused and community-centered product initiatives
Focus on long term relationships with high-quality customers by creating attractive business models over longer time frames

SC Asian Grill at Macy's San Francisco

2011-12-12T11:16:00.000-06:00

Shea worked with Flat Out Crazy Restaurant Group, owners of the 18-unit Stir Crazy Fresh Asian Grill and 18-unit Flat Top Stir-Fry Grill restaurants located throughout the Midwest, East and South, on the opening of its first SC Asian, a new hybrid fast casual/full service restaurant concept in Macy’s flagship department store in San Francisco. The new concept opened on November 18th. (photos from http://goodlux.com/)

Mayor turns to Shea to help communicate his vision

2011-12-09T10:31:00.001-06:00

As the Vikings stadium saga continues, Mayor Rybak continues to push for keeping the team in Minneapolis at the Metrodome site. At a City Council hearing this week, Rybak formally and publicly briefed his Council on the details of his financing scheme for a new Vikings stadium. Part of his presentation included positioning the Historic Minneapolis Armory--which is currently used as a parking ramp--as a Vikings-related event center. He turned to Shea to provide a scheme for this idea and you can check it out below. For more news on the subject, click here for a story by the Star Tribune or click here for a story by KARE 11.

Surdyk's Flights named Best New Food & Beverage Concept

2011-12-08T17:33:00.000-06:00

We just got the following information from our friends at Surdyk's. Shea wishes them a big Congratulations on this pretigious award. We are proud to have been on the design team.

Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) has released the results of their Excellence in Airport Concessions Contest held last month in Atlanta, Georgia, where Surdyk’s Flights was awarded 1st place in the category of Best New Food and Beverage Concept.

A press release produced by MSP International Airport on December 6, 2011 described the council’s award as follows: “The ACI-NA Excellence in Airport Concessions Contest is meant to inspire creativity in the industry and to recognize innovative and outstanding airport concessions. The contest is judged by an independent panel comprised of high level professionals with no vested interest in concession operations or the outcome of any one airport. ACI-NA received 150 nominations from airports throughout the U.S. and Canada for this year’s contest.”

Nominees were judged on the performance of their concept, customer service, location, layout and design, as well as branding and revenue generation.

This is the second such honor for Surdyk’s Flights during their less than two year run at MSP International Airport. Last year, Flights topped the list of “Ten dining experiences that make flying better” on airfarewatchdog.com. Among the ten were some of the most popular airport restaurants in the world: Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food at Heathrow, Cat Cora’s restaurant at the San Francisco airport and Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless at O’Hare.

Surdyk’s Flights is located at MSP International Airport’s Terminal One and boasts award-winning artisanal fare, a fine wine market, from which you may purchase bottles to take aboard your flight, spacious patio seating and a growing list of fans.

To learn more about Surdyk’s Flights visit: http://www.surdyksflights.com/

MSP International Airport’s website may be found at: http://www.mspairport.com/

For the full article on Flights ACI-NA award go to: http://aci-na.org/newsroom/pressreleases/nashville-takes-2011-griesbach-award

Shea wins multiple MSCA STARR Awards

2011-12-07T10:19:00.002-06:00

On December 6, members of the Shea team attended the 2011 Minnesota Shopping Center Association (MSCA) STARR Awards at the Golden Valley Country Club. Each year, the retail real estate organization hosts a year-end celebration that includes the STARR Awards, a program that recognizes excellence in the retail and shopping center industry, and this year, several Shea projects won awards.

In the "Interior Design: Restaurant Food Service" category, Shea was given an award for design work on Mill Valley Kitchen in St. Louis Park.

In the "Design & Aesthetics Renovation/Remodel: Interior Retail Over 20,000 SF" category, Shea also took the prize for design work on Byerly's in Golden Valley.

Diversified Construction also nominated the latest Crave restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. As part of the design team, we were thrilled to see the project win in the "Design & Aesthetics Renovation/Remodel: Interior Retail Under 20,000 SF" category.

There were a lot of great projects nominated by our industry peers this year and we had stiff competition. We at Shea are proud of our wins and want to say thank you to our great clients and all the teams that worked with us on these projects. We would also like to thank the members of MSCA and the panel of STARR Award judges for the recognition.

For more information about MSCA and the STARR Awards, visit the brand new MSCA website by clicking here.

Rick Nelson reviews Rosa Mexicano

2011-12-01T14:27:00.000-06:00

This week, Rick Nelson, food writer for the Star Tribune, reviews Rosa Mexicano, one of Shea's latest projects which opened in September on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Read on for his review:

Restaurant review: In the pink at Rosa Mexicano

Article by: Rick Nelson , Star Tribune Updated: November 30, 2011 - 5:50 PM
The restaurant serves up urban renewal with a menu that goes beyond tacos and enchiladas

photo by Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune

Each time I dined at Rosa Mexicano, the vast newcomer that has instantly quickened the pulse of 6th and Hennepin in downtown Minneapolis, I could hear the words of a professor of mine as he offered his assessment of my study group's presentation. "Next time, give me less show and more substance," he said. In hindsight, Dr. Smith was mostly wrong -- he gave us a B, after all -- just as I would be mostly wrong if I were to make the same assessment of this fast-growing chain.

It is definitely wrapped up in an eye-grabbing package. Rosa's upscale intentions announce themselves immediately, with stylish and energetic surroundings that not only wipe away all thoughts of middlebrow Chi-Chi's (a previous tenant) but every standard-issue mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant setting. Unlike the Brazilian steakhouse next door, which could have been plucked directly off the hermetically sealed corridors of the Mall of America, Rosa not only celebrates its urban address, it flaunts it, despite its location in one of downtown's ugliest buildings, the City Center parking ramp. How great is that?

Enormous windows, covered in shimmering, see-through curtains, reveal a long expanse of sidewalk seating that will undoubtedly become prime Twins territory next spring. Inside, the main dining room could double as the city's hottest nightclub. It's bathed in flattering pink light and anchored by a soothing cobalt-tiled pool of water that's topped by a mobile of miniature cliff-diving dolls, one of the company's many visual trademarks. Spend 10 minutes in this splashy, sexy environment -- it's the work of Seed Design of New York City and Shea Inc. of Minneapolis -- and you'll think, yeah, this is how a downtown restaurant should look.

Another extravagant showbiz moment is the tableside guacamole preparation. It's the Mexican version of those crazy mushroom-tossing teppanyaki stations that were once the rage at Japanese restaurants. It's harmless fun wrapped up in a learning moment: Not only do staffers demonstrate the most expedient way to gut an avocado, but the process guarantees eyewitness knowledge of the guacamole's freshness. It's delicious, by the way, although my taste buds longed for an acidic lime bite, but that's just me; there are countless ways to prepare guacamole, and this version is more than satisfying.

Mexico, by way of New York City
Rosa's roots are in Manhattan's Upper East Side. When it opened in the early 1980s, contemporary Mexican was a near-radical dining concept. As the company has grown during the past decade -- its 13th location is opening soon in suburban Washington, D.C. -- I can't help but wonder if the kitchen's most distinctive aspects are being smoothed over by the inevitable creep of corporate sameness.

Some dishes can't help but stand out. An enormous pork shank was crispy on the outside, mouth-meltingly tender inside, with each bite exuding a teasing heat. There's an excellent chile relleno, stuffed with more of that delicious slow-cooked pork. Pork belly-scallop tacos, dressed with a cool orange-habanero salsa, were a deluxe surf-and-turf treat.

Rolled chicken tacos, beautifully seasoned, lived up to their claim of crispiness. I loved the roasted bone marrow, its gooey richness liberally spread on garlicky toasts and finished with a nicely matched sweet-hot sauce. A yellowtail tartare was nothing short of gorgeous, its succulent flesh as pink as the room, and its velvety texture accented with cool pops of cucumber and watermelon. Short ribs were a knockout, and red snapper and salmon were both treated memorably. It's not often that fresh huitlacoche -- also known as corn smut -- makes its way onto a Minnesota menu; don't miss it in the melted cheese-mushroom fondue.

Up and down
The deeply flavorful salsas and molés were nurtured with obvious care. I'd recommend the well-constructed noon-hour sandwiches, and weekend brunch was pleasant enough. But much of the cooking exhibited far less passion, coupled with a less-than-stellar skill set: rubbery shrimp, a dull tortilla soup, standard-issue quesadillas, a lifeless chicken tortilla pie. Enchiladas and tacos all begin to blur together, flavor-wise, and many dishes tasted as if they had languished under heat lamps, an issue for kitchens simultaneously servicing hundreds of guests. Some parts of the menu seemed to have been crafted by committee: A tuna-and-fruit salad would feel right at home in a corporate campus cafeteria, and a filet mignon was an inauthentic appeal to the steakhouse crowd. At least there isnt a burger.

Is the menu too large? Probably. And maybe too gimmicky, often at the expense of expertise. Churros are hustled to the table in a paper bag -- pink, of course -- and are given a theatrical shake in cinnamon and sugar before being carefully emptied onto a plate. It's amusing enough, but the laughs end when a bite into the wonderfully crispy, piping-hot doughnuts reveal raw batter. As for the remaining overwrought desserts, they could use some judicious editing and a lot less sugar.

The well-trained and accommodating service staff is a definite asset. Ditto the scrupulously tended bar. Ironically, the most aggressively pushed cocktail is its least interesting effort, a frozen, pre-made and pink (naturally) pomegranate margarita that's a sort-of south-of-the-border Cosmo. The carefully crafted margaritas, beer cocktails and refreshing alcohol-free aguas frescas are all first-rate.

And not inexpensive. That's a caution about Rosa Mexicano: The tab can escalate, fast. Seriously, $14 guacamole (or $28, for a double shot)? A $13 margarita? Nine bucks for over-refrigerated chocolate flautas? I'm skeptical, value-wise. But those prices make sense. After all, a coast-to-coast expansion doesn't come cheap.

Getting to Know Our Very Own Tanya Spaulding

2011-11-23T11:34:00.001-06:00

This month, we are very proud to find Shea principal, Tanya Spaulding, in Twin Cities Business magazine's listing of "200 Minnesotans You Should Know." We, of course, think the publication is right...if you don't already, you should definitely get to know her! She's in great company on the list, which just hit newsstands this week. Many of our clients and friends have also been represented, including Tres Lund of Lunds/Byerly's, Tim McKee of La Belle Vie, Alex Roberts of Brasa, Kam Talebi of Crave, Joe Dowling of the Guthrie Theater, Tom Hoch of the Hennepin Theaters, Mike Tattersfield of Caribou Coffee, and William Cooper of TCF. Get yourself a copy of the magazine or visit tcbmag.com to see all 200.

Here's the listing as it appears in the magazine:

Tanya Spaulding, Principal, Shea

If you've dined at a hot restaurant such as Masu Sushi & Robata, Crave, or Barrio, you've savored the Shea experience. The Minneapolis agency that Spaulding runs with founder David Shea has whipped up a distinctive recipe that blends branding and architecture. The Shea team's work evinces both wit and diversity. "We're like cultural sponges," says Spaulding, who has been with the firm since 1999. Restaurants make up about 40 percent of Shea's work. The firm will soon be raising its profile even higher as it transforms the former Shinder's store on Hennepin Avenue into its new headquarters.

City Pages takes a first look at Rye Deli

2011-11-22T09:31:00.000-06:00

Rye Delicatessen: A first look
By Joy Summers, City Pages

The neighborhood must have been watching closely: It seems the moment the doors opened to the new Rye Delicatessen, the crowds moved in. On the morning we visited, the poor girl working behind the counter had a glazed-over, slightly panicked look in her eyes. It seems the night before, the counter had been swarmed and they'd basically run out of everything.

Lucky for us, they have staff working 24 hours a day brining and baking to keep those deli cases full. Though the cash register was being a bit buggy, our tasting crew was able to order a wide array of dishes and dug in.

Our tasting panel assembled included local stand-up comedian Dan Mogol, also a self-identified Jewish person; cookbook author and baking celebrity Zoe Francois; and Stephanie Meyer, food blogger and gluten-free eater. It's a tough crowd, but we weren't there to judge, just taste. We ordered the hash, eclairs, cheesecake, rugelach, chopped liver, smoked meat hash, the "Deli Debris," and somewhat illogically, poutine.

Unfortunately for the elcairs and cheesecake, they're kept in the same deli case as the smoked whitefish, lox, cucumber onion salad, and chopped liver. There was a faint but present residual flavor--a little cucumber in the cheesecake crust and a bit of onion in the eclair. Our server explained that one of the owners used the cheesecake recipe from the Plaza Deli, and we were assured that the shared case is only temporary. They will soon be separated from the savory items.

The owners take the deli business seriously, having sampled some of the best Jewish delis from around the world. It was on a trip to Montreal that an excited Tobie Nidetz, one of Rye's owners, tasted a style of smoked meat he was excited to share with Minneapolis. The local media then reported that this would be a "Montreal-style deli," which it apparently is not. Good thing, since no one knew what that meant anyway. The owners' goal is to make this a Minneapolis deli, using what they learned and tasted at delis the world over, which they then brought home and made local, including touches such as using Hope Creamery butter and Peace coffee.

The rugelach were the runaway hit on the table. Flaky, tender-crisp crust was wrapped around chopped, dried apricots, currants, and walnuts dusted with a bit of cardamom. They were delicious.

The liver reviews were mixed. Mogol lamented that it could use more schmaltz, that it didn't have that great, clean, chicken fat flavor that schmaltz adds. Meyer found the liver flavor a bit strong, exclaiming she had, "liver nose." Meanwhile, a nearby table of ladies were all happily munching on their chopped liver sandwiches, proclaiming it, "Good! Really good."

The Deli Debris arrived with sliced garlic bagels (made in house) covered with cheese and smoked meat and topped with spicy vegetables. "It's like Jewish nachos!" proclaimed Francois, who is also a member of the tribe. The pickled mix of peppers was hot and vinegary, the garlic-powder-spiked bagels were smothered in gooey cheese and studded with the "smoked meat," a brisket made in-house pastrami style but not as peppery.

The hash was a mix of hash browns, more smoked meat, and over-easy eggs, the yolks breaking and creating a creamy sauce for the hash browns. The addition of the table mustard added a welcome bite to the dish. If a deli is to be judged on its mustard alone, this is a bell-ringer.

The poutine might have been an odd thing to order at 10:30 a,m. The fries were fresh, fried golden with brown, crispy edges and a fluffy interior. Topped with smoked meat, fresh cheese curds, and a simple brown gravy, they begged to be paired with a beer. The cheese curds arrived cold, but we're guessing it's not an entirely common breakfast order.

Rye has a full bar and is open until 2 a.m. The space still has the bones of the former tenant, Auriga, but the interior is gleaming, clean, and new. The bar area is still in the back, but the room is now wide open, allowing for plenty of morning light to stream through the windows.

Rye Deli
1930 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
Hours: 7 a.m. - 2 a.m. Daily

MNMO's Best of 2011 hits the stands

2011-11-16T14:34:00.001-06:00

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, Minnesota Monthly's senior editor, just released her Top 10 picks for the Twin Cities' Best New Restaurants of 2011. Here at Shea, we were excited to find two of our projects on the list: Masu and Cocina del Barrio! Dara also listed some of the most anticipated openings, and two of our projects were also listed here: Butcher & the Boar (opening in early 2012) and Rye Deli (opened this week!)

Congratulations to all the great restaurants on Dara's list:
1.) Tilia
2.) Heidi's
3.) Bachelor Farmer
4.) Pizzeria Lola
5.) Pat's Tap
6.) Masu
7.) Muddy Waters
8.) Gather
9.) Sun Street Breads
10.) Cocina del Barrio

Rye Deli opens today

2011-11-15T10:18:00.000-06:00

We at Shea were excited to play a part in helping David Weinstein and Tobie Nidetz bring their vision to life, and as of 7am this morning, Rye Delicatessen & Bar is open to the public. Thrillest.com was all over it and added a little something to its blog:

Rye Delicatessen & Bar
Buy canned goods while drinking whiskey

Most delis aren't the most exciting places to eat, except perhaps for New Delhi -- those crazy bastards don't even use forks!! For another new deli giving the category an adventurous spin: Rye Delicatessen & Bar.

Housed in the vastly brighter and streamlined former Auriga, Rye aims to combine facets of global deli traditions (from Montreal pastrami to Middle Eastern vegetarian options) with craft beer, whiskey, and even a small grocery, creating one part bar/resto, and one part "Minneapolis-style deli", not to be confused with A Minneapolis style-deli, where fashionable chaps go for all the coldest cuts from local shirt makers. Their from-scratch menu's got fresh bagels, bialys, and scrambled eggs with lox in the morn, and for lunch and beyond: hand-carved corned beef and braised brisket sammies (with sides like Tabouleh and sweet-and-sour cabbage borscht), plus matzo-fried walleye, and the corned beef/ chopped liver/ red onion/ spicy mustard "Reason for Rye", soundly replacing "my wife left me". Speaking of booze, they've got vino galore, a full bar, a well-appointed stock of canned and bottled beer like Lips of Faith Abbey Grand Cru, and eight craft taps highlighted by Flat Earth Cygnus X-1, Steel Toe Provider, and He'brew Genesis Ale, though all but the most refined palettes won't be able to differentiate between it and Phil Collins' solo beers.

They're also packing orders for take-out, and come Spring, take-kinda-out on their patio sitting alley-side, or what they call in New Delhi "the most exciting places to eat!".

Read more: http://www.thrillist.com/food/minneapolis/mn/rye-delicatessen-bar_american_cured-meats_great-cocktails#ixzz1dn75IfhB

Congrats to the Best!

2011-11-08T14:32:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again when Minnesota Monthly salutes the Best of the Twin Cities. This year, the magazine picked 262 total winners in fun, food, drink, shopping, beauty & more! As always, we love finding out that so many of our clients and friends have made the cut, and this year is no different. Congrats to all!

Best Health Food: Mill Valley Kitchen
Best Charcuterie: Heartland
Best Lemonade: Masu's Watermelon Pickle Pop
Best Theater for a Group: New Century Theatre
Best Hotel (The Classics): St. Paul Hotel
Best French Fries: The St. Paul Hotel
Best Shoe Store-"Understated Cool": Pumpz & Co.
Best Gifts for Baby (and Mom and Dad): Pacifier
Best Local Product for Eco-Glam: Intelligent Nutrients
Best Cheese Shop: Surdyk's
Best Take Out: Big Bowl Express at Lunds/Byerly's
Best Bloody Mary: Tavern on France

To view the entire list, grab a copy of Minnesota Monthly on newsstands now, or visit http://www.mnmo.com/.

2011-10-30T21:54:00.001-06:00

Shea firm walking its talk on Hennepin Avenue

Article by: NEAL ST. ANTHONY , Star Tribune

Architect David Shea, who has had a say in the commercial revitalization of Hennepin Avenue, is walking the talk.

Shea, owner of the 33-year-old Shea Inc. architectural, design and marketing firm that bears his name, has signed a 10-year lease with the owner of the "Shinders" building at Eighth Street and Hennepin Avenue that has been vacant since the magazine peddler closed in 2007.

Shea also will direct a $3 million overhaul of the iconic, 24,000-square-foot, two-level structure that will include a restaurant that may feature a glass, gabled roof that can be retracted during good weather.

"After helping to position so many of our clients [on Hennepin], we're really excited to put ourselves in the mix," Shea said. "We have a lot emotionally invested in the core of downtown.'' Shea's firm has been in nearby Butler Square for 20 years.

Shea said: "We want street-level access and for the first floor to be a living art project, an animated store front so that it will add to the vibrancy and vitality of Hennepin. Not just a darkened store at night. This gives us an opportunity to do what you can't do from the sixth floor of an office building. Reach out to the public."

The building will house Shea's offices on the second floor and a restaurant tenant on the lower level, first floor and rooftop. Welsh Construction will commence work in early 2012 and Shea plans to move in by July.

The Shea firm's work on Hennepin spans the Chambers Hotel, Solera, Crave, Hennepin Theater Trust, LaSalle Plaza, Seven, pending plans for Block E, Fogo de Chao and Rosa Mexicano restaurants, as well as a Lunds store planned for 12th Street and Hennepin.

The former Shinders building was constructed in 1947 for Snyder Drug. The "Snyder" name, inscribed in the terrazzo floor on the first level, will be preserved. Most of the rest of the interior and exterior will be overhauled.

The building is majority-owned by Dr. Al and Sue Zelickson, a member of the Snyder family that founded the drugstore chain. Shea and the Zelicksons are longtime friends and project collaborators.

Shea Inc. employs 30 and posts revenue of about $5 million from projects locally and around the country.

The Journal covers Shea move

2011-10-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

At last, a tenant for the Shinders space

By Jeremy Zoss, The Journal

It has stood empty since 2007, but there are finally signs of life at the former Shinder’s space on 8th and Hennepin. High-profile local design firm Shea, Inc. announced today that it has signed a 10-year lease for the space and hope to move in by July.

Shea plans to occupy about 1,000 square feet of the lower floor and the complete second floor. According to Shea Communications Director Andy McDermott a restaurant will occupy the remainder of the two-story building, but negotiations with the restaurant tenant are still ongoing. “We’re obviously not directly involved with the lease negotiations but we’re playing a part and hopefully we’ll be part of the design team for what goes there,” said McDermott. “We’re taking approximately 1000 feet on the first floor as sort of our entrance and we’re taking the entire second floor. The restaurant would take lower level, first floor and potentially the rooftop.”

