The iconic bakery is back with all the same Hong Kong-style pastries — plus Vietnamese desserts
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Eater Twin Cities: Keefer Court, the enduring Chinese bakery that Sunny and Paulina Kwan first opened in Minneapolis’s Cedar Riverside neighborhood in 1983, has reopened at Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall under new owners Michael and Mai Bui and Peter Do. The Kwans, joined by their daughter Michelle, attended the bakery’s opening on March 14, serving steamed barbecue pork buns and curry beef puffs from behind the counter. They’ve passed all of Keefer’s pastry recipes — for Hong Kong-style pineapple and coconut cream buns, silky egg tarts, lotus and red bean cakes, and savory meat-stuffed buns — onto the Buis and Do, who’ve painstakingly recreated them, down to the last sesame seed.
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Michael Bui says that the Kwans have been in the kitchen with the new bakery team for the past week and a half, helping them perfect the recipes. Bui himself was a Keefer Court customer for 30 years — he started eating there when he was in college. “It was the only thing I could afford back then,” he says. “It brings back a lot of memories.” He’s excited to carry on the family’s legacy.
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Bui, Mai, and Peter also own Vietnamese restaurant Pho Mai, which was one of Asia Mall’s first tenants, and accompanying bakery Bober Tea and Mochi Dough. The three of them bought Keefer Court from the Kwans in 2023, a few months after the family announced they were closing the bakery. “We’ve been at this for several years, so just having it come to reality, and having this turnout for the soft opening is really exciting,” Michael says. More than 100 people queued outside the restaurant ahead of the 11 a.m. opening.
The Kwans say it’s been an emotional — and joyful — process to watch the bakery they ran for nearly 40 years come back to life. Michelle took over the bakery from her parents in 2017. “My parents are so excited to have their legacy carried on,” she says. “My mom was just saying she’s so happy, she’s getting kind of teary-eyed. Even though it’s not ours, but just to see Keefer live on.” It was hard, she says, to say goodbye to the bakery in 2022. “At least they can carry on the business, and the name, and the products,” Sunny says.
In addition to Keefer’s Hong Kong-style pastries, the Buis and Do have added new Vietnamese desserts to the menu, including whole frosted cakes, banana and sweet taro pudding, cendol (a pandan jelly dessert), slices of coconut cassava cake, and chè ba mau (a sweet tri-color bean dessert), plus Vietnamese iced coffee. The recipes, Michael says, come from Mai and her mother.
You can now get your caffeine fix on the Gunflint Trail!
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The Gunflint Trail is located in the extreme northeastern part of the North Star State, and it’s renowned for being both beautiful and remote. Now, however, visitors to the trail can worry about one less thing: where to get a decent cup of coffee. In summer 2023, Loons Nest Coffee opened its brick-and-mortar location, making it the first coffee shop on the Gunflint Trail in Minnesota.
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Well, technically speaking, you’ve been able to do so for a couple years now, thanks to Loons Nest Coffee.
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Now you know where to go for your caffeine fix or a quick snack next time you’re exploring the Gunflint Trail. To confirm hours or to place an order for home delivery, visit Loons Nest Coffee on the web. Be sure to check out the coffee shop’s Facebook page for even more updates and information. As I mentioned before, the Gunflint is fairly remote, so be sure you pack all your road trip essentials and get fuel in Grand Marais before you head up. Also, cell service is pretty spotty, so a standalone GPS comes in handy; and when you’re hiking some of the amazing trails up there, an app like AllTrails Plus – which you can use offline (one of my favorite features) – is a great tool to have.
Fried chicken tenders and sake, yuzu and taro croissants, and neighborhood restaurant revivals to look forward to
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Eater Twin Cities: 2024 restaurant openings in the Twin Cities have kicked off at a breakneck pace, and the rest of the year promises much of the same. As spring quickens to summer, get ready for bakery revivals, splashy new food halls, French pastries infused with Southeast Asian flavors, lakeside Mex-Tex, wood-fired Hmong meats, and more. Here are the biggest anticipated restaurant openings in Minneapolis and St. Paul this spring, in no particular order.
