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George and Laura kick off Fourth of July weekend with Taste of Minnesota, Red White & BOOM fireworks, Twins vs. Guardians, Lynx home games, and a tour of the Twin Cities plant-based scene from Herbivorous Butcher to J. Selby's. Plus cannabis testing backlog news.
It's patio season and Fourth of July weekend in the Twin Cities. George and Laura map out the food, festivals, sports, and plant-based spots worth your time this week.
In this episode:
Sources:
Subscribe: mplsvegan.com
George: —and I'm telling you, Laura, I walked over the Stone Arch this morning and it just hit me. Patio season. It's HERE.
Laura: George, it's been here. You're like two weeks late to your own party.
George: Ope, okay, fair.
Laura: We had eighty degrees last weekend. Where were you?
George: I was up at the cabin, doncha know.
Laura: Of COURSE you were.
George: Listen, the dock needed me.
Laura: The dock needed you. Sure.
George: Hey, the dock has FEELINGS, Laura.
Laura: Okay, well, while you were communing with your dock, the Cities turned into a postcard. Greenway was packed. Every patio in Uptown had a wait.
George: See, that's what I want to get into today. Because we are sitting right on top of the best week of the whole summer.
Laura: It's a big one. Fourth of July weekend, basically.
George: Basically. And the vibe outside right now... I mean, you walked in, what's it doing?
Laura: Warm. Sticky-ish. Classic late June. Not uff-da hot yet but you can feel it coming.
George: That sweet spot.
Laura: That sweet spot where you can still sit outside without melting into the chair.
George: Right.
Laura: Which... we should probably tell people what we're doing today, George.
George: Yeah, okay so — patio season kickoff, sort of. Heading into the Fourth. We're gonna do food, we're gonna do the plant-based scene, cannabis corner, what to actually DO this weekend.
Laura: The whole tour.
George: The whole tour. And shout to our friends at mplsvegan.com and mncannabishub.com, they keep this whole thing on the road.
Laura: They really do. Okay. Food first?
George: Food first. Because I am hungry and I have OPINIONS.
Laura: When are you not.
George: So I was over in Northeast yesterday—
Laura: Mm.
George: —and I walked past Herbivorous Butcher and the line was out the door. Out the DOOR, Laura.
Laura: Yeah, that doesn't surprise me at all.
George: It used to be like, a niche thing, right? Like fifteen years ago if you said "vegan deli" people would look at you sideways.
Laura: Okay but you're doing the thing.
George: What thing.
Laura: The "back in my day" thing. George. It's been a fixture in NE for years. People aren't discovering it.
George: ...fair.
Laura: It's just a great sandwich shop now. That's the story.
George: That IS the story, you're right.
Laura: And honestly the way Northeast has shifted — the Arts District around there, the whole stretch — it makes sense. You go, you grab a sandwich, you wander, you look at studios.
George: That's a perfect Saturday.
Laura: That IS a perfect Saturday.
George: Okay, what about St. Paul side. Because I feel like we always do Minneapolis Minneapolis Minneapolis—
Laura: We do.
George: —and St. Paul's got J. Selby's, which, hot take, might be the best patio-adjacent vegan move in the Cities.
Laura: Patio-adjacent.
George: I'm hedging because I can't picture the patio situation perfectly and I don't want to lie to people.
Laura: Okay, that's actually responsible of you.
George: I'm a responsible man.
Laura: Sometimes.
George: Sometimes!
Laura: But J. Selby's is real. Like that's a real comfort-food, gut-bomb in the best way kind of place.
George: The dirty fries situation? I dream about those.
Laura: See, and I think that's the thing people miss about plant-based food in this town. It's not lettuce-and-sadness anymore. It hasn't been for a long time.
George: No. It's HEAVY food. It's diner food.
Laura: Trio Plant-Based is doing that same thing. Hard Times has been doing it since forever.
George: Hard Times is its own ecosystem.
Laura: Hard Times is a STATE OF MIND.
George: It really is. You walk in there and time stops.
Laura: Time absolutely stops at Hard Times.
George: And then there's Hello Pizza, which I will defend till I die.
Laura: I knew you were gonna bring up Hello Pizza.
George: It's PIZZA, Laura. It's good pizza.
Laura: I'm not arguing with you. I'm just saying I called it.
George: Fine.
Laura: And Reverie. Don't sleep on Reverie. People sleep on Reverie.
George: I always forget about Reverie and then someone mentions it and I'm like, right, that place is great.
Laura: You forget about it because you're loyal to your three spots.
George: I am a creature of habit.
Laura: You are a creature of deep, deep habit. The Herbalist also — that's the one I keep meaning to get back to.
George: Yeah, see, I haven't been. Honest answer. I don't actually have a recent take on The Herbalist.
