Armatage Restaurants' Three Exciting Expansions

What is it about Armatage?

Plenty of Southwest Minneapolis' neighborhoods host great restaurants, but this neighborhood is seeing its three mainstays—, , and —all expand at the same time.

First, Madue owner Kevin Sheehy back in March that he was planning on opening a second spot, dubbed Cafe Maude at Loring. The restaurant will take the old Nick and Eddie's space, facing onto Loring Park and backing onto an alleyway that Sheehy called "a little slice of Paris." The restaurant was originally supposed to open in July, but delays pushed that back to August, and it finally opened on Thursday.

Next, In Season's Don Saunders announced he was opening a new restaurant in Kenwood, next to Birchbark Books. The eatery, called The Kenwood, will open Sept. 6. Saunders told the Heavy Table that it will feature all-day service, brunch all week, and a snack menu in the afternoons, all leading up to the same "elegant, inspired dishes" that have won Saunders some serious critical acclaim.

Lastly, and most recently, Lola owner/chef Ann Kim revealed that she would be called Hello Pizza (exclamation point not necessarily included) at 44th and France. The spot would be a combination laboratory and neighborhood joint, the kind of place you can drop by for a slice of 'za, Lola's general manager said.

So, is there something in the water down there that breeds great—and successful—restaurants?