Beloved Chinese bakery Keefer Court, first opened by Sunny and Paulina Kwan in Minneapolis’s Cedar Riverside neighborhood in 1983, is stepping into a new phase of life at Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall, under Pho Mai owners Michael Bui, Mai Bui, and Peter Do, after the original location closed in 2022. A soft opening is planned for March 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and though the new space, with gold-edged glass shelving and lacquered subway tile, has a different feel from the old Keefer, many staples — including the bakery’s famous barbecue buns — are back. 12160 Technology Dr., Eden Prairie
Construction is underway at Ate Ate Ate, the massive new food hall coming to Burnsville. The Chicago-based Windfall Group purchased Burnsville Center in 2022, partnering with the Pacifica of Burnsville group — consulting company Hospitality HQ, helmed by New York-based chef Akhtar Nawab, has been tapped to bring the food hall to life. The space is big, at 13,320 square feet — expect a roster of nine international food vendors, a bar and beer pull wall, decor that nods to pan-Asian street markets, according to a press release, and an outpost of Enson Market, the Asian supermarket that will anchor the the space. Ate Ate Ate is soliciting one last food vendor to join its roster. Look for a late spring opening.
Super-popular fried chicken food truck Tender Lovin’ Chix is opening a permanent in the former Fire & Nice Ale House space on Lyndale Avenue in Uptown. Marques “Ques” Johnson and Billy Tserenbat (of Billy Sushi) are the names behind this spot — Tender Lovin’ Chix has made its name on its Tokyo-fried-rice-and-chicken-tender combo, so expect more of that, plus a sake bar. Look for an April opening, Johnson tells Eater. 2700 Lyndale Ave S., Minneapolis
North Minneapolis restaurant Tap In, which has radically transformed a Lowry Avenue gas station into a lush, earth-themed space for dining, artist residencies, and social gathering, is about to debut on Lowry Avenue. Tap In has had a winding road to opening since construction started in the summer of 2022, including a delay in licensing, but it’s finally in the home stretch. Interior features from designer Sophie Weber include luminous tile work, sculptural alcoves, and a “Tree of Life” fixture above the bar made with driftwood collected on the banks of the Mississippi River. 2618 Lowry Avenue N., Minneapolis
Chef Yia Vang’s long-awaited Hmong restaurant, Vinai, will open in the former Dangerous Man taproom in Northeast Minneapolis later this spring. Vinai is a love letter to Vang’s parents, Hmong immigrants who fled persecution in Laos after the Vietnam War. Expect a “choose your own adventure” menu broken into several sections — small treats, appetizers, wood-fired grilled meats, vegetables, rice, and pepper sauces — and a big bar. 1300 NE 2nd Street, Minneapolis
James Beard-nominated chef Jorge Guzmán (of Petite León) is opening his second restaurant in Minneapolis’s Calhoun Beach Club. Chilango’s focus will be, as Guzmán puts it, “Mex-Tex” food, with a menu that leans into Mexican dishes but leaves room for Texan flair. As the opening approaches, Guzmán is warming things up with a taco omakase pop-up at Harriet Brasserie, promising suadero, papadulze, cochinita, and corn-waffle tacos, and more, and offering a first taste of Chilango’s menu. As far as drinks go, expect tequila, slushy frozen drinks, imported Mexican beers, and various cocktails. 2730 W. Lake Street, Minneapolis
Last year, Beard-nominated pastry chef Diane Moua announced she was leaving Gavin Kaysen’s Bellecour Bakery, where she’d gained acclaimed for her crepe cakes, ethereal kouign-amann, and other impeccable pastries, to open her own restaurant, now named Diane’s Place. Set to open in Northeast Minneapolis’s Food Building on April 6, the restaurant will pair its main menu — featuring modern savory dishes and Hmong home cooking tied to Moua’s family’s Wisconsin farm (think guinea hens, bitter melon, pork fat with mustard greens, etc.) — with pastries that meld traditional French forms with Southeast Asian flavors (yuzu, taro, etc.). Moua will also be collaborating with Erik Sather of Lowry Hill Meats. 1401 Marshall Street NE, Minneapolis
There’s a spark of new life in the former Riverview Cafe and Wine Bar in Minneapolis’s Longfellow neighborhood: Lynette, a new restaurant from Billie Conaway, Travis Serbus, and Melissa and Ben Siers-Rients, is set to open there this spring. Mpls.St.Paul Magazine has the details on what to expect: neighborhood-y, bistro-like dishes like fresh pasta, rotisserie chicken, duck fat fries, and sourdough pizza, for one, plus wine and cocktails. Serbus and Ben Siers-Rients are among the co-founders of Lyn65, the beloved, now-closed Richfield restaurant that transformed a strip mall space into cozy, time-worn haunt, and Lynette is likely to have a similar unpretentious, lived-in feel. 3753 42nd Avenue S., Minneapolis
Join us for Easter Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner here at The Historical Afton House Inn
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Menu
Assorted Domestic Cheese and Crackers Charcuterie Assortment with Marinated Olives GF Assorted Fresh Fruits and Berries GF Fresh Vegetable Crudité with Ranch GF Smoked Salmon GF Deviled Eggs with Paprika GF.
