Tablehopping

Marimar
5001 34th Ave. S. Minneapolis
612.728.1123

Strolling beneath the oaks near Lake Nokomis on a summer morning, why, it's terribly, terribly exhausting, don't you think? Put down those smelling salts, because there is now a way to sustain yourself whilst enjoying all things in the Lake Nokomis-Hiawatha Falls vicinity: During summer only, Marimar, the simple global bistro on the corner of 50th Street East and 34th Avenue South in Minneapolis, will be serving lunch, both inside and on their sunshiny summer patio. Dishes include things like a vegetable muffuletta with roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, spinach, Provolone, and sun-dried-tomato tapenade ($8) and soft-shell tuna tacos with roasted-corn salsa and chipotle sour cream ($8.50).

Marcy Alfonsi, who co-owns the restaurant with Mary Cashman, says the lunch is a whirlwind of neighborhood dogs outside, neighborhood kids inside. "We don't have a kids menu, but we always can put something together," she says. "Grilled cheese, noodles, we find something." If you're a neighbor with a dog, a kid, or a pervasive desire to find out how that other half lives, give it a gander. Hours are 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, until perhaps mid-September.

While you're there, sign up for the café's mailing list and you'll be apprised of things like their upcoming wine dinners. The next one, scheduled for August 7, will feature foods and wines of South America. Details aren't firm as of this writing, but Alfonsi says you can expect six courses for $60, including ceviche and wines from Chilean vintner Montes.