Joy Summers
Lavender’s Romantic Restaurants Round-Up
If in every crackle of a fireplace hearth, in every star that twinkles all too early in the evening, and in the shush-shush sound of walking in winter wear, you’re hearing a certain name it’s likely you’re in love. If you’re spending days at a keyboard ignoring a cursor and dream of the curve of…
Romantic Dining For 2019
These long, dark nights are best spent by low, warm lights in the company of your person. The past year has brought a new crop of restaurants with seductive lighting and dishes worth lingering over. These are the top picks to visit before those long nights get shorter. Colita Styled like a desert oasis, Colita…
A Nice Change Of Pastry
A tendril of an aroma wafts out of the basement of a church in Powderhorn. It wraps its way around the neighborhood, near Lake Street, beckoning like something out of a Tex Avery cartoon. Inside the building, a knotted red bandana and tied up apron indicate it’s business time for one radical church lady. Rachel…
The Very Best Gay-Owned and -Operated Restaurants in the Metro Area
During our annual toast to all this Pride, we wanted to take a moment to give a shout-out to some of the chefs and restaurant owners who are part of the community. A great restaurant enhances a neighborhood and strengthens a community. With warm hospitality and delicious food, the very best eateries are the ones…
Lavender’s Best New Restaurants
This past year has given us fewer new restaurants, but those that have opened have been a tasty selection. In the Twin Cities, we’re eating more casually with French and Southeast Asian flare. The wine lists are filled with funky selections from small vineyards that keep the prices affordable. Menus ply us with bold and…
Romantic Dining At Home
The best gifts are always the ones made by hand. There is nothing better or more romantic than pulling together a dinner made from scratch. We reached out to some of our favorite gay tastemakers for their best recipes to mix up at home. Start the evening with a stunning cocktail then try a fresh…
Divine Destinations for Romantic Dining
Last year brought so many new date night dining options into the Twin Cities landscape, including a revitalization of two lovely Minneapolis restaurants. When looking for somewhere to snuggle in over low light, delicious food, and maybe even a bottle of something special, these are four new dining rooms waiting for your reservation. Grand Cafe…
Romantic Dining: Tenant
The best first date I ever had began with an inauspicious “no.” No, I did not want to get all ‘do-ed up and go out to the hot new club that just got a write-up. I wanted to slip into my favorite jeans, the ones that hug all the right places, and ease into a…
Romantic Dining: Bardo
The restaurant Remy Pettus had his eye on wasn’t available. Prolific Minneapolis restaurateur John Rimarcik had shuttered the place he called “Rachel’s” for a refresh. Pettus was a young chef, bouncing around town with a burning desire to create his own restaurant, and he wasn’t about to take “no” for an answer. The Culinary Institute…
Kid-Friendly Restaurants
Eating with kids is a careful tightrope walk of balancing (reasonably) healthy food with efficiency in service and a flexibility for those who play out the politics of their plates like a last war stand. Also, it would be extra nice if the adults could actually enjoy the food, too. Here are my favorite places…
