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Cardamom Is Carda-GONE
Last week, news broke that Cardamom, the DDP Restaurant Group-owned restaurant at the Walker Art Center, would lay off its 16 human front-of-house workers and switch to a QR code ordering system.
People were rightfully pissed—including, it seems, the people in charge at the Walker, who released a statement Thursday afternoon announcing that the museum is "concluding its business relationship with Cardamom."
Here's more from the release:
The change in Cardamom’s approach does not align with the Walker’s vision for a dining experience at the museum. “We are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all of our guests at the Walker. While we do not oversee the restaurant in our museum, our vision has always been to have a full-service dining option within the Walker to complement the museum experience,” said Mary Ceruti, the Walker’s Executive Director. “We were caught by surprise by the changes at Cardamom and, after careful consideration, have decided to part ways. The reduced-service model, which favors automated efficiencies over a human-centered approach, does not align with our core values.”
Cardamom opened in the Walker's restaurant space in 2021. The museum plans to work with the restaurant to "wind down" operations during the next 60 to 90 days, according to the statement. Those laid off workers plan to rally over the next couple days.
Senate Overturns Boundary Waters Mining Ban
"Fucking heartbreaking." "Fuck this I'm going to scream." "Fuck this."
Such are the reactions I'm seeing online from friends today about the U.S. Senate's vote to overturn a 20-year ban on mining near northern Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area. And really, what else is there to say?
The Senate voted 50-49 Thursday to overturn the mining ban on roughly 350 square miles of federal land near the BWCA imposed by President Joe Biden three years ago. As MPR News's Dan Kraker reports, just two Republicans broke ranks and voted against the proposal: Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) and Sen. Thom Tillis (North Carolina). U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, the Republican who represents the region and sponsored the resolution, called the vote a “major victory for America and Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. Mining is our past, our present, and our future—and the future looks bright!"
To quote my colleague Jay's chat from earlier this afternoon, "Sometimes you gotta imperil pristine, irretrievable water for a Chilean mining concern." He also said a few other things that I... probably should not publish here.
To sum it up: Fuck this, it fucking sucks, I'm going to fucking scream.
Georgia Fort Speaks Out
So much insane stuff happened during Operation Metro Surge that it can be difficult to keep track of it all. Like, remember when protesters stormed a service at that weird right-wing-adjacent church in St. Paul, and then roughly 40 protesters and the journalists who covered it—local reporter Georgia Fort and non-local reporter Don Lemon among 'em—were arrested?
Fort is in the Guardian today talking about the whole strange ordeal: her decision to go live when federal agents showed up to her door and arrested her; the Trump administration's campaign of retribution against members of the press; and the fear her daughters, ages 17, 8, and 7, are still dealing with as she awaits her moment in court.
“There’s things I’m not covering right now because it’s too dangerous,” Fort tells the Guardian's Rachel Leingang. “And as much as I do want to serve my community and make sure they’re informed and make sure that there is an accurate document of what’s happening, I also want to be with my kids just as much, if not more. I want to be able to see my daughter’s birthday. So my risk tolerance is zero these days.”
Le Burger Among the 6 Best New Burger Spots in the U.S.
That's according to Food & Wine Magazine, which also ranks Smish Smash (San Francisco), Deux Luxe (NYC), Boo's Burgers (Houston), Face Plant (Portland, Oregon), and Ted's Burgers (Miami) among the nation's best newbie burgers. Here's to holding it down for the Midwest!
F&W's Harry Cheadle notes that part of what makes Le Burger work is the fine-dining background of owners Jonathan Gans and Josh Hoyt, who met working at Bachelor Farmer (RIP). He also mentions the Linden Hills burger joint's knockout thrice-cooked fries, an absolute must-order, and quotes yours truly from Racket as describing Le Burger's L’Americain as “if McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese was the absolute best, cheffiest version of itself."
Hey, I'm rarely wrong. I feel, however, that my best writing in that Le Burger writeup was this very good headline...
