New Kingfield sandwich shop inspired by North Stars glory days

Pedro Wolcott’s North Star Deli will open at 315 W. 46th St. in Minneapolis’ Kingfield neighborhood with a healthy appreciation for hockey nostalgia and some serious sandwiches. The restaurant is the next chapter for the chef-owner behind North Loop’s recently closed Guacaya Bistro.

“We want to create a space for joy,” the chef said about his newest venture.

The new deli will be a throwback to the glory days of Minnesota’s North Stars, which left the state for Texas in 1993. (The Wild filled our NHL gap beginning in 2000.) “Those were good days for Minnesota,” said Wolcott, name dropping the Mighty Ducks and a few other early ’90s pop culture references.

The new move also aligns with the pull of family life, as Wolcott mentioned when talking about his decision to close his first restaurant. As a father of small kids, he and wife and business partner Alexandra operate as a “mom-and-pop shop.” The family is relocating to the neighborhood and is looking forward to being a part of community.

On the North Star menu, expect to find a proper muffuletta. Wolcott carries New Orleans in his heart and knows the importance of all the ingredients of the famed sandwich. He’s working with neighbor John Kraus’ Patisserie 46 on the bread for his sandwiches. “John is one of the best humans — talk about a neighbor,” said Wolcott.

They’ll be smoking meats in-house and plan to open with a menu of 12 sandwiches that are a mix of hot and cold, plus five salad options and three desserts. Prices for the mains will hover around $15.

Wolcott also comes with some major sandwich bona fides: He helped open New Orleans’ famed Cochon Butcher, among other notable meaty places.

Expect a gold and green decor, along with a lot of local pride. “We want to bring back those times,” Wolcott said of his inspiration. “Times are hard on people. There’s a lot of belt-tightening. We want to bring back that kind of joy of being a Minnesotan.”

Wolcott’s Guacaya staff made the move with him, and they’ve been getting the storefront set up and the kitchen rolling, likely for an early June opening. Follow North Star Deli on Instagram for updates.

Marcus and Kelsey Brandt‘s Sandwich Club food truck, the one featuring all the good things found between two slices of bread, will be available weekends at North Market (4414 N. Humboldt Av., Mpls.) this summer starting June 7.

The bright yellow food truck started serving the Victory neighborhood last summer and quickly became a favorite. The menu rotates often, but we fell hard for the Bodega Buddy, a variation on chopped cheese.

They’ll share the space with Wendy’s House of Soul, which serves lunch through dinner inside North Market on weekdays.

North Market is a full-service grocery store, bakery and deli as well as a wellness center and community gathering spot that opened in 2017.

In a neighborly move, Red Coral Coffee will open May 27 inside Okome House (4457 42nd Av. S., Mpls.) weekday mornings through afternoon, when the restaurant is usually closed. The menu offers espresso drinks, specialty pour-over coffee, matcha, chai and other premium tea options.

Local news outlet Longfellow Whatever reports Red Coral’s owner Ben Wu founded the company on the side while working at the restaurant. Wu has been importing specialty pour-over coffee packets from Taiwan, where he was raised.

Meanwhile, Okome House’s chef-owner Hide Tozawa is also expanding with Nokko, a new Japanese restaurant and bar (4747 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls.) that’s currently staffing up in anticipation of an early summer opening.

Less than a month after closing the Apostle Supper Club, Sarah and Brian Ingram’s Purpose Restaurants has opened the latest Hope Breakfast Bar in Blaine (10950 Club West Pkwy. NE.). The new restaurant opened Monday morning with a menu of comfort fare eye-openers like pork belly and biscuits, red velvet waffles, piña colada French toast and more. Like the others, it’s expected to be open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The mini-chain has been in growth mode, with more planned for later this year. Hope Breakfast Bar first opened in St. Paul in 2019 and has grown to include seven locations, including outposts in Eagan, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Woodbury, St. Louis Park and another in Chaska expected to open later this year.

The Ingrams also own the Gnome Craft Pub in St. Paul’s Cathedral Hill neighborhood and Salt & Flour in downtown Minneapolis.

Rogers’ Muni bar has officially completed its transformation into the Block Food + Drink. The second location of the Block, from the Craft & Crew restaurant group, has much of what makes the St. Louis Park original so popular: Ellsworth cheese curds, broasted chicken, burgers, bowls and, of course, a dog-friendly “paw-tio.”

The fast-growing northwest suburb may have lost a municipal bar, but the Block isn’t the only thing it’s gaining. Later this year, Ray J’s will open an outpost in Rogers for its famed wings. That spot will neighbor the new Ripple Effect Brewing Co., at 14086 Northdale Blvd.

As for the Block, at 21400 John Milless Dr., it’s open late for Rogers residents who like to hang out close to home. Stop in from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m. to midnight Fri., 9 a.m. to midnight Sat. and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. More info at theblockmn.com.

Minneapolis’ beloved vegan butchers were given the all-clear to sell the remaining stock they have after a fire devastated their northeast Minneapolis shop.

Herbivorous Butcher, founded by siblings Aubry and Kale Walch, has opened online sales for pickup Tuesday and Wednesday, May 20-21, for a few items, including the smoky house ribs, brats, bacon, sliced roast beef and more. Fans can order through the website.

Last week, the Minneapolis Fire Department was dispatched to the storefront at 507 1st Av. NE., where they found a fire above the kitchen area, between the first and second floors. “The fire department had to flood the space, and everything is now a mess,” the Herbivorous Butcher team wrote of the experience.

A GoFund Me account was set up to help the business with recovery efforts that has already raised more than $39,000.

Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Sharyn Jackson contributed to this report.