Shea, Inc. has designed or consulted on many of the best-known restaurant and retail spaces on Hennepin Avenue, as well as many recent and upcoming projects. With the lease on the firm’s current Butler Square space about to expire, finding a new location on Hennepin made a great deal of sense.

“We’ve really had our hand in a lot of stuff on this stretch of Hennepin,” said McDermott. “Right now we’ve started on the Butcher & The Boar, and we’ve got the Lunds project that we’re working on. But over the last 10 years we’ve had Chambers, Seven, Solera, we’ve worked with the Hennepin Theater Trust, we just did the new Century Theatre. We’ve worked with Fogo de Chao, and Rosa Mexicano and so after encouraging so many of our clients to come to Hennepin, it made sense for us to get in the mix too.”

Shea, Inc. will restore the brick exterior of the building, as well as the terrazzo floors that bear Synders logos from the building’s former life as a pharmacy. Before Shinders moved its store from 6th and Hennepin to the space, it was a Burger King. At one point, a three-story building stood on the site, but it was demolished to build the current structure. McDermott believes the original building may have burned down.

McDermott says that Shea’s move to Hennepin Avenue is a small step in the continued revitalization of the street. “It’s known as the main drag but there hasn’t been a lot of activity there,” he said. “People like Fogo come in and they're one of the top grossing restaurants in the state, that just shows that things can be successful and viable on this stretch. The more people that come, the more people that will.”

Shea move covered by Finance and Commerce

2011-10-21T07:38:00.000-05:00

Shea plans move to Shinders building

Posted: 3:41 pm Thu, October 20, 2011

By BRIAN JOHNSON

A new chapter is about to start for the long-shuttered Shinders building in downtown Minneapolis.

On Thursday, Minneapolis-based marketing and design firm Shea Inc. announced it has signed a 10-year lease with Zel-Wel LLC to move its headquarters into the former Shinders space on the prominent corner of Eighth Street and Hennepin Avenue.

Working with Welsh Construction, Shea plans to redo the two-story building and occupy about 8,000 square feet, including a small part of the first floor and the entire second floor.

Shea has occupied a couple of different spaces in nearby Butler Square over the past 20 years. It expects to move to the Shinders building in July, according to company spokesman Andy McDermott.

“Now we are in the middle of Butler Square, but [the new space] will give us a street presence we have not had before,” he said.

McDermott said a yet-to-be-disclosed restaurant is interested in occupying space on the lower level, first floor and rooftop.

Since it closed in 2007, the 22,000-square-foot Shinders building at 731 Hennepin Ave. has been a particular sore spot in a downtown district that had a 22.6 percent vacancy rate at the end of June.

One of the latest blows for Hennepin Avenue came in September, when the Hard Rock Café announced it was leaving the Block E retail and entertainment complex at 600 Hennepin Ave.

Other Block E closings include Applebee’s, Panchero’s Mexican Grill, Cold Stone Creamery, Borders, GameWorks, Ballanotte and Hooters.

Amid those somber developments, city officials see the Shinders deal as a welcome bit of good news for Hennepin Avenue.

“The businesses that are taking a chance on Hennepin just encourage more businesses to do the same, which creates more density and a vibrant downtown scene,” City Council Member Lisa Goodman said in a news release.

Herb Tousley, director of the Shenehon Center for Real Estate at the University of St. Thomas, said the visible space on Hennepin Avenue is “definitely a plus” for Shea.

During the condo boom, there was talk of using the Shinders property and an adjacent parcel for a condominium tower, Tousley said. After those plans fizzled, nothing but an empty building remained.

“To get something like Shea in there is good for that part of downtown, because that is a visible space,” Tousley said.

After years of sitting empty, the building isn’t much to look at. Some bricks from the façade are missing, and a cavernous interior space with concrete pillars and bare walls is visible on the other side of the dirty, weather-beaten windowpanes.

Several of the panes and the front door are covered with thin sheets of plywood. Doodles, scribbles and a large peace sign are etched in the dirt on other windowpanes along the sidewalk.

Large banners on the windows proclaim that space in the building would be ideal for a retail or restaurant user.

In its previous life as a Shinders, the building was a hopping place, with racks of books, magazines, newspapers and comics that catered to just about every interest.

Built in 1947, the building was occupied by a Burger King and a Snyders Drug store before Shinders moved in.

“My understanding is it probably originally was a Snyders, and then it had a couple of other lives,” McDermott said.

Shea plans to do the architecture and interior design for its new space. Construction is expected to begin in January.

The project will preserve noteworthy features such as an interior spiral staircase and terrazzo flooring that has the old Snyders Drug logo on it, he said.

Shea had been looking for other downtown space before settling on the Shinders building.

“Our lease came up at Butler Square. We were looking at the Warehouse District,” McDermott said. “And this opportunity came up. … We are excited about it. It was off the path from where we were looking at originally, but now we are thrilled to be part of the Hennepin scene.”

Shea has been “seeking ways to reinvigorate” Hennepin Avenue and has designed spaces for Hennepin Avenue clients such as the Chambers Hotel, Solera, Crave, the Hennepin Theater Trust and City Center, according to a company news release.

It's official....Shea is moving to the heart of Downtown!

2011-10-19T17:03:00.001-05:00

So, we finally let the cat out of the bag....we've found a new home for our offices and we're really excited to make our move to the heart of downtown Minneapolis. John Vomhof from the Business Journal published the details and so did Eric Roper at the Star Tribune. You can read 'em both here:

Shea moving to Shinders building; restaurant to follow?

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal by John Vomhof Jr., Staff reporter/broadcaster
Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Design firm Shea Inc., best known for its restaurant architecture, is moving its corporate headquarters to the long-vacant former Shinders building at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Eighth Street in downtown Minneapolis.

The company has signed a 10-year lease with landlord Zel-Wel LLC and plans to move into the space by July. It will occupy about 8,000 square feet of the two-story building — a small portion of the first floor and all of the second floor.

Shea, which was founded in 1978, has officed at Butler Square for the past 20 years.

"We have always believed that Hennepin Avenue is a prime downtown location with great visibility, good demographics and proximity to all the area's offerings," Shea Inc. founder and principal David Shea said in a statement. "After helping to position so many of our clients here, we're really excited to put ourselves right in the mix."

Meanwhile, talks are ongoing for a restaurant tenant to lease the majority of the first floor and the rooftop, as well as a lower level. A deal has not yet been finalized, though.

Welsh Construction .Welsh Construction Latest from The Business Journals NAIOP Minnesota announces 2010 awardsLifetime AchievementWelsh Construction builds new Minnetonka HQ Follow this company ., a unit of Minnetonka-based Welsh Cos. .Welsh Cos. Latest from The Business Journals New eateries revive Hennepin Ave.Welsh Cos. picks up the Colliers nameWelsh brokerage to become to Colliers Aug 1. Follow this company ., will begin work in early 2012 on the redevelopment of the 64-year-old building, which has been shuttered since 2007. Shea will handle the architecture and interior design for the project.

The original stone on the exterior and the terrazzo floors inside will be restored, but the rest of the building will receive a major overhaul, including the installation of new windows and stripping the exterior of dated elements remaining from the Shinders store and a former Burger King restaurant.

Design firm will move into long-vacant Shinders space
by Eric Roper, Star Tribune

The long-vacant storefront of Shinders historic bookstore on Hennepin Avenue will soon be home to a prominent Minneapolis design firm and possibly a restaurant.

Shea, Inc. announced Wednesday that they just signed a 10-year lease for the space on 8th and Hennepin, which has been closed since 2007. The remaining artifacts from the 91-year-old bookstore were recently auctioned off.

Shea's services range from architecture to interior and graphic design. They have a hand in a multitude of current and past projects along Hennepin Ave.

The company will move their headquarters to the building in July 2012, occupying part of the first floor and all of the second floor. A news release states that there is a "potential restaurant tenant on the lower level."

The exterior stone and interior terrazzo floors will be restored, but Shea plans to "overhaul" the rest of the building.

The move into Shinders represents yet another development on Hennepin Ave., which is undergoing a major transformation. Downtown leaders hope to eventually transform it into an arts corridor.

“The businesses that are taking a chance on Hennepin just encourage more businesses to do the same, which creates more density and a vibrant downtown scene," councilmember Lisa Goodman said in a statement.

"Shea has been instrumental in helping to shape that scene and I love that they are walking the talk and not just designing spaces, but putting themselves and their employees in the middle of the excitement and helping to fulfill the vision for a changing and entertainment-focused Hennepin.

Caribou opens/revamps Chicago stores

2011-10-18T09:20:00.000-05:00

Shea is proud to be one of Caribou's partners as we continue to see them grow. Today the Business Journal reports on some new corporate owned stores that are opening in the Chicago area. (Click on the link at the bottom of the article for the press release from Caribou.)

Caribou Coffee opening new stores in Chicago

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal by Ed Stych, Web Producer

Monday, October 17, 2011
Caribou Coffee Co. Inc. said Monday it is opening seven new coffeehouses and revamping seven others in the Chicago area by the end of the year.

Caribou already has opened three of the seven. Those are located in Fox Valley, Arlington Heights and Lake Forest. The other four — which are in Bucktown, Rolling Meadows, Naperville and Northbrook — will open by the end of the year, Brooklyn Center-based Caribou (Nasdaq: CBOU) said.

The stores that are being revamped include three in Chicago, plus one each in Gurnee, Naperville, Winnetka and Gleview.

Caribou has 556 stores in 20 states, including 70 in Chicago. Only the Twin Cities market has more stores than Chicago.

"We've never been in a more positive strategic or financial position than we are now," Caribou CEO Mike Tattersfield said in a news release. "This is the perfect time for us to grow our business, and Chicago is the perfect market in which this can be accomplished."

As part of its Chicago marketing effort, Caribou said it has started an ad campaign titled "How do you Bou?" It also is offering a limited-edition mug that features Chicago landmarks such as Lakeshore Drive, Navy Pier and the Chicago Theatre.

Last month, Caribou opened its first company-owned store since 2008. It was in downtown Minneapolis. The new Chicago stores will all be company-owned.

>Click here to read the company's news release.

Enjoying Oysters At Meritage

2011-10-17T22:59:00.002-05:00

If you like oysters, this is the time of year when they are at their best. Our favorite place to get our fix is at Meritage in St. Paul. If you haven't been since we helped owners Russell and Desta Marie Klein add a new oyster bar to their popular French Brasserie, you've got to check it out. Click on the link below as WCCO's Jason De Rusha talks to Chef Russell at a recent oyster event at the restaurant:

DeRusha Eats: Oysters At Meritage « CBS Minnesota

Congrats to Crave!

2011-10-07T09:52:00.001-05:00

Crave was just named the fastest growing private company by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. At Shea, we've been a part of the Crave design team since its inception in 2007 and we're proud of our association with this great company!

Crave Restaurants named fastest-growing private company

Friday, October 7, 2011, 7:13am
Ed Stych, Web Producer - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal announced its 2011 Fast 50 companies Thursday night, and Crave Restaurants topped the list.

The Fast 50 are the fastest-growing private companies in the Twin Cities, based on revenue growth over the last three years.

Crave had growth of 437 percent.

The 50 companies represented an wide-ranging group, including IT firms, business consultants, staffing firms, office-furniture dealers, home health care companies, a contract bus service provider, marketing agencies, and an aquarium-supply retailer. And they were all book-ended by two restaurant groups.

Here is our list, ranked by percentage growth. You can click on the names to learn more about each company.

No. 1: Crave Restaurants
No. 2: Bulkreefsupply.com
No. 3: Jobs2Web Inc.
No. 4: Horizontal Integration
No. 5: Schermer Inc.
No. 6: Three Deep Inc.
No. 7: iBuyOfficeSupply.com
No. 8: MSpace Inc
No. 9: Javen Technologies Inc.
No. 10: Medcare Products Inc.
No. 11: The Nerdery
No. 12: ESP Systems Professionals Inc.
No. 13: GetWireless
No. 14: RBA Inc.
No. 15: FieldSolutions Inc.
No. 16: Innovative Office Solutions
No. 17: Medafor Inc.
No. 18: Reach Sports Marketing Group Inc.
No. 19: Trexin Consulting
No. 20: AgeWell
No. 21: Platinum Bank
No. 22: Aveka Inc.
No. 23: Concord
No. 24: REV Solutions Inc.
No. 25: LasX Industries Inc.
No. 26: Archway Marketing Services Inc.
No. 27: Milestone Systems Inc.
No. 28: SecureConnect Inc.
No. 29: Metropolitan Transportation Network Inc.
No. 30: Select Communications Inc.
No. 31: Probus OneTouch Inc.
No. 32: Fishbowl Solutions Inc.
No. 33: Pawn America Minnesota
No. 34: Solution Design Group Inc.

No. 35: Fast Horse Inc.
No. 36: Accurate Home Care
No. 37: Synergy Associates
No. 38: Bay West Inc.
No. 39: Prime Therapeutics
No. 40: Pinnacle Services Inc.
No. 41: A'viands
No. 42: Calabrio Inc.
No. 43: White House Custom Colour Inc.
No. 44: Apex Print Technologies
No. 45: Incisive Surgical Inc.
No. 46: McKinley Consulting Inc.
No. 47: Evolving Solutions Inc.
No. 48: DDL Inc.
No. 49: Medicom Digital Inc.
No. 50: Parasole Restaurant Holdings

Hennepin Resurgence includes Uptown

2011-10-06T09:58:00.000-05:00

Hennepin Avenue has been seeing a lot of vacant properties coming back to life lately, which is great for the historic downtown corridor. But as you head south around the bend at Loring Park into Uptown, several shuttered properties along Hennepin Avenue South are also starting to rebound with new businesses. Shea is currently working on one of them with David Weinstein, who is planning to bring a Montreal-style deli to the Lowry Hill neighborhood in the space that formerly housed Auriga Restaurant. Minn Post's Brad Allen reports on the changes along the southern part of the avenue, and speaks with Weinstein about Rye Delicatessen, opening soon.

Some signs of business confidence surface in burst of Hennepin Avenue activity

By Brad Allen, MinnPost.com

Since the start of The Great Recession, the one-mile stretch of Hennepin Avenue from the Walker Art Center to Calhoun Square in Uptown has become a gap-toothed smile, with storefronts empty month after month.

The dozen or so empty facades along this dense retail thoroughfare offer one barometer of how bad the consumer-driven economy has become.

So it was with great interest that I noted three long-vacant properties returning to commerce, despite the continuing confidence-rattling news of stalled job growth, the worsening euro crisis and warnings of a possible double-dip recession.

So, what are these three Hennepin Avenue entrepreneurs seeing that others perhaps are missing?

The Sidewalk Economist went asking. Granted, what I learned is not going to jump-start the economy, but it does say something about where confidence and certainty come from.

Hennepin Avenue, on its route through south Minneapolis, runs between the affluent neighborhoods surrounding Lake of the Isles to the west and the urban, apartment-dense Wedge neighborhood to the east. This stretch of Hennepin, a major urban transportation route into and out of downtown, carries nearly 26,000 cars a day, feeding and receiving both I-94 and I-394 traffic.

Like many urban neighborhoods, this particular stretch of Hennepin is packed with commercial enterprises. Within an easy stroll, you can seek repairs for a broken zipper, worn shoes, a flat bicycle tire, a noisy car muffler, broken eyeglasses, a chipped tooth or legal woes. You can learn to dance, see a movie, lift weights and go for a swim, have your suits pressed and your shirts washed, apply for a loan, buy birthday balloons for your kid, naughty things for your special friend, books for your mind, groceries for dinner, paint for your wall, aspirin for your aches, gas for your car, French antique mirrors, retro ’70s dresses – or be embalmed.

You also have your pick of more than two-dozen places to sit, eat and drink – from juice bars to bars in which to get juiced. There are sub shops, pizza shops, coffee shops, tea houses, burger joints and your choice of cuisine -- Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, and good ole Minnesotan/American.

Two more restaurants are joining the parade. And a relocated bank branch is filling the other reclaimed property. Here's a look at them.

The Lowry Uptown

Stephanie Shimp and her business partner, Dave Burley, co-founders of Blue Plate Restaurant Co. — along with a new partner, Shimp’s brother Luke -- launched their seventh restaurant in August. The Lowry Uptown took over the former Hollywood Video store on Hennepin, just south of Franklin, a space that had been closed more than two years except for seasonal stints selling Halloween decorations.

They took out an SBA-backed bank loan, invested $1.5 million in the leased space, employ 100 full- and part-time workers. “So far, we are hitting our number,” Shimp reported.

“A year and a half ago, we hired a vice president of operations, a corporate trainer and office manager. We’ve known we needed to add another store to the mix to help support the infrastructure we laid out. That’s always been part of our plan,” she explained.

Shimp is confident that their approach -- a collection of neighborhood restaurants serving sophisticated comfort food with flair -- will succeed no matter what the economy serves up. While recession-drained consumers may pass on a fancy steak dinner, they “are still going out for a turkey BLT or a fish taco and a beer,” she said.

“We’ve never really contracted. We did well through the recession in the late ’90s, made it through the dot-com bust.”

Some years, they only grew 2 or 3 percent “but always increased revenue every year,” Shimp said. “I don’t want to sound like it’s been easy or all a bed of roses. We go to our vendors and negotiate better contracts, look at menu mix, product mix.”

This year, Blue Plate expects to generate nearly $18 million in revenue, up from $16 million last year, she said.

“We always wanted to be in Uptown but never found the right spot.” The long vacancy at the former Hollywood Video store presented the opportunity to lease the property at attractive rates, she said, noting: “I don’t want to be light years ahead of the wave, but it’s good to be on the front end. Prices go up in the back end.”

Shimp describes the neighborhood’s “split personality”: “solid, established, non-transient households west of Hennepin Avenue and a very transient, young-hipster demographic on the other side.” She’s counting on one side to feed traffic during regular hours, with the younger crowd offering “the potential for late-night business.”

Rye Delicatessen & Bar

Attorney David Weinstein has worked with several restaurant owners in his commercial real-estate practice but has never operated one himself until now. Just a few doors up Hennepin Avenue, Rye Delicatessen & Bar is slated to open next month on the site of the former Auriga Restaurant, which has stood empty for more than four years.

Rye DelicatessenWeinstein, who lives nearby, explained the move: “I tell you, for me it’s pretty location-specific, being in a dense neighborhood that is not well served by a good neighborhood restaurant and bar.”

He remains confident, despite the uncertain economy: “The kind of concept we’re putting in is more resistant to changes in the economy. Between the location, neighborhood and type of concept, we’ll do very well.”

Although he refused to discuss financial details, Weinstein admitted that finding financing is “always a challenge” for a restaurant. “Obviously, the economy gave us the opportunity to purchase the property at a good price [$700,000, according to Hennepin County records] and get financing at more affordable rates,” he said.

He also leveraged his business connections to bring in advisers and consultants. “Having a good management team in place, a good location, good concept and experienced operators” served up several banks who expressed interest in participating in an SBA-backed loan to launch the business, he added.

Weinstein acknowledges the competition from the Lowry a block away but expects high visibility and traffic along Hennepin to draw customers.

He hopes to create “an easy place to stop for breakfast or pick up dinner on the way home … a niche not being met in this particular neighborhood. We’re focusing on something that’s an everyday sort of place,” where customers “can get a bagel and a cup of coffee while they sit and use Wi-Fi. We’re not focusing on real high-end luxury dinner.”

Once the deli is up and running, Weinstein predicts, he’ll have 30 full- and part-time employees. He’s keeping the exterior the same but is making “pretty significant interior renovations” to make the restaurant “lighter, brighter and more user friendly.”

Relocated U.S. Bank branch

When Minneapolis Floral on Hennepin at Fremont closed in 2009, a neighborhood fixture for more than 80 years went on the market, complete with an attached greenhouse and a small, detached brick residence as part of the parcel. Unless you needed a greenhouse and a cottage, the property was a tough sell.
What was once Minneapolis Floral's location on Hennepin is now a US Bank.

Meanwhile, Christine Hobrough, Twin Cities regional manager for retail banking at U.S. Bank had wanted to move an existing branch office from a small mall a few blocks away on Hennepin at 26th.

When the vacant florist shop came to her attention more than a year ago, it was already under contract. She told the agent to keep her in mind, though, and when that deal fell through, U.S. Bank picked up the properties for an undisclosed amount.

“We quite frankly outgrew the space,” she said, explaining that the old office shared a parking lot with several other retail stores, including a sub shop, dental office and smoke shop. Customers had to wait for parking, and employees often had to park on the street. “We knew our needs surpassed the space. We also wanted to add staff.”

She had been on the lookout for a new site for “five or six years” and had evaluated more than a dozen in the area, Hobrough said. She wanted to stay on Hennepin. “We’re in the retail business, like everyone else,” she explained, so the high traffic and visible location were key factors.

Even though U.S. Bank “always made money through financial crises” and did not participate in the subprime mortgage market, “we have been squeezed, but the business has not decreased,” she said. The bank has continued to add branches through the financial slowdown, growing from 84 branches in the Twin Cities in 2007 to 90 today.

To make things work, the banks had to re-divide the parcel to increase the lot size for the residence before selling it. It took down the greenhouse, added a parking lot, built out the usable space, renovated both the interior and exterior and opened its doors last month. With the additional space, Hobrough said, there are plans to add two or three new employees to the current staff of eight.

The goal of the renovation was to replicate “the look and feel... and original features” of the original 1930s building, including its tin ceiling, Minnesota stone on the exterior and leaded windows.

How much did it cost? “More than a couple of million, let me put it that way,” she said.