Afton House Inn Caesar Salad with Parmesan Croutons GF Italian Pasta Salad Cage Free Scrambled Eggs GF Eggs Strade with Sausage French Toast Bake with Maple Syrup Smoked Kielbasa and Sausage Links GF Fresh Green Beans & Carrots GF Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes GF Roast Beef Marsala GF Champagne Chicken GF Honey Glazed Ham GF Baked Salmon GF Mostaccoli Pasta.
Dinner Rolls & Butter, Assorted Pastries and Desserts.
Minneapolis Institute of Art: Art and wine have long made the perfect pairing, celebrating creative expression from field and kitchen to studio and museum. Elevate your experience of Mia with an evening of art and wine after-hours in the galleries.
The evening includes a private, curator-led walkthrough of the exhibition and wine tasting with acclaimed sommelier Bill Summerville. Guests enjoy curated wine selections, small bites from Paris Dining Club, and a lively discussion inspired by the exhibition theme.
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The Culinary Team
About Chef Jamie Malone & Paris Dining Club
Paris Dining Club (PDC) is a dining club in Minneapolis by James Beard nominated Chef Jamie Malone. You can find Malone at her North Loop Paris Dining Club Studio hosting events and creating new experiences for people who love food. PDC also makes dinner parties and date nights at home easy and beautiful.
Malone has gained national attention and earned a place as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for “Rising Star Chef” for 2013 and “Best Chef Midwest” for 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019. In 2013, Malone was named one of Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs.” In 2017, Malone opened her first restaurant, Grand Café, and the following year, it was a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for “Best New Restaurant” and was also named Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Restaurant.” That year, Malone was also awarded Food and Wine magazine’s “Dish of the Year.” Malone has written for Esquire’s “Eat Like a Man” blog and been featured in many magazines including GQ, Saveur, and Elle. In 2014 she won Cooking Light’s “Trail Blazer Award” for her work with sustainable seafood.
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About Bill Summerville
Bill Summerville has been an influential force in shaping the Twin Cities restaurant scene, plying his trademark style of charm and brashness at such notable restaurants as D’Amico Cucina, La Belle Vie, and Spoon and Stable. During his tenure as partner and front man of La Belle Vie, he was a three-time semifinalist for the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Wine Program” and a semifinalist for “Best Service.” A year on the Tuscan Coast traveling to far-flung wine regions had a major impact on his Euro-centric palate. He doesn’t make wine lists as much as he creates collections of wine he really wants you to drink, to take a chance on. The Boston-born Summerville blames his mother for his career in food and wine. She loved food and she knew how to make it taste good. Her gravy was legendary.
The new brunch at Union Hmong Kitchen on Lake Street features a selection of early morning dishes, including a Southeast Asian-style omelet, studded with tomatoes and shrimp over rice and under a fresh herb salad.
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Yia Vang is launching his first full brunch at Union Hmong Kitchen on West Lake Street. “This is a neighborhood restaurant and we want to give people a reason to wake up and come in on Sundays,” he said over a spread of egg dishes punctuated by chile sauce, fresh herbs and UHK’s signature sausage dressed up for brunch with a hint of maple syrup. Brunch launches this weekend, and he’s cooked up compelling reasons for getting up and going out on the weekend.
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There’s a chimichanga doused in creamy coconut red curry sauce and a breakfast bành mí loaded with eggs, sausage, herbs, pickled radish and carrots graced with Maggi sauce. But the first dish I’ll be ordering when I go back is the shrimp and tomato omelet ($16).
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“This isn’t like a Marco Pierre White-type omelet,” Vang said. “You know, when the French colonials left, they left some things behind — including the name.” So, we’ll call it an omelet, but the preparation is entirely different. Eggs are whipped up and cooked in a hot wok with oil until puffy. The result is tender, light and served like a blanket over a mound of rice and topped with an herb salad. The succulent little nubs of seasoned shrimp and sliced cherry tomatoes punctuate the dish, and the salad makes the whole affair feel downright healthy and springy.
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Sunday brunch will run each week from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Lake Street restaurant (the Graze location is still serving the Slurp menu). Prices are $14-$16, and other offerings include steak and eggs and lychee-guava mimosas. (Joy Summers)