After seven years on East Hennepin Avenue,
Wilde Roast Caf�,
a popular neighborhood hangout, is preparing to reopen this week in a new spot
that's only blocks away, along the Mississippi riverfront.
Wilde
Roast closed temporarily on May 26, though the $300,000 build-out in
St. Anthony Main's Riverplace has been ongoing for a few months,
according to cafe co-owner Tom DeGree.
The cafe was recently forced to
change locations when the former landlord didn't renew its lease. But in
the end, Wilde Roast lucked out, DeGree says.
With 6,300 square
feet, its new digs, which previously housed Picosa, Sophia, and Yvette
restaurants, is three times bigger than the old space, according to DeGree. It has a full
kitchen and a 45-seat patio, he adds.
Part of the interior will be a dining room with wait service while
another section will be more informal, with a counter to order from,
akin to a coffee shop. Additionally, a rent-able meeting room can
accommodate sizable events, he says.
Between the physical
changes and the expanded menu, which includes a burger bar, homemade ice
cream and gelato, and various tap beers, "It'll be the 2.0, upgraded
version [of Wilde Roast]."
The new home will continue the cafe's look and feel, but not replicate it, he says.
For
example, some familiar fixtures such as the cozy fireplace and other
furnishings are making the move. But a striking new touch will be a
one-of-a-kind art piece featuring a
picture of a peacock that graces four interior columns--a way to pay
homage to the
late writer Oscar
Wilde, for whom the cafe is named. The writer had an affinity for
the colorful
birds, DeGree explains.
DeGree hopes that the regulars who've been coming to the place for years will continue
to do so. "It'll be interesting to see how people take on the change,"
he says, adding that despite anticipated growing pains, "We're excited
about it."
Source: Tom DeGree, co-owner of Wilde Roast Caf�
Writer: Anna Pratt