“Now we’re here to stay.”

St. Croix Supper Club event

2011-10-04T16:20:00.001-05:00

Hear Shea's Andy McDermott talk about restaurant design trends at an exclusive event at the Lake Elmo Inn. Sign up by clicking on the invitation below:

Butcher & the Boar Block Party Kick-off

2011-10-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

If you didn't make it to the First Annual Historic Harmon District Block Party at the corner of 12th and Hennepin this past weekend, you missed out on some beautiful weather, a few great bands, and a sneak preview of what chef Jack Riebel is cooking up for his new restaurant venture, Butcher & the Boar. We are excited to be on the design team and look forward to its opening in a few short months!

photo from citypages.com

Butcher and the Boar hosts block party
by Joy Summers, City Pages
Over the weekend, chef Jack Riebel shared, for the first time, a small taste of what he plans to serve at his new venture, the Butcher and the Boar, with a party that livened up a sleepy block in downtown Minneapolis.

Sunday afternoon the parking lot next to the once vacant, marble-front building was filled with bands, neighbors, dogs, kids, and charred pork sausages. His sous chef, Peter Botcher, who was most recently cooking at Tilia, was manning the grill. We were able to chat with them for a moment about the hotly anticipated new spot as well as sampled some of the food.

"We joke that he's the butcher and I'm the bore," Riebel laughed, explaining that it's Botcher's sausage expertise that was on display this unseasonably warm, sunny day. The boar sausage we sampled was charred crisp on the outside and studded with small globules of pork fat on the interior. The rosy interior had a mysterious flavor not unlike andouille, but not nearly so spicy, a bit like a Polish, but not so meager in texture. We asked what he made the sausage with.

"Oh, some boar," answered Botcher blithely. And? "Some pork shoulder, pork fat, bay leaf, chile flake, garlic, thyme, and ... some other stuff." It was served alongside a lively slaw of mild roasted peppers, crispy tortilla bits, and a salty cotija cheese--another delight.

They were also serving house-made pretzel rods that Riebel called "the real deal, dipped in lye and served with a cheese sauce, but of course it's a house-made cheese sauce. We're using Havarti cheese right now, which isn't traditional, but whatever. We like it." We did, too. It was a pungent perfume of aged milk turned otherworldly, gooey, soft, and smooth, coating the salty, crispy exterior of the dough.

The beer on hand was local and the bluegrass tunes plentiful. Neighboring restaurant the Bullfrog was also serving some of its Cajun-influenced fare.

It's certain this block could use a little livening up. The space the Butcher and the Boar will occupy is a once-vacant marble-fronted building currently sporting a broken window pane like a black eye. Plans from powerhouse restaurant design firm Shea showed a giant Adam Turman mural exterior and a long, open dining room. The promise of an extensive bourbon list has drawn nearly as much enthusiasm as the prospect of Riebel's food.

If the overflowing parking lot on Sunday was any indication, Riebel had better get his kitchen fired up before the line starts forming outside the door.

Butcher & the Boar
1121 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis

Historic Harmon District Block Party this weekend!

2011-09-26T11:21:00.001-05:00

This upcoming weekend, the folks from Shea's latest restaurant project, Butcher & the Boar, are teaming up with the crew at Bullfrog to throw a Historic Harmon District Block Party at 12th Street and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.

Come on down for Food Music and Beer! (And get a sneak preview of the outdoor garden space for the upcoming restaurant and a sampling of chef Jack Riebel's creations.)

Restaurant Resurgence on Hennepin Avenue

2011-09-26T10:46:00.005-05:00

With the opening of Rosa Mexicano in downtown Minneapolis, John Vomhof of the Business Journal took a look at all the new activity along the Hennepin corridor. At Shea, we are excited to be a part of several of these concepts and projects, including the new Lunds, Butcher and the Boar, Block E and Rosa Mexicano. It's great to see Hennepin coming back to life.

New eateries revive Hennepin Ave.
by John Vomhof Jr., Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal
Rosa Mexicano — a trendy, upscale Mexican restaurant chain based in New York — opened a location at City Center this week, the latest evidence of an ongoing restaurant resurgence along Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.

In roughly the past year, the one-mile corridor — once home to chains like Olive Garden, TGI Friday’s and Chevy’s Fresh Mex — has added Rosa, Crave, Thom Pham’s Wondrous Azian Kitchen and Bullfrog Cajun Cafe. Those restaurants build upon a dining lineup that already included Fogo de Chao, The Capital Grille, D’Amico Kitchen, Seven and Solera.

More additions could join the menu in the coming months. Minneapolis restaurateur Tim Rooney, one of the partners behind Barrio Tequila Bar and Bar La Grassa, plans to convert a one-story office building at 1121/1127 Hennepin Ave. into a bar and restaurant with an exterior courtyard in the rear.

Meanwhile, the newly opened Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts is searching for an upscale, chef-driven concept to open at the corner of Sixth Street and Hennepin Avenue.

“Hennepin Avenue continues to blossom into a fun, exciting destination — not just for people who already are downtown, but also as a draw for people to come downtown and to stay in the area,” said Liz McLay, director of retail leasing for Brookfield Office Properties Inc., the Toronto-based company that owns and operates City Center.

McLay attributed the area’s progress to a culmination of factors, including a stable downtown office market, strong hotels and thriving demand generators such as various theaters, Target Field and Target Center. Enhanced efforts by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Downtown Improvement District to keep the area clean and safe also played a key role, she said.

Crime, or at least the perception thereof, long was a major hindrance for leasing in the area, said Cambridge Commercial Realty’s Dick Grones, who recalled once watching an arrest on the street while touring a restaurant space with a national client.

“Five years ago, you couldn’t get anyone to look at Hennepin Avenue,” he said.

A different dynamic

Rosa Mexicano President and CEO Howard Greenstone said he selected City Center for the company’s first Midwest location after touring more than 20 sites in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. He knows that Block E and some of the area’s previous restaurant tenants have struggled, but he was impressed by the area’s high-profile location, an aggressive pursuit by Brookfield and the strong sales that Fogo de Chao has posted since opening in 2007.

“My feeling was that if we’re only going to do one restaurant in Minneapolis, why not put it right in the heart of downtown,” Greenstone said. “I think we could have put it in the suburbs and people would come, but we wanted to make a big statement.”

Crave, meanwhile, has exceeded its projections since filling the former Palomino restaurant space at LaSalle Plaza in May, founder and CEO Kam Talebi said, noting that he was drawn to site’s skyway access, rooftop patio and proximity to the theaters. It’s now “by far” the company’s top-grossing unit.

Talebi expects Hennepin Avenue’s positive momentum to continue.

“The Twins stadium changed the whole dynamic in that part of downtown,” he said. “It has brought a lot of traffic, and the right kind of traffic, to the area, which helps weed out the bad element. And it opened up downtown more to the suburban crowd, because now people are more comfortable coming down here.”

Converting Hennepin Avenue into a two-way street also made it easier to access and get around the area, he said.

Of course, Hennepin Avenue’s ongoing turnaround extends beyond just restaurants. The Cowles Center, for example, opened earlier this month following a 12-year, $42 million redevelopment. Supporters believe the 500-seat facility will attract audiences from throughout the Twin Cities, doing for dance what the Guthrie Theater has done for theater.

Edina-based Lund Food Holdings Inc. recently broke ground on a store that is expected to open next summer at 1201 Hennepin Ave. And, at the opposite end of downtown, Minneapolis-based Ryan Cos. US Inc. is planning a $70 million mixed-use development at corner of Hennepin and Washington avenues that will include 287 luxury apartment units and a 45,000-square-foot Whole Foods grocery store.

Block E’s owner, Minneapolis-based Alatus, is lobbying for a luxury casino on the site, though the plan has not gained legislative traction thus far. If those efforts fail, the backup plan likely would be some type of retail redevelopment.

More work to do

Despite the progress along Hennepin Avenue downtown, several restaurant vacancies remain.

The Minneapolis office of Colliers International, formerly known as Welsh Cos., has been marketing the former Shinders bookstore property at the corner of Eighth Street and Hennepin Avenue as a potential restaurant site since 2008, but does not yet have a deal in place. An early proposal called for a restaurant to occupy the street level and a rooftop patio, while the second floor would contain office space.

The former Chevy’s Fresh Mex location at 701 Hennepin Ave. also remains vacant, several years after the restaurant closed. And whether Block E becomes a casino or is redeveloped for retail, the plans could include new restaurants along Hennepin Avenue.

Shea clients make Open Table "Foodie List"

2011-09-26T10:08:00.003-05:00

Shea had the pleasure of working with Lenny Russo of Heartland and the Wadi brothers of Saffron, and we were happy to see that the restaurants just made a very prestigious list, which was culled from over 10 million reviews on Open Table. Read the Business Journal article for more info and click on the link at the end of the story to see the list.

Four Twin Cities restaurants named best for OpenTable 'foodies'
by Ed Stych, Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal

Four Twin Cities restaurants are on OpenTable Inc.'s list of the Top 50 Restaurants Most Fit for Foodies. The Twin Cities restaurants on the list are:

Haute Dish, Minneapolis
Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul
Piccolo, Minneapolis
Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, Minneapolis

OpenTable, the online restaurant reservation company, said it asked its customers which restaurants were best for "foodies." The list was derived from more than 10 million reviews.

"These restaurants have been singled out for being able to satisfy the folks for whom dining is practically sport — those avid, passionate eaters, often armed with cameras who take careful notes and relish every bite," Caroline Potter, OpenTable's Chief Dining Officer, said in a news release.

Sixteen of the restaurants on the list are in California, while six are in Chicago.

>Click here to see the entire list, which is in alphabetical order.

Shea works with Pacifier on City Center relocation

2011-09-26T09:35:00.000-05:00

Pacifier to relocate downtown Minneapolis store

by Sam Black, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal
Pacifier, a baby clothing and products retail shop, is moving its downtown Minneapolis store.

The retailer is moving into City Center at 40 S. Seventh St. It will be on the skwyay level between Brooks Brothers .Brooks Brothers Latest from The Business Journals New Tommy Bahama store set to open at Crabtree Valley MallBrooks Brothers to open in GeorgetownCasual Male debuts new XL concept Follow this company .and Allen Edmonds shoes the first week of October. It has signed a lease deal there that's longer than three years.

It began a store-wide clearance event at its old location, on the first floor of Gaviidae Common near Bruegger's, according to Wing Witthuhn, who owns the shop along with her husband, Jon. In 2008, newly-named vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin shopped there as part of a $75,000 shopping spree during the Republican National Convention.

Pacifier expects the new space will have better foot traffic on the skyway level than the old location.

"There's a lot more traffic up there and the perfect space opened up and it was just the right size, and the landlord offered us a good deal," Witthun said.

Toronto-based Brookfield Properties Corp. owns Gaviidae and City Center.

Minneapolis-based Shea designed the new space, which is slightly smaller but has a more sophisticated design and feel. It will also stock more clothes that go up to size 4, Witthuhn said.

Pacifier's original store, at 310 E. Hennepin Ave., won't be impacted by the move.

The move is a good one for Pacifier because it gets access to more customers, but its also a good one for the landlord because it enhances the cash-flow and image of City Center's retail space. Brookfield put City Center up for several months ago.

The once-struggling City Center, which is attached to an office tower at 33 South Sixth, has had two big land deals recently, including a new 300-seat performance space called New Century Theatre and a new restaurant called Rosa Mexicano, which opened this week.

Butchers, Boars and Grocery Stores....

2011-09-22T10:49:00.001-05:00

Today is a big news day at Shea. Our clients are ALL OVER the news! Click on the links for more info.

Byerly's Ridgedale is having their grand reopening after an extensive remodel.

The guys at Saffron are getting lots of buzz since their dining room remodel and menu update, and got some great coverage in this week's City Pages and today's Star Tribune.

The cat's finally out of the bag on our latest restaurant venture with restaurateur Tim Rooney and chef Jack Riebel and Dara Moskowitz-Grumdahl was quick to get the word out on her blog. So was Rick Nelson at the Strib and he gives details of an upcoming party. Take note!!

Rosa Mexicano is opening to the public for dinner tonight, bringing much-needed life (and lots of bright pink!) to the corner of 6th and Hennepin.

Star Tribune reviews Saffron

2011-09-22T10:41:00.000-05:00

Learning to love Saffron all over again

The restaurant's gifted chef steers his restaurant in a slightly new direction. Deliciousness follows in its wake.

photo: Tom Wallace

Article by: RICK NELSON , Star Tribune Updated: September 21, 2011 - 4:22 PM

Everything a diner needs to know about Saffron Restaurant & Lounge can be summed up in a single dish. OK, three.

They're all tagines, and this trio of slow-cooked stews constitute a hefty percentage of my favorite meals of the year. Part of the fun of ordering a tagine -- particularly at this charismatic, one-of-a-kind restaurant -- is the dish's built-in flash of dinner theater.

"Get ready for your facial," said our server, as he lifted the pot's cone-shaped cover, a ta-dah moment that released a salutory cloud of intensely fragrant steam.

But their main allure is sheer, unadulterated deliciousness. One features fork-tender lamb shanks, the meat's heaviness leavened by harissa and preserved lemon, its garlicky broth brimming with spinach, caraway and toothy chickpeas. Another puts duck in the spotlight, nudged with garlic, ginger and olives for six hours until the meat falls off the bone, with hints of saffron and sweet raisins acting as a foil to the bird's inherent richness. A third is an ever-changing play on seafood; I'm still sighing at the thought of salmon, cool and plush in the center, braised in a shellfish-tomato broth dotted with entrancing chermoula accents and tender mussels.

First-rate comfort food, certainly, but chef Sameh Wadi's contemporary interpretation of the genre -- and his million-dollar nose for seasoning -- propel them far beyond home cooking. Don't tell my book club that I've moved on, but using pita bread to soak up every last drop of those complex, carefully nurtured broths has become my favorite new hobby.

A new focus

Tagines are just one key element in Wadi's savvy remake of his five-year-old Warehouse District restaurant. At this reboot, all traces of formality (and its roommate, Gold Card prices, not that Saffron has ever been particularly expensive) are gone, replaced by an emphasis on meant-to-be-shared plates sold at mostly affordable prices. Oh, and fun. Tons of it.

Another change: A broader culinary scope. In its first years, Wadi, a Palestinian who emigrated to the United States when he was 13, kept the kitchen's inspirational focus on the Middle East and North Africa. Now, he's plucking ideas from around the Mediterranean.

Starting in Greece, where unassuming tavernas became the source for another audaciously satisfying dish, a whole-roasted branzino (aka European sea bass). I'm a sucker for whole-fish preparations, and this one is no exception. Wadi removes most of the bones of this beautiful silvery creature and stuffs the cavity with a compound butter of black olives and lemon zest. After pulling it out of the oven, he finishes it with fruity olive oil, sea salt and a shower of crispy fried grape leaves. The firm white flesh has a gentle flavor, and the whole shebang, a paragon of simplicity, is a signature dish waiting to happen.

Wide-ranging flavors

It's hard to tell if his motivation stems from the runaway success of his food truck (Saffron's mobile sibling, World Street Kitchen, serves a worth-the-wait weekday lunch at 5th Street and Nicollet Mall), but this more casual cooking style suits Wadi's considerable skills, and his menu covers plenty of bases but never strays far from its roots.

There's the requisite talker -- heck, it ought to have its own Twitter handle -- in the form of pillowy, gently fried lamb brains. He's included an affectionate nod to his grandmother, a plate of green beans slow-cooked in tomatoes. High-tech techniques have their place, too. Sous vide cooking makes charred octopus feel almost like tuna, and vacuum compression converts watery cucumber (with the help of a little Hendricks gin) into a solid foundation for a stunner of a crab salad. Wadi's initial plans for art school were superseded by his passion for cooking, but in that stunner of a salad -- and in another, a color study pairing watermelon alongside tomatoes, sweet against acid -- it's plain to see where he's channeling his artistic impulses.

Yes, the goodness runs deep. It's easy to rattle off small-plate dazzlers -- fabulous fried cauliflower and its earthy turmeric bite, nutty farro prepared like risotto, superb hummus, grilled lamb-beef meatballs, edamame-esque fresh chickpeas -- before encountering a merely decent option. If there's a weakness, it's the desserts. The flavor profiles mimic their savory counterparts, but with the exception of an ultra-moist couscous-olive oil cake, and the well crafted ice creams and sorbets, they're a bit of a disappointment.

Another draw is Saed Wadi, the chef's older brother and business partner, who acts as host, working the dining room like a seasoned politician, with two notable exceptions: His warmth is sincere, and his good humor is unflagging.

The warehouse loft decor has been pleasantly buffed and shined, along the lines of those TV home makeover shows where skin-deep design miracles are performed while simultaneously contorting an equally slim budget. Now, Saffron has the kind of environment where Tuesday night drop-ins or Target Field ticketholders can feel comfortable while taking a crack at the younger Wadi's extraordinary riff on the BLT, embellished with a house-cured lamb belly and thick swipes of a saffron-scented tomato jam. Order it with a side of the divine potato chips.

I almost forgot: Do not miss the sweet corn soup. Wadi has a knack for zeroing in on an ingredient familiar to local diners -- in this case, the same Monticello, Minn., crop that's roasted at the State Fair -- and revealing its exotic side. Starting with a silky puréed corn stock, he adds chile-poached figs and CornNuts (yes, the pre-packaged junk food, scrounged from nearby convenience stores) for compare-and-contrast texture, and smoked paprika oil and garlic-laced house-made yogurt for a similarly clever play on flavors.

The results are astonishingly good, and, like that spectacular branzino, it's a showman's dish, which explains why the 27-year-old chef -- mature beyond his years -- was tapped to compete last year on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America" (he lost to perennial favorite Masaharu Morimoto, and he was robbed). Since the too-brief sweet corn season is already drawing to a conclusion, you'd better hurry in. Fast.

SAFFRON RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
3 1/2 Star Rating
Location: 123 N. 3rd St., Mpls., 612-746-5533, www.saffronmpls.com.
Hours: 5-10 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 5-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Happy hour starts at 4 p.m. weekdays.
Atmosphere: A bare-bones downtown loft space warmed by spice rack colors, large windows and quirky light fixtures.
Service: A knowledgeable, accommodating and attentive crew.
Sound level: Lively but not intrusive when full.
Recommended dishes: Tagines, branzino, sweet corn soup, crab salad, meatballs, lamb brains, farro and zucchini, octopus "a la plancha," couscous-olive oil cake.
Wine list: A thoughtful if modest selection, reasonably priced. Kudos to the bar's unique, spice-infused cocktails.
Price range: Small plates $5-$12, larger plates $18-$29, desserts $7-$9.

City Pages visits Saffron

2011-09-22T10:35:00.000-05:00

Saffron reboots for the Target Field crowd

Middle Eastern mainstays remain on the menu
By Rachel Hutton, City Pages
published: September 21, 2011

photo by Alma Guzman

Recently, I ate two terrific dishes. The first was a disk of foie gras, covered with a caramelized-sugar crust, like a tiny crème brûlée with a savory, livery tang. It was plated with a smudge of bitter orange jam and two date-almond briouat pastries. The dish was complex, delightful, and something of a tease—an appetizer that might have passed for dessert.

The second was not so much a dish as a brown paper sack, filled with crisp, blond, house-made potato chips, sliced thin as butterfly wings. The chips were served with yogurt that was sprinkled with the spice blend za'tar—the Mideast's version of sour-cream-and-onion dip.

I finished a bite of the foie gras and then reached for a potato chip. Surprisingly, I was eating these two dishes at the same restaurant...as I awaited the arrival of duck tagine.

On the occasion of its fifth anniversary, this establishment, Saffron Restaurant and Lounge, shut down for 10 days to reboot. To nonregulars, its Warehouse District digs won't look too different: It still has the same high ceilings, exposed brick, and pretty windows. But the paint is fresh, and there's an oversized booth tucked into one corner. Most significantly, the white tablecloths are gone.

Much has changed during the restaurant's relatively brief tenure. Recession-conscious diners have shifted away from formality and toward flexibility. A 40,000-fan-capacity ballpark opened just a few blocks down the street. The new Saffron wants diners to know they won't be underdressed in a jersey and ball cap.

Saffron's chef and co-owner, Sameh Wadi, opened Saffron at the ripe old age of 23, after a brief culinary career working for others, including Tim McKee at Solera. Needless to say, Wadi is an ambitious sort—last summer, he also launched his World Street Kitchen food truck. In the midst of transforming Saffron's space, Wadi decided to redo its menu as well.

Sameh and his brother/business partner, Saed, recently discovered the unpublished manuscript of a Palestinian cookbook written by their parents, which inspired Sameh to try to showcase lesser-known foods from his homeland and beyond. (The Wadis are Palestinian, but Sameh grew up in Kuwait and Jordan, among other places, before moving to the United States.) Saffron's original menu might have been characterized as contemporary American fine dining, as seen through a Middle Eastern lens—Wadi often took ingredients familiar to Americans and matched them with Mediterranean flavors. His new approach expands the kitchen's reach to places such as Spain, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, and Algeria and includes dishes from the region that haven't yet found their way to the Twin Cities.

Sameh says Saed was initially doubtful his plan would succeed. "I showed my brother the new menu," Sameh recalls, "and he said, 'You're crazy! People are not going to eat this.'" But after years of serving Saffron's customers lamb brains—and having them become a house favorite—Sameh had cultivated a following among adventurous Twin Cities diners and earned their trust. He says the dishes his brother worried about—octopus "a la plancha," slow-cooked green beans, Turkish-style air-dried beef, whole fish—are now some of the restaurant's best sellers. Not that the words "I told you so" would ever pass his lips.

