Sea Salt Eatery

Central Park. North Beach. Minneapolis. A place of peace and outdoor dining—family and pet friendly. In this case, Sea Salt Eatery, a wonderful oasis that is a stone’s throw away from Minnehaha Falls. This is a good as it (outside dining) gets. Children playing, dogs, squirrels, birds in the green and flowering park.

Because Sea Salt is so busy, you need just a few tips to survive.

1. Don’t go if you’re in a hurry.

2. Don’t go with people who can’t stand to wait.

3. Important: Go to the ice cream stand where you can order beer or wine to drink while you wait in the line to order food. They have some wonderful local and small-house beers including Summit and Surley.

Enjoy their daily specials, as the guys behind this joint get first pick of the fresh fish coming in for Coastal Seafood. If they are serving Calm Cove and Sunset Beach oysters on the half shell, I assure you, they are the same thing you will find at Sea Change or Oceannaire at a fraction of the price.

The menu is almost exclusively seafood: crabcakes, soft shell crab sandwiches, po’ boys, etc.

I happen to love their tacos, which come in many incarnations—marlin, tilapia, shrimp. I loved their calamari version—so delicate—barely cooked and garnished with a lemony aioli and some crunchy veg with cilantro.

Crazy deal: So, if you have the time, there is a menu item called Oil Pans—seafood on ice in an oil pan. It is a huge serving of shrimp, oysters and pickled herring on ice with a pitcher of beer or a bottle of wine for $49.95—not kidding.

Daily specials include things like crawfish etouffe—is this New Orleans?!—gumbo, jabalaya, red beans and rice, chili verde with camarones, seafood gazpacho, ceviche, and a favorite of mine, shrimp remoulade salad—so springtime delicious with lots of crunch and fresh shrimp flavor.

The menu changes daily.

What I love about Sea Salt Eatery—the vibe, the energy, the servers. There is a 70′s-80′s funk era soundtrack pulsing with things like “Working at the Car Wash,” “Shaft,” “Billie Jean” that has the folks waiting for their food happy and the servers literally dancing behind the counters.

In case you don’t like seafood—I would say—don’t come here. But they do offer salad and a veggie burger or veggie taco.

What I haven’t tried yet that I’ve heard people rave about—clam fries and the seared ahi tuna sandwich. I will have it next time, I promise.

Seat Salt Eatery
April 2—October 31, 2010
Hours—11-8 daily

http://seasalteatery.wordpress.com/

Just go—enjoy nature—enjoy some great seafood—enjoy outdoors with someone you want to just hang out with.

Bruce Huisinga
Manager
JB Hudson Jewelers
(Phone) 612-338-5950 (Fax) 612-338-5724
(Toll Free) 800-388-8234
bhuisinga@jbhudson.com

Just one of the great things about living in Minneapolis is the large artist population surrounding us.  Whenever possible I source works by local artisans and I am continually in search of new resources.  Along my interior design travels my path has crossed with the incredibly talented folks at Willie Willette Works.

Photo courtesy of Willie Willette Works, Minneapolis, MN

In my mind every space needs something organic in material or shape.  This isn’t about “Up Nord wood-sy cabin design,” but rather the elegance and handcrafted beauty of raw materials.  Consider this dining table with its rugged edge and interesting architectural detailing in the base.  Imagine this table paired with the sleek Panton chair and a contemporary chandelier.

Photo courtesy of Vitra.

Photo courtesy of David Weeks for Ralph Pucci International.

I love the juxtaposition this bench poses.  The silky smooth surface paired with the jagged live edge.  Edgy and cool yet sophisticated. Consider it seating or sculpture. 

Photo courtesy of Willie Willette Works, Minneapolis, MN

This bench would meld fabulously in a sitting room with a pair of Knoll womb chairs and a funky, contemporary rug.

Photo courtesy of Knoll, IMS, Minneapolis, MN

Photo courtesy of Aubry Angelo, IMS, Minneapolis, MN

Finding theses natural formed pieces is as easy as taking a trip to North East Minneapolis. Willie Willette Works specializes in the design, fabrication and installation of custom interiors and furniture.  In my experience, if you can dream it, they can create it.  Willie Willette Works are truly talented, with an uncanny ability to create and incredible design sensibility.  My personal favorite items are their custom made built-in cabinets, a live edge walnut table, a kinetic maple table (seriously, check it out!) all crafted by hand. 

