Stelline Opens, Oktoberfest, First Ave & Mill City Market — Oct 7

George and Laura walk through the Twin Cities week of October 7, 2026 — new restaurants, farmers markets at peak, Oktoberfest, big weekend shows, and sports. In this episode: Stelline Italian Kitchen opens Oct 1 from Travail Collective at 1304 NE 2nd St in the former Stargazer space — pastas and small plates. Martiya (Somali diaspora, halal) soft-opens at 3036 Nicollet Ave with a Nov 1 grand opening; Mandalay Kitchen reopens on W University after a January car-crash shutdown. Farmers markets in full swing: Mill City Saturdays 9–1 by the Guthrie, Midtown Sat 8–1 and Tue 3–6, St. Paul Lowertown Sat–Sun. Twin Cities Oktoberfest at the State Fairgrounds Fri–Sat Oct 9–10; City of Lakes Art Fair at Bde Maka Ska Sat–Sun 10–5. First Avenue stacked: Pinhead Gunpowder Tue, Starbomb Thu, Waylon Wyatt Fri; Malcolm Todd's Do That Again Tour at The Armory Fri. Palace Theatre weekend: Snail Mail & Soccer Mommy co-headline Sat Oct 10; MUNA's Gets So Hot Tour with hemlocke springs Sun Oct 11. Guthrie: Waiting for Godot on the Wurtele Thrust through Oct 11; Kunene and the King (dir. Ruben Santiago-Hudson) opens Oct 10 on the McGuire Proscenium. Sports: Minnesota United vs Houston Dynamo at Allianz Field Sat Oct 10, 7:30pm; Wild host Vegas at Grand Casino Arena Mon Oct 12. Minneapolis Foundation activates a $3.5M emergency fund for immigrant-owned small businesses downtown and on Lake Street hit by ICE-operation foot-traffic drops. Minnesota cannabis milestone: 392 business licenses and 223 adult-use retail sites statewide; Walz's 2026 Omnibus Cannabis Bill creates eight new "macrobusiness" licenses. Sources: millcityfarmersmarket.org mspmag.com — Twin Cities farmers markets stpaulfarmersmarket.com minneapolis.org — fall events jambase.com — First Avenue armorymn.com Palace Theatre upcoming shows guthrietheater.org Minnesota United tickets 2025–26 Minnesota Wild season vikings.com — 2026 schedule Timberwolves tickets Star Tribune — restaurant roll call tcbmag.com — Minneapolis Foundation $3.5M fund themarijuanaherald.com — MN cannabis licenses mjbizdaily.com — MN supply chain merge mprnews.org — new cannabis laws Subscribe: mplsvegan.com Full transcript George: — and I'm telling you, I walked across the Stone Arch this morning and the light was doing that thing. That gold thing. Where the river looks like it's showing off. Laura: The river's showing off. George, the river does not care about you. George: Laura, the river and I have an understanding. Laura: Mm-hm. You and the Mississippi. Sure. George: Look, it's October seventh, it's crisp, it's that... that specific kind of Minneapolis morning where you need a jacket but not a COAT. You know what I mean? Laura: Oh, I know. That window. That tiny little window before it turns. George: Two weeks. Three if we're lucky. Laura: Don't jinx it. Last year you jinxed it and we had snow by Halloween. George: That was NOT me. Laura: That was absolutely you. George: Okay so — patios. People are still sitting outside. I saw folks on a West 7th patio last weekend in flannels, pretending it wasn't cold. Laura: That's such a Minnesota move. Flannel and a space heater and we call it summer. George: You betcha. Laura: Oh no. Not already. George: I'm pacing myself. Laura: Sure you are. Okay, where do you want to start? Food? Music? What people are actually doing this weekend? George: Let's do food first because I want to talk about Stelline. Laura: Yes. Okay. George: So Travail Collective — you know, the folks behind that whole experimental thing — they opened Stelline on October first. NE Second Street. In the old Stargazer space. Laura: Pastas and small plates, right? George: That's what I'm hearing. I haven't been yet. Laura: Wait, YOU haven't been? George, you were there the day Stargazer opened. George: I know, I know. I've failed you. I'm going this week. Laura: Great. The city's food scribe hasn't been to the biggest opening on his beat. George: Okay, okay, I'll bring you a takeout box. Laura: You better. Also — Martiya opened the same day. Nicollet Ave. George: Yeah, Somali diaspora, halal menu. Soft open now, grand opening November first. Laura: That's the one I'm most excited about honestly. Because Nicollet needs that. That stretch has been... quiet. George: It has. And a soft open gives them a month to get the kitchen humming before the big push. Laura: Smart. And — ope, I almost forgot — Mandalay Kitchen reopened. George: Over on West University. Laura: Yes! After that car crash shut them down back in January. George: Nine months. That's a long time to be closed. Laura: Nine months of their regulars just... waiting. And they came back. George: Karen, Thai, Burmese — that menu is special. I'm glad they're back. Laura: Me too. Okay but — shoutout real quick to our friends at mplsvegan.com, because they've been tracking the plant-based patio situation like it's their job. George: Which it IS. Laura: Which it is! George: And speaking of plant-based — J. Selby's over in St. Paul has been doing their thing all fall. That dirty Selby's sandwich does not care what season it is. Laura: It is a four-season sandwich. George: It really is. Laura: Herbivorous Butcher's still rolling. The deli counter in NE never sleeps. George: Reverie, Hard Times — Hard Times might outlive us all. Laura: Hard Times will be there after the heat death of the univ...