CORRECTED 5/1/2013 — Yay! Snow is in the forecast for Wednesday, but who cares? Sea Salt and Tin Fish are now open for the season. Leasing the food concessions at the lakes is one of the smartest things the Minneapolis Park Board ever did.

On Sunday, the line at Sea Salt, at Minnehaha Falls Park stretched out as far as the eye could see (well, almost), but the food was, as always, well worth the wait. Fresh from a trip to New Orleans a few weeks ago, I had been really hoping to recapture the experience with some seafood gumbo, but by the time we arrived it was sold out. Still, there were plenty of other enticing options, ranging from the po boys (oyster, shrimp, crawfish, and catfish), to seafood tacos and oysters on the half-shell. 

Tin Fish at Lake Calhoun has been open since last Friday, with a very limited menu—the Tin Fish sandwich, fish and chips and fried shrimp—but starting this Friday, May 3, they’ll be serving their full menu, with a big selection of fish and seafood sandwiches, tacos, baskets and platters. The Tin Fish website also has a link to their latest venture, www.KurbSideIceCo.com, and a photo of a really cute food truck that will be roaming the streets of Minneapolis this summer selling New Orleans-style shaved ice. 

As for the other concessions, Bread & Pickle is scheduled to open next Tuesday at 3 p.m.—but won’t open for breakfast until the weather warms up. And the website for Sandcastle, Doug Flicker’s new outpost on Lake Nokomis, says they are aiming for a June opening. The opening menu promises a wide-ranging repertoire—from cheese curds, hush puppies and chicken wings to fish tacos, hot dogs and a barbecue pork sandwich.

CORRECTION 5/1/2014: “Leasing the food concessions at the lakes is one of the smartest things the Minneapolis Park Board ever did.” It’s the Park Board, not the City Council, that is in charge of leasing. 

Also read “Concession dining: Sea Salt, Bread & Pickle and Tin Fish” (Jeremy Iggers, 2011)

Author: Jeremy Iggers

Jeremy Iggers is a journalist, university instructor and social entrepreneur with interests that include food, philosophy and global-local connections. Previously, he was a staff writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and publisher of the Twin Cities Daily Planet. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife Carol and two cats.