Laura: Wow, George admits he doesn't know something.
George: It happens once a year, mark your calendar.
Laura: Mark the calendar, everybody.
George: But that's the point, right? Like the plant-based scene in the Cities — it's deep enough now that even the people who care about it can't keep up.
Laura: That's a good way to put it.
George: That's growth.
Laura: That's real growth. And our friends at mplsvegan.com basically live to keep that map current, so if you're trying to figure out where to go this weekend, that's your move.
George: That's your move.
Laura: Okay so. Patio. Plant-based. What are we doing for actual weekend plans, George.
George: Oh, this is the part I'm excited about.
Laura: I figured.
George: Because the Fourth is FRIDAY... no wait. Saturday.
Laura: Saturday.
George: Saturday. And Taste of Minnesota is back.
Laura: It IS back. Friday and Saturday, July third and fourth.
George: Around Nicollet Mall, Washington Ave, that whole spine downtown.
Laura: A hundred-plus local restaurants, food trucks, breweries, Minnesota artists. That's the pitch.
George: That's the pitch and it's a strong pitch.
Laura: It's the kind of thing where you go for one thing and stay for four hours.
George: That's my favorite kind of event.
Laura: I know it is.
George: And then Saturday — Red, White and Boom.
Laura: Down at Water Works and West River Parkway.
George: All day programming, then the fireworks at night. Free.
Laura: Free is the magic word.
George: Free is the magic word, especially right now. Things are spendy out there.
Laura: There it is.
George: What?
Laura: "Spendy." You held out for like ten minutes.
George: It's a USEFUL word, Laura.
Laura: It's a very useful word, I'm not mad about it.
George: But seriously. A free fireworks show on the river, by the Stone Arch?
Laura: It doesn't get more Minneapolis than that.
George: It doesn't.
Laura: Okay, but pushback.
George: Uh oh.
Laura: It's gonna be PACKED. Like, packed packed. Plan accordingly.
George: Yeah, no, that's true.
Laura: Get there early, figure out your bathroom situation before you need it, don't drive if you can help it.
George: All the boring grown-up advice.
Laura: All the boring grown-up advice that will save your night.
George: You're right. Honestly, walk or bike.
Laura: Bike on the Greenway. That's still my favorite way to get into downtown.
George: The Greenway is the gift this city gave itself.
Laura: It really is. You can ride from like deep south Minneapolis straight into downtown without dealing with a single car.
George: It's a miracle every time I think about it.
Laura: Every time.
George: Okay, music. Anything pulling you in this week?
Laura: First Ave's got a couple of things. There's a Neil Diamond tribute on Thursday—
George: Hold on—
Laura: —Super Diamond, "An Evening With Super Diamond." That's real. That's a real show.
George: I love that we live in a place where that's a real First Ave Mainroom show.
Laura: Eight thirty, Thursday night.
George: Sweet Caroline at the MAINROOM, doncha know.
Laura: George.
George: I'm sorry, I had to.
Laura: And then later, like the following week — Benjamin Tod and Lost Dog Street Band on the ninth, the Bouncing Souls on the eleventh.
George: That's a range.
Laura: That is a RANGE.
George: That's First Ave being First Ave.
Laura: That's why it's First Ave.
George: It's also one of those venues where, like, the building itself is the show.
Laura: —is part of the show, yeah.
George: You walk in and you feel the floor.
Laura: You feel the FLOOR.
George: Sticky and historic at the same time.
Laura: Sticky and historic, put that on a t-shirt.
George: Someone's already made that shirt, I guarantee it.
Laura: Okay sports — are we doing sports?
George: Quick sports. Twins are home next week, Cleveland comes in.
Laura: Tuesday through Thursday, I think.
George: Then Angels right after.
Laura: Target Field in July, that's its own thing.
George: Best ballpark in the country and I will fight about it.
Laura: Okay, calm down.
George: I will!
Laura: And the Saints are home for a couple more days at CHS, which — you know my pitch on this.
George: The St. Paul Farmers Market Saints combo.
Laura: It's RIGHT THERE. Lowertown market in the morning, baseball in the afternoon. That's a perfect day.
George: That's a perfect day and that's a St. Paul day.
Laura: That's a St. Paul day, and I will give St. Paul its flowers.
George: West Seventh is great too, just to walk.
Laura: West Seventh is so underrated.
George: Lynx are home a bunch starting next week.
Laura: Yeah, Lynx are gonna be a whole thing this summer. There's a Finals rematch coming up against New York.
George: That game is gonna be electric.
Laura: That building is gonna be LOUD.
George: And United's got a couple of things later in the month — Vancouver, then an international friendly.
Laura: Allianz is gorgeous in July.
George: It really is. The Wonderwall after a win on a summer night?
