Tacos for a new generation coming to Richfield

Chef Oscar Ramos will open El Taco Real at 2208 W. 66th St. in Richfield in early May and, as the name implies, the menu will be heavy on tacos.

That includes traditional Mexican tacos with corn tortillas (made in house), cilantro, onions and lime — just like what Ramos grew up on in Juventino Rosas, the city where he was born and raised. The menu also will have room for experimentation.

"We're going to have two different lines of tacos: traditional and gourmet," said Ramos. It's the realization of a dream for the chef/owner, who went to culinary school in Mexico. But life took him in another direction, and he ended up running a construction business in the Twin Cities.

Traditional recipes come from Ramos and his family, including an uncle who used to run a taqueria. Ramos also asked restaurateurs from establishments he loved while growing up for their recipes and they obliged, wishing him luck in his new venture.

Meanwhile, gourmet tacos will get dressed up with a wider range of ingredients and flavors. As part of it, Ramos has brought in industry veterans. Chefs Pat Weber and Dave Buxton and hospitality guru Sara Phelps of Mise en Place consulting will help create that part of the menu and launch the operation. Alex Becerra, whose résumé includes Masa & Agave at Hotel Ivy, will be the restaurant's general manager.

In addition to tacos, menu items such as gorditas and salads will be offered at the fast-casual spot in the former Tazzah Mediterranean (which also happens to be a historic Taco Bell). If all goes as planned, El Taco Real's grand opening will be May 8.

"I've always cooked and always wanted to have a restaurant, and I remember my mom putting me in culinary school," said Ramos, who co-owns the place with his wife, Heimi. "It's been a dream of mine."

New lakeside restaurant will open this summer

Chef Josh Brown will lead the kitchen at Cabana Anna's, a new restaurant opening May 1 inside the Shoreline Hotel (4165 Shoreline Drive) in Spring Park. Brown was the longtime leader of D'Amico's catering kitchens, and headed up Gather at the Walker Art Center.

The new restaurant with Lake Minnetonka views will serve breakfast through dinner with crowd-pleasing dishes that draw a little nostalgic inspiration, like lobster bisque and truffle agnolotti, to just-off-the-boat snacks like pizzas, walleye sandwiches and more. Brown's inspiration for the food was a bit of "South Florida-meets-Minnesota."

The food program was also built with a consciousness: microgreens, herbs and edible florals will be grown on-site on the front end, and they'll compost all the organic materials and deliver it to area farms, where they'll also get fresh produce. "We want to be known as a place that not only creates unique and delicious food, but also a place that makes its mark on the community," Brown said in a statement.

Shoreline Resort owner Kelly Olsen and Brown have known each other since high school. The restaurant is named for Olsen's grandmother, Anna Berg, who lived to be 104 years old.

Rosalia 2.0 now open in Northeast

The second location of chef Daniel del Prado's pizza restaurant Rosalia is now open at 333 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls.

Like the Linden Hills location, pizzas are wood-fired Neapolitan-style with a variety of toppings, along with a lineup of dips and roasted vegetables. The restaurant also offers a popular gluten-free variety. Pizzas range from $18-$24.

Alongside the food is a full bar offering a selection of amaros, classic cocktails, wine and a few craft beers.

The opening comes just weeks after del Prado decided to shutter all four locations of his Cafe Ceres coffee shop/cafe months after baristas voted to unionize.

That restaurant with the Ferris wheel opens May 3

Hey Ya'll, Tipsy Taco Bar in Northeast will host its grand opening on May 3, but the new restaurant and bar is already in soft-opening mode. If the name doesn't ring a bell, it might be because this grand spot was going to be called Big Star Tispy Taco Bar, but there were some issues and now we're running with Hey Ya'll.

What remains: The restaurant is huge and there are plenty of dining spaces, including a four-season patio, centrally located bar, dining room and several outdoor patios, including that giant one that's a Ferris wheel.

The menu is mostly tacos and good bar food, including a smash burger taco and pans of gooey queso.

St. Paul's outdoor pizza party is coming back

With Farina Rossa opening in Fair State Brewing's kitchen, there was some concern that the fun times might end with the outdoor kitchen from JohnMichael Lynch's exceptional pizza eatery.

However, we bring good news because the chef/owner confirms that the oven will once again fire up outside Bang Brewing (2320 Capp Road, St. Paul). The hidden gem of a patio will serve his Neapolitan-style pizza with classic toppings and seasonally changing specials.

Meanwhile, things are running smoothly over at Fair State, where the chef specializes in tavern and Detroit-style pizzas.

New patio plans outside St. Paul's historic train depot

The restaurant inside Union Depot in St. Paul will add patio space outside the historic structure just in time for the farmers market and Saints seasons. What was once 1881 by Lake Elmo Inn is also making a little name shift to 1881 Eating House, while still serving its elevated comfort fare. The new patio is expected to debut soon. Like the inside restaurant, it will be open Wednesday through Sunday with weekend brunch hours.

Guacaya Bistreaux exits the North Loop

And for anyone who might have missed the news earlier this week, Guacaya Bistreaux has closed on Washington Avenue. But the good news is that chef/owner Pedro Wolcott says there are plans to bring it back in a different location.