Curated City Guides by Your Favorite Designers and Tastemakers.
Minneapolis:
Annie Wang
Bars & Restaurants
The Sample Room
The Sample Room is a cozy unassuming gastro-pub in NE minneapolis. The ambience is perfect, classy but not pretentious. The places feels very intimate, but not so much that you overhear your restaurant neighbor's conversation. Their patio is also completely lovely on a late summer night, but wear bug spray lest you want to be eaten alive. Food here has never disappointed. Plates are small and satisfying. My favorites include the mushroom ragout over polenta and the seared tuna! 2124 Marshall Street NE
MASU Sushi & Robata
This place opening within walking distance to my apartment was an absolute dream come true. When visiting New York I have always managed to go to Momofuku regardless of the 40 minute waits. I need my ramen! So I was stoked to find out that a similar type restaurant would open in Minneapolis. It's ramen is seriously comparable to Momofuku (dare I say it), but the dish that I could order and eat until I busted open is the Yaki-Onigiri which is a grilled rice ball. I know that sounds stupid boring, but believe me it is near divine. It's a little chargrilled ball of rice with a side of soy sauce and a triangle piece of seaweed which I never know what to do with so I wrap clumsily around the rice. 330 East Hennepin Avenue
E-Noodle Cafe & Evergreen Taiwanese
When I first moved to Minneapolis from Los Angeles (the land of plenty when it comes to ethnic restaurants) I was looking around trying to find Taiwanese food like a mad woman. Straight up trying to befriend other Asians in hopes that they would point me in the right direction. I finally found out about Evergreen because it was two blocks away from MCAD. It reminds me a lot of the authentic Taiwanese restaurants in LA. It's decoration is no nonsense and the waiters are probably the owner's surly teenage children who are forced to work for the family business instead of hanging out with friends (what's upppp I know this life). E-Noodle in St. Paul is very much the same, no ambience and owners are the waiters. But both have some of the most delicious authentic Taiwanese food I've had not to mention it's great for vegetarians. 1711 Rice St, St. Paul 2424 Nicollet Avenue
Shops
Gh2
Martin Margiela and Yigal Azrouel consignment up in this bitch. That's all I have to say. Minneapolis isn't exactly the bastion of forward fashion, but it is great for consignment shopping. Granted it's a couple of seasons old, but still a Margiela is a Margiela. 318 E. Hennepin Avenue
BlackBlue
Mostly men's fashion (good thing I have a lot of masculine energy) but reminiscent of cute boutiques you would find in New York. Brands include APC, Tretorn, Filson, Rachel Comey. The story does carry a rack of women's clothing, but I can't wait until they get some more. 614 Selby Avenue, St. Paul
Galleries & Art Spaces
Midway Contemporary Art
Long live Midway! Exhibitions aside, Midway has a great library that you can hang out in. One of the few places with rarish magazines, artist monographs, and exhibition catalogues. 527 Second Avenue Southeast