Foodies flocked to 34th St. and Nicollet Ave. last week to check out the opening of Ramen Kazama. Ramen Kazama is the first Ramen specialty restaurant in the twin cities. Chef, Matthew Kazama, came from Fuji-Ya where they had “ramen night.” Fortunately, Kazama decided that every night should be ramen night. Hence, Ramen Kazama was born. The restaurant itself is cafeteria-style and is very humble. The ramen dishes range from $9-$14 a bowl.

Lowertown welcomes a new addition to their up-and-coming side of town with Dark Horse in early October. The chef, Gerson Gerold, hails from Blue Stem/French Meadow Café. Dark Horse’s owners, Paddy Whelan and Sarah Schrantz, also own Muddy Waters. As Whelan describes the comparisons, “Dark Horse is like Muddy Waters graduated from college and got its first nice apartment,” and I whole-heartedly agree. Elegant, hip, and very appealing to the eye – Dark Horse definitely adds an edge to Lowertown. Their menu is so eclectic, it’s hard to find a continent that’s food isn’t represented, such as the: Baba Ganoush, Cubano, Turkish Fig Balls, and the Coconut Lime Rice. The entrée dishes typically range from $12-$26.

Downtown Minneapolis said goodbye to “Porter and Frye” earlier this year and hello to a new Jester Concepts bar-restaurant duo – Monello/Constantine run by Chef Mike DeCamp and Jesse Held. Monello, upstairs, is fine dining coastal Italian at its finest, but Constantine is where the real fun begins. Constantine is a prohibition-style cocktail lounge on the lower level in the same building as Monello and The Hotel Ivy. Constantine is lit almost entirely by candles and exudes a very dark, sultry, yet very hipster vibe complete with taxidermy and vintage-esque décor. The food menu is bar food meets fine dining (foie gras nachos, homemade gourmet pop tarts) ranging from $3-$15.The music ranges from old-school 90’s to very current mash ups and definitely loves the local music scene. Stop by Tuesday, Nov. 17 to celebrate the music of Atmosphere and Brother Ali in an event called “The Mixtape.”