What can Willie Willette Works create for you?

Willie Willette Works

3338 University Ave SE

Suite 220 (just above Cup Cake!)

Minneapolis, MN 55414

612.333.3022

Shop on (locally),

Brooke Voss Design

About Guest Blogger: Brooke Voss is a local designer specializing in both residential and commercial interior design.  She is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers with work commissioned in Minneapolis, Chicago, New Orleans and New York.  Her designs have been featured in Mpls St. Paul, Minnesota Monthly, Star Tribune, Interior Design Magazine and the Home Time television series. Brooke Voss Design

Now that spring has almost sprung I can slowly start packing up my winter boots and all those winter layers you are forced to put on with the cold temperatures that come with the winter season. Hibernation fades away and coupledom becomes somewhat hidden in the woodwork for the next eight months making spring the perfect season to fly solo and enjoy the singledom lifestyle.

As a single lady in the city, I find myself flying solo and doing more outside my most fabulous bachelorette pad with the warmer temperatures now that spring is on the horizon. My most recent ventures of touring open houses in the surrounding neighborhoods have brought on newfound acquaintances and a newfound love for buying a house solo. I find it must be a “late-twenties” thing because this newfound love of investing in my own place to call home never crossed my path until one sunny afternoon when I met the most fabulous real estate agent. She was single and in her late twenties. It was perfect! Ms. Real Estate was not only selling a house on a very marketable street but it was also the street where she lived. After chatting with Ms. Real Estate and meeting a good-looking neighbor, I discovered this neighborhood was ideal for the single lady. Ideal for its location and beauty but also ideal because it revealed few married counterparts residing on the street.

My newfound love got me thinking that maybe this is the next step I should take in my singledom lifestyle. And if this is the path I so decidedly take then my two great loves of running and sewing would mold into three great loves, the third being my new home. And yet knowing there is still room for a fourth great love otherwise known as the man who will whisk me away some day. Until that day arrives I will continue to create myself and enjoy every fabulous moment that comes my way.

Let me know how you feel about being a single lady in the Twin Cities below.

Lindsay Conrad
OLSON Interactive Coordinator
lconrad@oco.com
Sports Enthusiast and Runner
Proud Single Lady!

Ginger Hop

East Meets Northeast

The Scene
Ah, the Times bar on East Hennepin at 2nd Street—the hours I clocked at that bar. I recall a particularly memorable Thanksgiving Eve some years ago”¦ but, never mind. It is a remarkable space with pressed tin ceilings and lots of warm wood, reminiscent of some of the cool pubs in Lower Manhattan. I walked into Ginger Hop and pow! Right into a 2010 vibe, clean, simple, peaceful, but cozy, too. I love the low drum-like light fixtures over the neat little two squares and the fresh green paint. Hearing the Clash and other post-punk eighties music was a fun addition to the scene for me, I went right home and put the album on my turn table. Well except that I think Jake Rudh borrowed it.
The Penang curry might be my favorite. The red curry and coconut milk highlights the rich flavor of the slowly braised pork which is topped with sesame green beans (so snappy!) and served with perfectly steamed Jasmine rice. I loved how it was presented with a small and style-conscious dish covering the rice on the dish to keep it hot.
If you see a feature of fresh—not frozen—Mahi Mahi, order it. What a great piece of fish and perfectly cooked—and with that faint tang of salt water, like eating it on the beach in Costa Rica, well, not exactly, but it was really good.

Also note, a lot of the recipes are beer-centric, including an unsampled (yet) version of General Tsing’s chicken—nice. Oh, and Guiness Chocolate cake too.

The Food
Curry—don’t get me started. I love curry—red, green, yellow—I don’t care. They all make me feel loved by the Thai grandmother I never had, not in this life anyway. Get me on this subject and you will be subjected to my visit to the monestary in Kowloon and the amazing curry I ate while staring at the biggest Buddha ever, ah, but I digress.
If you haven’t had curry before—start with the Sweet Green Curry, which is spicy, but not too spicy, even for Minnesotans. I was lucky one night to find a special of mussels with green curry that was sublime. It was served with crusty, toasted baguette slices to soak up the amazing sauce. Special bonus points—mussels are my wife’s favorite shellfish, hands down—she got the last one– Not really!

