urbanMSP

I could be wrong, but if I had to guess, the vast majority of the so-called "douchebag"/"bro" crowd does not live in or near Uptown..

I've never really understood what "bro" means exactly, but from my sense of the term, some of the folks living in the Greenway apartments could qualify. A colleague who used to live in Blue said the majority of the building was occupied bv such. Every now and then we'll have a bro gathering on the block but it gets clamped down upon pretty quickly when multiple people call the cops over the noise.

Anywho, I don't see why "fine" dining couldn't make it at Lake & Hennepin. It feels like "club row" is more along Lagoon these days.

What counts as "fine dining" anyway? A particular ambiance? Cost?

Fine dining in this town (and others) is dying and uptown is a terrible place for it. So no, you will not see a new fine dining restaurant in uptown any time soon.

Parella was not fine dining. But was definitely too adult for the area. Uptown is going through a bad phase right now. Sucks because in general it has a lot of things an urbanist desires.

Uptown is going through a bad phase right now.

I keep hearing that but I fail to see it. What exactly is "bad" about it?

I mean its a selfish statement on my part. I do not enjoy uptown. I'd much rather spend my time elsewhere at this point.

It's still got Magers & Quinn, two nice theaters, some great restaurants (Barbette, Lake & Irving, Lucia's, McDonald's, etc.), some good coffee and teashops and a nice tobacco shop (Golden Leaf). I don't know what it "used to be," but every since I've been going there (the early 2000s), it's felt quite similar, it just used to be a lot more parking lots. And people have always been complaining about it's lost heyday. But again, I wasn't there in the 80's and 90's so maybe I just don't know what I've been missing.

What counts as "fine dining" anyway? A particular ambiance? Cost?

I was confused when reading this article whether we should be concerned about the lack of fine dining, the type of people who frequent Uptown, or both.

Because the article talks favorably about Chino Latino and Lucias as dining places, which both still exist. And I guess maybe I'm a food slob but Coup d'etat, Libertine, Amore, Barbette, Lake & Irving, Amazing Thailand plus those other two all seem to be places with good food but don't necessarily cater to bros the way you think of Bar Louie or whatever. Is Stella's a bro place, decent dining, or both (I've honestly never been)? And there are still non-bro-type places that aren't what I'd call fine dining around, like Kinhdo, Tum Rup Thai, Mesa Pizza, [Boneyard/Salsa a la Salsa], that Mediterranean place by Davanni's, People's Organic, should I go on? I dunno. Hot takes and everything, but it seems like if you're around Uptown before 11PM on a Friday or Saturday night, it's still a pretty good place to get a decent meal and some drinks and enjoy yourself without having to even interact with many bros. Maybe my view of "Uptown" is just wider than what most people think so in my head I count the non-chain/bro places that extend up Hennepin and over toward Lyndale as well?

EDIT: Mostly what LakeCharles said.

Exactly. The area has so much to offer, and is very arguably the single most walkable neighborhood in the entire metro (in terms of proximity x variety of goods and services). It also just so happens that it turns into a strange drunken shitshow on weekend nights. But that aspect is mostly invisible to 90% of area residents, unless you live on or adjacent to the busy streets. Every time we go to a 10pm movie at Lagoon, I always have a "ohhh yeah, this is Uptown" moment when we get out at midnight

So basically, it's the type of urban neighborhood we would love to have more of: lots to do, lots to see, lots to buy, caters to all ages, and is open both early and late. All this hand-wringing in the papers sounds like sour grapes. Just because one particular restaurant spot has been troublesome doesn't mean the entire area is a FAIL.

I could be wrong, but if I had to guess, the vast majority of the so-called "douchebag"/"bro" crowd does not live in or near Uptown. Some do, but I really think most of the party crowd are coming in from elsewhere. As far as I can recall, when I visited Uptown (before moving to Minneapolis proper in 2011), it seemed to be the same type of crowd that goes to Brothers, Drink, etc. (21, 22 year olds), but just a few years later. Uptown is the party scene for those in their mid-to-late 20s, still looking for a wild time, but feel too old for places like Brothers, Dinkytown bars, etc.

