Archive for March, 2004

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: the announcement you have all been waiting for…. On this Saturday, April 3rd at 6pm the Theater Latte Da will present several of the musical numbers for their current show “A Man of No Importance.”

Dean and I saw it last weekend and loved it more than Hairspray! So, come on Saturday for a sample and then get your ticket at: www.ticketworks.com or www.theaterlatteda.org

Also, we have a confirmation on the first Wilde Roast Cafe/Query Booksellers Book Club date….meeting Tuesday, May 4th at 7pm The book we have picked is from local author Brian Malloy, “The Year of Ice.” Mr. Malloy will be here that night to answer questions. Query Booksellers is offering a 15% discount on the book…but call in advance to make sure copies are available. www.malloywriter.com

Does anybody still read this? Now that we are open I am not sure, but remember this DIARY section will be used for schedules and events of the cafe. And, maybe a guest photo.

Well, I am on spring break from teaching…so we are able to get more of the little things done: menu frame hung by counter, the beautiful urns from Tangletown Gardens placed in front, the wine rack and the stain glass up. I love projects being finished!

In the works are the events in our big GRAND OPENING…April 18th to the 24th. We are also getting ready for some regular upcoming event; we hired a jazz duo to play live music on Wednesdays (starting April 7th), I picked our first “Wilde Roast Cafe Book Club” book…”The Year of Ice” by local author Brian Malloy. I am going to contact the author and find a night in early May when he could come in to the cafe and talk, so pick up the book today…..more to follow.

It is finally starting to feel like the cafe we had in our heads. At first I was worried it was just going to end up a restaurant, but no more. We are seeing regulars who show up to enjoy the space we made. Dean is almost done with the last 2 major pieces: wine rack and the holder for the early 1900’s stain glass that will hang over the fireplace area. The stain glass is from a theater lobby in Chicago.

If you are on our mailing list you will get a Newsletter on Monday stating the details on the upcoming play production that will take place at the Wilde Roast Cafe. Let me know if you don’t get the Newsletter! We got the piano tuned this week. The piano was Dean’s grandparents and had not been tuned in over 40 years.

Hey, how about helping us get some FREE PR? Go to The City Pages and VOTE for us as Best Coffeehouse….PLEASE. Make sure you follow the directions…you must vote in at least 5 areas.

http://citypages.com/readerspoll/ballot.asp

Thanks

Query Booksellers is now OPEN!

Query/Wilde Roast Cafe will be starting a book club in April….anyone interested? Any ideas for the first book?

I am working on a joint advertising venture with Theater Latte Da. They are putting on a production of “A Man of no Importance.” A story of a Dublin man putting on a production of an Oscar Wilde play in a church basement. We hope to get them into the cafe to act out part of the play.

We are also tuning the piano, as to get some live background music in the cafe. Hopefully, we can become more than just a resturant…..give us time and watch us grow.

Thanks to Todd and the great Wilde Roast Cafe staff that work together so well!

What a busy weekend. The feedback has been great, Todd’s food is hitting the spot. We have been very busy…which “is a good thing.” (Can we still say that?) Thanks for the support. Our register crashed on Saturday night, so we have been doing all orders by hand.

Last night Dean and I went to Hairspray, it was like getting our first babysitter. It was easier knowing that our staff is AWESOME! Todd did a great job at selecting people to work at the cafe. They handled no register with ease.

We are getting some PRESS! This is from Star Tribune (March 4th):

Finally, after a construction period that seemed to rival that of the pyramids, the Wilde Roast Cafe (518 E. Hennepin Av., Minneapolis, 612-331-4544) opened for business this week. The coffeehouse/cafe/wine bar, owned by Dean Schlaak and Tom DeGree, features pastries, waffles, oatmeal, omelets and other breakfast goodies in the morning, then chef Todd Konkol switches to sandwiches, salads, pizzas, snacks and a wide variety of sweets in the afternoons and evenings. The bar pours 15 wines by the glass, and the setting is comfortably Victorian, a nod to 19th-century namesake Oscar Wilde.

This is sort of an odd feeling day. Going from a “virtual” cafe to real cafe just gives me a funny feeling, but good. The friends and family night went very smoothly; Todd is such a great chef. He has really taken the Wilde Roast Cafe up a notch. The food was perfect…..everyone said “the crab salad was the best.” I loved the pizza. We had people at the door at 6:30am…thanks neighborhood. We are here to serve.