Taco Tour highlights the culinary gems of Lake Street

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Watch the video created by Todd Wardrop with help from Allison Herrera and Kayla Steinberg

The second annual Taco Tour on Lake Street brought more than 2,000 hungry bicyclists, walkers and bus riders eager to sample the culinary delights of nine participating restaurants. Even though the event was meant to showcase Lake Street’s diversity, restaurants and taco trucks along the tour are open and patronized year-round by customers who appreciate their authentic food, low prices, and Latino culture.   Continue Reading

Lake Street Taco Tour Highlighted Local Latino Restaurants

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The second annual Taco Tour on Lake Street brought at least 2,500-3,000 taco lovers to nine latino restaurants along one of the most diverse streets in the Twin Cities on Saturday, June 27. The tacos along the tour were also diverse, from traditional carne asada and al pastor tacos, to vegetarian and blue tortilla tacos. According to the Taco Tour website, the goal of the tour was to allow participants to be tourists in their own city. However, the restaurants and taco trucks along the tour are open and patronized year-round by customers who appreciate their authentic food, low prices, and latino culture. The photos below show restaurants both before and during the Taco Tour. Continue Reading

Nordeast’s Little India has big selection and great customer service

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Article written by Stephanie Fox

It’s mid-afternoon on a weekday and as usual, Little India, one of the Twin Cities’ oldest and most established Indian grocery stores, is filled with people. There’s a long line in the narrow aisle leading to the two registers and another front of the halal meat department. People crowd around at the dessert counter to pick up some of the freshly made Indian sweets. Many of the customers are from India or Pakistan, but not all. “Our customers come from everywhere – Africa, South America, India, Pakistan, Nepal and here. Continue Reading

Award winning Coastal Seafoods draws customers from everywhere

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It’s Thursday afternoon and the customers keep coming through the door of Coastal Seafoods in the Seward neighborhood of South Minneapolis, lining up in the tiny store to make their selections. “It’s our busiest day,” says assistant manager Hazel Lauer. “It’s whole fish and salmon discount day. We have a lot of customers from cultures that aren’t Minnesota Hot Dish. They like whole fish rather than just boneless filets.”

She holds up two large, spiny, black sea urchins, the most exotic thing in the store, she says. Continue Reading

Community in the Air: Frogtown Farm’s Backyard Fair

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Frogtown Farm started out as a dream – a very big dream that some believed could never come to fruition. But longtime residents of the area formally known as the Thomas-Dale neighborhood or Planning District 7 (located within the boundaries of Lexington Avenue on the west, Burlington Northern Railroad on the north, Highway 35E on the east, and University Avenue on the south) were determined to turn a 12.7 acre parcel of land into part of the burgeoning urban agriculture movement. Community members worked tirelessly with The Trust for Public Land, the City of Saint Paul and the Wilder Foundation to turn their vision into reality – and on Saturday, May 30, neighbors gathered under a sunny sky to celebrate at the Backyard Farm Fair on the SE side of Frogtown Park and Farm, off of Victoria and Lafond Avenues. A smiling Katie Novotny of the Hamline-Midway neighborhood said, “This is new to me – I found out about it on Facebook!”

As volunteers welcomed community members, organizers shared plans for the park and farm. “I love the idea of this farm,” said Frogtown resident and volunteer Filson Ibraham, who stood behind an information table, signing up her neighbors. Continue Reading

Seward Co-op’s Friendship Store and “Community Benefits”

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As a longtime member of Seward Co-op, I have been eagerly awaiting the new Friendship Store, which is right down the street. And when I first heard about this Community Benefits Agreement that is being discussed, a vehicle whereby Seward Co-op agrees to commit to certain benefits for the communities most affected by their expansion store, I thought, yeah, that sounds like a good thing. And when I heard that Seward Co-op would be presenting a progress report at the Bryant Neighborhood Organization meeting on Saturday, April 25, I decided to attend as an observer and learn more about it. Unfortunately, I came from that meeting thoroughly confused. So before writing this report, I had to do some digging and find out what was lurking in the background. Continue Reading

The Sioux Chef opening highly anticipated food truck

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The city of Minneapolis is anxiously anticipating the opening of The Sioux Chef’s first venue: Tatanka Truck. Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota) made waves over the last year by introducing his unique approach to Indigenous cuisine. Born and raised on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, he attended college at Black Hills State University. Part of his drive to create an Indigenous cuisine, free of processed sugars, dairy or flour, came from just being a chef in Minneapolis since the early 2000s,

“I had been cooking since I was 13 in the Black Hills, in tourist restaurants. And I thought It was silly that there was no Native restaurants,” Sherman said. Continue Reading

Cafe Racer opens

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Café Racer, at 2929 E. 25th St., just opened this month after a long and serious review by the neighborhood, city staff and Council Member Cam Gordon. Gordon wrote:  “I want to clear up any confusion about my views or understanding in relation to this new restaurant being proposed in Seward. “In general I try to approach these situations looking for ways I can help. When I learn about any new business, project or initiative, I start out looking for how I might assist a person or group in realizing their goals. If a project appears not to be in conflict with community goals or my core values, I work to help identify any issues or concerns and see if I can help find a path to a win-win-win situation. Continue Reading

Sausage Fest! Sausage Fest!

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  You’re Invited to Join the TC Daily Planet For an Extra Special Sausage Fest and Send Off for Jeremy Iggers! Raise a glass on May 6 at Summit Brewing to say thank you and farewell to TCMA Founding Executive Director Jeremy Iggers. Celebrate his many contributions with sausage and beer!A Time of Transition for TCMAAfter leading the Twin Cities Media Alliance for nearly a decade, Jeremy is stepping down as Executive Director. Come help us toast all that he has accomplished in amplifying underrepresented voices through the Twin Cities Daily Planet. At the same time, help us welcome new Executive Director Adaobi Okolue, who will step in effective May 7.Craft Sausage and BeerWe are pleased to present our 4th annual sausage fest. Some of the finest sausage makers in the Twin Cities, including Bryant Lake Bowl, Clancey’s Meats, Natedogs, Prairie Dogs, Red Table Meat Company, Sample Room and the Seward Co-op are all scheduled to serve up samplings of their sausages and charcuterie. As the perfect complement, Summit Brewing is serving up their finest suds for $2 a beer.Local MusicEntertainment for the event will be provided by Chime, a local band with a shape-shifting mix of genres and styles designed to create the best kind of musical whiplash!Get Tickets Your Tickets Now!The Sausage Fest has sold out in the past, so get your tickets now. Tickets are $20 for Twin Cities Media Alliance members and their guests, $25 for non-members. Continue Reading