The Minneapolitans at the next table are off to Paris for a month and stopped at Ginger Hop for one last fix””well, I don’t feel sorry for them, but I wll stop by and have a few orders of the smoked duck potsticker on their behalf. Delicious.

The Shizz
The Shizz in this case is the service—the last thing I would expect at a little tucked away neighborhood place like Ginger Hop is great, great service.
Attentive, respectful, helpful, even polished for such a casual spot.
And any time I can joke with my server about Depeche Mode—I’m in! Ask for Jessie or Jason and see.
Oh, and did I mention we knew people—a student in my wife’s dog class, and the other, well, the lucky folks off to Paris. Clearly, a place to see and be seen.

The Unexpected
Dig if you will this picture—you can get countless menu items at Ginger Hop that are gluten free and vegetarian. This is not only for my friend Kathryne, but for all those people who pore over menus with an eagle eye and end up with a side salad and a slab of tofu, nicely prepared for sure, but cool to have some great choices.
I like, too, that a lot of places say they can serve food for vegetarians, but settle for a timbale of rice—this place delivers.
Recommended dishes I have yet to try:

the fresh shrimp spring rolls, calamari
red curry ginger stir fry
Kimchi Kulakofsky—a grilled Reuben with Kimchi and Sriracha mayo
Ginger Hop Fish and Chips
Banh Mi—never had one I didn’t like, though a great one is disguised as the turkey meatloaf sandwich at Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant. Check it out.

Hours, other stuff I forgot to mention, etc.
Monday-Saturday 11a.m. to 1 a.m.
Sunday 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Happy Hour(s) – (Why do they say hour when it’s three? Just asking.) 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday—Friday; 10 p.m. to midnight Monday—Thursday.
Carry out—I think I will, and often. It will be my new Asian Brasa! We’ll grab the fabulous Pad Thai tomorrow!
Nice Web graphic of the old Grain Belt beer sign on Hennepin—love the nod to the “˜hood.
.
Drinks: Comprehensive list of small, indy beers and ciders, along with some great mainstream choices too. Small and affordable wine list.
House cocktails: I had a cool cocktail with cucumber vodka and sake—whoa—STRONG! Hey, the specialty elixers are good, but a little went a long way.

http://www.gingerhop.com/

The abdominal region remains the holy grail of body parts and for good reason. You can bet that if someone has a good set of abs, they probably look good everywhere else, too. Still, a number of people are hopeless when it comes to getting in summer shape and finding their abs. Luckily, I’ve been around the block and assisted many clients in obtaining washboard abs. Here are some of the fundamentals you need to know about building abs:

1. It Ain’t About the Ab Training. Toned body parts are about low bodyfat, period. To get the abs, you need to eat a healthy diet and train with intensity. Have I turned you off yet? Look, ab training is important—don’t get me wrong – but if you stick with full body movements, supersets and functional circuits for cardio training, then you are leaps and bounds ahead of the game. These movements and exercises will help you to burn bodyfat and start allowing your abs to see daylight!

2. Ditch the Crunches and Sit-ups. Sit-ups can be okay for the right person at the right time, but it’s not recommended for the average gym-goer. None of my clients do your run-of-the-mill sit-ups or crunches”¦ever. We use a variety of stabilization, rotation, anti-rotation and anti-extension exercises.

3. Diet Reigns Supreme. Here’s the easy answer for the ab diet you need to follow: Eat lean protein and fiber with every meal, and try to reduce your carbs (please note that I did not say “cut” your carbs—simply reduce them).

4. Pre- and Post-Workout Meals. To have an intense workout, you need to be mentally and physically prepared to work! You cannot do this on an empty stomach. Try eating an apple and 1 scoop of protein powder mixed with water or milk at least 30 minutes before your workout. After your workout, help your body recuperate by consuming a piece of fruit and another scoop of protein [Try using rice protein as it's non-dairy, hypo-allergenic and absorbs extremely well into the digestive system. We carry Sun Warrior Rice Protein with a discount at North Loop Fitness. It tastes great and is the superior rice protein product on the market.].

