Gina wrote: "Its ok if we have differing opinions on The Rail House. I thought it was exactly Jimmys but with fresh paint and new carpet. Same menu, not vegetarian friendly(unless you like a bad iceberg salad or heavily fried Mushrooms)-I thought it was a total lost opportunity. As a matter of fact several neighbors were snicked into thinking it was going to be a Chatterbox 2 which was the sign under Jimmys, which would of been only a slight improvement to Jimmys. Being on the cusp of Longfellow and Standish, the owners of the Rail House could of catered to more people, they could of done anything to be more friendly to the diversity that lives in Longfellow and Standish. Instead I swear they used the exact same menu, washed the glasses, painted the walls, made a few windows, and blew up all kinds of scary inflatables. Just think of what it could of been, and the draw it could of had, if they decided to be creative. I have no idea really what it has morphed into with those inflatables, or who they are trying to draw in. Disappointing."
That's the kind of business they want to run, and the neighborhood supports it, else they'd go under. There are hundreds of places to eat around here. Odds are you aren't going to like some of them, but others obviously do. The Chatterbox 2 sign was an old sign under the Jimmy's sign. It's what it once was called, I'm told. I'm too young to remember it being anything but Jimmy's. I was actually looking forward to another Chatterbox. That place is pretty cool, and has decent food. Why hasn't someone snatched up the Old Casalendas/Duigis Space?? Its a bit risky as a locale, but what an opportunity. I think theres ample parking, perhaps it can be zoned to have more than beer and wine, its even on a bus stop. Duigi's was a nightmare for the poor buyers of good old Casalenda's (formerly Mario's). After being told by a Minneapolis inspector that the place was OK, the buyers completed the transaction to purchase Casalendas, and when they tried to reopen as Duigi's, another inspector came along and shut them down. The cost of demanded upgrades was too far out of reach, and the Duigi's owners lost their posteriors on the deal. I imagine no one else wants to pony up the massive bags of cash now required to comply with Minneapolis health codes. I was VERY dissapoinited by that turn of events. Mario's / Casalenda's was my favorite pizza place in the neighborhood. I'd been going there since I was a kid, and went to school with Mario, the owners son, for whom the place was once named. The location isn't really that bad, business-wise. I used to rent a storefront across the street from Casalendas (what is now the Bear-Hawk Indian Shop, I think it's called). If not for disagreements with the landlord about use, my store might still be there today. Dan McGrath Longfellow http://www.smokeoutgary.org REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
