Minneapolis Shorts
Description: The Mary Tyler Moore Show (also known simply as Mary Tyler Moore) is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. Mary Richards (Moore) is a single woman who, at age 30, moves to Minneapolis on the heels of a broken engagement. She applies for a secretarial job at fictional television station WJM, but the position is already taken. She is instead offered the post of associate producer of the station's six o'clock news. She befriends tough but lovable boss Lou Grant (Ed Asner), newswriter Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod), and buffoonish anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight). Mary is later promoted to producer of the show, though her duties remain the same.
Description: When Figlio first opened in 1985, the open air kitchen was revolutionary. Diners could actually watch their pizzas and pastas be made. The back dining room felt more formal; the front dining room allowed for killer people watching as the parade of well-to-do, weirdos and punks that occupied Uptown at the time meandered past; the bar facilitated many a happy hour, jubilant night and made for an ideal meeting of Mr. or Ms. Right.
Description: The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in Athletic Park and later Nicollet Park.
Description: For Jewish and non-Jewish customers alike, the Lincoln Del was a Minneapolis version of Cheers—at the Del everybody knew your name. Folks hardly minded waiting in line for the fresh caraway rye, the cabbage borscht, the corned beef sandwiches, or the towering strawberry shortcake because every visit was like a family reunion, complete with warm embraces, recounted stories, boisterous jokes, and—of course—plenty of amazing food. From modest beginnings as a bakery in 1930s north Minneapolis to a local chain of three bustling restaurants in St. Louis Park and Bloomington, the Lincoln Del was a neighborhood institution for decades.
Description: The Uptown Bar and Cafe was one of the neighborhood's most-loved restaurants. But Uptown was forced to close in 2009 to make way for new construction. The redevelopment is a financial boon for the estate of Frank Toonen, 88, who has owned the bar going back to the 1950s. Toonen isn't the guy who made it into a rock venue, though. He sold the place in 1984 to famed concert promoter Ray Colihan, aka Big Reggie, who helped turn it into a bustling music venue before he died in 1986. Frank's son, Kenny Toonen, took it over in the mid-'90s and killed live music there for several years. Business slumped, though, and bands were invited back. By all accounts, the bar has done well since then.