Laura: Come on.
George: COME on.
Laura: Okay, you're gonna be insufferable about this for another ten minutes if I let you.
George: Probably.
Laura: Pivot. Cannabis corner.
George: Cannabis corner.
Laura: This is the part where I push back on you about something.
George: Oh boy.
Laura: Because I've been hearing people talk about shortages, like "I went to my spot and they were out of stuff."
George: Yeah, that's real.
Laura: And I want to be careful because I don't want to spread rumors.
George: No, this one is actually real and our friends at mncannabishub.com have been on it.
Laura: Walk me through it.
George: Okay so. One of the state's certified testing labs shut down earlier this month—
Laura: Mm.
George: —which leaves only three labs doing testing for the whole state.
Laura: Which is a bottleneck.
George: Which is a HUGE bottleneck. Everything has to pass through testing before it hits a shelf.
Laura: So shelves get thin.
George: Shelves get thin. That's what people are seeing.
Laura: Okay. So that's not your dispensary slacking. That's the supply chain.
George: That's the supply chain.
Laura: That's useful to know, because I think folks have been getting frustrated and pointing it at the wrong target.
George: Exactly. Like if you go to Wildflower in the North Loop, or Simply Crafted in Northeast, or Green Goods down in Bloomington, and they're out of something — it's not them.
Laura: It's a structural thing.
George: It's structural. And there's actually a second piece to this too.
Laura: Go.
George: The governor signed a cannabis bill late last month — let me get this right — that lets social-equity license holders take outside investment, up to a third.
Laura: Up to a third.
George: Across up to four licenses, I think is how it worked.
Laura: Okay. So what does that mean for like, a normal person who just wants to buy a gummy?
George: Honest answer? Not much in the short term.
Laura: Right.
George: But long term, it means smaller operators — people who got social-equity licenses but couldn't raise money — they've got a new path.
Laura: To actually open a store.
George: To actually open a store. Which matters, because access to capital has been THE barrier.
Laura: There was a piece in the Star Tribune about that recently. Women opening dispensaries from Edina out to Moorhead—
George: Yeah.
Laura: —and the whole thing was, the licenses exist but the money to build out the store is the wall.
George: That's the wall. Real estate, build-out, inventory before you sell a thing.
Laura: That's a lot of upfront.
George: That's a LOT of upfront.
Laura: Which is why somewhere like Edina Canna existing matters, right? Like that's a wellness-forward, suburb-friendly storefront. Different vibe than a head shop.
George: Totally different vibe. And that's what the market is figuring out — what does this look like in a strip mall in Edina versus a corner in Northeast.
Laura: It's gonna look different in different places.
George: As it should.
Laura: And if people just want a low-key thing for the patio this weekend—
George: Stigma is doing the THC beverage thing.
Laura: Which for a Fourth of July patio hang—
George: That's the play.
Laura: That's the play. You're outside, it's hot, you want something cold in your hand—
George: You don't want to be deep in your feelings on the Fourth.
Laura: You don't want to be deep in your feelings during the FIREWORKS, George.
George: You really don't. Keep it light.
Laura: Keep it light. Know your dose. Drink water.
George: Minnesota nice rules apply.
Laura: Minnesota nice rules apply.
George: Okay. We should probably land this plane.
Laura: We should land this plane. Give me a takeaway.
George: Okay. One takeaway.
Laura: One.
George: If you do nothing else this weekend, go outside.
Laura: That's it?
George: That's it. We earn this weather. We EARN it. Six months of winter and we earn one perfect Saturday by the river.
Laura: ...okay, that's actually a good one.
George: Don't sound so surprised.
Laura: I'm always a little surprised, George.
George: Walk the Stone Arch. Bike the Greenway. Hit a market. Sit on a patio. Watch the fireworks.
Laura: Tip your servers.
George: TIP YOUR SERVERS. The patios are slammed right now and those folks are working.
Laura: They are working. Be a good hang.
George: Be a good hang. That's the whole thing.
Laura: That's the whole show, honestly.
George: That's the whole show.
Laura: Thank you to mplsvegan.com — go check the patio guide, it's getting updated all the time.
George: And mncannabishub.com for staying on top of, you know, the actual story behind your empty dispensary shelf.
Laura: The actual story.
George: We appreciate y'all.
Laura: We appreciate y'all. Get outside this week.
George: Drink some water. Eat a sandwich.
Laura: Eat a sandwich.
George: Catch you next time.
Laura: Skol, friends.
George: Skol.
Three times a week, the Twin Cities in 12 minutes. Real restaurants you should try, real local business news, real events worth your weekend. Sponsored by mplsveganhub.com and mncannabishub.com — for serious Minneapolis business owners, also brought to you by Quiet Coyote (quietcoyotemn.com).