The new menu has fewer dishes like the foie gras and more like the potato chips: It feels less fussy, less precious, and more sharable. Take, for example, the fresh chickpeas, a street-vendor nibble from Wadi's childhood that's nearly impossible to find in the United States. My server helpfully explained that they might be eaten like edamame (they look like a plumper, squat version of the Japanese snack) by licking the salt and the lemon off the pod and then popping the bean into your mouth. The fresh beans taste greener than their canned or dried counterparts, a bit like a soy or fava bean. "It's a completely different flavor and texture," Wadi says. "It's totally sexy. And yes, I did say 'sexy' about a chickpea, and I'm not ashamed of it."

Bastirma, or Turkish-style air-dried beef, is another new menu item that's rarely seen in America. ("Sourcing some of these things was a total nightmare," Wadi says. He ended up having to make it himself.) Curing bastirma is a two-week process, Wadi explains. A strip loin is covered in salt and spices, like pastrami, and aged. The thin-sliced meat looks like prosciutto, but it's less sharp and salty than European-style cured hams. It has a mellow, pleasant funkiness that Wadi attributes to the use of fenugreek—a spice that made a memorable first impression on him. "The first time I had it, I said, 'This tastes like armpit.'"

Many of Saffron's simple Middle Eastern mainstays have remained on the menu. (Of the fried cauliflower, Wadi remarks, "I tried to take it off last year and I had death threats.") There's hummus, heavy on the lemon and doused with olive oil, and a platter of spreads: a mild, yellow lentil, smoky eggplant baba ghanoush, and feta cheese blended with pickled hot peppers. Among these, the fried beef kubbeh is king (the appetizer is pronounced ku-beh, and it's a variant of the Lebanese kibbeh). The crisp-crusted, spicy meatballs are made from Wadi's mother's recipe, which involves a laborious process of grinding and shaping the beef and preparing its bulgur shell. For the first year Saffron was open, Mom came in to the restaurant once a week to prepare the dish herself.

Among the restaurant's most elegant dishes are several newcomers, including a pretty watermelon and heirloom tomato salad garnished with feta, jalapeño, and basil, and a grilled leek and feta tart. But several old favorites have also remained, the white anchovies among them. The fish are marinated in harissa and sliced into delicate strips with flecks of radish and preserved lemon—like the foie gras dish, it's a flurry of contrasting and complementary flavors and textures. And of course there's the lamb brain. Its texture is oddly spongy and creamy; its flavor suggests seafood crossed with sweetbreads.

My favorite new entrée is the whole roasted branzini, or European sea bass. Wadi calls it a quintessential Greek taverna dish. Because it's stuffed with butter and a few flavoring agents—black olive, lemon, garlic, and herbs—it sort of self-bastes from within so the flesh stays ultra moist. The fish has a mild, neutral flavor that's brightened by olive oil and lemon. A garnish of fried grape leaves, parsley, and dill make crisp, staccato accents.

Saffron's tagines—Moroccan stews offered with seafood, lamb shank, or duck leg—are also great for sharing. The lamb and the duck versions are served in hefty, bone-on portions, and their meat is rich and tender, pleasantly gamy without being overly so. The lamb's ruddy harissa broth has both depth and warmth, and it's studded with chickpeas and spinach. Duck and potatoes absorb their sunny saffron sauce that would probably feel too heavy were it not lightened by sparks of sweetness, bitterness, and brine, in the form of plump sultana raisins, preserved lemon, and snappy, lightly cured Castelvetrano olives. So long as you can wrap your head around the eclectic nature of Saffron's menu, there's very little about the cooking to fault, though a few dishes I encountered were so heavily salted that when I returned home I immediately gulped down several glasses of water. Also, most of the entrées tend to be hearty, wintry fare, which may be why Saffron sometimes has its air conditioning cranked up to replicate Siberia. Several times, I shoved my icy fingertips into the only heat source I could find: the table's stack of warm pita bread. When I ordered the traditional Palestinian slow-cooked green beans, I wished Wadi had followed his mother's example and served the dish hot instead of cold.

Thankfully, the restaurant's newly casual nature hasn't affected its service, which remains sharp, thorough, and enthusiastic. And Wadi's attention to detail extends to all the extras, including an interesting list of nonalcoholic beverages, craft cocktails, and wines, some of them from Lebanon.

For dessert, be sure to try the kunafa, a warm, sweet cheese pie topped with pistachios and phyllo shreds. The cheeses are baked to order, served in a cast-iron pan that's large enough to feed four, and doused with cardamom-saffron syrup at the table. It's an unusual combination, largely unseen in the Twin Cities, and a tradition Palestinians take very seriously. "Wars have been waged over kunafa," Wadi explains. "Weddings get called off over kunafa." The dish hits all the right notes: First there's the punch of fatty richness and piercing sweetness, then the delicate nuance of the nuts, cardamom, and saffron. The age-old dish seems surprisingly contemporary.

Wadi's relatives own northeast Minneapolis's Holy Land Deli, which has arguably made the largest impact in bringing Middle Eastern tastes to Minnesota. Wadi is building on that work by pushing the boundaries of Mediterranean cuisine, fluidly marrying disparate elements: East and West, high and low, old and new. (Wadi's lamb bacon "BLT," a diner classic adopted for Muslim dietary restrictions, may be the best reflection of his multicultural, Arab-American blend.) Not so long ago, Wadi notes, sushi was new to American palates. But nowadays, he marvels, kids are texting one another about going out for 'sush.' "It's my long-term goal for people to say, 'Let's go out for Med food,'" he says. "That's when I'll know I've arrived."

That day may not be far off. Wadi says the kunafa has already become Saffron's most-ordered dessert, a fact he attributes to local diners' willingness to try new things. "In that sense I'm really blessed," he says. "I get to put whatever I want on my menu. I get to be me."

Byerly's Ridgedale grand re-opening this week

2011-09-19T10:10:00.001-05:00

This week, we're taking care of all the finishing touches in time for Thursday's grand reopening celebration at Byerly's Ridgedale. The upgrades to the store are really great and it's been another fun and successful partnership between Shea and the Lunds/Byerly's team. Read below to find out what's in store. (And CLICK HERE to learn of our latest team effort!)

Grand reopening celebration to take place on Thursday, September 29

How does Byerly’s make a sensational shopping experience even better? At Byerly’s Ridgedale it’s done by adding features and services such as a new deli foodservice area, a registered dietician, an expansive pet foods department and an eco-friendly dry cleaner.

These are in addition to the many other amenities available at this store, including Byerly’s Pharmacy, a Community Room (available at no charge), U.S. Bank, Caribou Coffee, Bachman’s and an adjacent Wines & Spirits Shop.

For the past few months, this Byerly’s has been undergoing extensive renovations, updates and additions all designed to further enhance our customers’ shopping experience. We hope you’ll be able to join us for a grand reopening celebration on Thursday, September 29 at 10 a.m.

New features and services will include:

•Expanded Deli Foodservice Area – Featuring a wide variety of fresh, made-to-order options. Choose from one of the self-service buffet bars or get a chef-crafted meal from one of the many meal stations. You can dine in or take out.

•Registered Dietician – Janice Cox, RD, LD, is available for store tours and nutrition counseling. Turn to Janice for accurate, timely and practical nutrition advice.

•Expanded Natural Health & Beauty Selection

•Pet Department – A new, approximately 900-square-foot department featuring an expansive selection of high-quality pet food and supplies. This department will be staffed with a pet care associate eager to assist customers with their pet needs.

•Mulberrys Garment Care – A locally based, eco-friendly dry cleaner focused on quality, service and innovation.

•Inspiration Center – A food theater area at the front of the store designed to provide food inspiration and education.

•Made in Minnesota Set – Featuring thousands of locally produced products.

•Customer Service Counter – Featuring 2 express checkouts, copy and fax services, postal services and lottery tickets.

•Décor – New décor throughout the store, including carpeting, floor finishes and accent lighting.

Rick Nelson reviews Mill Valley Kitchen

2011-09-15T08:51:00.000-05:00

Read the story below from Star Tribune food writer Rick Nelson as he reviews one of Shea's latest designs: Mill Valley Kitchen.

A spacious dining room spills out onto the patio, the two areas
separated only by a floor-to-ceiling screen.

Food is light but lively at Mill Valley

Article by: RICK NELSON , Star Tribune

"I feel like I just walked into an Eileen Fisher sample sale," said my friend as he joined me for lunch at Mill Valley Kitchen. No kidding. From my vantage point, his entrance doubled the number of men dining in the crowded room. Until his arrival, I appeared to be the sole male diner.

I have tremendous affection for restaurants where whole groups of people are made to feel welcome, and this new St. Louis Park enterprise coddles its female demographic so successfully that I wouldn't be surprised if owner and first-time restaurateur Craig Bentdahl's strategy ended up in a Harvard Business School case study.

The gravitational pull starts with the surroundings. Anyone who says that decor doesn't matter has clearly never logged a few pleasant hours seated inside Mill Valley Kitchen. There, the Minneapolis design firm of Shea Inc. deftly demonstrates the transformative powers of crown molding and coffered ceilings, and then washes the whole sunny, wide-open square footage in a flattering cream color (it's Dover White by Sherwin-Williams) that will undoubtedly become the paint that launched a thousand kitchen renovations. It's a non-confrontational blend of contemporary and traditional that quietly dissolves into a backdrop for making the real stars of the show -- the customers -- stand out.

And they do. Mill Valley Kitchen has renewed my fascination with people-watching (and its even shallower sibling, style-watching) all over again. For armchair Jane Goodalls like me who want to make a study of prosperous, attractive and well-groomed females -- and yes, similarly tax-bracketed males, whose numbers grow at dinner -- Mill Valley Kitchen is your stamping grounds.

Chef Mike Rakun's cooking style is another draw. To throw the blanket and often pejorative label of spa food over his work would be wrong, at least the outmoded idea of what constitutes healthful-minded fare, which was mostly about deprivation.

Instead, Rakun is demonstrating that restaurant dining can deliver robust and satisfying flavors without relying upon clarified butter, rich animal proteins and a whole host of other dietary no-nos. With a few exceptions, his cooking is clean, sensible and occasionally exciting, a tough accomplishment when number-crunching dietary data is published on the menu. Oh, and when it comes to portion sizes, sanity reigns.

It's not as Weight Watchers-ish as it sounds. I would go back just for another crack at the exceptional juicy and crisp-skinned chicken, or the lean grass-fed filet grilled precisely to order, or the lively array of roasted vegetables that could have felt like a chore but were anything but.

It should not come as a surprise that the salads are thoughtfully composed and popping with bright, fresh flavors -- don't miss the spinach salads, one with a warm red-wine vinaigrette, the other tossed with sweet grilled plums -- although they can also be dressed with a heavy hand.

A half-dozen oval-shaped flatbreads respond well to the Cooking Light treatment. The crust, a blend of whole-wheat flour, millet and sunflower seeds, has an agreeable texture, and Rakun tops his guilt-free pizzas with an even more winning array of flavors. Best are a fantastic house-made chicken thigh-fennel sausage paired with green peppers and onions, a gorgeous blend of eggplant, red peppers and arugula and the play of tangy chevre against sweet onions that's finished with a flurry of fresh spinach.

Rakun's experience in several high-end Florida seafood restaurants clearly comes through in the menu's most memorable dishes: a beautiful miso-glazed pan-seared sea bass, velvety grilled salmon perched on a colorful and crunchy vegetable succotash and the cool pink tuna that is an essential component in kimchi- and brown-rice-filled lettuce wraps.

His best lunch-hour sandwich also utilizes tuna, folding braised hunks of it with roasted peppers, piquant capers and green olives, spicy arugula and just enough lemony aioli to hold it all together. OK, maybe second best: I could dig into his turkey-avocado club -- minus any sign of fatty bacon, naturally -- on a weekly basis. The casual weekend breakfast is a treat. The kitchen bakes up a few way-better-than-Nature Valley granola bars (with shockingly high calorie counts, yikes), and turns out pretty fruit bruschettas, well-stuffed scrambled egg burritos, several hot cereals and a few egg sandwiches, including one that makes good use of that fine chicken sausage. It all pairs well with the bar's refreshing and creative nonalcoholic beverages, which, happily, are not the excursions to sickening sweetness into which this genre so often falls.

Not all smooth sailing

The too-lengthy menu is interspersed with so-called power foods but doesn't necessarily rely upon the seasonality that should go hand-in-hand with healthful eating. Sometimes the cooking is a bit out of whack: Mushroom-flecked quinoa could have used a lot more of a ginger kick, perfectly textured kale had an on-fire spice level that lingered on my tongue well after the valet retrieved my car, the steamed edamame cries out for salt, and there was enough delightful natural sweetness in the pork tenderloin that Rakun nurtures on the grill, but he goes overboard with sweet potato and apple accents. Enjoy that awesome Duroc pork in lunch's tasty banh mi, instead.

Just when your body starts to involuntarily cry out for some gratuitous fat, along comes dessert in the form of three chocolate chip cookies, sterling examples of the beloved Toll House genre that rise high off the plate, with crispy, golden exteriors shielding tender, still-warm interiors filled with gooey, lick-your-fingers chocolate.

"So this is where they've been hiding the butter," said my friend, as we split the last one, although I greedily wanted it all for myself. They're served with a shot of decadent whole milk -- there's no room for skim or even 1 percent in Rakun's Go Big or Go Home moment -- and it's a naughty and indulgent way to end a visit at this feel-good restaurant. If this constitutes the birth of a chain, Bentdahl and Rakun are headed in a smart direction.

Jeremy Iggers reviews the new more casual Saffron

2011-09-07T09:33:00.001-05:00

Shea recently worked with Sameh and Saed Wadi on a refresh of their Warehouse District restaurant, Saffron. Our mission was to make the space more casual and comfortable in order to encourage people to visit with more frequency. Seems some people only viewed it as an occasion restaurant. Food writer Jeremy Iggers decided to visit to see how things have changed. Read his review below from tc foodies blog.

Is the new more casual Saffron also more affordable?
by Jeremy Iggers

Thursday was Carol's birthday, so we (Carol, her sister, her niece and I) went for dinner to her favorite restaurant - Saffron in the Warehouse District. I had dined at Saffron earlier this year when the owners - chef Sameh Wadi and his brother Saed - put on a press event to get out the word that their restaurant isn't just for special occasions. The message was supposed to be, you can have a satisfying dining experience at Saffron without spending an arm and a leg.

To get this message out they invited a bunch of food writers to come as their guests and order anything and everything they wanted, compliments of the house. This turned out to be a terrific gastronomic experience - my friend Lu Lippold wrote about it for the Twin Cities Daily Planet. But since all of us food writers gorged ourselves, and didn't have to pay for any of it, (though we did pay for our drinks) it provided no evidence for the proposition that the Wadis were trying to put across.

So I left that prior dinner very content, but still wondering whether it is actually possible to really enjoy the Saffron dining experience on a modest budget. (Saed Wadi had claimed that you could, for example, order the lamb BLT ($8) and a beer, and spend less than you would for a beer and a burger at the new Twins ballpark nearby. Or maybe that was my example. But suppose you wanted something more substantial than a beer and a lamb BLT?)

At any rate, back to last night's dinner. We didn't actually go there intending to be parsimonious, or test the Wadis' claim- we just ordered a bunch of stuff to share, and didn't pay much attention to the prices. We started with the mezze (small plates): hummus royale ($9), a family recipe made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic and Palestinian olive oil, with house-cured bastirma (dried beef; the ancestor of pastrami) and fried chickpeas - rich, creamy and delicious; and the fried cauliflower ($6), golden deep-fried nuggets accompanied by a feta cheese fondue, also irresistibly tasty. Sort of the way fried cheese curds are irresistible.

But the knocked-our-socks-off favorite in this round was the slow-cooked green beans with tomato ($6), prepared from an old family recipe. The beans are cooked for two hours, with the spices added in stages. Cinnamon? Nutmeg? Cloves? Just guessing, but this dish is worth the trip all by itself.

Next came a trio of dishes from the salads, apps and and sides section of the menu. The salad of watermelon and heirloom tomato with cow’s milk feta, charred jalapeño and basil ($8), was a lovely and lively presentation that balanced sweet, salty and spicy. (For another dish in the same spirit, try the mezze of warm haloumi cheese with watermelon and mint.)

The grilled leek and sheep’s milk feta tart with tomato, spicy piquillo pepper sauce and arugula didn't inspire any great enthusiasm, but the table went wild over the coriander potatoes ($7), fingerlings stewed with roasted potatoes in a caramelized paprika butter.

Portions weren't enormous, but nicely paced, and when the time came to order the next course, we skipped over the big plates, and went straight to the restaurant's signature tagines - Moroccan stews served in an earthenware pot. The nightly seafood tagine combined Lake Winnipeg whitefish and Manila clams in a savory stew of green olives, potatoes and tomato. Sublime. We dithered about whether to order the small portion ($19) or the large ($27, I think), until our very engaging server pointed out that we could always order dessert, if the smaller tagine wasn't sufficient.

But the small order proved to be ample, and delicious; and we decided that it was the perfect note on which to end a wonderful dining experience. Carol's sister Peg proclaimed it one of the best meals she had ever had.

Dessert? No thank you.

But it turned out that Sameh Wadi had other plans for us. A parade of desserts soon arrived at our table - a rich flourless mocha chocolate ganache ($8), accompanied by a scoop of homemade ice cream; a traditional pastry plate with cookies, baklava and a rosewater-scented cream ($9), and my favorite, kunafa ($9), shredded wheat and cheese topped with pistachios and a cardamom saffron syrup, baked in the oven and served hot in the pan.

I made a game effort to insist on paying for the desserts, but Sameh refused. The total bill for dinner for four, including a glass of wine apiece (and not including some complimentary cocktails) came to $111. With tip, that worked out to less than $35 apiece.

For a dining experience of this caliber, that's a terrific deal.

Lunds downtown breaks ground

2011-09-02T12:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the official groundbreaking for the Lunds in downtown Minneapolis at the corner of Hennepin and 12th Street. We were there to see Tres Lund get started with a jackhammer after almost 8 years of planning and waiting. We're excited to be a part of the Lunds design team and look forward to its opening in 2012.

MSP magazine visits Mill Valley Kitchen

2011-09-01T10:16:00.001-05:00

Marianne Miller of Mpls. St. Paul magazine wrote a piece about her visits to Mill Valley Kitchen, which appeared in the September issue and you can read it right here:

Mill Valley Kitchen
by Marianne Miller

photo by Tim Davis

Walking into Mill Valley Kitchen is akin to stepping into a tony Kenwood penthouse or the clubroom of an upscale warm-weather resort. The strikingly crisp design from the aces at Shea is a welcome break from the usual swarthy river-rock/reclaimed wood combo seen ad nauseum. The moneyed and manicured diners breezily chat away in an understated display; the ever modest Minnesota mindset mimics the decor precisely.

The menu offers a blend of good-for-you grub with a pseudo-Asian-California-spa feel in visually appetizing platings. Fittingly, the menu comes with nutritional information, which complements the type of food being cooked. A word to the wise, however: caloric counts are almost impossible to pull off accurately, so use them as a reference and not an absolute. Unless there is a strict measure of each ingredient in a dish (or a Bunsen burner being used on the line to calculate finished dishes), you can assume a margin of error of approximately 100 calories.

Although there were a few good surprises, such as the sesame carrots (sweet and smoky), they could not compensate for the grass-fed filet of beef that was a mangled end cap of a tenderloin next to underdone "smash potatoes." Sadly this was not just an outlier, but rather the norm with a few exceptions. Upsides include toasty and tasty pita bread with hummus, sparkling and peppy fresh ginger beer, and desserts worth every calorie.

Service was, well, adorable albeit slightly clumsy--big on genuine friendliness and willing to accommodate requests at lightning speed. The complimentary valet is a great added bonus to the welcoming attitude that extends to the hosts working hard to make you feel at home. And the wine menu is notably elegant, offering a well chosen selection of all the best California has to offer. There are a lot of good things going on here; maybe in time the food will catch up.

MSP magazine visits Masu

2011-09-01T09:56:00.001-05:00

Peter Lilienthal of Mpls. St. Paul magazine gave his review of Masu Sushi & Robata in August and you can read it here.

Masu Sushi & Robata
by Peter Lilienthal, MSP magazine

Enjoy charcoal grilled robata and a comprehensive sushi menu.

Aspiring restaurateurs would be well-advised to take a page from the playbook of Sushi Avenue, the local food service company that recently opened Masu Sushi and Robata. First, it developed an anticipatory buzz by hiring James Beard Award–winning chef Tim McKee to consult and internationally acclaimed Shea Design to create the dining environment. Never mind that neither has an established background in Japanese dining; name recognition in the mix can work wonders.

The second sage move was to hire knowledgeable, experienced, and proven talent to execute the vision. One such seasoned veteran is Asan Yamamoto, a longtime Origami chef who presides behind the sushi bar. The other is Alex Chase, a widely traveled craftsman who oversees the open-to-view kitchen. And then there’s also bartender extraordinaire Johnny Michaels guiding the beverage operation.

On the whole, the concept comes together quite coherently. Whether it’s the fun, hip décor that features wall-sized blow-ups of an Asian model’s gazing visage, a collection of Japanese munny dolls and a small bank of pachinko machines, or the wonderful aroma of charcoal fired robata, there’s an abundance of sensory interest to experience. If I have any criticism, it’s that the emporium approach may be just a bit too stretched.

