Well, by the sound of things the Republican National Convention wasn’t quite the boon for Saint Paul that everyone had anticipated. What we’re hearing is that restaurants near downtown actually lost business, as locals stayed away from the madness and delegates didn’t stray too far from the Excel Energy Center. This likely affected restaurants just outside downtown—on west 7th, say, or the Cathedral Hill neighborhood—most of all, but apparently even restaurants in the heart of downtown didn’t do as well as they had hoped. Some are blaming city officials, who, the story goes, failed to talk up local businesses or make it easy for visitors to get around the city easily. The finger-pointing will likely continue well into the fall.
In the meantime, now is the perfect time to get back into St. Paul and show your favorite restaurants a little love. The delegates, the media, and the protesters are gone, so what’s stopping you? Need suggestions? Glad you asked!
Our downtown favorites include Meritage (a place we love) and Tanpopo Noodle Shop. We’d also recommend Great Waters Brewing Company, but not wholeheartedly—the beer is great, the food so-so. We haven’t eaten in that many places on West 7th street, but there’s always Cossetta’s for cheap pizza, pasta, and cannoli, as well as the usual suspects like The Liffey and McGovern’s. Moving West toward Selby and Dale, we hear that Il Vesco Vino has been undeservedly slammed by the RNC drought. In the same area, The Muddy Pig and The Happy Gnome are two pubs that are near and dear to my (Andrew’s) heart, not so much for their food as for their diverse beer lists and laid-back atmospheres.
We haven’t heard if Grand Avenue/Mac-Groveland restaurants have been affected by the RNC—probably not, as it’s far enough away from downtown that locals shouldn’t be steering clear—but as long as we’re in the neighborhood: we love Khyber Pass Café, Shish, Pad Thai, and the Groveland Tap. Last but certainly not least, there’s Heartland, undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in St. Paul.
If you still need an excuse to come and get reacquainted with our state capital, there’s also the Concrete and Grass Music Festival, which starts today in Mears Park. There’s a great lineup of local musicians, and the food and beer will be provided by the previously mentioned Great Waters Brewing Company.
