Sole _ _

While at work across the street at D'Amico Kitchen, Bryan Gerrard snapped this photo of the Solera sign being taken down.

The restaurant has been sold to a subsidiary of the Hennepin Avenue Opportunity Fund and will now be operated by Graves Hospitality Corporation. Goodbye delicious sangrias and movies on the roof!

Update: Jeff Fisher, Solera's General Manager, checked in the comments section to let us know that Solera is "very much open for business under new management" and the sign is simply being outfitted with new LED lights. Yay, sangrias!

Submitted by @marrina.

Bye Bye Azia

Tom Horgen, Star Tribune's nighlife columnist, reported today on his Twitter page:

"Met with @Thom_Pham, he will close @aziarestaurant in Aug and then open his new @WanderersMPLS in downtown in old Musashi/Zake space."

What? Azia will be NO more? Downtown Journal already reported a few days ago that Pham is opening a new restaurant (at a "cursed" Downtown restaurant location, believe it or not), but there was no mention of Azia closing. Pham announce a couple days ago that he was holding meetings with the press today regarding the new restaurant so we're sure more deets will soon emerge, but man...we can't imagine a world without Azia!!!

image courtesy of Azia's Facebook page

Update: Jason DeRusha has the deets!

Submitted by @marrina.

Murray in the House

The St. Paul Saints have revealed on their Twitter account this morning that their owner, famous actor Bill Murray is scoping out Lowertown as site for a Caddyshack Restaurant! Murray and his five brothers opened the first Caddyshack restaurant in 2001 in St. Augustine, Fla., and designed it to look and feel like a country club gone awry. Murray is apparently interested in opening two more restaurants, in St. Paul and Atlanta, under the motto "Eat, Drink and be Murray"! We CAN'T wait.


Submitted by @marrina.