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Cardamom Workers Aren't Going Quietly
On Tuesday 17 laid-off workers at Cardamom, the now-shuttered Daniel del Prado-owned restaurant at the Walker Art Center, filed an unfair labor practice complaint alleging that their former employer retaliated against their organizing for better and safer working conditions. As a press release from CTUL (Centro De Trabajadores Unidos En La Lucha) helpfully notes, that's illegal!
You may recall that DDP Restaurant Group eliminated its front-of-house staffers in mid-April and replaced them with QR codes. The change came about after Operation Metro Surge, during which time Cardamom workers had organized to secure workplace protections like the development of a preparedness plan should the feds attempt to access to the restaurant's private areas without a signed judicial warrant.
“Many of our coworkers lost hours and struggled to pay rent during OMS simply because it wasn’t safe to travel to and from work," says Devin Cuneen, a laid-off worker who was a bartender and server at Cardamom for three years, in the release. "We as workers took matters into our own hands and stretched ourselves to keep the restaurant running and our community safe, only to lose our jobs in the process.”
Booze Newz: MN Beer Sales Nosedive (Boo!); Half-Time Rec Honored by Esquire (Yay!)
First, the downer news related to alcohol (my personal favorite downer). That craft-beer bubble you've been watching inflate for the past handful of years? It seems ready to burst.
That's our read of alarming new state brewery data assembled by Axios Twin Cities. Nick Halter reports that, between 2024 and 2025, production nosedived by 28% at Summit, 18% at Fulton, and 12% at Surly; five of Minnesota's six largest beer makers suffered losses. Utepils, meanwhile, jumped 50% and Pryes shot up 15%; Lift Bridge, Indeed, Modist, and BlackStack posted small gains.
Halter notes that some local breweries enjoy nice profit boosts from THC beverages, although a looming federal ban could pot the kibosh on that.
How about some welcome news in the wide world of hooch? St. Paul's excellent Half Time Rec (yes, that Half Time Rec) was just named one of the 14 best bars in America by Esquire. Really!
The divey South Como basement bocce destination emerged after reporter Ryan D’Agostino spent three days scouting the Twin Cities amid Operation Metro Surge. At Half Time Rec, D’Agostino ordered "the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever tasted" while experiencing Midwest cultural rituals like the bloody bump (aka snit, aka beer back) and, for the first time ever, pull-tabs. Much of his blurb rehashes the anti-ICE fervor of last winter rather than touting our big winner, though he does capture Half Time Rec's hangout vibe well enough.
"It’s in a neighborhood. I guess every bar is in a neighborhood, but that doesn’t make every bar a neighborhood bar. Half Time Rec is a neighborhood bar," D’Agostino writes, name-checking competitors for the honor like Grumpy’s, Hai Hai, Meteor, Flora, Mancini’s, Parlour, Moscow on the Hill, Dusty's, Stargazer, The Spot, and Bull's Horn. "If not for our larger mission, we would have stayed at Half Time Rec all day watching televised hockey and live bocce—oh, and the pull-tabs."
RIP Steve Almaas of Suicide Commandos
"The bassist and co-vocalist of the trio that literally taught Hüsker Dü, the Replacements and Soul Asylum their trade," the Strib's Chris Riemenschneider writes of Steve Almaas, "died Friday at his home in Beacon, N.Y., while in hospice care for cancer. He was 69."
As one third of the Suicide Commandos, who came roaring outta Minnesota in the late '70s and released one of the first punk records on a major label, Almaas had an "enthusiasm and his energy were just undeniable," recalls fellow Commando Dave Ahl. “You couldn’t meet a sweeter, more positive, sincere man,” adds Chan Poling of the Suburbs, who became close friends with Almaas. “I loved him.”
It's a really lovely rememberance all around—here, have a gift link. And as I say any time anyone brings up Suicide Commandos: Have you watched the Jay's Longhorn doc from 2019? It's great!
Famous Richfield Hair-Loss Sign Not Destined for Dump
For god knows how long, motorists scooting around 74th & Lyndale in Richfield have noticed a dated and delightful sign: Gentleman's Choice HAIR REPLACEMENT. (Despite the "choice" being gender-specific, the sign is accompanied by symbols welcoming at least two genders.)
According to county records, the ol' Gentleman's Choice property at 7424 Lyndale Ave. changed hands last year, presumably to make way for Holy Smokes Cannabis. (THC vendors represent roughly 98% of all new storefront retail around town.) The folks at Holy Smokes may peddle pot, but their memories appear to be firing on all cylinders, at least when it comes to local signage lore.
"Any local artist with some ideas about what to do with this sign?" owner Nathaniel Wade wrote Monday via Facebook on the Richfield community page. "As you know this is basically a monument of Richfield and we at Holy Smokes Cannabis couldn’t bring ourselves to throw it away—we would love some input—see you in the comments if you know a local artist that could do something cool!"
Hell yeah, gentlemen. Nice choice. Commenters chimed in with plugs (hair-loss term) for artist friends, ways to retrofit the sign with marijuana elements, and even some zoning speculation. The pitch with the most momentum? Check in with the Richfield Historical Society, whose neat little HQ/museum comes highly touted by Racket's Keith Harris.
Hair today, gone tomorrow, as they say.