I reject the idea that Uptown cannot support fine dining. The neighborhoods surrounding Uptown are fairly densely populated with actual wealthy people (East Calhoun, East Isles, etc.), upper middle class to wealthy (Wedge, CARAG) and hordes of people in their 20s and 30s with disposable income (not wealthy, but DINKs willing to spend on dining out).

It's more likely that it's just a bad idea to put your "fine dining" restaurant in the heart of Uptown's club district, which definitely includes Calhoun Square. If fine dining is to make it in the greater Uptown area, I think it needs to stake out its own territory, not right at the epicenter of Hennepin & Lake.

I'm not a huge fan of Uptown myself but the "party" establishments are a relatively small slice of the overall area. Maybe right at Lake/Lagoon and Hennepin there's a few but not much beyond that.

Even speaking as someone past the Uptown age (34) and a homeowner (albeit of a small condo in the Wedge), I still feel that a "party vibe" needs somewhere to exist. Often in the Twin Cities, the general tenor of discussions on neighborhood composition feels a bit like the biblical story about Abraham negotiating with God to keep him from raining down fire and destruction. "Yea, if I should find within it even three mommybloggers, I shall preserve it eternally as a Family-Friendly Neighborhood in extremis". But the young and exuberant are part of life as well -- particularly in a major city, which people from other areas often seek out by choice. As a gay guy who grew up in Prior Lake, I know I sure as hell did.

More info on the new tenant at the former Walker Library via facebook:

What is Mansion at Uptown? First and foremost, we are a multi-use, entertainment destination that we hope will fill a void, not only in the Uptown neighborhood, but the Twin Cities as a whole.

Are we an event center? Yes. With multiple rooms, Mansion at Uptown will be available 7 days/week, to rent out for private functions. Are we a lounge? Yes. Mansion at Uptown will be open as a lounge, to the public, every Friday, Saturday and Monday evening, from 10pm-2am. With incredible decor throughout, multiple bars, multiple outdoor patios, live entertainment, bottle service, and hookah service.. Mansion at Uptown WILL have what you are looking for. Are we a restaurant? Yes. Mansion at Uptown will be serving food, during operating hours, in platter style fashion. Our menu was carefully designed to provide anyone at the table with something that will satisfy their palette.

So, what is Mansion at Uptown? We are a true social venue. A place where you can unwind, leave your worries at the door and most importantly... have fun! Uptown is an eclectic neighborhood - we are an eclectic venue and look forward to welcoming all of you as our guests.

Opening to the public, the weekend of August 11 &12, we invite all of you to come find out exactly what Mansion at Uptown is.

Mansion at Uptown will be open as a lounge, to the public, every Friday, Saturday and Monday evening, from 10pm-2am.

Unusual hours.

Went to The Mansion at Uptown on Friday. Spent a grand total of about 15 minutes there. It's supposed to be a nightclub, but it hardly has a dance floor, littered with empty VIP tables and no place to sit other than those empty VIP tables. Very odd layout.

Went to Game Sports Bar last weekend around 4-5 for a beer. The only differences from a "straight" sports bar are a few rainbows and all dance music. They had a Lake Monster beer that was only $4. Crowd showed up a bit after I got there and filled up the bar area. Left just in time to escape Brittany Spears.

CYCLEBAR (spin gym) has opened between Agra Culture and Coup d'Etat about a week ago. I've gone to a couple of classes as they've been free the first 10 days and think it's a good addition to the neighborhood. It's basically like SoulCycle if you have take a class there and they really have a pretty good set-up. The provide shoes, towels, lockers, shower facilities, and high energy instructors with some special weekend classes that are a little more "party" like and catering to the "brunch set".

Upcoming in the former Milio's space: Mrs Dumpling.

http://growlermag.com/mill-mrs-dumpling ... -december/

Sounds awesome. Hope they can pull it off and I can get Chinese street food back in my life.

Oh man, that sounds fantastic!

That's quite the upgrade. Patience in a virtue for Lyn-Lake everyone.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... lling.html

D'Amico to close their Hennepin Av location and sell the property.

Aw. Itty bit sad, I took my wife to our first date at the Hennepin D'Amico 20 years ago. (nostalgia feelz)