Following the success of its Kickstarter campaign last fall, the Birchwood Cafe closed its doors for final construction and renovation on Saturday, February 22nd. Construction shutdown is expected to last 10 weeks.
The “Closing Time” celebration took place that final Saturday in which they served complimentary Peace Coffee all day, offered a “Burgers & Beer” special, and also its “Saturday Night Pizza Party” special. The community paid tribute to the original cafe by literally signing its walls.
Local food lovers won’t be without Birchwood Cafe’s signature “Good Real Food” entirely during its shutdown. Find the cafe popping up at the Minneapolis Tasting Room of Verdant Tea (2111 East Franklin Avenue) starting on Saturday, March 1st. From 8am to Noon, seven days a week, the Birchwood Cafe will join its friends at Verdant to offer a selection of favorite Birchwood breakfast items, reinvented and inspired by Verdant’s tea-growing regions in northern China. Verdant Tea also serves a selection of Birchwood Cafe pastries during regular open hours.
“This Pop-up is about more than temporarily relocating during construction,” owner Tracy Singleton notes; “it’s a true collaboration between two local businesses with shared values.” Birchwood Cafe chef Marshall Paulsen and Verdant Tea co-owner David Duckler have created a one-of-a-kind menu that integrates the best of Birchwood’s locally sourced ingredients into dishes reflecting what’s served at the homes of Verdant’s artisan tea farmers.
Duckler knows first-hand what the experience of these meals is like. “When we visit these small tea growing regions in China, hospitality is exchanged in two ways: first over a steaming cup of tea, and then through food. Not the contrived feasts and extravagant cuisine of the banquet halls, but the down-home country cooking our farmer friends share when they welcome us into their homes: steaming plates of potstickers, rustic shredded potato, savory crepes, corn and scallion cakes. Cuisine is the heart of hospitality—it embodies the kindness of the people who grow our tea.” That kindness is reflected all the way back to the Seward neighborhood, where these two businesses are coming together to present an entirely new kind of menu for Twin Cities diners.
The menu includes traditional northern Chinese dishes like Potstickers and Pork Sausage Meatballs alongside Birchwood Cafe classics like the Savory Waffle (made here with a sweet potato, brown rice & kale buttermilk waffle and served with kumquat honey preserves). Chinese-style Crepes with shiitake mushrooms & pickled root vegetables will be offered along with Hoisin-glazed Bacon, Scallion Sweet Corn Pancakes, and stir-fried Potato Strings. For dessert, there’s “Youtiao” (Chinese doughnuts) with green tea powdered sugar. Of course, in keeping with Birchwood’s regular menu service, vegan and gluten-free options are also readily available.
Duckler points out, “We’re both small, local businesses with a shared vision of better agriculture—coming together to highlight the work of small producers both in China and right here at home. We’re so excited to be opening our doors each morning with the Birchwood Cafe and welcoming in the neighborhood!”
Adapted from a press release from the Birchwood Cafe
