fulton beer

In early December 2010, Native Minnesotans -- and brothers -- Andrew and Adam Sieve opened Hazel's Northeast (named for their grandmother) on the corner of 29th Avenue and Johnson Street in NE Minneapolis, just two doors up from Amici Pizza and Bistro. As luck would have it, the restaurant's opening weekend was the same weekend as one of the largest Minnesota blizzards on record, with more than 17 inches of snow. Amazingly, people came. Remembering the opening, Andrew shook his head and smiled. "We had cross-country skis and sleds out front. We hoped people would embrace Hazel's, but never expected a response like that!"

Last night's Fulton Beer Dinner at Barbette was spectacular. Chef Kevin Kathman mixed local foods with sustainably sourced seafood options that helped show off some of the best micro-brews in town. When we sat down, guests were treated to a short discussion about the importance of good food and community, followed by Heather McDougall's introduction of Share Project, a sustainability-focused start-up recently launched by Heather and her brother John. 

Truth be told, we're having a little bit of a hard time over here figuring our what we're most excited about.

On the one hand, we're big fans of Barbette, a French-influenced restaurant owned by Kim Bartmann (who also owns the Red Stag Supper Club and Bryant Lake Bowl) that's been serving up delicious local food in Minneapolis' Uptown area for years.

On the other hand, we're also big fans of Fulton Beer, a Minneapolis brewery that's been wowing our taste buds since we were first introduced in 2009.