When Victor Salamone and Joe Newhouse decided they wanted to bring a new location of their Eagan restaurant, Kitchen & Rail, to the vacant former Mort’s Deli in Golden Valley, they knew just what to do to: woo the new owner of the shopping center where it’s located. They made a sandwich.
It wasn’t just any sandwich, but a new menu item called the “MORT.” An homage to the longtime Jewish deli, which closed in 2022, the MORT stacks a glistening half-pound of thick-cut pastrami on German caraway rye.
“We were literally just courting them,” said Salamone, who was vice president of development and growth for Famous Dave’s prior to opening the Eagan eatery. “We smoke meats very well.”
“I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing, that attention to detail,’” said Mike Sturdivant, chief development officer for Paster Properties. “It was great.”
It’s the first announcement of what could be more food news to come out of the revitalization of the 70-year-old strip mall since Paster took over in June.
That real estate firm is behind the reshaping of Texa Tonka in St. Louis Park, which has since become a foodie destination. Angel Food Bakery and Revival anchored the strip (Revival has closed and will be replaced by Rosalia this fall), later joined by Brookies Fish Market and Westside Wine & Spirits (which just transformed into a wine bar). Brito’s Burrito and Best of India round out the offerings just in that one shopping center.
“I think we hope to do the same for Golden Valley,” Sturdivant said. “That thesis of putting capital in the center, bringing in uses that we’re hearing that the community thinks are missing or that they’d like to see more of.”
Kitchen & Rail is just the first step, he said. “We’d love to continue to add food and beverage offerings into the center, whether that ends up being a traditional grocer or it could take form in a fish market, meat market. We’re still exploring.”
For Salamone and Newhouse, opening some 22 miles northwest of the original made sense for their own expansion plans. “The concept, for all intents and purposes, it has the legs to travel,” Salamone said.
The restaurant’s eclectic menu, including signature items like a Vietnamese pork belly dish and Salamone’s family recipe for meatballs, will carry over from the first location. “It’s all over, from butter chicken to Vietnamese to Italian to barbecue American fare, burgers and steak, so it really covers a lot of culinary needs,” he said. Charlie Torgerson, the pitmaster behind RC’s BBQ at the Minnesota State Fair, will continue to consult on the menu.
But Kitchen & Rail’s owners think Golden Valley needs more than the food. “It’s the vibe,” Salamone said. “I would say Golden Valley is slightly underserved with the restaurants in that area, and yet it’s almost double the residents of Eagan. It just says this would be a great community for us to join, and I believe we’re going to add a lot of flavor and fun to the community.”
The team is already getting bids from contractors and moving along with the permitting process, with an expected opening in the new year, if not sooner.
The rest of the shopping center will show some cosmetic improvements over the next couple of months, and landscaping will get an upgrade in spring of 2026. Sturdivant is in talks with other potential tenants, too.
But he said Kitchen & Rail is “a good catalyst. That’s a super helpful and important space to have under construction while we’re out attracting other tenants.”
The temporary closure comes as founder and CEO Phil Steger says the company will “make sure we invest our scarce resources in the focused ways that will provide for the survival, growth, and sustainable success of our business and long-term security for our team.” Steger cited rising costs and consumers cutting back on spending as catalysts for the business shift.
An 18-month plan has the distiller, known for its cold-peated whiskey, aiming to grow its presence in bars, restaurants and retail shops, and expanding into more markets. As for the cocktail room (3300 5th St. NE., Mpls.), the new vision isn’t finalized yet, but there are plans to reopen in December. Staffing has been restructured accordingly.
At least six Twin Cities locations of Starbucks have closed, as part of a sweeping reduction of the ubiquitous coffee shops across the country.
The downtown Minneapolis coffee landscape was hit particularly hard, with closures at 120 S. 6th St. and 40 S. 7th St. But the skyway scene isn’t lacking for independently owned caffeine fixes. Here’s our handy guide to where to get coffee (and much more) in downtown Minneapolis.