In addition to a comprehensive sushi menu, there are some 16 small plates, 29 robata choices, 14 noodle dishes, and six teishoku, or set meals. The challenge is figuring out how to mix, match, and time your ordering. For example, select a half dozen robata items and they’re held in the kitchen until all are finished cooking. When they ultimately arrive, some are hot off the fire and some are tepid from idling too long. Other items, especially small plates, get delivered helter-skelter when ready. At times it can get a bit chaotic, with noodle bowls being placed here and corn on the cob being placed there.

In general, the food is well conceived and solidly prepared. The sushi is made with a special variety of seasoned rice, and there are some excellent atypical choices such as superlative arctic char, imported Scottish salmon, and a faux eel option made from sea bass. If you enjoy pickles, the assortment of tsukemono is consistently wonderful, and if you’re up for a unique taste and texture combination, definitely consider the avocado and oyster tempura. Arguably the most enticing choices are the skewered and charcoal grilled robata preparations. Heading my hit parade are just about all of the bacon combinations—particularly the quail egg and the shrimp pairings. The delicious morsels of marinated rib eye, a delightfully flavored miso marinated cod, and simple but elegant seared asparagus are also excellent. At the “can be skipped” end of the continuum, I’d place the flavorless glazed pork ribs, the mushy beef and burdock rolls, and the lackluster chicken meatballs. I also wasn’t a great fan of the set meal I tried. The centerpiece was an attempt at a Japanese-style wafu hamburger that came smothered in mushrooms—its essence was lost in translation.

Other worthwhile choices include a terrific ramen boasting pieces of pork belly and roasted shoulder meat and a delightful meal-end treat of creamy coconut rice pudding brulée topped with fried, panko-crusted banana. Given the multiple-course nature of the menu, the wait staff has to stay on its toes to keep up with the flow, and it manages to do so impressively.

3 Great Plates

Ginger Duck Gyoza
A near- flawless package of crisp-edged pliant wrappers, a delectable ground meat interior, and a superbly matched ginger dipping sauce.

Tonkatsu Curry Ramen
If you only try one noodle dish, this combination of rich broth, crispy fried pork, Chinese broccoli, and a soft poached egg should be the one.

Masu Roll
This multi-dimensional construct of shrimp tempura, avocado, scallop, and salmon is definitely a front-runner in the roll sweepstakes.

AliShops checks out Gent

2011-08-30T15:49:00.002-05:00

Gent, a men's upscale barbershop concept, opened earlier this summer in St. Paul and Allison Kaplan from Mpls St. Paul magazine stopped by to check it out. Check out her review here:

Men Who Groom Together...
by Allison Kaplan, mspmag.com

Even more surprising than happening upon new men’s salon Gent at Victoria’s Crossing in St. Paul on Saturday: the place was hopping. One guy practiced on the putting green out front while a group of groomsmen sipped mimosas and watched sports highlights on the flatscreen. They were waiting for wedding day straight razor shaves.

The owner’s story is a familiar one: Local guy, unsatisfied with discount barber shops, but uncomfortable in girly salons. He’s created an upscale, masculine setting with haircuts starting at $29 (gray “blending” starts at $35). The staff includes both barbers and stylists. The salon is stocked with man toys: drinks, iPads, TVs.

Seems like a great idea, yet similar concepts for men have failed. One of the main Twin Cities competitors at the moment, Raze – with two west metro locations, is backed by behemoth Regis Corp.

Still, Gent has a great vibe. I like the decision to place it on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, where shoppers embrace local and men often get short shrift. What could give Gent that extra edge is retail. The front of the shop features cuff links and Leatherman tools. Grooming lines include Jack Black and Joe. Nothing too fancy or fussy – just cool stuff for men who care. Yes, guys, it’s cool to care. 867 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-797-4294

Strib gives Meritage 4 stars!

2011-08-17T17:30:00.001-05:00

Rick Nelson of the Star Tribune reviews Meritage this week and he states that "A dazzling new oyster bar has enriched the Meritage experience." Here at Shea, we LOVE that he thinks so, since we recently worked with the Kleins on the design of the new addition. We also agree with Rick...it is one of our favorite restaurants in town...and we think it deserves the 4 stars! Way to go Russell and Desta!

photo by Tom Wallace

Meritage is a place where seafood is king

Article by: RICK NELSON , Star Tribune Updated: August 17, 2011 - 3:38 PM
A dazzling new oyster bar has enriched the Meritage experience

Meritage doesn't bill itself as a seafood restaurant. But that's exactly what it is, plus a whole lot more. It just might be the best of its kind in the Midwest.

Here's the back story: The downtown St. Paul restaurant, which is just shy of its fourth birthday, is located off the glorious lobby of the equally glorious Hamm Building, and when an adjacent storefront became available last year, co-owners Russell and Desta Klein wisely snapped it up. The much-needed elbow room was transformed into an oyster bar outfitted in the same style as the urbane dining room, and voila: What had been a French restaurant with a flair for seafood has become a French-accented seafood fanatic's destination. And a fantastic one, at that.

What this diner appreciates most about chef Russell Klein's work, along with his faith in downtown St. Paul, is how he skillfully finds parity between classic and contemporary, formal and casual. That culinary balancing act is best viewed through the prism of lobster -- specifically, Klein's approach to it -- because anyone who loves lobster will adore Meritage.

Purists can enjoy it steamed and chilled, wrestling it to submission while it's still in the shell. Classicists will fall all over how Klein adds just enough gelatin to a decadent lobster consommé, fills it with generous chunks of tender poached lobster, then tops it with a sweet corn purée, a flavor marriage that can only be described as celestial. It's the epitome of excess, in a gleefully good way, and when that gossamer gelée comes in contact with your tongue, it melts back into consommé, a marvelous sleight-of-hand.

Klein also makes a wicked-good workingman's lobster roll, kissing the sweet, succulent meat with bits of tarragon and celery. It's an homage to his youth on New York's Long Island, where he spent plenty of time fishing the Atlantic and nurturing his passion for seafood.

Because the Kleins have gone to the considerable effort of developing relationships with purveyors on both coasts, their raw bar is stocked with oysters rarely, if ever, seen in the Twin Cities. Along with a second-to-none selection (which also happily includes whelks, coaxed from a Maine forager), the oysters are also beautifully and skillfully presented, a rarity for this landlocked region.

There can't be a more impressive shrimp cocktail. Klein doesn't pull any punches, using ultra-jumbo shrimp that are wild-caught off Mexico's Baja coast, then gently poaching them so each bite boasts a pronounced snap; the accompanying cocktail sauce is appropriately lively. Earlier this year, my favorite seat in the house was at the zinc-topped bar, where I indulged, guilt-free, in my hunger for sweet, unadulterated crab.

Even something so familiar as raw tuna gets the velvet glove treatment, tossing it with a feisty combination of ginger juice and a Sriracha-laced mayonnaise before spooning it into crunchy taro-root taco shells. They're $3.50 a pop, one of a half-dozen flirtatious little "amusements" -- don't miss the refreshing gazpacho, or the heart-attack-inducing duck liver pâté -- and limiting yourself to one is close to impossible.

Several entrees on the current menu are showcases for both seafood and Klein's considerable skills. He's at the top of his form with a riff on bouillabaisse, with a little ratatouille thrown in for good measure. It pays tribute to iconic French dishes while inserting a modern American interpretation, with crisp-skinned wild striped bass surrounded by a finely calibrated flurry of tastes. Ditto a reinvented Nicoise salad, with braised escarole pinch-hitting for fresh greens and velvety, barely seared yellowfin tuna as the main attraction.

There's a lovely risotto peppered with rock shrimp, the dish prepared with an enviable light touch. Thin ribbons of cool cucumbers and lushly smoked salmon, dressed, pitch-perfectly, with dill, mustard and fried capers, make for a memorably good salad. My sole disappointment, seafood-wise, was a past-its-prime serving of steamed blue mussels, a surprise -- and, I'm thinking, an anomaly -- for a kitchen that is otherwise so obviously detail-obsessed.

Beyond the sea

This is not just a fish story. A couscous house in Marseilles formed the inspiration for a boldly seasoned lamb/chicken/lamb-sausage dish, with each principal ingredient braised in the ever-more-concentrated juices of its predecessor. Klein puts out a dream of a pork chop and a grilled-to-perfection steak, and anyone in a roast-chicken-and-mashed potatoes mood need look no further than the expert version put forth here.

Yes, Meritage (the name rhymes with heritage) is as flexible as a Bikram yoga practitioner. A Wild fan in search of a phenomenal burger, equally addictive French fries and an ice-cold beer will feel right at home seated next to a table of special-occasion diners, and vice versa. The bar food is superb: fantastic smoked chicken wings, hearty pork rillette and divine roasted bone marrow, both spread across spears of grilled bread, and a flatbread dressed with a can't-miss combination of caramelized onions, bits of smoky bacon and a splash of crème fraîche.

The noon-hour soup-and-salad crowd will appreciate how Klein manages to make chicken soup with matzo balls an elegant experience. He captures sweet corn's summertime essence in a velouté cleverly garnished with corn-bread croutons; in a naughty turn, a bit of bacon fat adds another flavor dimension, but keeps the dizzyingly delicious results off limits to vegetarians.

Vegetables, dessert and more

That said, Klein doesn't forget about the meatless among his customer base, and he doesn't relegate them to dreary Pasta Primaveraland, either. Instead, he selects a seasonal vegetable -- right now it's sweet corn, but a few weeks ago it was English peas -- and incorporates it into an array of cleverly packaged bite-sized dishes on a single platter.

Post-Ordway sweet-seekers can find refuge in the traditionally minded desserts, which are painstakingly executed by sous chef Jon Beyreuther. There's an airy chocolate mousse crowned with an indecently rich dollop of whipped cream and dainty profiteroles drizzled with an intense chocolate sauce, but topping the don't-miss charts is a wonderfully tangy lemon tart.

More assets: Weekend brunch is a delight, and if my employer were based in the capital city, I'd make Meritage -- and the kitchen's perfectly turned omelet of the day -- my go-to business lunch reservation. A newly installed chef's table allows Klein to indulge in tasting-menu spontaneity. The sidewalk patio, with its scenic Rice Park surroundings, and the sweep of gleaming terra cotta gorgeousness that is the Hamm Building's facade, has few peers. There's even a terrific little weekday crêpe stand, a source for an ever-changing array of both savory and sweet streetwise snacks.

That restaurants are highly collaborative enterprises is immediately evident at Meritage, where the front-of-the-house crew operates with the well rehearsed timing of a long-running Broadway play, thanks to the efforts of Desta Klein and managers Nicolas Giraud and Mark Govich. Their collective sense of hospitality, which permeates down to the staffers filling the bread baskets and answering the telephone, is a model for other restaurateurs, and a pleasure to behold.

MERITAGE ★★★★

Location: 410 St. Peter St., St. Paul, 651-222-5670, www.meritage-stpaul.com

Hours: Dining room open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun. Bar menu served to 11 p.m. Tue.-Thu., to midnight Fri.-Sat.; drinks served one hour later.

Atmosphere: A stylish, big-city bistro with a small-town heart.

Service: Polished and professional, and nary a dreaded "Are you still working on that?" Sound level: Challenging but not punishing when full.

Recommended dishes: Shrimp cocktail, bone marrow, oysters, chicken soup, couscous "Royale," striped bass, "Composition of Summer Corn," lobster in gelée, tuna taco, burger and fries, lobster roll, lemon tart.

Wine list: Extensive, but could use more moderately priced options. The forward-thinking bar approaches cocktails -- love the absinthe program -- with passion and imagination.

Lunds Downtown Groundbreaking Sept 1!

2011-08-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

It's official and at Shea, we're excited to be a part of it! Check out the announcement from The Journal:

Lunds groundbreaking set for Sept. 1

August 17, 2011, 11:12am
By Sarah McKenzie, The Journal

The groundbreaking of the highly anticipated Lunds grocery store at 12th & Hennepin is set for Sept. 1.

City Council Member Lisa Goodman (7th Ward) and Tres Lund, CEO of Lund Food Holdings, will make remarks at the ceremony planned for 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. There will be a complimentary lunch of brats, hotdogs, chips and watermelon.

The new Lunds, set to open next summer, will be about 20,000 square feet. A 5,600-square-foot Lunds Wine Market will open next to the store at 1208 Harmon Ave.

Mill Valley Kitchen on KARE 11

2011-08-16T09:29:00.002-05:00

Our friends from Mill Valley Kitchen were featured this weekend on KARE 11. On the program, Chef Mike Rakun prepares seabass for Belinda (and they even sneak in some shots of the awesome interior of the restaurant.) As Belinda mentions, people seem to really like the fact that MVK posts nutrition information right on the menu. If you haven't been, you should go check it out and let us know what you think. This video will make you hungry for sure!

Shea at the OIGA Conference this week.

2011-08-14T20:51:00.001-05:00

This week, Shea is proud to be participating in the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) Conference, an event with over 2,500 industry professionals from all over the country attending this premier event specifically devoted to all aspects of the Indian Gaming industry. On Wednesday, August 17, David Shea will be teaming up with David Rittvo of Innovation Food & Beverage and Charles Lawrence of Ovations Food Services on a presentation called "Making the Most of Your Food and Beverage: a discussion about current trends, operations and design." For more information on the conference, visit: http://www.okindiangaming.org/conference.html

Congrats to Black Sheep Pizza

2011-08-09T10:17:00.001-05:00

We just caught this little blurb in the Star Tribune about our buddies over at Black Sheep Pizza. We recently helped them with the launch of their second location in St. Paul and couldn't be more proud to be associated. Congrats to Jordan and everyone at Black Sheep Pizza!!

photo by Tom Wallace, Star Tribune

Black Sheep rated among nation's best pizzas
Paul Walsh, Star Tribune

The Food Network is out with its top pizza choices nationwide, and a pie maker with two Twin Cities locales ranks among the best.

Black Sheep Pizza, with outlets in the Minneapolis Warehouse District and downtown St. Paul, comes in at No. 7. The network chose one restaurant for each state and then ranked them.

"Chef-owner Jordan Smith takes advantage of his setup to create super-crisp crusts that stay crunchy no matter what he puts on them," the network notes.

Smith's tastiest pie, the critique continues, is a sauce-free pizza with oyster mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, ricotta, rosemary and shaved garlic.

Heavy Table visits Saffron

2011-08-09T10:04:00.000-05:00

Just a few short weeks ago, Shea worked with Saffron on a refresh of the bar and dining room, adding some softer, more casual touches with subtle Moroccan and Mediterranean influences. The restaurant reemerged with a revamp of the menu as well, and Jill Lewis took an in-depth look at Saffron for Heavy Table. You can find her high praises here, but be careful....it will likely make you really hungry:

Saffron in the Minneapolis Warehouse District

by Jill Lewis on August 9, 2011

photo by Beth Dilley / Heavy Table

Two restaurants straddle either side of North Third Street between First and Second avenues in downtown Minneapolis. On the north side is 112 Eatery, with a kitchen run by a James Beard Award-winning chef and accolades from everyone from The New York Times to your mother. It’s routinely singled out for its sophisticated yet affordable cuisine and is on the must-try list of every foodie in town.

Or so I’ve heard. I’ve never eaten there.

With a menu that features a pork product in at least half of its dishes — and shellfish in many of the remaining — I, a Jew who doesn’t eat either of those foods, don’t have much left to choose, and so I’ve never been. But don’t cry for me, Twin Cities. The restaurant on the south side of North Third, Saffron, is the answer to my pork-free prayers. And it’s no consolation prize — the top-notch Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food that graces the warm and vibrant dining room rivals the best dishes coming out of any area kitchen, and they back up my long-standing argument that you don’t need proscuitto or lardons to create a winning meal.

Chef Sameh Wadi, whose Muslim beliefs inform his decision to keep pork off his menu, instead has homed in on the flavors and spices that make the food from this region simultaneously exotic and comforting. Gently cooked vegetables, fragrant sauces, and tender meats benefit from a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of garlic, or a blend of fiery peppers. A dab of yogurt or a shower of coriander seeds can do as much for a dish as a crumbled slice of pancetta. With each bite you can taste the love and layers of flavor that generations of cooks have perfected — and Wadi has updated them for the present.

A recent overhaul of the menu has led to a new focus on mezze (small plates), and you’d be smart to start off your meal with a bunch of them. Perhaps the hummus (above left, $6 plain / $8-9 with toppings) doesn’t tempt you due to its ubiquity these days, but don’t overlook it. This hummus is the real deal — light, lemony, and bursting with freshness. That pasty puree you buy at the grocery store shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath at Saffron’s hummus. For an extra treat, top it with bastirma, silky, house-cured beef that offers a slightly salty contrast to the smooth hummus. Or, if you insist on skipping the hummus, order the charred fresh chickpeas (above right, $6), which you squeeze out of the pods like edamame, capturing the bits of lemon juice and sea salt with each slurp. The starters match beautifully with the non-alcoholic refreshments ($4.50) on the drinks menu — go for the Blood & Fire with watermelon and cucumber, or a Moroccan Chiller with mango, pineapple, orange, hibiscus, and orange blossom water.

A taste of Spain comes in the form of chicken and mushroom croquettes ($6), which win you over with their crispy shell and warm, umami-rich filling. Greece shows up as grilled haloumi cheese ($5) sandwiched between thick cubes of watermelon and a sprinkle of mint. The bready cheese features a tasty layer of char atop a crumbly, salty interior, providing a pleasing contrast to the sweet, juicy melon and cool mint. The crispy potato chips ($5) are addictive enough on their own, but the addition of za’tar yogurt and piquillo pepper sauce give your tongue a hot-and-cold roller-coaster ride that takes the chips over the top. If you’d rather steer clear of the fryer, the slow cooked green beans ($6) satisfy with a spicy tomato sauce that may cause you to reach for your cocktail a few extra times (try the Saffron Rose with gin, saffron, rose water, and sparkling rosé) but still leaves you wanting more.

The salads, apps, and sides section of the menu offers a little something for everyone. For those who are really missing their pork, substitute a lamb BLT ($8) with lamb bacon, saffron-tomato jam, and arugula on vanilla egg bread. Though the bacon isn’t crispy, as I’ve heard all good bacon should be, it is richly seasoned and meets its match with the sweet, meaty jam. The watermelon and heirloom tomato salad ($8) gets its kicks from charred jalapeño and then relief from the smooth cow’s-milk feta. Feta also makes an appearance — dehydrated, no less — sprinkled atop the grilled corn ($5), giving it an additional layer of crunch along with the zing of the ras el hanout seasoning. The snap of the sweet corn contrasts beautifully with the soft, pillowy interior of the coriander potatoes ($7), which, when swirled with the roasted tomatoes and caramelized paprika butter, create a silky sensation in your mouth.

With so many appealing choices on the top half of the menu, it’s a wonder many diners make it to the bottom half, which features the full-size entrées. But you’ll want to save room for the duck leg tagine ($27), bolstered by preserved lemons, olives, raisins, potatoes, and saffron. This traditional, slow-cooked Moroccan dish boasts tender, perfumed meat that you hardly have to chew — but you’ll want to so you can savor every mouthful of duck, potato, and sauce. A more decadent choice would be the sautéed Parisian gnocchi swimming in a black-truffle taleggio fondue ($18). Using the word “rich” to describe that cheese sauce is almost an understatement — it’s a good thing those delicate summer vegetables, like bite-size artichoke hearts, are there to lighten up each bite of toothsome dumplings.

Even if you don’t have enough room for an entrée, you should squeeze in some dessert before you depart. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on chocolate ganache cake ($8) with flavors so dark that you might be converted from milk chocolate forever. A dusting of coffee and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream provide all the sweet and spice you need for a well-rounded dessert. You may be intrigued by the olive oil couscous cake ($7), and it’s a great excuse to break out of your dessert rut. The moist, delicately flavored cake is the ideal base for sweet pineapple and yogurt sorbet, and the few spoonfuls of berries complete the dish with their juicy, jammy bite. If somehow you do find yourself with more than just a few bites left in you, order the blueberry and peach trifle ($7), which layers vanilla-baked peaches and blueberry-hibiscus preserves with a soft lemon cake, candied ginger cream, and a crunchy topping of rice krispy clusters. The baked peaches are still firm and act as a pleasing counterpart to the plush cake and syrupy blueberries. Pair with a soft sherry or sweet muscat, and you’ll linger so long that the tick of your parking meter is the only signal that any time has passed at all.

Pork, schmork — Saffron proves you don’t need anything porcine to make a first-class meal. With a chef like Wadi at the helm, a welcoming, generous, and knowledgeable staff (my gluten-free dining companion was impressed by the care with which our waiter walked her through the menu), and a delightful, inviting decor (gone are the white tablecloths of yore), Saffron is a gem of a restaurant that has earned every bit of its praise. You can keep your bacon and pork belly — I’ll be sticking to the south side of North Third Street and enjoying every bite.

BEST BET: The hummus with bastirma ($9) should be the first thing everyone orders, with the duck leg tagine ($7) coming in second.

