Fire 'N' Ice Building Is Down, Dean Rose YOU DA MAN!!!

Photo by Hawthorne Hawkman, blog post by John Hoff

Dean Rose of Broadway Liquor Outlet said the old Fire 'N' Ice building would be demolished before the end of the year and I said I'd believe it when I see it.

Well, I see it. I believe it.

The photo above shows a souvenir brick and part of an old sign that Jeff Skrenes (the Hawthorne Hawkman) scavenged as souvenirs of neighborhood revitalization. Progress on West Broadway marches forward and the forces of squalor and decay better get out of the way or get run over.

Backhoe of Doom Parked In Front Of Old Fire And Ice Restaurant, Building Is Not Expected To Survive The Year...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

On October 22 this blog published news the old "Fire 'N' Ice" building on West Broadway would not survive the year; at least according to Dean Rose, owner of Broadway Liquor Outlet. My position is I will believe it when I see it, but right now I'm seeing a backhoe parked in front of the building radiating destructive eagerness.

With the old Butter Roll Bakery undergoing renovation, progress seems to be going gangbusters along West Broadway. But it is a case of two steps forward, one step back. The Hillside Chronicles blog, which has been more active of late, is reporting the Kentucky Fried Chicken on West Broadway became closed and boarded out of the blue. 

Could it be there actually is a maximum saturation point for fried food joints on West Broadway?

As much as I don't like to see the loss of a business on West Broadway, the departure of this fast food chain may ultimately be a welcome development. 

Post Tornado BLO News (Broadway Liquor Outlet)

Photo and blog post by Nomi Passenger

The photo displayed above was taken the day after the infamous Nomi Tornado.  Broadway Liquor Outlet, at the corner of Penn and Broadway, was in the direct path of the twister and, well, you might say took a hard BLO (ha, punny, but not funny).

The much loved northside business has been closed for business since that nasty Sunday in May.  Owner Dean Rose recently attended a neighborhood meeting and I got the BLO-down on what he is hoping and planning for the future...  

New "Fire And Ice" Eatery Sells Long Plain White Tee Shirts...

Contributed photo, blog post by John Hoff

Fire And Ice--the new greasy foods joint which opened recently to a lukewarm reception on this blog, click here--is now known to be selling long plain white t-shirts. A loyal reader contributed this photo. If anybody wants to discuss the significance of the "long plain white tee" and its place in the North Minneapolis fashion scene, feel free. All I have to say is:

Thanks, loyal reader. Now I know where NOT to go for a "Chicago famous" Philly cheesesteak sandwich and big cold glass of lemonade.

(Do not click "Read More")

I'm Hot 'N' Cold about Fire 'N' Ice

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Fresh off of last night's long-anticipated opening of Good Sports Bar & Grill on 2nd and Broadway, I heard that the other end of West Broadway had a new business up and running as well. I was thrilled to hear of another restaurant opening at Penn and Broadway.

That excitement in my throat quickly turned to a pit in my stomach, or more specifically, a breaded, deep-fried pit. On the one hand, we've had the old Bean Scene building sitting vacant for a while now, and I want to see new businesses spring up. Even so...

...this place really seems like just more of the same. Granted, I had heard rumors that the proposed name was "Wings and Things," or maybe the somehow more horrid-sounding "Wangs and Thangs." And there was talk at one point that they'd be applying for a license to stay open until 3 a.m. I shuddered at the thought; at 3 a.m. just about the only people out and about are those who left the bar at 2 and still haven't found their way home.

Still, I'd rather be celebrating a new sit-down restaurant than thinking, "Whew! Crisis averted!" Just because something isn't as bad as it could have been doesn't mean it's good enough.

On the other hand, I watched the guys behind the counter and they were busting their tails. I worked in food prep when I was in college, including a fair amount of time sweating over a fryer and stove. So I appreciate what it takes to do that kind of work all day, every day. It's not easy. And the food was decent, at least. So there's a part of me that watches these guys and thinks, "Any time somebody works that hard and puts out a decent product, I want to see them succeed."

But my biggest issue here is that even if I WANTED them to put my food on an ACTUAL PLATE instead of a styrofoam container, I COULDN'T. There are tables and chairs still in the place, but it almost seems like that's an afterthought. If all this restaurant had were the kitchen, counter top, and about 30 square feet for people to wait, I don't think that would affect their business model in the least. I was aghast at the idea of how much more junk will wind up as litter and then in our landfills because of the way this business is set up.

In fairness, I heaped praises on food from the Bangkok Market, and that came in plastic containers as well. But at least that food had far more nutritional value.

I hope the business owner finds success in NoMi, but I can't help but think that we deserve better on West Broadway.