SPECIAL OFFER!! To help you even further, here’s what I’m gonna do—I’m going to offer you a discounted membership at my gym (North Loop Fitness, if you seriously don’t know) to all you non-member-readers out there! Bring this newsletter to the gym and your membership at NLF will cost you only $43.99 a month (plus tax). If you have Medica, Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Definity health insurance, you’ll save another $20 per month, leaving your monthly membership cost at $23.99 per month.

It doesn’t get easier than that! Eat clean, train hard and train in the right environment and you’ll make much more progress in a shorter time!

–
Rob Duggan
www.northloopfitness.com
612-250-4025

The annual ASID Showcase Home Tour is a sure sign of spring. This year features not one but two homes. Double the rooms to tour. Double the designers to meet (including myself). Double the interior design to take in. Brooke Voss Design is partnering will partner with Designs By Martina on the entry of the Edgewater. Come join us, won’t you? Bring your checkbook and your DTRG representative because this condo is for sale along with everything in it.

For more information visit with events page at Minneapolis/St.
Paul Magazine

Dates: May 15-June 13
Open: Wednesday-Sunday
Hours: 10am-4pm

Tickets: $20 at the door or purchase online

Tickets: $15 at the following outlets:

+ ASID Office at IMS
+ The Bibelot Shops
+ Galleria Guest Services
+ Kitchen Window
+ D’Amico and Sons
+ Hirshfields
+ Patina Stores
+ California Closets
+ General Store (Hwy 7)

+ Kenwood Café
+ Bachman’s
+ Byerly’s
+ Gabberts
+ Lunds
+ Macy’s Home Stores
+ Twin Cities Green
+ Rubble Tile
+ Southern Lights

Opening Night Gala
May 14, 2010
VIP Reception: 6-9pm, Lake of the Isles Home $100 (includes Gala ticket)
Gala: 7:30-11pm, Lake Calhoun Home $75

Be the first to view the completed homes and meet the designers-all while enjoying specialty cuisine, drinks and entertainment. Guests include an incredible mix of industry people, retailers, designers, local notables as well as neighbors, friends, charity supporters and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine readers.

Culinary Evenings
Wednesdays and Saturdays
1 seating – Wednesdays, 6-9:30pm
2 seatings – Saturdays, 5-7pm and 7:30-10pm
$80
Guest chefs from local dining hot spots

Includes a designer led tour of the Showcase Homes and an evening of great food and wine! Hosted by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine food editor, Stephanie March. Guest chefs from local dining hot spots will guide a small group of people through an exciting menu in the ASID Showcase Home kitchen while a wine expert will discuss the perfect wine pairings. Check back for the chef line-up!

Designer Led Tours with lunch
Tuesdays
$50 Designer Led Tour with Lunch and Showroom Tour, 11am-3pm

$35 Designer Led Tour, 1:30-3pm

This tour gives guests an in-depth explanation of the homes design process and answers questions by an ASID interior designer! An ASID designer will lead guests on a tour and explain the concepts and treatments used in each space. Guests can start the tour with a fabulous lunch at IMS, with a guided IMS Showroom Tour, emceed by Melinda Nelson, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Home editor.

Girls Night Out
Friday nights
5-10pm
Lake Calhoun Home $80

This new event will host a group of ladies for a night on the town. Guests will tour the beautiful Lake Calhoun Home, while sipping cocktails and enjoying hor d’oeuvres. Guests will also be entertained by a fashion show presented by the Galleria and hosted Melissa Colgan, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Style editor. After the home tour, guests will continue on to a progressive dinner at neighborhood restaurants.

Blue Zones Day
Saturday, May 22
10am-1pm
Lake of the Isles Isles Home $20

This event highlights Dan Buettner’s Blue Zones book and lifestyle. He ill be present to sign books, and discuss how Power 9 is incorporated into his home. Working with local partners, the event will also offer wine sampling, healthy food and fitness demonstrations, beauty consultations, blood pressure screening and more.

Free with purchase of tour ticket.

