According to my buddy Brian, the Southeast Asian food maven the great Va Lor is gone, moved out of town, and thanks to Brian, many of us got to try her amazing food. But there is a sliver lining here. According to his latest e-mail, there is a "food court" at the Golden Globe Mall in the Super Foods building, 630 Pierce Butler at Minnehaha, St Paul.  He tells me that “all of the small spaces at the very back are family-owned booths”, and he recommends MT Foods's papaya salad and fried bananas and especially the Vue Broil and Grille's beef ribs. As Brian puts it so eloquently, “I assure you there are more white people on the streets in Thailand and Vietnam than there are in this building. I almost hate to share this tip with you, but I imagine all these extremely hardworking and friendly people could use all the support they could get.” ABSOLUTELY. Thanks, as always, to Brian.

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For all of the tube steak fans out there, Chris & Rob's Chicago Taste Authority opened a new location, serving Chicago-style dogs, beef sandwiches, and all the other typical game-day fare at 603 W. 7th in St. Paul. The Dubnecay Brothers are hot dog mavens of the highest order.