Banana Blossom Gets New Windows After Tornado Beating, Appears To Be Re-Opening

Contributed photo, blog post by John Hoff

Banana Blossom, the delicious and affordable Hmong restaurant at 1724 Lowry Ave. N. which included lunch buffet specials and was a favorite of this blog, has been closed since getting pummeled by the North Minneapolis tornado. However, in the last week it appears the establishment has gotten new windows and appears ready to re-open.

This is good news! Somebody, give this blog word when the doors are open.

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Delicious Pork Uterus, Ear And Stomach At Banana Blossom! MMmmmmmm! THAT'S GOOD UTERUS!!!

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

Knowing my passion for trying strange cuisine, recently my girlfriend Megan picked up an authentic Hmong dish at Banana Blossom restaurant on Lowry Ave. N. The dish features pork uterus, ear and stomach.

Keep in mind, when I say "strange" I mean strange to me. Strange to my culture. This food is not strange to the culture from which it originates and, furthermore, there is nothing intrinsically stranger about eating a pig's uterus versus a pig's rear end, what your people call "pork chop."

(Click here for vintage Mazola commercial)

It was my first time eating the uterus of any animal--that I know about, you can never be sure what's in hot dogs, I'm just saying--and, I must admit, it was not at all unpleasant. The uterus of a pig tastes not unlike the testes, which can be found in other authentic Hmong cuisine such as the "pig organ stew" available at Bangkok Market on Lyndale Ave. N.

Of course, the testes have a meatier texture compared to the uterus. Uterus is more on the slippery side. Given a choice, I'd go with the testes.

Since uterus may be "extreme cuisine" for most readers, I should mention there are a number of other dishes at Banana Blossom which are unique and interesting and hard to find, as well as a lot of standard Southeast Asian fare that's both delicious and affordable. They even have a buffet!

If you want to try interesting cuisine on a tight budget...get to NoMi! Banana Blossom is only one example. I have yet to encounter a North Minneapolis restaurant that's overpriced.

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Great Southeast Asian Buffet At Banana Blossom Restaurant, 1724 Lowry Ave. N.

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

A couple of days ago, hungry after a disturbing incident involving some thug with a pit bull, click here, I decided to check out the buffet at Banana Blossom restaurant at 1724 Lowry Avenue N.

And, actually, I had enjoyed samples of their food twice before: Banana Blossom provided the refreshments at the recent Jordan Area Community Council (JACC) annual meeting, which came off for the second year in a row without a hitch. Megan Goodmundson, who organized the meeting, saved a plate of stir-fried broccoli, put it in a cooler, and brought it half the length of the country for me to eat. This way I could be...



..."present in spirit" at the JACC meeting.

A couple days ago, when Megan went to pick up a receipt to document the refreshment expenses--to distinguish these JACC expenses from, for example, late night prostate exams at Gabby's Saloon--(sorry, that's a bit of an in-joke based on dubious expenses racked up by JACC leadership from two years ago)--the nice folks at Banana Blossom offered us a buffet "on the house," but we were in a hurry and so accepted four egg rolls instead. They seem particularly proud of their egg rolls, and should be: the egg rolls are perfect, especially when dipped in homemade pepper sauce made right there at the restaurant.

What makes Banana Blossom unique compared to other buffets is the SOUTHEAST ASIAN aspect. There are dishes like sour salad, tripe soup, and various kinds of pickled vegetables which aren't found on standard Asian buffets. The buffet is not large, but it's very adequate and the establishment has a clean and bright atmosphere. Most of the customers eating there are Hmong. This restaurant appears to be primarily Southeast Asians cooking for Southeast Asians. It's an authentic cultural experience, like being let into a Hmong home for lunch. I wish I had perused the menu, because I suspect there might be some unique offerings.

Banana Blossom is also part of the revitalization and turnaround of Lowry Avenue, and we're all glad to see them arrive on the scene, even if their arrival is actually something of a "rebranding effort." If you live or work in North Minneapolis, and you've overlooked this establishment in the past, at least go there at lunch time and check out their offerings. You will not be sorry.

Thug Terrorizes A Small Dog With A Snarling Pit Bull, MPD Saves The Day!

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

Yesterday, while taking a jog around the Jordan Pond, I was intercepted by a young black female who walked up and asked me, "That your dog?" I looked in the direction she was pointing, where I saw a young black man holding a terrifying pit bull. In close proximity was another young black female, and another young black male.

At first I was confused. Why would this young woman be asking me about the leashed pit bull? Then I saw...


A small white dog, some kind of stray, standing near the group. I told her, "No, sorry, that's not my dog."

At that moment, the young man with the pit bull proceeded to sic the pit bull on the small white dog. However, the young man didn't let go of the leash and the small white dog fled, terrified, just beyond the grasp of the pit bull's jaws. The guy in possession of the pit bull wasn't kidding around or merely teasing the small dog. Only the quick response of the little dog saved it from becoming the pit bull's chew toy.

At that moment the young female who had initially asked me about the little dog began shouting at the young man and, in fact, claimed a kind of protective ownership of the small dog, saying, "That's MY dog! Leave my dog alone!"

Realizing I was right in the middle of some kind of ridiculous hood drama which seemed about to turn violent at any moment, I ran back to the other end of Jordan Pond where I procured a cell phone and called 911, explaining how the young man with the pit bull had tried to make his "pit" maul a small, defenseless dog. Squad 420 responded in an especially quick manner and, in fact, the dispatcher helped guide the squad car right to the group as I kept the group in sight as far as 27th and James.

The first squad waited for back-up before leaving their vehicle, since the pit bull was, for all intents and purposes, a deadly weapon.

Another squad showed up, and then Animal Control arrived. About 20 minutes later, the police and Animal Control were still dealing with the group as I cruised by and took these pictures on the way to a delightful buffet lunch at Banana Blossom restaurant on Lowry Ave. N. The two males were in the back of the squad car, the two females were on the sidewalk with one of the females holding the pit bull in question.

This is a classic case of a "thug acting thuggy" and ignoring community standards of law-and-order, safety and decency. If these standards ever slipped in NoMi, they are certainly making a powerful comeback in recent years. These values are particularly strong and entrenched around the Jordan Pond, where litter hardly remains for a day until neighbors pick it up, where even stray branches are gathered up for community bonfires. If thugs want to act thuggy, they would be better off doing it somewhere besides the perimeter of the Jordan Pond.

Readers will, of course, want to know the fate of the small dog. I'm sorry, but I don't know. I went by and looked, but didn't see him. I hope he was merely out of his yard and is safe.