$20 to reserve your copy of Blue Zones, autographed by Dan Buettner

Picnic on the Lake
Sunday, June 6
12-2pm
At the Lake of the Isles Home

Another new event this year, attendees will celebrate the joy of living on a Minneapolis lake. After touring the home, guests will be given a sack lunch and invited to a picnic on the lake. Guests will also be treated to live music.

Free with Tour Ticket

Shop on (locally)

Best,
Brooke Voss

The Scene
OM is situated in the former Nate’s clothing space on the corner of the clubby First Avenue and Fourth Street. It is a two-level space with a comfy bar and gossamer-draped lounge overlooking First Avenue’s rubbish-spiked ice flows. A dramatic circular stairway with a starry, golden chandelier lead the way to the lower-level’s formal dining area. The clubby atmosphere is no doubt the elegant touch of Randy Norman — formerly of R. Norman and Seven.

I like to sit at the bar — no surprise says my wife — and enjoy the efficient, fun and friendly service of Ben Anderson, there since OM’s opening. He is the guy who beguiled us to come in the first week OM was open before it was discovered as a destination. Ben makes an evening of sharing small plates effortless and entertaining.

The Food
Honestly, though I have heard somewhat critical feedback from a few friends who have dined here, I have only had really delicious Indian food at OM — dishes I continue to come back for because I have never had them as delightfully prepared. I haven’t tried everything on the menu, but more about that later.
Things I love: the Kashmiri lamb, the fresh mint and potato tartlets, the Goan pork tenderloin, and the tandoori chicken kebobs. The insidiously delicious green chili and potato naan is a must with your order, but especially when you get the tandoori kebobs. Their sauce (cream, ginger and garlic marinade with a cashew raisin sauce) is lick-the-last-drop-with-your-finger good and you really need the naan to soak up the last drops and avoid the etiquette patrol.

A single, and singular, disappointment: I found the salmon over-cooked but really haven’t decided if that is a cultural choice and not simply a kitchen oversight — well, I didn’t leave a morsel on the plate, so it clearly was still marvelous.

Dishes I will try (I mean it, I’ll move on from the lamb, really I will) include the East Indian shrimp with mango, tandoori Cornish game hen, and cardamom filet mignon. Oh they all sound so good. I also always promise myself that I’ll have the soups, cardamom Thai chili or mulligatawny — and I will, next time.
How about this for that imagined time in the future when it is warm and sunny — a salad of red chili shrimp with roasted chilis, coriander and shallots on baby greens with a ginger raisin vinaigrette? Perfect.

Share a side — perfectly prepared saffron basmati rice or braised okra (yes, really, okra!) with tomatoes and red chili-spinach yogurt with lentil wafers.

The Shizz
Remember that I will move on from the lamb sometime in the future? Well this is lamb I’m addicted to: fenugreek lamb chops on the small plate menu. They are perfectly grilled with ginger, fennel, cardamom and garlic and served with a delicious fenugreek-cream sauce. I dare you not to pick them up and gnaw away every morsel from the bone. Then order more. Two is just not enough. Delicious indeed.
The specialty cocktail, the Agni, is a wake-up-your-senses mix of citrus and spice in which a chili is muddled with a lime, shaken with vodka and ice, and poured ice cold into a martini glass with a verdant serrano chili. Gorgeous, hot, sweet, and perfect for a below-zero Saturday night.

The Unexpected
OM means the absolute, ultimate state of peace. I don’t know if you will find it here, but what I can tell you is if you are lucky enough to have Raghavan Iyer — the “culinary engineer” of OM and award-winning cookbook author, sit down with you and chat — you table’s state of nirvana will rise by a whole lot. He is an accomplished chef and all-around amazing person with charm to spare. He leads food-centric tours of his native India (one is leaving next week) and the thought of joining a tour has my head in the clouds dreaming of being on one now.

Happy Hour(s)
The ridiculous happy hour — not to be missed is every day from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with $2.00 drinks — I am not kidding!
Hours

OM is open daily — Sunday to Thursday 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. and Friday to Saturday 4:30 to 11:30 p.m. There is a four course tasting menu on Sunday for (wait, I have to look this up) $30.00 (I looked, $30.00!).