Saffron
Middle Eastern / Mediterranean in the Warehouse District
124 N Third St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612.746.5533

HOURS:
Mon-Thurs 5-10pm
Sat-Sun 5-11pm
Happy hour Mon-Fri 4-6pm
CHEF / OWNER: Sameh Wadi
RESERVATIONS / RECOMMENDED: Yes/ On weekends
BAR: Full
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Yes / Some mezze
ENTREE PRICE: $18-29 for entrées, $5-9 for mezze

NRN Hot Concept: Crave

2011-08-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

Last week, Nation's Restaurant News announced its picks for the 2011 Hot Concepts award winners, and one of Shea's favorite client concepts, Crave, made the cut. This week, the magazine is spotlighting each of the five winners, and today Crave was the feature. Check it out below:

Hot Concepts! 2011: Crave
Casual chain weathers recession  with upscale touches, value focus

August 2, 2011
By Mark Brandau

Last week, NRN introduced the 2011 Hot Concepts! award winners. The Hot Concepts! awards are given each year by Nation’s Restaurant News to young, growing chains that embody the perseverance and entrepreneurial spirit of the restaurant industry. This week, find out more about each of the five concepts who were able to identify and capitalize upon opportunities in their markets across varying cuisine, service style and formality. Today's winner spotlight is on Crave.

Concept snapshot
Concept name:  Crave Restaurant
Owner: Crave Restaurant 
Headquarters:  Bloomington, Minn. 
Year founded: 2007
Segment: upscale casual 
No. of units: 6 
States where  located: Minnesota, Florida, Nebraska 
Systemwide sales: undisclosed 
Average unit volume: more than $6 million
Average check:  $24-$25 
Target markets: eastern states, particularly Florida 
Method of growth/funding: private
Vision: an upscale-casual American chain incorporating the “tremendous evolution” of sushi  

Kam Talebi, founder and chief executive of Bloomington, Minn.-based Crave, could not have foreseen the worldwide economic downturn that metastasized months after he opened the first location of his upscale-casual chain in 2007. But what he did correctly predict at the time — a “tremendous evolution” of sushi in the marketplace — allowed the chain to thrive in the challenging years that followed, he said. 

Crave, which incorporates sushi into its extensive menu of seasonal American dishes, now has six units in three states and has grown average unit volume every year since it opened. Talebi did not share systemwide sales figures, but said average unit volume is “north of $6 million.”  

“[Generally speaking], it would be challenging to build a business model that incorporated sushi into American, but it’s in our blood,” Talebi said. “Given the complete nature of what we wanted to create — an upscale-casual concept with the element of a full bar and wine program, and a concept geared more toward the female demographic — sushi was a perfect fit.”  

That first location went into the Galleria mall in Edina, Minn., an affluent suburb of the Twin Cities. The mall’s 70-percent-female customer base was just the venue Crave needed to test out its concept, which aimed to balance serving adults with sushi and a wine program while also catering to families. 

“We wanted to make sure we were family friendly and that we appeal to a mass audience, but that we’re not generic in nature or in the quality of our food,” Talebi said. “Fine dining was becoming a dinosaur, and we saw that coming in 2007. We wanted a menu that was approachable.” 

Crave built three more locations in the Minneapolis market and expanded into Orlando, Fla., and Omaha, Neb., which Talebi calls a “real sleeper market.” 

The diverse menu required of any upscale-casual brand — Crave offers filets and New York strips for the expense-account diner trading down from the steakhouse, as well as pizza and pasta for a family celebrating a child’s birthday — gives customers points of entry at different price tiers, Talebi said. The restaurant’s average check is $24 to $25. 

“It’s a wide range, but we’re committed to quality,” he said. “Yes, we run the risk of higher food costs, but I’d rather invest in the food than a marketing campaign. The food sells itself and the concept, and our customers promote the concept.” 

A focus on value and engaging restaurant decor also help drive traffic, Talebi said. Lunch specials of a half-sandwich, a personal pizza or a sushi bento box plus a side for $9.95 provide an accessible price point, as do $3 to $5 happy-hour bar bites. 

“During the recession we were able to get the customer to trade up from Applebee’s or Ruby Tuesday for just $5 more,” he said. “We tried to make the restaurant chic and vibrant, and we got corporate customers to come down from Morton’s or Capital Grille and walk away with the same experience.” 

Because Crave devotes equal space to the dining room and the bar area, with a floor-to-ceiling wine tower separating the two, one guest could come back several times to entertain her family, her clients or herself, Talebi added. 

“Depending on where you are in the restaurant, you get a different experience,” he said. “That’s what makes our customers repeat visitors.” 

Talebi wants to work his way east with Crave’s expansion, with a particular interest in Florida. For 2012, one location is slated for the Midwest, and two will go up in the Northeast, he said. 

“I’m privately held, and I don’t have to grow a certain number of units per year,” he said. “I look for the right opportunities and let that drive our growth.”

Crave named a 2011 Hot Concept by NRN magazine!

2011-08-03T15:48:00.001-05:00

Congrats to Crave on being named a 2011 Hot Concept. We are proud to have been a part of the Crave design team since its inception at Galleria in 2008. Read the announcement below from the Mpls. St. Paul Business Journal, which contains a link to the article in Nation's Restaurant News:

Crave's downtown Minneapolis location's rooftop deck.

Crave restaurant named a Hot Concepts! Award winner

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - by Ed Stych
Wednesday, August 3, 2011, 1:44pm CDT

Crave has been named one of Nation's Restaurant News' (NRN) five 2011 Hot Concepts! Award winners.

Minneapolis-based Crave, which opened its latest location in downtown Minneapolis earlier this year, will be honored at the 52nd Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference in Grapevine, Texas, Sept. 25-27.

The Hot Concepts! award recognizes "forward-thinking companies with emerging growth potential that appeal to consumers and position themselves at the leading edge of the foodservice industry," the NRN website said.

NRN likes that Crave features American seasonal cuisine, a big wine list and has a focus on sushi that helps attract women to the restaurants.

Crave is projecting $38 million in sales this year and $60 million next year, NRN reported. The chain expects to add three or four locations a year.

Crave has locations in Minneapolis, the Galleria in Edina, the Shops at West End in St. Louis Park, the Mall of America Mall of America in Bloomington, Orlando, Fla. and Omaha, Neb.

>Click here to read the story.

David Shea talks to the Strib about the restaurant boom

2011-08-01T13:45:00.002-05:00

Restaurant boom trickles down
Sometimes starry-eyed entrepreneurs don't think of important things when looking for a location, such as exhaust systems and ductwork.

Article by: DON JACOBSON , Special to the Star Tribune Updated: July 31, 2011 - 2:21 PM

The restaurant industry is in an upswing both in the Twin Cities and around the country, with investments pouring in, people being hired and entrepreneurs dreaming big, according to local real estate and other professionals who make the new dining spots happen.

The upsurge is proving fruitful for construction crews, architects and real estate brokers in a generally slow-growth economic environment -- not to mention the staffs of chefs and servers needed to cater to the growing crowds of diners.

Seasonally adjusted figures compiled by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development indicate that in June there were 158,500 people employed in the Twin Cities' leisure and hospitality industries, which include restaurants -- a 4,300-worker jump from June 2010.

Plenty of entrepreneurs, attracted to the restaurant industry's glamour, are coming forward with plans to convert vacant real estate into the latest hot concept. But beware, industry experts say -- the costs of opening a new eatery can quickly get out of control and profits suffer if utmost care isn't taken in the planning stage.

One of the most active local construction firms in the Twin Cities' restaurant field is Zeman Construction Co., of Golden Valley, which has performed build-out work for such eateries as Pizza Luce, Doolittles Woodfire Grill and the Loring Kitchen & Bar.

Zeman project manager David Kalogerson says his firm is getting a steady flow of restaurant work at a time when things in many other parts of the construction industry are slow at best.

He warned, however, that despite the boom restaurateurs must make smart choices at the beginning of the process about where to locate, and he's talking more than just cities and blocks. The location will largely dictate the size of the investment they will have to make in the "back-of-the-room" equipment, and thus play a big role in the enterprise's future profitability.

"The biggest cost item they usually have to deal with is the hood exhaust and the fresh air supply into the kitchen," he said. "If you're cooking food, you have to install welded, fireproof exhaust systems that can be very costly, especially if you choose to locate in a building that's higher than a single story."

That was the case with two of Zeman's clients -- the Loring Kitchen & Bar and the soon-to-open Zen Box Izakaya Japanese Pub & Kitchen in the Mill District City Apartments, Kalogerson said. Both needed to have shafts constructed from their spaces through the upper floors of their buildings to the roof, then have fire-rated ductwork lowered through the opening with a crane.

"Most restaurant owners aren't aware of the special kind of ductwork they're going to need and that can really hurt the pocketbook if it's not addressed at the start," he said.

Also feeling the upsurge in the restaurant industry is Minneapolis-based Shea Inc., which does architecture and interior design, marketing and planning work for new restaurants around the country.

Founder David Shea said his firm is doing restaurant work in 20 states and that the sector is indeed booming in most places, including the Twin Cities, where he has recently worked with two new eateries: the Mill Valley Kitchen in St. Louis Park and Masu Sushi & Robata on East Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

The restaurant boom, he said, has attracted people "with stars in their eyes" who have romantic notions about how much fun it would be to run a popular restaurant while also raking in profits. Many of them, he said, have no idea of the start-up costs that need to be taken into account.

"Where's the trash going to be located? Where will the coolers go and what about the exhaust? People don't even think about things like that and instead concentrate on the 'pretty stuff' in the front of the room," Shea said.

Forty percent of a restaurant's costs are its mechanical systems, without which "none of the pretty stuff will work," he said, adding that locations need to be chosen not just because they're appealing aesthetically, but also because they work from construction-cost and marketing standpoints.

"I'm a businessperson first, and when you're spending up to $350 per square foot for a build-out on a place, you darn well should think about those things."

"It's very expensive to open a restaurant and sometimes you can get in, you open and you find yourself undercapitalized," added Andrea Christensen, a retail broker and vice president with Cassidy Turley who specializes in matching restaurant entrepreneurs with the right space.

She said miscalculations about the up-front expenses of a new eatery can lead to a series of cost-cutting measures later on that can put it permanently behind the eight ball.

"You can get behind on your liquor taxes, then you can get in trouble with your vendors and you start losing your good servers. Once a restaurant goes into a downward spiral like that, it's hard to turn it around."

Because banks are still reluctant to lend to restaurant entrepreneurs, they usually rely on "angel" investments from individuals to fund their start-up costs. And like early-stage venture capitalists in medical devices or software, those investors stand to make healthy returns if their bets turn out to be big winners.

But, Christensen cautioned, restaurateurs need to be aware that such investors usually want to be "silent" and aren't interested in follow-on infusions of cash should the eatery struggle.

"These backers usually invest everything they can afford to lose right at the start," she said. "They don't want to be on the lease or to be put at further risk."

Don Jacobson is a St. Paul-based freelance writer.

Need a haircut? Gent Cuts & Grooming

2011-07-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

Thrillist just posted their recommendation of this great new concept: a cool place for guys to go to get their hair (and facial hair) cut. It's called Gent Cuts & Grooming, it's in St. Paul, and Shea is psyched to have designed the space. Check out the Thrillist post below!

Gent Cuts & Grooming
Shave and a haircut...and like 70 other things

It's tough to find a place that makes getting your hair cut actually enjoyable, as while Supercuts is as hip as you want to be, it's also as lame as a place that would have that as their slogan. For a spot aiming to make you both comfortable and handsome: Gent Cuts & Grooming.

From a local guy tired of choosing between discount cutteries and lady-oriented salons, this brand-new, darkly wooded St. Paul men's salon barbershop place to get your hair cut twists old-school comfort (plush leather barber chairs, lounge with a help-yourself beverage fridge) with tech-ier upgrades like flatscreens at each station, and iPads pre-loaded with wait-killing fun, meaning watching jealous women pass by on the way to their haircuts won't be the only way you'll see Angry Birds! Heyo! The reasonably priced cuts start at $29, and they also offer expert beard and mustache trims, as well as legit straight razor shaves thanks to their official barbershop license, also something you wish you could flash when someone asks you to stop singing Hello My Baby! in C Major. And because even the jauntiest mustache trim only takes you so far, they're hawking glass-cased products from brands like Joe Grooming, Jack Black, and American Crew, as well as shaving accessories (straight and safety razors, brushes, grooming and Dopp kits) from Dovo Products, barware, cufflinks, and steel wallets, presumably heavy enough to ensure no pick-pocket can.

And should you get there so early that you actually beat Angry Birds, they'll roll out a putting green on which you can kill some more time working on your short game -- so unlike Supercuts, it actually will be all in the hips.

Go to GentCG.com to make your appointment for their grand-opening day when all services'll be 50% off and all merch 25% off, from 10a-6p

Rye Delicatessen and Bar coming soon!

2011-07-27T11:39:00.001-05:00

One of the newer projects at Shea has been a collaboration with David Weinstein and Tobie Nidetz on a concept going into the space that formerly housed Auriga in Minneapolis. Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl from Minnesota Monthly recently spoke with Tobie to get the scoop on what they have in store. You can check out the article here:

Welcome Rye, the Forthcoming Minneapolis Deli

By Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, Minnesota Monthly

I’d heard that Tobie Nidetz, the famous local restaurant consultant (who helped develop Ike’s, BLVD, and countless other restaurants here and in Chicago), was opening a Montreal-style deli in the old Auriga space with business partner David Weinstein. (Auriga was on Hennepin Avenue, just north of Franklin Avenue, on the edge of Kenwood in Minneapolis.) Now they’ve announced the final name: Rye Delicatessen & Bar. I called him up to get the inside scoop, and learned first and foremost, it is not a Montreal-style deli.

“It’s really not a Montreal deli,” Nidetz told me. “Someone took the ball with that and kind of ran with it in the wrong direction.” Well, what is it then? It is, Nidetz tells me, a “Minneapolis-style deli.” Which means what? “I don’t know yet,” Nidetz laughed.

“We’re just in the stages of trying to figure out what that means. I don’t want to try to create a New York deli in Minneapolis, or a Chicago deli, or any other deli. Minneapolis can have its own flavor.” Nidetz told me he’s experimenting with grass-fed local brisket to see if it can be turned into good corned beef and pastrami, and he’ll also be working with local produce in season to make Rye’s house-made pickles, which will be cured in the traditional way, with only salt and spices, not with vinegar.

Nidetz said he thought that the Montreal rumor got started because he’ll be making pastrami the way they do in Montreal, using beef brisket instead of beef plate, and not smoking with wood, but instead letting the meat drippings burn off and provide the smoke. Rye will also be using the whole brisket, which consists of the fatty top, the “deckle,” and the leaner lower part, called the “flat.” So you’ll be able to request your sandwich as all-deckle or all-flat, if you’re so inclined. This, by the by, is delicatessen insiderness on par with being able to name the starting line-up of the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers, and betokens one truly serious deli. Much more serious than anything else we’ve got around here, it seems. That all-deckle pastrami will be served with your choice of egg cream, cocktail, noodle or potato kugel (a traditional casserole-like baked dish in the same general ballpark as an egg bake), matzoh ball soup, kasha-varnishkas, potato knishes, potato pancakes—in short, the works. It also will be deliverable to your house, if you live in the area, or deliverable to your party; Rye plans to eventually do a lot of catering.

And what if you’re catering for a non-pastrami eating crowd? Nidetz tells me that there will actually be an extensive number of vegetarian options, some in the old deli tradition, and some in the new deli tradition of Middle Eastern, Israeli, and Sephardic foods. Rye is scheduled to open (if construction goes well) in October; they’ll serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner counter-service style, in the way of French Meadow and Common Roots. And they will be making bagels and bialys! Bialys, of course, are the flat onion-filled bagel cousins which are not boiled, and are thus more tender than bagels. Heretofore, the only good ones in Minnesota have been at Nick and Eddie on Loring Park. What will it mean to Minnesotans to have two bialys to choose from? I don’t know, but I am thrilled to get to do that choosing.

Now it looks like the only question is: Which of the following top Minnesota delis will get knocked out of the top six? Here’s my list of the best delicatessens in the state, with a brief reason why. I have two criteria for great delis, by the way: First, great food; second, a coursing bit of soul that animates the place. There’s no such thing as a good soulless delicatessen.
1. Brother’s
The soft and spicy pastrami at downtown Minneapolis' weekday breakfast- and lunch-only Brother’s is legendary, just right, and delicious. The old-school office-worker vibe and retired guys coming down for lunch and good-natured grumpiness just adds to the charm. thebrothersdeli.com

2. Be’Wiched
Locavore, chef-driven, delicious! It’s hard to focus on the pastrami at this Loop stalwart only because their specials are so excellent, but this outstanding spot proves that young whippersnappers love pastrami as much as those who saw Sinatra in his prime. Also, good news for downtowners: Be’Wiched now delivers to downtown offices for lunch. Check their website for details. bewicheddeli.com

3. Cecil’s
St. Paul represent! This classic St. Paul deli is hard to describe if you’ve never been there; it’s a little like a perfect 1971 suburban kitchen, trapped in amber, happily. No one ever has to describe it because every single person in St. Paul has been there. Right? Tip: The cold beet borscht is great on a hot day. cecilsdeli.com

4. Mort’s Deli
A brand new and yet totally classic New York deli. How New York is it? They get their bagels from H&H and their pastrami and corned beef from the Carnegie Deli. morts-deli.com

5. Crossroads
A lot of people in Hopkins know the Crossroads simply as the best casual family restaurant in town—but a lot of pilgrims from all over the state know it as the source of the best matzoh ball soup in town. crossroadsdelicatessen.com

6. Northern Waters Smokehouse
This is not a delicatessen! But I felt compelled to include it anyway, because this smokehouse has extra portions of soul—albeit Duluth, legacy-of-Lake-Superior-fishing soul. The pastrami from this smokehouse is also the worthiest pastrami I know of north of Larpenteur Avenue. Unless there’s something great in Winnipeg? northernwaterssmokehaus.com

Mpls St Paul magazine's "Food Fight Issue"

2011-07-25T17:13:00.002-05:00

Mpls St Paul magazine has just put out a "Food Fight Issue," where the publication's food critics claim to have settled the great restaurant debates and determined the Best of the Best. As usual, their picks for everything from the best fries to the the best burgers include several of our clients and friends and we are proud to be associated. Here are a few of the mentions...the rest can be found in the August issue on stands now. Congrats to all the winners...

Best Pulled Pork: Brasa

Marianne Miller Quick Pick: Salad Bar at Fogo de Chao

Andrew Zimmern Quick Pick: Sweet Potatoes with andouille sausage at Brasa

Best Thick-Cut, Skin-on Fries: Yum Kitchen & Bakery (so good they landed on the cover!!)

Runner Up for Best Pizza: Black Sheep Pizza

Best Ice Cream: Izzy's

Also in this issue of Mpls St. Paul magazine:

Stephanie March reveals some "Juicy Bits from the Local Food World," where she mentions Mill Valley Kitchen. She writes, "The chic Shea-designed eatery has the feeling of casual fine dining with stemware, dark wood tables, and pleasant eco-hues scattered about."

And in the Eat + Drink section, Peter Lilienthal reviews Masu Sushi and Robata. He seemed to like just about everything and he starts his article with some high praise for the team. "Aspiring restaurateurs would be well-advised to take a page from the playbook of Sushi Avenue, the local food service company that recently opened Masu Sushi and Robata. First, it developed an anticipatory buzz by hiring James Beard Award-winning chef Tim McKee to consult and internationally acclaimed Shea Design to create the dining environment."

Thanks for the props, guys!! All the full articles can be found in the August issue of Mpls St. Paul magazine.

MASU

2011-07-21T09:58:00.001-05:00

Shea's latest venture with Chef Tim McKee, Masu Sushi and Robata, is now open in Northeast Minneapolis. In addition to word on the street toting how wonderful it is, Rick Nelson of the Star Tribune gives a rave review in this week's Taste section. Read below for his review:

Masu goes beyond sushi

Article by: RICK NELSON , Star Tribune
A winning collaboration brings flavorful attention to the art of Japanese cooking.

The Twins should be so lucky to have an opening lineup as starry as the one at Masu Sushi & Robata.

Let's start with the money. The cash behind this game-changing Japanese restaurant is Nay Hla, owner of Eagan-based Sushi Avenue, which supplies sushi to supermarkets, colleges and corporate campuses. That kind of volume translates into ultra-pristine fish and competitive prices, the two friends of sushi lovers everywhere.

For his first foray into restaurants, Hla did his homework. He wisely lured longtime Origami chef Katsuyuki (A-san) Yamamoto to oversee sushi operations. The effort has paid off, because Yamamoto and his crew are turning out some of the most artful nigiri, sashimi and makizushi in the Twin Cities. Even the most ordinary of selections is touched with go-the-extra-mile flourishes. It's so pretty that Masu probably boasts more Flickr images per capita than any other local restaurant.

But what really sets Masu apart from its formulaic brethren is Hla's other hire, consulting chef Tim McKee. Is there anything this guy can't do? In the past decade, McKee has ventured beyond the Mediterranean platform of his high-end La Belle Vie and applied his considerable creative force to an increasingly eclectic mix of cuisines. In many ways, Masu is the farthest from McKee's comfort zone, although if he's feeling any anxiety about his inaugural venture into Asian flavors and traditions, it's not apparent.

What's most admirable about McKee's work is the way he surveyed the competition and determined that the standard sushi-tempura-bento setup was too narrow a snapshot for the wide-angle lens that is Japanese cuisine. Enter robata, the grilling tradition that, for reasons I have never understood, has barely achieved a toehold in the local dining market. It's such a satisfying way to dine: You start ordering, tapas-style, one skewered and grilled bite-sized nibble after another, until your appetite is ready to cry hakufu (that's uncle in Japanese).

