A Minneapolis Frolic

Minneapolis at its best: local arts and culture on a savvy girl's budget.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

All things spring

It may be August 10 but it feels a lot like May 10. I am in heaven. I can take warm showers! I can boil water for pasta! I'm a new woman.

But I digress. Unseasonal, spring-like weather aside, I really meant to write about the Spring Street Tavern. Tucked away on Spring Street and Monroe in Northeast, the Spring Street Tavern is a classic Nordeast establishment. It boasts a patio and a space presumably meant for dancing but it completely eschews the overdressed crowds of Uptown or Downtown. It's a local joint that manages to have some serious cred oozing quietly from the corners.

At the Spring Street Tavern post-kickball teams clad in dirty t-shirts mix with men and women sporting impressive dreads. Bartenders prepare your favorite drink as you walk in and shout bawdy exclamations across the room. Paintings and drink specials are both prominently displayed, and on Thursday nights they can the canned music and switch it over to DJ Shannon Blowtorch, BOMP co-founder and one of the city's best DJs.

If you like BOMP (aka the biggest dance party in Minneapolis) but want your sound with a little less pound, visit the Spring Street Tavern. Sit on the patio with a basket of sweet potato fries until the music starts and then head inside. Pull up a chair and sit back as Blowtorch spins a mix that is emphatically not Top 40 - the Thursday night specials aren't so special but the music makes it worth the trip.

Thrifty note: Happy Hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 7 pm but on Wednesday nights you can catch happy hour prices on appetizers until 9:30 and taps until midnight. Thursday nights expect to pay full price on everything but pitchers but go anyway. To check out specials for the rest of the week, click here.

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