IN THE NEWS
The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week
Cream Cheese Kolache at the Finnish Bistro
My first job was the same one I kept until it was time to move out — inside my mother’s flower shop, where a collective of (mostly) women helped raise me with just the right amount of pride and humility in a job well done. While it was undoubtedly the best-smelling work environment, it was also brutal on the body. Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day were the hardest workdays. We’d unlock that door with the dangling bell early in the morning and stay until the wee hours of night.
On those days, my mother would do her best to bribe us with delicious things to keep us rolling. My favorite was the early morning cream cheese Danish: sweetened cream cheese tucked into a plush pillow of pastry. They danced sweetly at the edge of savory and always disappeared way too quickly. Eventually the bakery that made them, and our flower shop, closed. All these years later I have harbored pangs of nostalgia for the dish that I have not been able to replicate or replace.
That is, until I brought my mother to Finnish Bistro. The cafe is tucked into one of the most charming corners of St. Paul, where it has been serving the neighborhood and those craving Scandinavian baked treats for decades. There’s also a glorious cream cheese kolache ($3) — this was the dish I’d been missing.
It’s a sweet treat, but balanced. The bready pastry folds over the tangy, bright cream cheese and keeps the sugar in check. Each bite brought a wave of appreciation for its simple beauty. Next time I’ll probably order it with a pulla spiced latte, laced with cinnamon and cardamom. All those heady spices, tangy rich bites and cozy vibes remind me of another time and place, filled with laughter and the powerful fellowship of strong women. (J.S.)
2264 Como Av., St. Paul, 651-645-9181, finnishbistro.com
Celebrating Freedom for All During These Confusing Times
The Finnish Bistro has long supported our service community, providing 25% off dining discounts called “Hero Rewards” year-round for veterans, police, EMTs and firefighters. We honor and support those who have dedicated their lives to helping others and to upholding our freedoms.
Unfortunately, these are confusing times, making it difficult to know how to honor the Red, White and Blue in the midst of freedoms being lost. We are choosing to take a stand and wear pink on the 4th to celebrate and support FREEDOM for ALL! On July 4th, we will be open 7am – 2pm and all proceeds from business will be donated to our favorite freedom causes, including:
- Women Venture
- MNCASA – Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
- Soldiers 6
- Dream Corps TECH
- The Bridge for Youth
We the people are confused about equity, privacy, value and freedom for some, but not all. Cheers to real freedom. Sisu!
Restaurants battle inflation; new data shows food prices continue to increase
by Eric Chaloux, KSTP, June 12, 2022
Excerpt – “The prices have gone up and it’s made me uncomfortable,” said Sandra Weise, owner. “I don’t know what the end game is going to be, it’s unbelievable to me.”
Weise thinks about each of her customers that walk into her restaurant when trying to set a menu as the prices she pays for ingredients have increased.
“You disappoint people with the supply issues, and the price, it’s a tough spot to be in,” Weise said.
We support the work of MNCASA!
The Finnish Bistro is a sponsor of this year’s AWARE 2022: Toward Justice, Healing & Community Event – April 28th. MNCASA is the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Supporting survivors of sexual violence means reckoning with oppression and racism and addressing profound harm caused to victims/survivors. This journey requires us to collectively reimagine what justice, healing, and community truly mean.
Supporting Global Peace Together!
We couldn’t stand by and do nothing. On March 3rd, we hosted a fundraiser from 4pm – 7pm with all proceeds going to UNICEF Ukraine. Along with our regular menu items we served up Beef Borscht and Potato Pancakes. We also created a special “Ukrainian Courage Latte” in honor of all the brave citizens of the Ukraine.
Celebrating the Life of Breck Morris
Join us on November 18 for dinner!
We are hosting a fundraiser to help with education expenses for Breck’s daughters Alexis and Olivia. We will be accepting donations for them at this event as well as donating dinner proceeds and collecting memorials in-store and online.
Everyone is welcome and we look forward to sharing stories, comforting each other and having some surprise entertainment!
Breck Morris was so much more than an employee at The Finnish Bistro.
He was a mentor, a dad, a son, a brother, a cousin, a church loving and God loving man. He was a charming, warm, self-aware young man that was always willing to improve and grow.
For those that don’t know Break collapsed at work and passed away from heart complications in October 2021. (photo of Breck and his mother, Vanessa)
Hiring Struggles: Restaurant Owners say Staffing Storages Force Her to Close Early
(Sandra Weise Interviewed by Poppy Harlow, CNN – June 23, 2021)
Speaking out in a recent article about Hiring Struggles, Sandra Weise comments drew the attention of CNN‘s Poppy Harlow.
Check out Sandra’s interview below.
Navigating the coronvirus crisis
(Article Sarah CR Clark and Scott Carlson, March 30, 2020, Park Bugle)
From churches, schools and families to restaurants, shops, businesses and community organizations; the COVID-19 virus is disrupting a vast array of daily activities.
Many health experts and government leaders predict this “new normal” with closings, social distancing and other tactics to slow the spread of the virus will last at least through the end of March and, in the worst-case scenario, far out into the summer.
I tried 50 St. Paul coffee shops and found
the best.
