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grocery bags
It's happening all over the country, restaurants are making another pivot: to market.
Alongside their takeout orders, local restaurants are suddenly offering raw cuts of meat, boxes of fresh produce, chef-prepared provisions and grocery items available for pickup. I mean, why not? Grocery stores have been selling meal kits and ready-to-eat meals for a long time. And as certain grocery items are impacted by crazy market forces and supply chain issues during this crisis, you can't always trust the shelves are going to be stocked with what you want, after you've waited in line to get in to a traditional store.
They're not out to replace your whole grocery shop, but restaurants can make it easier for you to have a stocked pantry. For some it's a natural extension of their booming meal-kit business: People who are buying pasta kits want an extra quart of sauce or bonus meatballs for later (who doesn't). For others it's more about being a one-stop-shop to cut down on trips for people avoiding exposure. If I'm coming for a few takeout salads, and I can score some fresh veggies for other meals in one curbside grab, so much the win. For everyone, it means a little extra cash in this tight swing. Plus, most already offer beer and wine pickup, so that's another trip saved.
And sometimes, it's about answering a bigger need. As the restaurant closure ripple effect hits local farms, leaving them with a surplus of crops, their chef partners are stepping up. By offering these ingredients to their takeout eaters, the restos are ensuring that they'll be around when the world comes back. A rising tide lifts all boats. You know, AITT*. This is not to say that places like France44 Cheeseshop, Cossettas, Golden Fig, and Surdyk's aren't already doing this kind of of awesome grocery servicing for local and small makers, they always have.
Here's a quick hit of those restaurants where you can pad your takeout order:
The gang up in Robbinsdale is partnering up with their favorite farms and producers. On their marketplace site you'll find Dragsmith Farms fresh produce, Red Table meat, Shepherd's Way cheeses, Fish Guys King crab, and Au Bon Canard duck among other proteins from lamb to ribeyes. They've also assembled meal kits featuring said fresh produce, and are selling chef-made sauces by the pint, and provisions like pickled ramps, fresh ricotta dip, burger buns, chocolate chip cookie dough, and crazy more. Deadline to pre-order is Wednesday night for curbside pickup on the next week's Thursday at Travail.
This move is an evolution of their Crisp@Home system. Whereas that first pivot allowed you to order large sized salad/bowl meal kits, this new grocery system allows you to order personal amounts of over 100 fresh/cooked prepped ingredients you might need, ready within 2 hours. So you can order your No Prob Cobb for delivery from their app, but then throw chickpeas, falafel, couscous, spinach, feta, and lemons in the bag to go along with whatever you're making for dinner tomorrow. No waiting for the next available slot for grocery store delivery, which might be next week. Open every day from 10:30am-8pm.
While the taproom is closed, people can still pop by and grab their craft beer to go. Since their Loring Park neighborhood has lots of apartment dwellers, and not a ton of high-quality food in walkable distance, L&L decided to stock up and offer some goods to grab alongside their St. Gail raspberry honey ale. Find MinneSalsa, Dogwood Coffee, Ames Honey, Redhead Creamery cheese, Freak Flag organic sauces and so much more. Just pop in, from 12-6pm daily.
You know that Birchwood is all about Community (capital-C intended). So you should not be surprised that Tracy Singleton is selling Hope Creamery butter, Peace Coffee, Fischer Farms bacon, Peterson beef steaks, whole Tree-Range chickens, and foraged ramps from the Gentleman Forager. Grocery pickup Wed-Fri, 11am-7pm; Sa-Su, 2-7pm.
It feels like they saw this need coming. The restaurant in the FOOD building was always set up to offer the products made there, but they are helping to round out your order. Grab some Sunshine Harvest farm fresh eggs, Autumnwood organic milk, fresh pasta by the pound, house made crackers, butter, honey, granola, and of course Baker's Field flour and breads (bagels!), Red Table meats, and Alemar cheeses. Daily, from 11am-6pm.
This has always been a restaurant with a farm attached, and now they're selling as much of the farm product as they can, straight to you. Love the idea of ordering a burger to go, then rolling out with pints of frozen custard, ham steak, ground beef, bag of potatoes, shallots, radishes, herbs, mushrooms, and more. Don't forget a bottle of pet nat bubbles on the order, one more trip saved. Open Wed-Sun, 11am-6pm.
Well, sure. Broder's Pasta Bar always had sister Cucina as a marketplace, and don't you forget it. Order your family sized lasagna or a South Jersey Hoagie, then hit up the pantry and add some extras to the cart. Like: pizza dough, shredded mozz, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, black rice, "00" flour, focaccia and baguettes, mascarpone cheese, Bazzini's pistachios, Sicilian onion jam. And tiramisu, you deserve that. Get it Tues-Sat, 4-8pm.
You can't wait for your favorite counter stool in person, but you can stand up and eat pancakes at home in homage to Dinkytown's best breakfast joint. Al's is selling quarts of their signature pancake batter, 12oz containers of homemade Hollandaise (please, not just with a spoon, make some eggs at least), quarts of corned beef hash, and bacon by the pound. As always, Mon-Sat, 6am-1pm, Su 9am-1pm.
Besides your favorite breakfast tacos, bicuit sammies, and home fries, you can walk away with a morning list checked if you also grab: Hope Creamery butter, Fischer Farms bacon, syrup, pickles, and soup by the quart. Try it Wed-Sun, 8am-1pm.
OK, so not really a restaurant, but catering counts. Especially when it's a group of beautifully minded people like this whose whole mission is to help feed others. Order from their Greengrocer Boxes which will score you an abundance of veggies and goods. A limited number of the boxes are a pay-what-you-can situation, so pay big if you're able, smaller if you need a boost right now. Order by Weds for pickup on Thurs, 4-6pm.
There's everything right about ordering some bento box meals and don buri, along with chirashi don fish cuts from one of our best Japanese restaurants in the city. Then just stock up on shoyu sauce, furikake seasoning, Kewpie mayo, and matcha Pocky sticks. Daily, from 5-9pm.
The Italians:
Mucci's ... Get frozen pizzas, frozen and fresh pastas by the pound, meatballs and sauce by the pint or quart, and more!
Monello ... Find frozen tortelli (for 6-12), quarts of amatriciana sauce, fancy pasta by the pound, plus more!
i.e. Italian Eatery ... Calabrian hot sauce, Mary Marzano bloody mix, gelato by the pint, soup by the quart, and more!
The Grillers:
Red Cow ... Making your backyard grill-out a breeze by selling you buns, house ketchup and mustard, steak burger and pulled pork by the pound. Don't forget the onion dip.
Gianni's Steak ... They will sell you their favorite steaky meat cuts for your own grilling adventures.
MORE:
Seward Cafe ... Not just coffee beans, signature tea blends, and biscuits, but also rolled oats, buckwheat flour, cormeal, and active yeast!
Penny's Coffee ... Yes they have your oatmilk latte, but also trail mix, oatmeal, jams, honey, bulk tea, and all kinds of milk alternatives.
Parallel Cafe ... Kombucha and Mexican coke for your pickup sandwich, and then also Glenview Farms eggs and butter, Chai, and more.
*all in this together
