Latest news with #ChrisMontana
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lagniappe and the Du Nord Cocktail Room closing less than a year after opening
Lagniappe and Du Nord Cocktail Room, the restaurant and bar from the owners of Du Nord Social Spirits, will close permanently on May 31. The company announced the closure on Friday. Owners Shanelle and Chris Montana brought the New Orleans-inspired restaurants to the restored Coliseum Building in the East Lake neighborhood, hoping to be part of a revitalization. Lagniappe focused on fine dining with New Orleans flair, led by Chef Isaiah Durand. Meanwhile, the Du Nord Cocktail Room dished up a menu of po'boys accompanied by a burger, fried oysters, boudin balls, turtle soup, and gumbo, among other dishes. "This isn't the outcome we hoped for," the company wrote on social media. "Rebuilding on this stretch of Lake Street came with real challenges, and we met them with everything we had. We set out to create something beautiful – spaces that captured the soul of New Orleans, the heart of South Minneapolis, and a shared vision for a more equitable future." The stretch of Lake Street to which the restaurant refers is the area near the former Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct, which sustained significant damage during the civil unrest of 2020. While the restaurants will have their final service at the end of next week, the company says its "commitment to this community remains." Du Nord Social Spirits and the Du Nord Foundation will continue to operate. Additionally, the second installment of Du Nord's food and music festival, Krewe Du Nord, will still take place on June 21. It's a free, all-ages festival inspired by New Orleans' music and cuisine. "We are deeply grateful to everyone who dined with us, raised a glass with us, celebrated with us, and showed up for us," the restaurant says.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Three Twin Cities distilleries win medals at American Craft Spirits Competition
One of the top honors at the 11th Annual American Craft Spirits Competition has been bestowed on a Minnesota distillery. Du Nord Social Spirits' flagship Foundation Vodka was awarded a Gold Medal and the association's Best in Class designation for vodka. Its Pronounced Apple Liquor also earned a Gold Medal in the Distilled Specialty Spirits category. "Foundation Vodka represents everything we stand for—quality, craftsmanship, and community," says Du Nord CEO Chris Montana. "Distilled six times, it's one of the purest vodkas you can find, and to have it recognized as Best in Class is an incredible honor." However, Du Nord, which recently opened a restaurant and cocktail room on Lake Street in Minneapolis, wasn't the only Minnesota distillery that took home medals for distilling prowess. Brother Justus Whiskey Co. grabbed three medals, including a gold for its American Single Malt Silver Whiskey. Among its other accolades was a silver for the distinctive Cold-Peated American Single Malt, which uses the distillery's in-house-developed cold peating process. St. Paul-based King Coil Spirits also earned two medals, a silver for its Trentaerbe Herbal Liqueur and a bronze for its gin. Each of the entrants was evaluated by a panel of expert judges who scored the drinks on their appearance, aroma, complexity, body, texture, and other attributes that contribute to making a drink a shining example of its form. Here's a look at the bottles born in Minnesota that came back from the Arizona ceremony with a medal. Gold Medals Brother Justus Whiskey Co.: American Single Malt Silver Whiskey Du Nord Social Spirits: Foundation Vodka Du Nord Social Spirits: Pronounced Apple Liqueur Silver Medals Brother Justus Whiskey Co.: Cold-Peated American Single Malt Whiskey Du Nord Social Spirits: Cafe Frieda Coffee Liqueur King Coil Spirits: Trentaerbe Herbal Liqueur Bronze Medals Brother Justus Whiskey Co: American Single Malt Whiskey Du Nord Social Spirits: Prominence Gin Du Nord Social Spirits: Prominence Barreled Gin Du Nord Social Spirits: Mixed Blood Whiskey King Coil Spirits: Dry Gin
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Acclaimed New Orleans-style restaurant, Lagniappe, will begin serving lunch
Lagniappe, the new New Orleans-style restaurant from the owners of Du Nord Spirits, is already expanding service. Lagniappe and the attached Du Nord Cocktail Room opened in the fall, but the restaurant is launching weekday lunch service beginning on Feb. 11. That weekend, it'll also start a Saturday brunch menu. 'We always wanted to do a lunch service and weekend brunch,' says co-owner Chris Montana. 'When I was a kid, the Town Talk diner was a busy breakfast and lunch spot (and we inhabit a space formerly run by Dennys), so this area has had a demand for morning and afternoon food that has been unmet since 2020." On weekdays, the Lake Street restaurant will open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering entrées that include po-boys, burgers, a fried chicken sandwich, and soups and salads. The Saturday brunch service will have the same hours but touts a menu with Bananas Foster French Toast, Sweet Potato Pancakes, shrimp and grits, Bayou Hash, and beignets, among other items.