For me, OM means to enjoy, relish, savor, and feel enveloped in the lovely comfort of the delightful staff and delicious food of a welcome Indian restaurant in the Minneapolis warehouse district.

http://www.omminneapolis.com/directions-hours.html

In our on-going series of ‘Training Secrets’ (we’re really just debunking all of the foolish popular fitness myths out there, but whatever), I have been giving you lucky readers advice on not only how to achieve optimal results in your training, but how to save time too. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not only a big proponent of educating people on exactly what is going with their bodies, but also on how to produce results!

This is my passion and my profession. It’s a rarity these days to be taught how to perform the basics with perfection. Read that again, there is a lot of power in that statement. As I’ve said before and will say MANY more times in my life – gimmicks and fads do not get real results…hard work on the basic exercises get you results. Okay, thanks for allowing me that – now it’s time to shake up your workouts…try these:

1) Jump Rope — Yeah, I know it has been a couple years since you’ve played Double-Dutch, but trust me, it rocks! In fact, 10 minutes of jump rope burns as many calories as 30 minutes of jogging! The reason is because jumping rope trains everything in your body – agility, posture, coordination, deceleration, timing, core, balance, etc. It’s very easy on your joints, too. If you want to be awesome…get your jump on!

2) Squat — Nope, not on a smith machine or some other exotic ‘n dysfunctional exercise machine. Do the real deal. Start with just your bodyweight and build from there. Form is incredibly important here, my friends. Learn how to perform the squat correctly — if you need help, stop by the gym and I will teach you. Want great legs? Better squat!

3) Rows — There are many ways to do these — dumbbells, barbells, ropes, kettlebells and your own bodyweight. If performed correctly, rows will help you balance out many scapular dysfunctions in your body in addition to strengthening your back. The key to this exercise is to keep your chest up, your shoulders down and your elbows tight to your torso. Focus on squeezing with your mid-back and your scapula. You need to pay as much attention to your back as your chest! Your posture will thank you.

4) Pushups — Not the ones where it looks like you’re having a seizure. No, your body must be completely locked in from the back of your head down to your heels. Everything moves at one time, not independently of one another – you’re not trying to do the worm. Very FEW people actually perform these with awesome form, but you can! Once you can complete 10 repetitions, it’s time to increase the challenge by elevating your feet or hands, adding a weight vest, having your spouse sit on you, using the TRX, whatever works. There are many ways to make pushups very effective. These will do great things to your body. Start on your knees (yeah, guys too) if you don’t have the strength or ability to perform this exercise with proper form. Again, learn to do things the right way and your training will be more effective.

5) Kettlebell or Dumbbell Swings — These are great for developing and activating your upper back, glutes, hamstrings and the all important…hip extension. These take some time to learn, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to do them. It means you should do what you have to do to learn them – they really are that productive. They will tighten up your whole backside and have carry-over to many other things in your body. They will increase your overall athleticism, which is a very important quality for EVERYONE. Wanna bring sexy back?

Begin and end your workouts with lots of foam rolling and hip/glute stretches. Have back pain and alignment issues? Better take this stuff seriously! It will truly make a difference in the way you function and feel. So, now, make an honest assessment of where you are this minute. Implement a well-devised plan based on your goals. No matter what that may be, I can guarantee you that everything on this list should comprise the bulk of that plan — that is, if you want to create efficiency in the gym and in your life!

Keeping the North Loop strong,

Rob

Toss a colorful, funky floral or contemporary geometric pillow on any of these “bitchy” pieces and call it a day.

Go on, accessorize in grey, it’s a neutral paired beautifully with everything from chocolate brown to taupe to warm beige…

Feast your eyes on these driftwood colored dining beauties…

Or pair a cool antique like this vintage furniture cart with your treasured Eames lounger…

To learn more or purchase some grey of your own: brooke@brookevossdesign.com

What you’ll get for your money. Five condos in five Minneapolis neighborhoods.

The condo and loft market in Minneapolis is a very dynamic. From Uptown to Downtown and Eat Street to University, there is a wide array of building styles and neighborhoods to choose from. This month we’ll be looking at what you can get for less than $210,000 in five different Minneapolis Neighborhoods.

Uptown
The majority of Uptown condos are conversions of some type, meaning that they were at one time apartments and were then “converted” into condos. Many of which were brownstones that were built in the early 1900′s and were then converted after 2000. Updates often included new kitchens and baths which paired well with the original woodwork and charm of the era in which they were built.