With robata, the hardwood charcoal-fueled fire is less about infusing foods with smoke and more about quickly searing uncomplicated ingredients with high heat. At Masu, the 30 or so grill selections cover a lot of ground, from vegetables, to a half-dozen seafood items, to pork and beef, most of them brushed with a ginger or miso glaze before they hit that grill. There's plenty to love -- chief among them the cod, the sardines, the beef rolled around burdock, the irresistible chicken meatballs -- but my favorites are the goodies (asparagus, tofu, quail eggs) wrapped in smoky bacon.

Unlike the many exceptional pho joints in this town, which have taught several generations of Minnesotans the merits of a big, steaming bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup, there are few places that shine a spotlight on Japanese noodle soups. This is where Masu really shines, partly because McKee builds his foundations with such care. The menu's dozen or so variations feature soba, udon and ramen, all hand-pulled by a Los Angeles noodle-maker. The broths, slowly nurtured over 12 hours, are richly intense and filled with a finely calibrated variety of flavors and textures.

When they arrive at the table, you can't help but close your eyes, wrap your hands around the handsome earthenware bowls and take a deep, restorative inhale. I'm crazy about the udon-edamame-crab combo, and the soba with ginger and green onions, but the real star of the show is the ramen -- crimped, golden, glorious -- paired with a slab of seductively fatty pork belly and a barely poached egg. To say that it is one of the more memorable dishes being served in the seven-county metro area is an understatement.

Another standout: the terrific slider-sized sandwiches, made with steamed buns and filled with all manner of deliciousness: crisp fried tofu with tangy pickles, that fantastic pork belly, teriyaki-glazed chicken with wonderfully sour kimchi. They're only served at lunch, a bummer because they could round out the evening menu's short and creative list of izakaya, the small plates that are an integral part of Japanese pub culture. Don't-miss items include the refreshing quail-egg/oyster shooter, the delicate avocado-crab spring rolls and the exceptional sautéed shishito peppers finished with dried tuna.

An exceptional crew

Masu's top crew from left: chefs, Katsuyuki Yamamoto, Alex Chase, Tim McKee and mixolgist, Johnny Michaels.

McKee enlisted several members of his deep La Belle Vie talent pool to contribute to the Masu effort. Chef Alex Chase delivers discipline and consistency in the kitchen on a day-to-day basis, mixmaster Johnny Michaels is responsible for the you've-gotta-try-this cocktail list and pastry chef Diane Yang has made a valiant effort at negotiating a balance between Minnesota tastes and Japanese sweets.

Shea Inc., the Minneapolis design firm, got into the act, too, with energetic results. To transform a former cookware store, a modest budget was stretched by blending art gallery elements -- a haunting series of images that are the collaboration of photographer Michael Haug and model Margaret Sinarath, amusing anime graphics by comic artist Jesse Barstad -- with colorful pop culture fixes. These are in the form of Japanese pinball-meets-slot machines and a rogue's gallery of Munny dolls, Japan's too-cool-for-school version of the Cabbage Patch Kid crossed with an action figure. My favorite seat? At the bar, where sushi chefs and bartenders work side-by-side behind a curving stretch of reclaimed white oak, the timbers anchored by intricate bowtie notches.

Even the restaurant's PR push was a high-water mark, with an opening weekend that launched the kind of social media tsunami usually associated with, say, a Lindsay Lohan court appearance. For three days my Twitter feed was nothing but Masu, Masu, Masu. But for once, the frenzy was justified, because the restaurant represents a welcome turn toward the novel in Japanese dining. And that, my friends, is a message that's totally worth tweeting.

Gent Cuts & Grooming now open

2011-07-19T13:00:00.000-05:00

Shea has unveiled its latest project, a men's grooming concept in St. Paul. It opened to the public last week at Victoria and Grand Avenue. Join us at the official Grand Opening on August 6. Details in the press release below. Check it out:

Gent Cuts & Grooming opens shop on Grand Avenue

MINNEAPOLIS (July 19, 2011) – In the past, whenever Michael Boyle was in need of a haircut, he was disillusioned with his choices. He desired more attention and service than one can find at a typical discount cuttery and felt out of place at his wife Crystal’s full-service, female-oriented salon. This market gap presented an opportunity for the Boyles to develop Gent, a haircut and grooming concept focused on men. The pair worked with Shea, Inc., a Minneapolis based marketing and design firm, on the concept, which debuted last week at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Victoria St. in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Gent’s focus is on salon services for men in a comfortable, casual environment. It combines the services of a traditional barbershop with the offerings and amenities of a full-service salon at a reasonable price point. Cuts start at $29 and other services include color, straight razor shaves and mustache and beard trims. (Gent also offers a 10% discount to all military, police and fire personnel.)

The masculine, comfortable reception area welcomes you with oversized leather chairs, a 55” flat screen TV, a fridge stocked with water and soft drinks, a fresh coffee station and iPads preloaded with game and magazine apps. Six stylist stations are each equipped with old-school barber chairs and dedicated shampoo sinks as well as TVs for individual client viewing.

Gent offers several lines of premium hair care products as well as shaving and grooming merchandise. In addition, Gent carries men’s accessories and gift items including cufflinks, wallets and barware. Over time, the Boyles intend to expand their retail and gift selection.

Shea, Inc. helped to develop the Gent brand and designed the logo as well as the space, and Flannery Construction was retained for the build-out. The concept was developed as a prototype for potential future expansion.

A grand opening celebration featuring 50% off all services and 25% off all merchandise will take place on August 6, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments can be made at 651-797-4294 and walk-ins are welcome.

Gent Cuts & Grooming, 867 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, 55102; 651-797-4294; www.gentcg.com

Interview with David Shea

2011-07-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

Recently David was interviewed by Steven Schussler for his column Back Talk in the Minnesota Business Magazine. Below is that column.

The renowned designer/architect discusses his successful business philosophy.
By: Steven Schussler
Minnesota Business July 2011
Back Talk

Photo Credit: Tate Carlson

David Shea is the owner and CEO of Shea, Inc., and perhaps one of the best-known designers and architects in the country. He founded Shea in 1978 with a perspective other firms were lacking: a focus on full integration of interior design and architecture. His clients are impressive, from the Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis, to projects for Macy’s, Target, Marriott and Nike Town. The list ranges from highly recognizable retail spaces to famous restaurants and more.

His philosophy is to approach each project fresh, listen carefully and respond with appropriate design and business solutions. He believes the team approach between designer and client is the foundation for establishing long-standing relationships and creating successful outcomes. He concentrates on strategic partnerships with clients, bringing people together to find and create the right uses for space, land, and business. Another priority is how connections can create new business opportunities; he has never been focused solely on the design component.

As the principal creative director for Shea, David has been directly involved in the design of more than 400 retail, corporate and hospitality projects in his firm’s 33-year history.

You started Shea in 1978. Can you share with our readers your approach to clients and design?
DS: I founded the company with an entrepreneurial spirit and I had the mission of taking a unique consumer-based approach to every new opportunity. The key is that Shea focuses on our client’s entire brand, not just the physical space.

You see branding as important as architectural design. How do you share those strengths with your clients?
DS: We help our clients develop or strengthen their brands by focusing on every touchpoint their brand has with their customers and capitalizing on those opportunities. For example, when we design a restaurant, it is not just about building some walls and choosing fabrics and finishes, it’s establishing a brand and personality and all that comes with it: name, logo, storefront, menus, tabletop design, website, service model, etc. It’s important that all touchpoints are consistent with the brand.

Is this consistent with how you apply consumer-based design to one of your corporate office design projects?
DS: In a corporate setting, the “consumers” are clients, guests, visitors and employees, and the office environment makes a big impression and speaks highly of a company’s brand. You still need to think about every point in which the brand comes into contact with “consumers.” The lobby, reception area, conference areas, workspaces all say something about your company. What does your office “say” to people who walk through the front door? Is it fun? Is it stodgy? Or does it give a lot of mixed messages? How does the workspace fit the culture and workstyles of the brand and the employees? Through design, we can articulate a look and feel, give it a “personality” and add perks and amenities that raise morale, incite creativity and collaboration, and increase productivity.

We’ve talked a lot about brands today. What should business leaders be thinking about?

DS: Are your messages clear? Are you different from the competition? Are you still relevant? Do you offer value? Do your customers think of you the way you want them to think of you? Are all your touchpoints aligned and consistent?

What words of advice and inspiration do you have for entrepreneurs, business professionals and students? DS: Don’t ever lose focus on staying fresh and learning and applying new ideas. As an entrepreneur, it is your role to question the practices and traditions that are currently in place, keep them relevant and to never become complacent. I personally feel that through travel and observation of all that surrounds us, our horizons expand and we are able to apply a more global view to our work. The key to success is seeing the big picture. Be open to new ideas, and don’t get stuck in the same old rut. It is also important to share ideas and to encourage open communication with others. Everyone benefits and you just might learn something new.

Saffron is Refreshed and Reopen!

2011-07-07T08:09:00.000-05:00

The Minneapolis St Paul Magazine's Food Blogger Stephanie March recently popped into Saffron Restaurant to check out their recent refresh by Shea Inc. Below is an excerpt from her blog. To read the whole review, click here.

Saffron: Refreshed

Saffron re-opens today after a little hiatus, during which they slapped some fresh paint on the old girl.

Can you believe that Saffron is already five years old? True. After doing some simple demo in the kitchen to make more room, the Wadi brothers caught the bug and decided to shut down and refresh the place. I popped in last night for a little preview.

The great thing is that they didn't do such a major overhaul that it felt like a different resto. It still felt like Saffron, just more finished, a bit softer, and a touch more welcoming. With the help of David Shea, the team added some big beautiful hanging lanterns, a new banquet against the back wall, some new wall art, and a great artistic touch to the back bar. You'll also notice the absence of white tablecloths, the new table tops stand on their own and give the place a bit more warmth and casual feel.

Tucci updates offerings

2011-07-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

Last year, we worked with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises on a revamp of their Tucci Bennuch restaurant at Mall of America. Now, the company is retooling their menu with former 20.21 chef Asher Miller and Star Tribune food writer Rick Nelson reviewed it this week. Check out his review HERE.

photo by Jeff Wheeler

We love our patios

2011-07-01T12:08:00.000-05:00

Since we Minnesotan's get just a few short months of nice weather, when we're not heading off to the cabin, we're making our way to the nearest patio to kick back and soak in some rays. This year at Shea, we got to work on two incredible patios: Psycho Suzi's new digs include a 335-seat deck on the banks of the Mississippi, and complete with owner Leslie Bock's cheeky tiki tackiness, you can't beat it. Unless you're downtown, where Crave has just opened their massive rooftop deck with full bar and kitchen that serves until 2am. Star Tribune's nightlife expert Tom Horgen gives you the deets on these hotspots HERE.

Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge. Photo by Marlin Levison.

Crave Minneapolis. Photo by Marlin Levison.

More on Saffron: Rick Nelson gets the scoop

2011-06-23T09:19:00.001-05:00

Counter intelligence: Saffron's widening culinary view
Article by: RICK NELSON , Star Tribune Updated: June 22, 2011

Major changes are coming to Saffron Restaurant & Lounge (123 N. 3rd St., Mpls., www.saffronmpls.com).

"It's a project that went from, 'Hey, we should get new tables' to 'We're going to have a new restaurant,'" chef/co-owner Sameh Wadi said with a laugh. White tablecloths are out and smaller wood-topped tables are coming in, along with a dramatic Moroccan-inspired wine storage unit, new chandeliers and lanterns and a semi-private dining area.

As for the menu, Wadi is widening his Middle Eastern-North African focus and embracing the flavors and traditions of Spain, Greece, Turkey and Italy. Much of the inspiration is coming from a cookbook that Wadi's parents wrote but never published in the 1980s.

"It's called 'The Encyclopedia of Palestinian Cuisines,' and it's thousands of pages, handwritten by my father," Wadi said. "The more I dug into it, the more I wanted to showcase the recipes my parents were making 25 years ago."

Wadi is ditching 90 percent of his current menu and replacing it with a larger number of moderately priced small-plate options -- chicken-porcini croquettes, green beans slow-cooked in tomatoes, air-dried beef cured with fenugreek and paprika -- plus larger dishes like a duck leg tagine and whole-roasted fish, Greek taverna-style. Also coming: Wadi's fantastic lamb bacon BLT.

"We're going to continue to cook fine-dining food, but we're not going to act like it's fine dining," he said.

The five-year-old restaurant is closing after Saturday's dinner and reopening July 6.

Coming Soon: The Next Phase of Saffron

2011-06-22T14:42:00.002-05:00

Saffron Restaurant and Lounge has teamed up with Shea to make some exciting changes to their space in the Minneapolis Historic Warehouse District. They will be closing for a few days to do the work, with the last day of service this Saturday, June 26. The unveiling will take place on Wednesday, July 6 and at that time, Chef Sameh Wadi will be introducing an updated menu filled with exciting new flavors.

Shea had fun helping Sameh and brother and business partner, Saed, on the reworking of the restaurant, which will reflect their diverse menu of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Moroccan flavors. Stay tuned for updates and photos, but be sure to visit the new Saffron Restaurant and Lounge when it reopens on July 6.

Strib checks out Mill Valley Kitchen

2011-06-22T10:24:00.001-05:00

Star Tribune's Jon Tevlin recently checked out one of Shea's latest restaurant projects, Mill Valley Kitchen, where he was very happy to know exactly what he was eating. Read his argument for why he thinks nutrition information on menus is a good thing.

Restaurant's menu offers a helping of healthy change
Article by: JON TEVLIN , Star Tribune

I went to a restaurant the other day and something remarkable happened: They told me what I was eating.

Not only that, they put all the nutritional information on the menu, right below the food item, along with the price. The place is called Mill Valley Kitchen, on France and Excelsior, and as far as I can figure, it is perhaps the first stand-alone restaurant in at least the Twin Cities to fess up about its food.

Incredible. Here I've been going to restaurants for many years, joyfully pigging out on whatever landed on my plate, completely unaware if that nice piece of halibut had been sautéed in 19 pats of butter or not. Oblivious to whether that portion of pasta earned me 150 calories or 650. Unsure if I was swallowing one carbohydrate or 1,000.

I could have guessed at those numbers or found a rough estimate for each meal from those online calorie counters, but I didn't take the time, and, besides, those estimates are unreliable.

Guess what happened? Like a lot of Americans, I got fat. Slowly, over many years, I grew. And grew. And grew. I continued to eat at restaurants, and continued to guess how much fat, carbs and calories I was eating. Eventually, I was diagnosed with diabetes.

I wasn't alone. Amazingly, more than one-third of American adults are overweight or obese, costing billions of dollars in health care.

Over the past 10 months, I've changed my diet, lost weight and stayed on an exercise plan, so I've become a bit of an irritating scold on the issue.

In the past two years, Minneapolis and St. Paul have tried to make nutrition information mandatory for some restaurants but failed. A federal law made nutrition counts mandatory for chain restaurants. Even though I know how important tracking what you eat is, I'm not sure I'm for the mandatory menu information for all restaurants. There's mixed research on whether such labeling works.

"Providing the information is helpful to people who care about it and understand what the numbers mean," said Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "But for others it's just a number and it becomes an irritant."

But, said Nelson, "I applaud any restaurant that volunteers the nutritional information because it takes time and costs money."

The guy who gets my praise for going where few tread is Mill Valley owner Craig Bentdahl, a former banker who knows the risk of the restaurant business yet chose to jump into the market and reveal information not everyone wants to hear.

"I've always been interested in health and fitness, and I found it frustrating when I ate out and didn't know what I was consuming," Bentdahl said. He used Canyon Ranch spa and resort in Arizona as a model for the cuisine.

"I used to run long distance, but I also ate a lot of pasta," said Bentdahl. "It wasn't until I changed my diet that I began to see results in my health. We've gotten quite a few comments so far, and they've all been positive."

Mike Rakun, executive chef of Mill Valley Kitchen, said he took the job as a challenge because anyone can make food tasty by using lots of butter and salt. "I bought a case of butter when we opened and I'm still sitting on it," said Rakun. "That's insane in most restaurants."

Rakun inputs all his ingredients into a software program that calculates everything from calories to fat to amino acids even. To keep it simple, they put the calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein of each item on the menu. "Craig is very passionate about eating well and really felt there was a void in this kind of restaurant in Minnesota."

So do I, which is why I was excited to give Mill Valley a little shout-out. Did I mention my lunch was excellent? I had the grilled plum salad and a piece of salmon and got out of the place for about 500 calories.

Here's hoping Bentdahl turns out to be our own Jamie Oliver, the television chef who is trying to improve school lunches in America, and convinces others to follow his lead.

Restaurant owners: The challenge is yours

City Pages reviews Masu...deems it a grand slam!

2011-06-09T14:36:00.002-05:00

Rachel Hutton from City Pages tried a little bit of everything at Masu, from the noodles to the robata to the sushi to the Pachinko machines and she seemed impressed with just about everything. Read on for her review...

photo by Lars Swanson

Masu Sushi & Robata is state's most impressive sushi joint
It's a Japan grand slam

By Rachel Hutton
published: June 08, 2011

Can somebody explain the pachinko machines at Masu Sushi & Robata? They look rather like smaller, vertically oriented pinball games, decked out with videos of Speed Racer and Godzilla. There are knobs to spin and buttons to push, but how these things influence the little metal ball's pinging off pegs and zipping through chutes is something of a mystery.

Masu's mini pachinko parlor, along with its bright geisha imagery, traditional sake barrels, and cartoon-like Munny dolls, are elements that Shea's design team selected to replicate the energetic rush of urban Japanese culture. But the restaurant's concept is actually much simpler than its flamboyant decor: join several powerful culinary forces to create the state's most comprehensive Japanese restaurant.

The Twin Cities already has its fair share of excellent Japanese restaurants, each with their various distinctions. Origami, for example, is home to first-rate sushi. Midori's Floating World Cafe serves exquisite noodle soups, while Tanpopo offers immaculate teishoku, or set meals. Moto-i is known for brewing its own sake, and Obento-Ya excels in robata, skewered foods cooked over tiny charcoal grills. Masu's menu is as deep as it is wide. Its extensive sushi list is only the beginning. The restaurant serves four types of noodles, prepared 14 ways, plus six teishoku options and nearly 30 different robata.

Masu's backbone is Sushi Avenue, a family-owned company that helps upscale supermarkets, universities, and other large food service operations (Whole Foods, Hamline, Target Corporate) implement sushi programs by supplying chefs, recipes, and ingredients. When Sushi Avenue made its first foray into the restaurant business, the company tapped the James Beard-awarded chef Tim McKee to help develop the concept and menu. McKee made his name founding La Belle Vie, but lately his impact on the Twin Cities dining scene has been steadily increasing as he consults for other restaurateurs, handpicking high-level talent and helping kitchens elevate their ambitions.

Masu's menu is split in two, and each half has its own head chef. Katsuyuki Yamamoto, who also goes by A-san, manages the sushi operations and is easy to spot—he's got a shaved head, rectangular glasses, and typically a little salt-and-pepper stubble—methodically slicing fish and shaping rice behind the sushi counter. Yamamoto grew up in Japan before moving to Minnesota in the mid-1990s and then working at Origami for 15 years.

Yamamoto's menu offers sashimi and nigiri, plus five types of makizushi, or rolled sushi (thin rolls, fat rolls, rice-on-the-outside rolls, as well as "rolls" made with rice shaped into balls or stuffed into tofu pockets). He covers all the bases, from basic cucumber rolls to daring sea urchin sashimi to the trendy, overstuffed Rainbow and Firecracker rolls.

Masu is the first local Japanese restaurant to source fish with mindfulness toward sustainability, a subject McKee became interested in when he opened Sea Change in the Guthrie. So the kitchen doesn't offer the typical sushi restaurant's bluefin tuna or yellowtail—both labeled "avoid" by the Monterey Seafood Watch—and instead replaces them with several fish rarely, if ever, seen on other local sushi menus.

Sardines are one such fish that's worth discovering. They're a very ecologically sound selection but often overlooked due to their robust fishy flavor. Masu's chefs prepare the sardines with a traditional cure of salt, vinegar, and citrus—they're rather like pickled herring and surprisingly good. Arctic char is another good bet for its salmon-like fattiness and mild flavor. If ordered temari-style, the pale pink fish slices wrap around the rice as tightly as a pitcher's grip on a fastball. The balls are topped with thin lemon crescents to cut the fish's richness, and they're awfully tempting to pop down the hatch in one jaw-straining bite. The restaurant wasn't able to find an eco-friendly source of freshwater eel, or unagi, so the staff created what they call faux-nagi—striped bass that's prepared in a similar style, topped with a tangy, barbecue-like sauce, and slightly charred. (The bass doesn't re-create the eel's uniquely unctuous texture, but it's an impressive facsimile and can be eaten without the guilt of unagi's conscience-troubling origins.) Glistening slices of salmon come from a responsibly managed Scottish sea farm and will leave the lips just as oil-glossed as their wild-caught cousins.

Masu's sushi prices are fairly reasonable, with the omakase sushi assortment offering the best value (it's available for parties of two or more, for $18 per person). The only downside is that the kitchen's selections tend to incorporate many sushi staples, such as California rolls and spicy tuna, and it's a shame not to sample more of the unusual items. Don't miss the mackerel hosomaki (thin roll) that cuts the fish's muskiness with green onion and pickled radish. The BTL futomaki (fat roll) pairs crispy salmon skin with lettuce, tomato, basil, and mayonnaise to mimic the fatty-smoky-salty-juicy qualities of the sandwich. Fresh, briny crab and sesame seed can be ordered as inarizushi, stuffed into a deep-fried tofu pocket that complements the seafood's sweetness.

