I drove down Tower Avenue in Superior today and saw the sign for Kenny Wong’s Oriental Express was gone! Instead, it says there is some sort of hibachi place coming soon.
Did Kenny Wong’s go out of business, or is it changing to a new format? They had some great food there, and as a former employee, I’d like to know what’s going on!
Duluth’s newest Mexican restaurant is in the Village Square Mall on Mountain Shadow Drive. Has anyone checked it out yet?
The rumor going around is that Tycoons Alehouse & Eatery is having a soft opening Dec. 1. Can anyone confirm or deny? Does anyone know when it will finally open? Inquiring minds want to know!
The DNT ran a story today detailing a new mixed-use residential/commercial plan for the site of the former Woodland Middle School. The developer bought the site from the school district in September. You may be familiar with the developer’s other projects like Boulder Ridge and Campus Park.
Seeing the House of Donuts post makes me wonder … what’s going on with the Hacienda del Sol?
The best Vietnamese restaurant in the City of Duluth is gone. (Thank goodness we still have Lan Chi’s in Superior.)
(Click the menu to see it in a larger, more readable format.)
Jalapeno Express has finally opened downtown in the space where Maya Mexican (and Grapevine Cafe, and Taj India, and Mr. Nick’s) used to be. My husband and I caught them in the middle of their “soft” opening and partook of a couple of burritos. Due to some confusion while we were ordering, we ended up with some extra food. I’m pleased to say that Duluth now officially has a legitimate answer to Chipotle. The chicken was good, the carnitas was good, and the al Pastor was terrific as well. We added some awesome cheese dip, chips and a rice drink called “horchata” (which was suggested by the staff). I work nearby, and I think I’ll be hitting them up for quick Mexican at least once or twice per week!
I usually feel a little guilty eating factory farmed meat shaped into mass-produced meals, but when they have Simpsons toys as the kid’s meal (or mid-thirty-year-old-man’s meal) toy, I am there.
I’m a huge proponent of locally owned businesses. I feel that they generally do what they do better than their franchised competition. Because of this, I’m totally cool with paying a higher price.
I’ve been to Burrito Union probably close to a dozen times, so in no way am I staking any sort of claim, but I can count on more than one hand how many times I’ve placed an order, only to have it incorrectly made. Never anything to the point where I won’t eat it, but when I pay something like $2.25 extra for something like adobo sauce and I don’t get it, I have to ask why? Why would you forget to add a topping that costs between 20-25% of the cost of a customers burrito? Especially when its a delivery order.
Again, this wouldn’t be such so bad if it were a one-time occurrence, but when the majority of experiences is like this, it really puts me off. I’m a real big fan of Tim and Rod’s other ventures and look forward to Tycoons, but I really hope service comes before ambiance.
Not long ago, zero restaurants in Duluth served sushi.
City Pages did a cover story about Duluth culture in 2001 titled “Hey, we’re in Duluth.” Zak Sally, then bassist of the Duluth-based band Low, lamented Duluth’s lack of sushi in the article.
The singers get their fair share of the world on the road but say they miss sushi. If somebody opened a sushi bar in Duluth, Sally deadpans, the local news would run an item explaining what sushi is. Not that everyone in town is chafing at its limits.
Shortly after the article, sushi popped up in Duluth at the old Bennett’s restaurant (now Midi) and in Superior at the old Sakana (now Marlee’s Caribbean).
Today, sushi is on the menu at a handful of area restaurants:
Black Water Lounge (They still serve sushi, don’t they?)
China King Buffet (no website; opening announced on PDD here)
Hanabi Japanese Cuisine
Osaka Sushi Hibachi Steakhouse (no website; PDD reviews here)
Zen House (Duluth)
Zen House (Hermantown)
Discussion topic: Hanabi is clearly the best and China King Buffet is clearly the least expensive, right?
UPDATE: Commenters note that two grocery stores — Mt. Royal Fine Foods and Cub Foods — both sell sushi in Duluth.
I happily attended Oktoberfest this weekend.
It’s a vast improvement over last year. Last year, tents were huddled behind orange fencing, penning the whole event into a tiny space as if to say: it’s too cold to enjoy the outdoors. This year, the whole event is more spacious, with a central walkway between a food tent, a beer tent, a kettle corn tent, a tent for the MPR Current (can we get that up here yet?), an area for bean bag games and feats of strength and, of course, the dance tent.
I don’t necessarily think this is the forum to rip into a local business, but I have to ask fellow PDDers about their experience with the quality of food and service at Clyde Iron Works. I’ve seen a couple great shows there — TBT earlier this summer, and Brandi Carlile last night. The venue itself is truly great, as is the building, but we have yet to have anything to eat there that didn’t leave us with a bad taste in our mouth, figuratively speaking.
Okay, kiddies, I expect to see this at the WFC!
A couple weeks ago, Vitta Pizza opened in Canal Park. It’s in the spot that Northern Lights Books used to be in, 307 Canal Park Drive. They cook the pizza in a wood-fired oven, and it’s pretty tasty.
… I might have had this morning. At least, best per-dollar, with the awesomest staff: the Coney Island.
On April 10, 1921 Gus Saites, a Greek immigrant, had a few hundred dollars and an idea. He would head to Duluth from St. Paul and open a restaurant on East Superior Street in the bustling town of Duluth Minnesota. Nearly 90 years later this idea continues uninterrupted in the same location and under the same tin ceiling as on that spring day in ’21.