(Article by Abeer Syedah, Wednesday, October 2, 2019, City Pages)
Finnish Bistro
This place stole my heart with its Almond Kringlers: shortbread-type bars topped with a heap of slivered almonds. They’re fresh, chewy, crunchy, a little sweet, and perfectly matched with a morning coffee. 2264 Como Ave., 651-645-9181
In the nick of time…Before the holiday rush, Como Avenue repaving project wraps up
(Article by Scott Carlson, Bugle-Como Park)
On Halloween evening, merchants along the heart of St. Anthony Park’s downtown district got a treat: Their main street—Como Avenue—reopened after weeks of being closed for repaving.
Construction of Stage 3 of Como Avenue repaving (just past Doswell to Commonwealth) began in early September and ended Oct. 31. The finish of the road project didn’t come any too soon for Sandra Weise, owner of The Finnish Bistro.
“For me, this has been the third year of construction,” Weise said, noting she renovated her building in fall 2016 and, like her neighbors, has had to contend with repaving sections of Como Avenue for the past two summers.
The Finnish Bistro IS OPEN throughout Como Avenue Road Construction
To survive this construction season…we have some sweet little specials and a cool road map with our neighborhood offers.
Don’t forget our pet friendly patio with seating for 70 too!!!
Stop in and pick up the road map or (download it here). There are easy little go-arounds to get to us during the whole season and we need your support!
For news and updates about the Como Avenue Paving Phase II project, visit the city of St Paul website (CLICK HERE)
See you soon and drive safe!
The Finnish Bistro Soups are now ALL made with vegetable stock and gluten-free
Stop in and try one of our many home-made soups. Now all soups are made with vegetable broth and are gluten-free.
Our everyday specials include Tomato-Basil and Butternut Squash. If you can’t take the time to enjoy one of our great soups, they are also available in frozen quarts to take home.
Our daily specials include:
- Monday – Chicken Wild Rice
- Tuesday – Beef Borsht
- Wednesday – Potato Dill,
- Thursday – Chicken Chili
- Friday – Chicken Veggie
- Saturday – Kielbasa with Kraut,
- Sunday – Split Pea with Ham
The Finnish Bistro remodel puts food, beverage service at same counter
Sandra Weise wants everyone to know that construction is over and the newly remodeled The Finnish Bistro is open.
The restaurant at the corner of Carter and Como Avenues in St. Anthony Park now has an expanded dining room complete with aa Murphy-bed stage that can be pulled down for evening and weekend entertainment, one service counter for coffee and food, and premium Wi-Fi.
Introducing Bistro Bucks Beverage Rewards!
Stop in and pickup a Bistro Bucks Beverage Rewards card. Every time you make a beverage purchase, get your card stamped. Once your card is full, you will get $5 off your next purchase. The card has no cash value and must be redeemed on a minimum bistro purchase of $5 or more. Each card is good for six months after activation date.
Collect rewards for all your beverage purchases!
Thank you to all who participated in our very successful coffee tasting event. We had over 90 people show up to participate in the tasting.
A BIG thanks goes to Tom at Micawbers Bookstore for sharing his sweet new space and the five roasters that joined us to disply their delicious coffee! Special thanks goes to Micah at Boostrap, Andrew at Paradise, Stacy at Peace Coffee, Ben at Dogwood, and Tyler at Truestone for all your hard work! Thank you all for your participation and enthusiasm for making sure we drink some delicious coffee in our new renovated space. We couldn’t do it without all of the community engagement. We sure do love our little St. Anthony Park Community. ~ The Finnish Bistro
POSTED:JAN 26 2016 07:09AM CST, by Paul Blume
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) – The makeshift memorial for Paul Falling at the 34th Avenue and Fremont Avenue bus stop has weathered in the snow, and the balloons from the Dec. 8 shooting have long since deflated. But the young man who died here won’t soon be forgotten. Sandra Weise owns The Finnish Bistro in St. Paul. She opened up her heart and her business to Paul, giving the homeless 19-year-old his first job as a dishwasher in the small Como Avenue cafe. (Read More)
Memorial Fund Established for The Finnish Bistro Employee
Dining Out for Life – Great Success!
This years Dining Out for Life was a great success! We raised $2191.12 in only 2.75 hours and had to shut down the kitchen because we had nothing left to sell. Thank you Kare 11’s Sven Sundgaard, Rena Sarigianopoulos and Blake McCoy for dining with us and broadcasting live from our outdoor patio during the 5pm dinner hour. See you next year!
Dining Out for Life – April 30, 2015
Sandra Weise, owner of The Finnish Bistro, appeared on Kare 11, Monday, April 27th making our very famous Pulla French toast live and discussing The Aliveness Project and Dining Out For Life, which is happening this Thursday, 4/30.
Restaurants have pledged 20% – 100% of their sales on this day – breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. Visit www.diningoutforlife.com/minneapolis for complete event information, including the list of participating restaurants and prizes to be won. Invite everybody you know!
Dine Out. Do Good. It’s one of the easiest and most fun ways to give and be part of something great!
Finnish Bistro pledged 100% of the days sales to this wonderful cause!
Catering to the President of the United States, July 2014
Serving President Barack Obama. “One of the best days of my life! Such an honor .”– Sandra Weise
Dining Out for Life, April 2014
20th Anniversary of this celebrated fundraiser to benefit The Aliveness Project , a nonprofit and community center serving Minnesotans living with HIV/AIDS.
Restaurants have pledged 20% – 100% of their sales on this day – breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. Visit www.diningoutforlife.com/minneapolis for complete event information, including the list of participating restaurants and prizes to be won. Invite everybody you know!
Dine Out. Do Good. It’s one of the easiest and most fun ways to give and be part of something great!
