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November 5, 2015

Where to eat in Duluth

Once known for its dives, this Lake Superior tourist magnet now boasts brewpubs and locavore cafes.

Duck confit with honey aioli and caramelized shallots. Grass-fed beef medallions with bacon potato croquettes. Vanilla cake with white-chocolate espresso frosting and pumpkin ale truffles.

Yes, you can get that in Duluth.

During Restaurant Week, which starts Sunday, you can get all that for $25 at 301, one of Duluth's best restaurants.

The restaurants in this Lake Superior port town haven't always had a great reputation. But that's changed.

Read entire story

Best bets for the weekend

It's the season for shipwrecks, snowy owls and flying elbows.

Tall ships head for the Duluth ship canal.

Mild weather has lingered, making us forget that November can be a very wild month.

It certainly was 40 years ago, when Lake Superior swallowed the Edmund Fitzgerald whole. You can hash over the still-murky causes at the Gales of November festival in Duluth and the Lake Superior Storm Festival in Grand Marais.

The 29 lives lost on the Fitz will be honored Tuesday at Minnesota's Split Rock Lighthouse, built after the infamous Mataafa Blow. That storm was 110 years ago this month; it destroyed or damaged 29 ships and took 39 lives.

On a more cheerful note, tall ships return to the Great Lakes in 2016, which happens to be the 200th anniversary of the first Lake Superior shipwreck, the Invincible, which sank not far from the Fitz. Plan now for Tall Ships Challenge festivals in Bay City July 15-17, Chicago July 28-31, Green Bay Aug. 4-7 and Duluth Aug. 18-21.

It's been a great fall for following photographers on Lake Superior's south shore and Minnesota shore. They've given us stunning images of northern lights, leaf color, rutting moose and now snowy owls. It looks like another irruption year, with hungry young snowies reaching the western Great Lakes by mid-October.

Farther south, tundra swans are riding the winds down the Mississippi flyway. In Minnesota, see them on Waterfowl Observation Day at the Brownsville Overlook and the ranger-led Swan Watch bus tour out of Winona (reserve by Friday).

Firearms deer season starts Saturday in Minnesota, so you'll want to hike in Michigan until its season starts Nov. 15 or Wisconsin until Nov. 21. Wherever you are, wear blaze orange, and remember that daylight runs out fast; don't be a dope in the woods, as we once were.

The Twin Cities will be a good place for deer-hunting widows, who can enjoy culture at Art Attack in northeast Minneapolis and combat at the international roller derby championships in St. Paul.

Then we're on the fast track to Christmas. Holiday mansion tours start Saturday at Mayowood in Rochester, and Santa arrives Wednesday at the Mall of America.

Next weekend

Jump on the holiday bandwagon or race a train.

Winter Art Fair Off the Square in Madison. Art Fair Off the Square presents its winter edition in Monona Terrace, with 140 fine artists from around Wisconsin. Nov. 14-15.

Trainfest in West Allis, Wis. The nation's largest operating model railroad show includes more than 60 scenic railroads, clinics for hobbyists and a Kids' Activity Zone with racing trains. Nov. 14-15.

Pangea in Moorhead, Minn. Celebrate global cultures at the Hjemkomst Center, with folk dancing, storytelling, music and foods from seven countries. Children can pick up a passport to get stamped at booths. Nov. 14.

For more events, see our Events Calendar.

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