A wonderful example of this can be found at 2417 Emerson Ave. South #102.
***Click here to view this unit ***

Priced at $209,900 this 1254 SF condo has all the features you’d want in a converted brownstone (hardwood floors, original wood trim, amazing gourmet kitchen, etc.) as well as a few that are quite unique. As well as having two bedrooms it also features two baths (very rare) as well as in-unit (full sized) laundry and a master suite, both of which are also very hard to find. Rounding off the list of features is one off-street parking spot, which anyone who has lived in Uptown during the winter will tell you is a MUST HAVE!

Eat Street
As the name suggests, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more diverse selection of restaurants anywhere in Minneapolis. Eat Street is the section of Nicollet Ave. that runs from 15th St. to 28th St. and is lined with roughly 70 restaurants of every type imaginable. Also, just a few blocks to the east you can find the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), one to the top art schools in the country, making this area both a culinary and artistic hub of Minneapolis.

Just a few blocks from the MIA and MCAD is Eat Street Flats. Located at 15 East Franklin Ave. on the corner of Nicollet and Franklin, this project features 63 newly built condos and although it is now over 75% sold out, there are still some great units to choose from.
One of those units is #418.
***Click here to view this unit***

Priced at $194,900, this 1 bed, 1 bath features 769 SF, 10 foot ceilings, granite + stainless in the kitchen, in-unit laundry and the largest balcony of any 1 bedroom in the building. From that balcony (and from your kitchen and living room), you’ll be able to take in some the most breathtaking skyline views found anywhere in Minneapolis. This building also includes a CVS Pharmacy on the first floor, heated underground parking, a storage locker and a personal bike rack with every unit.

The North Loop
Without a doubt, one of the hottest area’s in Downtown is the North Loop. This neighborhood is located on the west side of Downtown and boarders the river. It is also the location of the new Twins stadium set to open next spring. If you’re looking for a “true loft” with exposed bricks, high ceilings and wooden or concrete beams/posts, this is the place start your search.
If you want to spend around $200,000 then 400 N. 1st. St. #210 (Riverwalk Lofts) is a must see.
***Click here to view this unit***

Priced at $204,900 this 730 SF loft features 13 foot ceilings, 1 bed, 1 bath, exposed brick walls, an updated kitchen with granite + stainless and a large arched window with views of Downtown. It’s also just two blocks from the biking, jogging and walking trails found on the river and about five blocks from the new stadium.

Northeast
NE Minneapolis is the home of the “neighborhood bar” (pick your favorite), great restaurants, St. Anthony Main and many different styles of condos and lofts. You’ll find that the closer you get to the river along St. Anthony Main, the higher pricing tends to get. If you’re willing to walk 7 blocks to Nye’s instead of three to get your karaoke fix, then you can save roughly $150,000 by purchasing a condo at Durkee — Atwood Lofts.
Located at 215 ½ 7th St. NE, this loft conversion is defiantly worth a look.
***Click here to view this unit***

Priced at $144,900 (not a typo!), #117 features 694 SF, 1 bed, 1 bath, an updated kitchen w/ granite + stainless, high ceilings, one off-street parking spot and tons of guest parking for your friends.

University
What’s that? You’re tired of throwing your money (or your parents) away on an overpriced 2 bed, 1 bath student housing apartment while attending the U of M? Then U Flats may be just what you’re looking for.
Located at 2900 University SE, this new construction project is just steps from class.
***Click here to view this unit***

Priced at just $169,900 (roughly an $1100 – $1300/month mortgage payment) #411 features 805 SF, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath a large kitchen w/ granite + stainless + breakfast bar and a private balcony. Also enjoy one heated underground parking spot.

As you can see, the type and size of condo you can get for around $200,000 in Minneapolis varies as much as the neighborhoods they are found in. What’s important to remember when purchasing a home is that finding a neighborhood that complements your lifestyle is as important as the home itself. Once you know where you want to live and why, you’ll find narrowing down the options will become much easier.

Thanks for reading!
Dylan Garrison | Urban Realtor
Downtown Resource Group
612.865.3226