Dear Answer Man, I heard an amazing thing tonight (Wednesday) at Pappageorge Taverna -- is it true that part of the Taverna is going to be taken over by the Shops at University Square and turned into a liquor store?
What a tip! And unlike a lot of tips, this one happens to be true. The semi-private dining room with the heavy curtains, iron railings and colorful murals of the Greek islands will close in a few weeks, the murals will be painted over, and the room will become a liquor store, according to a Pappageorge employee.
Pappageorge, the Greek-themed bar and grill, is adjacent to and owned by Michaels, the landmark restaurant at 15 S. Broadway, and the dining room in question is directly connected to the Shops at University Square retail center.
I checked this morning with John Beltz, a spokesman for Titan Ventures in Rochester, and he says the tip is true. While details are to be worked out, it's likely to be a "limited service" type of store, a downtown outpost of Andy's Liquor, which is one of the Chafoulias companies, such as Titan and University Square.
John says the off-sale liquor license is in hand, "a downtown option that the Andy's group had held." The store might be branded Andy's Express, a la the store along West Circle Drive at Country Club Road, and the plan is to have it open by the end of the year.
ADVERTISEMENT
Even a limited service Andy's will be a welcome addition for downtown workers, shoppers and hotel guests, especially since the Wine Seller store in the Kahler Grand Hotel was closed as part of the ongoing makeover of the Kahler Grand Hotel retail area.
I wasn't able to get to Pappageorge ownership this morning to get their take on all this, but I'll mop that up Friday.
Dear Answer Man, I'm not able to watch TV most evenings. What local radio stations, if any, will be airing the baseball playoffs and World Series?
None, apparently. I asked the P-B's sports media ace, Paul Christian, to check this, and he says some games will be on ESPN radio, with the closest affiliate being Twin Cities-based 1500 ESPN , what used to be KSTP-AM. Rochester's KOLM-AM 1520 formerly was an ESPN affiliate but recently switched to CBS Sports Radio.
Major League Baseball has its own channel on Sirius/XM, and you can find an audio livestream for the team of your choice, though I haven't checked all the websites and smartphone app options. Anyone with listening tips can send them here, and I'll get them in.
Paul said, "Long story short, games aren't on locally."
Got a question? The Answer Man already knows that, and he already knows the answer, too. Send questions to P.O. Box 6118, Rochester, MN 55903 or answerman@postbulletin.com.