Rice forms the foundation of great nigiri sushi and rolls, and Masu's kitchen attends to the details, buying and carefully washing expensive, premium rice. As a result, the grains come out plump yet not gummy, holding together as elegantly as an English dry stone wall.

Chef Alex Chase oversees the second half of the menu, which includes the noodle, robata, and teishoku selections. Chef Chase took an early interest in Japanese culture when he went to the country as a teenage exchange student. After returning to the United States, Chase worked in the sushi kitchens at Saji-ya, Fuji-ya, and Martini Blu before going to the Culinary Institute of Arts in New York. He later worked at the fine-dining restaurants Vincent, Au Rebours, and La Belle Vie, and even squeezed in a stint as a commercial fisherman.

Masu's izakaya-style snacks include the ubiquitous gyoza and agedashi tofu, as well as more obscure items, such as dried squid. The sautéed shishito peppers are a favorite, with their oil-kissed, blackened jackets and sweet, grassy flesh. The peppers are covered in katsuobushi (dried fish flakes) and square salt crystals that look as pretty as snowflakes. Give yourself five minutes and you'll have nothing left but a pile of stems.

The robata are also good for snacking. The little bites of meat and vegetables are infused with a deep smokiness after being cooked on skewers over wood-fired charcoal grills. They're tasty and cute, especially the bacon-and-quail-egg and bacon-and-tofu options, but they'll run up the bill faster than they'll fill your stomach.

Let noodles play that role. In Japan, ramen is everywhere—it's the country's equivalent of the American street-cart hot dog—but authentic ones are hard to find in the Twin Cities. Masu orders its ramen fresh from a California supplier that tailors the noodles to their precise specifications of flavor, delicacy, and springiness. The noodles are served in heady stocks—roasted animal bones, meat, and vegetables simmered for half a day—that make a far richer broth than the contents of the little foil Top Ramen seasoning packet. One of the best, and most gut-stretching, ways to enjoy the ramen is in a curry-spiked broth paired with a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet called tonkatsu, Chinese broccoli, and a soft poached egg. The udon noodles are thicker, chewier bands, and Masu's Ja-Ja-Men preparation tops the wavy strands with a spicy blend of eggplant and ground pork that's rich and hearty enough to be considered a sort of Japanese Bolognese.

The teishoku meals offer the most variety, as they pair a main dish with several sides, including textbook tempura and a variety of robata. The Wa-Fú hamburger teishoku is a home-style dish that presents a Japanese take on the American icon. A beef patty is seasoned with bits of ginger, garlic, and onion, plus teriyaki sauce and chili paste. The meat's steaky flavor is complemented by Japanese mushrooms and an umami-rich dashi gravy. You'd never miss the lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Dousing the thing in ketchup would be sacrilegious.

So far, no one's won the big jackpot on Masu's pachinko machines—apparently the secret to success involves putting just the right twist on the dial. Perhaps something from the extensive cocktail list, designed by local drinks guru Johnny Michaels, might assist in honing one's technique? The cocktail choices include riffs on familiar drinks, such as an elderflower martini and a ginger-plum margarita, as well as beverages that express Michaels's signature wit—the Lucky Millionaire Mojito comes garnished with a scratch-off lottery ticket; a mix of Captain and Coke is titled I Have Committed a Great Rudeness.

Michaels also offers a few lesser-seen shochu cocktails, which blend the vodka-like spirit with fruit flavors and affix a gummy bear on the rim. Some of these so-called Shochu Gummies can be a little cloying—the lychee is rather like bubble gum—so better to go with the Rano Pano, which blends gin with pickled watermelon in a refreshing sweet, tart, and spicy burst. It's already a frontrunner for 2011's Official Summer Drink—and it might even help loosen up that pachinko wrist.

Mill Valley Kitchen Now Open!

2011-06-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Shea's latest restaurant design, Mill Valley Kitchen, opened to the public. So far, people are loving the food, service and atmosphere. Our client Craig Bentdahl told us today that "the most common reaction upon walking in is "Wow!""

Writer Jim Welte, editor for Patch.com based in Mill Valley, California, took an interest in our Minnesota restaurant bearing the name of his small town and spoke with Bentdahl about his inspiration for the concept. His article is here:

Mill Valley Kitchen

Mill Valley-Inspired Restaurant Opens Today – in Minnesota
Former banking executive launches farm-to-table eatery in the new Ellipse on Excelsior development in St. Louis Park.

By Jim Welte
June 7, 2011

A restaurant focused on farm-to-table cuisine with locally sourced ingredients opened today in a suburb of Minneapolis, looking to our little neck of the woods for its inspiration and moniker.

Craig Bentdahl, the former CEO of Minneapolis-based Excel Bank, opened the 5,000-square-foot Mill Valley Kitchen today, drawing inspiration “from the great farm-to-table restaurants of the San Francisco Bay Area and the wine country of Napa and Sonoma.”

Bentdahl hired executive chef Mike Rakun, who has held executive kitchen positions with the St. Paul Hotel, Mission American Kitchen and Truluck’s Restaurant Group in Florida, to develop the menu and manage daily operations.

“Mill Valley Kitchen is a comfortable place to enjoy unique dishes that are straightforward, delicious and good for you,” says Rakun. “More than ever, consumers are paying attention to where their food comes from and how it is prepared, and they are looking for more honesty and transparency from the sources that provide it.”

The farm-to-table movement has a variety of origins and pioneers, namely Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

So why did Bentdahl choose Mill Valley for the name?

In an email, he acknowledged the Bay Area’s connection to the farm-to-table movements and healthy cuisine in general, and that he liked that Mill Valley is a “beautiful, quaint and prosperous town. “

“I also liked the sound of ‘Mill Valley’ – it sounds a bit like ‘Organic Valley’ - and the history of milling in Minneapolis gives Mill Valley a familiar ring here,” he said, noting that Minneapolis is often referred to as Mill City.

Mill Valley Kitchen seats 165 people inside and another 25 on an outdoor patio. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Dinner entrees include Duroc pork tenderloin with coconut sweet potato and apple jam or Chilean seabass with gingered-shitake quinoa and a sweet and sour cucumber salad.

Lunch and dinner items include a long list of interesting salads, unique flatbreads and burgers (Minnesota bison, grass-fed beef or gluten-free vegan). It also features wines by the glass and bottle with an emphasis on the vineyards of Northern California.

The 411: Mill Valley Kitchen, 3906 Excelsior Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55416; 952-358-2000.

Crave patio is now open!

2011-06-07T11:49:00.004-05:00

The newest Crave in downtown Minneapolis just opened their massive rooftop patio equipped with its own kitchen and bar. Check out this cool 2 minute time-lapse video of its construction.

Hennepin Theatre Trust makes a move to City Center

2011-06-02T09:33:00.002-05:00

We're excited to be working with our friends at Hennepin Theatre Trust on their new venture: moving their headquarters to City Center and adding a new theater to the first floor space. We worked with them a few years back on branding the theaters and the district (see the photo below for some of our designs.) The Business Journal has the details on the City Center deal. Read on...

Hennepin Theatre Trust to open City Center site

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - by Sam Black
Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 11:29pm CDT

Hennepin Theatre Trust, which runs the historic State, Orpheum and Pantages theaters, is developing a 300-seat performance space on the first floor of the City Center retail complex in downtown Minneapolis.

The so-called New Century Theatre will hold a variety of events, from small plays to concerts to educational and corporate events.

It is an unusual move for a shopping center to convert space into a live theater venue, but an experiment worth trying considering the vacancies that have plagued City Center over the past decade, especially on the first floor.

The Theatre Trust is leasing about 12,000 square feet for the performance space, a ticket office and its headquarters.

Brookfield Office Properties, which owns the City Center, will move its property-management office from that space and into the adjacent office tower, 33 South Sixth.

New Century Theatre will have typical theatrical lighting, sound equipment and stage. It also will have upholstered chairs that can easily be rearranged.

“It’s going to be a black-box theater, with some flexibility in it,” said Tom Hoch, president and CEO of Hennepin Theatre Trust, which will relocate its headquarters of about 5,000 square feet of office space it leases at LaSalle Plaza in Minneapolis.

Live theater at the mall?
Hennepin Theatre Trust’s space should bring some energy to the largely bare first floor of City Center.

The organization has had great success with the theaters it operates, bringing life and vitality to Hennepin Avenue, said David Sternberg, senior vice president at Brookfield’s Minneapolis office. He expects some of that success will help City Center.

“They’re a great partner and the building is just thrilled to have them here,” Sternberg said.

The theater will bring some interest and activity to the building in the evenings and add to traffic at the restaurants, he said.

With this lease, City Center’s retail space is more than 80 percent occupied, up from 50 percent in 2006, the year Brookfield spent $18 million fixing up the 370,000-square-foot enclosed mall.

Only three retailers remain from before renovation: Office Depot, Marshalls and Starbucks. The rest, including Au Bon Pain, Leann Chin, Fogo de Chao, Brooks Bros. and a Len Druskin Outlet, are all new.

Brookfield has done a great job repositioning City Center, Hoch said. “People who have not walked through City Center really need to.”

Hoch would know. He’s been a lifelong Minneapolis resident. He serves on the Minneapolis Downtown Council and is chairman of the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District. Before he joined the Theatre Trust in the 1980s, he worked for the city of Minneapolis’ planning and economic development department.

Hennepin Theatre Trust wouldn’t move into City Center if he didn’t think it was a good fit.

“I don’t really feel like I’m taking somebody’s hand-me-downs,” he said. “I think it is the perfect place for what we want to do.”

Construction on the theater will start in June and the first show will premiere after Labor Day. Minneapolis-based Greiner Construction Inc. is the general contractor. The lead architect is Minneapolis-based Shea Inc.

Hoch declined to share construction costs or financial terms of the 10-year lease deal.

Brookfield put City Center up for sale last month along with 33 South Sixth. The Chicago office of Eastdil Secured, a New York-based subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Co., is listing the property for sale. Hoch doesn’t expect a sale to affect Hennepin Theatre Trusts’ new space.

Moving shows from Hennepin Stages
The organization plans to shift some of the programs it previously produced at the Hennepin Stages theater to City Center.

The city sold Hennepin Stages, at 824 Hennepin Ave., to the Brave New Workshop in April for $725,000. The sale prompted Hennepin Theatre Trust to look for a new home for Hennepin Stages’ programming, such as “Girls Only” and “A Don’t Hug Me Christmas Carol.”

Hennepin Theatre Trust also plans use the New Century Theatre for its education and community programs, cabarets, workshops and its SpotLight Musical Theatre Program, which hands out awards to high school musical theater students from around Minnesota.

The New Century Theatre will have a sign on City Center’s Hennepin Avenue entrance. It will have a Hennepin address, too, which was an important detail for Hoch because it helps tie the location to the theaters along the avenue.

The new venue’s name is in honor of the Century Theatre, a former movie house that once stood where Minneapolis Marriott City Center sits today. Century Theatre opened in 1929, survived the Great Depression and several sweeping changes in movie technology, but was destroyed by a fire in 1965.

The Star Tribune covered the breaking news also, with a photo from their archives of the historic Century Theatre.

Photo: Roy Swan, Minneapolis Star

New theater will reclaim old space in Minneapolis
by Graydon Royce, Star Tribune

The Hennepin Theatre Trust is building a performance space in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. The organization will fashion new offices in City Center at the end of this month and build an adjacent 300-seat theater.

Publicist Karen Nelson said the move is part of the Trust's mission to help revitalize Hennepin Avenue. The nonprofit, which manages the city's big downtown theaters, has been looking for space that could accommodate offices and provide a flexible-seating performance space.

The new space will be called New Century Theatre, in homage to the Century Theatre -- one of four historic theaters that used to operate near S. 7th Street and Hennepin Avenue S.

Performances will begin "sometime next fall," Nelson said. Programming would be similar to what the Trust offered at Hennepin Stages, such long-run comedies as "Girls Only" and the "Don't Hug Me" franchise. Nelson said the Trust also will use the space for the Spotlight Musical Theatre program, cabarets, workshops and the Broadway Confidential series. Drawings of the theater are not yet available, but it will be on the street level at City Center, across from the big lobby on 6th Street.

The original theater opened in 1908 as a 2,000-seat vaudeville house called the Miles. It was rebuilt several times and eventually was dubbed the Century Theatre in 1929. It closed and reopened often until it was retooled to seat 1,145 and transformed into the Century Cinerama in the mid 1950s. "Cleopatra" in 1963 and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" were two of the final movies shown there. The Century burned in 1964 and was bulldozed the following year.

Hennepin Stages was sold this spring to Brave New Workshop, which will redevelop that space at 824 Hennepin Av. S. in advance of a fall opening.

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299

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Best of Plymouth...Shea got an "A"!!

2011-06-01T09:54:00.008-05:00

Each year, Plymouth magazine polls the members of the Plymouth community to determine the 25 Best Places in Town. Then, just for fun, the editors throw in one more and offer up the "ABCs of Plymouth." It was pretty cool to dive into the list and find Shea, Inc. right at the top, or "Letter A," if you will. Thanks to the residents of Plymouth for choosing us! Check it out.

Best of Plymouth 2011
Your votes decide the 25 best places in town, and we add one more just for fun (aka: the ABCs of what’s best in Plymouth). By: Maureen Kroening and Jessica Tam | By: Laura Haraldson | From the issue: June 2011

As fundamental and basic as the ABCs are to the English language, so too are these places, services and people to Plymouth. We present the winners of our annual readers’ choice survey, the Best of Plymouth. These businesses are the foundation upon which our strong/connected community is built—so named by you, our readers. So without further ado, your alphabet of 2011 finalists.

A is for Abode

From inspiration for places like the Plymouth Ice Arena to the local Famous Dave’s, the design philosophy of Shea Inc. focuses on the whole package, rather than nitpicking individual elements. Tanya Spaulding, a principal for Shea, says, “We look at every space and see what kind of experience we want to create.” For Best Interior Designer, we have David Shea to thank for making area workplaces like second homes; thank goodness employees aren’t stuck in a beige box all day!

B is for Brain-freeze

As in the delicious kind you get when you indulge in one of Cold Stone Creamery’s many delicious treats. Winner again of Best Dessert, this place shows what dedicated ice cream connoisseurs Plymouthites can be. New in 2010: Gold Cone flavor of the month, which for June is chocolate hazelnut.

C is for Creative and Colorful

Bachman’s has a wide array of floral offerings, and its bouquet department is a surefire go-to when you’re in need of that live and lively mood freshener (or last-minute gift). That’s why you picked it for Best Florist in town. We present to you the Beach Ball bouquet ($150).

D is for Dirt-digging

And it’s for Dundee Nursery and Landscape, too! Plymouth has notoriously heavy clay soil, and landscape designer Sarah Lloyd says concerns about how to deal with it lead to the top three requests you bring to the table: redoing and updating the plantings around the house (foundation plantings), redoing the front entryway and installing back patio space. Since Dundee designers specialize in landscape planting—trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals, hardscape construction—retaining walls, patios and walkways, and novelty features—fire pits, water features and accent lighting. Hot this season are the new dwarf shrubs. “People love dwarf versions of things because they won’t have to spend any time pruning or trimming them to keep them the right size,” Lloyd says. “Everyone wants low/no maintenance these days. If that dwarf shrub can pack a punch of color or have something unique about it, all the better.” Plymouthites also continue to expand their living spaces outside, and thus order outdoor fireplaces. “These are being made into kits of all shapes and sizes, and are thus getting more and more affordable,” she says. “I just have always been very environmental … I enjoy designing and installing patios and fire pits because they are elements in the landscape that encourage people to get out in their yards and spend some time enjoying the fresh air and their surroundings.”
For the rest of the list, visit http://plymouthmag.com/article/business/best-plymouth-2011

Catalyst Event at the New DT Crave

2011-05-31T09:34:00.001-05:00

Our friends at Catalyst Community Partners are hosting a networking event this month at the brand new Crave in downtown Minneapolis. Proceeds from this event will benefit Kindred Kitchen and will provide disaster relief to those recently effected by the tornado in North Minneapolis. Click on the image below for more details and to sign up!

Mill Valley Kitchen to open June 7

2011-05-25T16:16:00.000-05:00

Well, we have an official opening date of June 7, so we blasted the news to the press this week about the opening of Mill Valley Kitchen in St. Louis Park. City Pages Rachel Hutton is all over it and posted this on the Hot Dish blog today:

by Rachel Hutton, City Pages

More details have arrived regarding the new Mill Valley Kitchen, scheduled to open June 7 in the Ellipse on Excelsior development in St. Louis Park.

If you missed the first announcement, the restaurant is 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 with Anoush Ansari of Hemisphere Companies consulting. The chef is Michael Rakun, formerly of the St. Paul Hotel and Mission American Kitchen, and he's creating a menu inspired by the fresh, healthful, farm-to-table cuisine of Northern California.

Here's what else we know:

Specifically, Rakun will be cooking with a lot of local, seasonal ingredients, using herbs grown on the restaurant's outdoor patio. Interestingly, Mill Valley Kitchen plans to be the first restaurant in the Twin Cities to post nutritional information for each menu item--calories, fat, carbohydrate and protein content--directly on the menu.

That doesn't necessarily mean everything will be low cal, but there will be emphasis on pairing lots of vegetables and whole grains with fish and lean meats. Sample dinner entrees include Duroc pork tenderloin with coconut sweet potato and apple jam and Chilean seabass with gingered-shitake quinoa and a sweet and sour cucumber salad. The restaurant will serve three meals a day, seven days a week, and the lunch menu will include grass-fed beef burgers, salads, and flatbreads, while the breakfast menu will offer free-range egg sandwiches, house-made muffins, and granola.

Wines will emphasize Northern California, but there will also be tap beers and a full bar, as well as several non-alcoholic beverages: ginger beer, fruit smoothies, house made blended tea drinks and--so far as we know, the first local restaurant to kombucha on tap!

Shea is doing the design for the space, which includes a bar/lounge area, large dining room for 165, and a wine room available for private dining parties of up to 12 people, and a large outdoor patio. Again, it's all arriving June 7.

Mill Valley Kitchen
3906 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park
952-358-2000
http://www.millvalleykitchen.com/

Crave DT is open!

2011-05-20T10:16:00.000-05:00

We just completed our sixth Crave restaurant which opened yesterday in downtown Minneapolis. Read one of the first reports from Jeremy Zoss at The Journal:

Crave now open in LaSalle Plaza

by Jeremy Zoss, The Journal

HENNEPIN AVENUE – Crave’s new Minneapolis location opened its doors today, and it’s the biggest thing hitting the Downtown dining scene this summer – literally. At 13,000 square feet, the former Palomino space in LaSalle Plaza, 825 Hennepin Avenue South is massive, and it’s only going to get bigger. Tomorrow, the private dining room across the hall will open, and June 6 will bring the debut of the 7,000 square foot rooftop patio.

Crave Founder and CEO Kam Talebi told us that the restaurant served about 1,000 diners in the past week as preparation for the opening, and the feedback from the test audiences was wildly positive. In the first hours of business today, a steady stream of diners flowed into the restaurant, and Talebi said that reservations for Crave’s first weekend are strong.

According to Talebi, diners are amazed by how different the space looks from Palomino and are excited about the variety of dining experiences the restaurant offers. The Downtown Crave has dining room, bar and sushi bar sections as well as private dining room spaces, and he expects that versatility to be a big draw for Downtown customers.

Crave in DT Mpls on the way...

2011-05-13T15:47:00.000-05:00

Here at Shea, we're working hard to meet the deadline of May 19 for the opening of the latest Crave restaurant in Downtown Minneapolis. The Star Tribune's Tom Horgen toured the construction site with owner Kam Talebi and gives his report here:

Downtown Crave opens May 19, rooftop to follow

Posted by: Tom Horgen under Nightlife
Updated: May 12, 2011

photo by Tom Horgen

"It’s a little bit edgier than before,” Kam Talebi said. That’s how the Crave owner summed up his hotly-anticipated venture into downtown Minneapolis Thursday afternoon. Stepping over power tools and ducking plastic tarp, Talebi guaranteed that this Crave — his fourth in the Twin Cities — will be ready for its opening on May 19.

Everything will be bigger: the bar, the sushi operation and the space in general (it’s 12,000 square feet). Talebi has blown out the old Palomino on Hennepin, opening up the soaring ceilings. He’s adding little stylistic touches that he might not have in Edina or Bloomington (the booths are covered in what looked like crocodile leather). Go to Crave's facebook page for an extensive photo tour.

“We understand that we’re coming in from suburban America,” Talebi said, “so we’ve really custom-tailored the concept for downtown.”

The big buzz surrounding this location is the ambitious rooftop, which will open May 29. At 6,500 square feet, it’ll be just a smidge larger than Seven’s. On Thursday, the rooftop (which sits on top of LaSalle Plaza) was still in the skeletal phase, with thousands of pounds of steel making up its impressive base. Talebi emphasized that he doesn’t want customers to look at the rooftop as simply a late-night destination, but a dinner spot too. He’s building a full kitchen up here, as well as a bar and rest rooms. “The way I look at it is we’ve built two restaurants,” he said.

In all, Talebi said the investment totals about $5 million. "It's been a challenging build-out, but we've been working around the clock," he said.

The rooftop's opening (which comes 10 days after the restaurant's) will be the debut of “Communion,” a popular DJ night that will move over from Solera.