Restaurant Roundup: Taqueria pop-up returns, comfort-food specials, Parker’s expansion
Feb. 9, 2023
Taqueria el Circo is back at Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen. The pop-up taqueria from Bread & Circus will take over the menu every Tuesday in February. Offerings include a variety of tacos and chips with salsa, chorizo queso or ahi ceviche. Kids can get quesadillas or mac-and-cheese. The menu is available all day, except for Feb. 14 when it will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant has a special Valentine’s Day dinner that evening with two seatings.
Look’s Marketplace is embracing winter with comfort-food specials all month. Among the offerings: biscuits and gravy for breakfast only, shells and cheese, hot beef and country-fried steak. Salisbury steak is available as a take-and-bake option.
Look’s also crowned its Burger Mania winner. The Culture Kitchen defeated three other kitchens with its Rowdy Roddy Patty Melt.
The Gruff Plates + Pours won the inaugural Brandon Burger Battle with its Pig Trouble in Little China. The restaurant, which is part of The Attic Bar & Grill family, will continue to serve the burger while ingredients remain. That’s expected to be through the weekend. It’s an 8-ounce chuck and brisket burger with sesame slaw, sriracha brown sugar bacon, braised pork belly, provolone cheese, fried leeks and a honey sriracha drizzle.
In the Hartford Area Burger Battle Challenge, Big J’s Roadhouse in Humboldt took this year’s trophy. Its version was called Cyclone and featured a patty topped with brisket, bacon crumbles, beer cheese, chopped lettuce, diced onion and tomato, Swiss and colby jack cheeses and a drizzle of barbecue ranch sauce.
Sunny’s Pizzeria has teamed up with another business to provide pizzas baked on-site. Lupulin Brewing Co. now features five of Sunny’s specialty offerings and cheese pizza. The pizzeria began providing pizzas for Glacial Lakes Distillery & Brewhouse to bake on-site in December.
Parker’s Bistro is moving “full steam ahead” on its expansion that it announced almost a year ago. Parker’s Restaurant Group bought the Frye Building north of the bistro on Main Avenue in 2020 and started demolition work in late 2021. Renovation plans have been finalized, and Parker’s has been issued a building permit. The historic industrial space that most recently was the home of Vision Care Associates will include a bar and dining space. The restaurant remains open as the work begins. Owner Stacy Newcomb acknowledges that the new addition is “going to take some time. We will be open sometime in the first half of the year.” On the original side of the bistro, the open kitchen will be expanded to accommodate serving more diners, Newcomb said. Those dining areas will get fresh paint and some new furniture.
Parker’s Bistro expansion to include full bar, additional seating
The owners of R Wine Bar & Kitchen, Maribella Ristorante and Brix Wine Bar have rebranded their catering service as Vespa Catering. Director of catering Ben Swenson leads the operation, formerly known as R Catering, out of the kitchen at R Wine Bar. Vespa – think Italian scooter – offers customized menus as well as items from the menu at R Wine Bar. Check it out at vespacatering.com.
Harvester Kitchen by Bryan offers a new tasting menu every month, and for February there’s an additional plant-based version.
Urban Chislic is having an all-you-can-eat-and-drink Super Bowl special. Get unlimited traditional wings, fries and light beer on tap from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. The price, appropriately for Super Bowl LVII, is $57. The restaurant says it’s a perfect opportunity to try all of the sauces and rubs. Enter to win a Randy Moss-autographed helmet.
Mary’s Mountain Cookies has a new offering for this season of hearts. Cherry Tart is a sugar cookie with cherry filling that’s drizzled with an almond glaze. Pre-orders also are being taken for dipped strawberries and cookie and treat gift boxes for Valentine’s Day only. Customers also will find Brownie Bon-Bons and heart-shaped frosted brownies and sugar cookies.
Roam Kitchen + Bar has a special menu through Feb. 15. It features Scarlet Snapper with roasted corn relish, smoked lamb shank with garlic mash and chocolate pot de creme.
Pop into Pomegranate Market from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday to frost a Valentine’s Day cookie for free. Give it to your favorite Valentine, or eat it yourself!
Bin 201 has created several valentine-inspired drinks. There’s a Red Velvet Martini, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Martini, No Charm No Chance Martini and Sex With the Bartender cocktail.
Crawford’s Bar & Grill has a new happy hour special. Get a mini margarita flight for $20 from 4 to 6 p.m Tuesdays and Thursdays. Flights include Cadillac, Milk-Washed Pina Colada, Spicy with a Fresno chili oil-washed tequila and Tommy’s.
Buffalo Ridge Brewing in Hartford and Monday’s Macarons have created a pairing of craft beer and French macarons. Limited quantities are available beginning at 4 p.m. Friday. Enjoy a blueberry bergamot paired with GütenTart – Lichtenhainer, pistachio paired with 410 Porter, orange pineapple with Gold Booty Hazy IPA and cinnamon with Cibolero Mexican Chocolate Stout.
Here’s another beer-and-sweets offering: Severance Brewing Co. and Oh My Cupcakes have created a beer-and-cupcake pairing. Choose from the Light & Citrusy flight or the Rich & Chocolaty flight, each with four pairings. Pre-order here, and then stop in anytime from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 16.
Two beers from Fernson Brewing Co. are finalists in the annual Good Food Awards. Margarita Gose and Farmhouse Ale, Fernson’s first beer, are among 32 finalists from across the U.S. in the beer category. Winners will be announced in April. Last year, Fernson’s Lion’s Paw Lager and Curio were finalists.
Changes in hours, service
The Hello Hi and Pizza Cheeks are closed on Mondays until March.
Here are other food and drink headlines from the past week.
Show your love all weekend with 4 days of Valentine’s restaurant features
Small-town coffee kiosk expands with food trucks, drive-thru in another town
Crumbl Cookies arrives on east side; Buff City Soap opens next week
Meet the Sioux Falls leader whose role includes developing the newest Girl Scout Cookies
