One of the things I love best about the St. Paul dining scene is the number of historic restaurants.

Nothing makes me happier than visiting a building that’s been around for a century or more and is still bustling with activity.

For this week’s Dining Diary, I hit up two of my favorite old spaces (both of which, coincidentally, are rumored to be haunted) with friends and family.

Happy spooky season! Make your reservations for these fantastic restaurants soon!

The Lexington

This Grand Avenue restaurant, which just celebrated its 90th anniversary with a fun party for friends and neighbors, has long been rumored to be haunted.

A customer enters the front door at the Lexington Restaurant on Grand Avenue in St. Paul on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. (Ginger Pinson / Pioneer Press)

In fact, when I took a little behind-the-scenes tour recently with COO and General Manager Craig Ritacco, he offered stories about ghost children playing under the tables in the upstairs event space and feeling someone touch his shoulder in one of the underground storage rooms (of course, no one living was in the room with him at the time).

Anecdotes like this abound among workers at the restaurant, which was founded in 1935, replacing other businesses that had occupied the space since it was constructed in 1911.

I hadn’t dined at this iconic spot for a while, and since there’s a new guy in charge of the kitchen — welcome, chef Lawrence Kirkland! — I thought a visit was a great idea.

So did one of my oldest friends, so we hit up a corner booth in the gorgeous original dining room and shared some laughs, some tears, some wine and a couple of spectacular dishes.

My friend has a medical problem with gluten, as seems to be increasingly true among my friends and family, so this was also a good test for my gluten-free readers.

We started with the shrimp cocktail, which in the wrong hands means bland, cold shrimp and an uninspired dipping sauce. Kirkland’s version is pretty much the opposite of that. Perfectly springy shrimp, topped with flavorful cumin seeds, thinly sliced red onion and cilantro are served with a sweet/spicy cocktail sauce (called atomic sauce on the menu) that is positively slurpable on its own, but even better when paired with the roasted jalapeno slices it’s topped with.

Steak Diane at The Lexington in St. Paul, pictured in September of 2025. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

I was in the mood for steak, and was happy to learn that the sauce with The Lex’s Steak Diane is gluten-free. It also happens to come from my favorite underrated cut of beef, the teres major, or petite tender. And the creamy, mustardy sauce and deep, dark mushrooms that it comes with are absolutely divine.

My friend ordered the scallops, and though they are not hard to cook — quick sear, flip, cook until done — they are often over-cooked and rubbery. Not here, though. Perfect, slightly crisp sear, melt-in-your-mouth tender. And the grapefruit butter they are bathed in? Genius.

In conclusion? Get yourself an October reservation and celebrate spooky season in style.

The Lexington: 1096 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-289-4990; thelexmn.com

Forepaugh’s

The burger at Forepaugh’s in St. Paul, pictured in September 2025. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

I had been promising my youngest son, who is a huge fan of a cheffy burger, that we’d go to “the haunted mansion with the great burger” for many months, and I finally pulled the trigger.

Workers continue renovations to ready Forepaugh’s Restaurant in St. Paul for a planned early August reopening on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

He was fascinated by the history of this newly (and beautifully) renovated restaurant, in the mansion built by Joseph Forepaugh in 1870. I told him about Forepaugh’s rumored affair with Molly, one of his servants, who died in the mansion. Her spirit is said to roam the three floors of dining space, especially the third.

Ghost stories are nice and all, but how was dinner?

It was great! Both of my sons ordered the burger, a double-smash that consists of wagyu brisket and chuck patties that are crisp outside and juicy in. The restaurant now includes its excellent skinny fries with the $20 burger, which might seem expensive until you look at burger prices at some of the other high-end restaurants in the Twin Cities. I guess this is just the way of the world now.

Shellfish Rigatoni at Forepaugh’s in St. Paul, pictured in September 2025. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

My husband’s shellfish rigatoni was black, just like the paint job on the mansion, made so by squid ink. The shrimp, calamari, clams and mussels were all fresh and cooked perfectly, and the spicy tomato sauce took things up a level.

I was in a comfort-food mood, so I went with the mafalde bolognese, which is long, curly-edged noodles topped with a creamy, meaty sauce that absolutely hit the spot.

If you’re an oenophile, you already know that the wine list here is excellent, as is the craft cocktail list, so if you’re looking for a cool bar to take a date or a friend, Forepaugh’s is great for that, too. And I hope you see Molly, or even Joseph himself, who has been said to roam the dining room in period garb.

Forepaugh’s: 276 S. Exchange St., St. Paul; 651-666-3636; forepaughs.com

Related Articles

The Dubai chocolate craze is now about much more than bars

Want to eat more plant-based meals? Maggie Baird, Billie Eilish’s mom, has some ideas

Recipe: With a skillet, moussaka doesn’t have to be a project dish

With over 700 years of history, mixiotes should be on your Mexican food bucket list

This might be the easiest way to make ratatouille

Today is Thursday, Oct. 9, the 282nd day of 2025. There are 83 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 9, 1967, Marxist revolutionary guerrilla leader Che Guevara, 39, was executed by the Bolivian army a day after his capture.

Also on this date:

In 1910, a coal dust explosion at the Starkville Mine in Colorado left 56 miners dead.

Related Articles

Meme stock resurgence prompts return of central meme investment fund

Dolly Parton responds to concerns about her health: ‘I’m not dying’

Arrivals of international students to the US dropped almost a fifth in August, data shows

What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled during the US government shutdown

Last of 10 New Orleans jail escapees from May is captured under a house in Atlanta

In 1962, Uganda won independence from British rule.

In 1963, a mega-tsunami triggered by a landside at Vajont Dam in northern Italy destroyed villages and caused approximately 2,000 deaths.

In 1985, Strawberry Fields in New York’s Central Park, a memorial to former Beatle John Lennon, was dedicated.

In 1992, the highly visible Peekskill Meteorite streaked through Earth’s atmosphere for hundreds of miles over the U.S. Northeast before a small chunk of it crashed into the trunk of a parked car in Peekskill, New York. The car, a bright red 1980 Chevrolet Malibu, later went on exhibition at several museums worldwide.

In 2009, President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for what the Norwegian Nobel Committee called “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

In 2010, a drill broke through into an underground chamber where 33 Chilean miners had been trapped for more than two months.

In 2012, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was sentenced in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, to 30 to 60 years in prison following his conviction on 45 counts of sexual abuse of boys.

Today’s Birthdays:

Musician Nona Hendryx is 81.
Musician Jackson Browne is 77.
Actor Robert Wuhl is 74.
TV personality Sharon Osbourne is 73.
Actor Tony Shalhoub is 72.
Actor Scott Bakula is 71.
Actor-TV host John O’Hurley is 71.
Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary is 67.
Jazz musician Kenny Garrett is 65.
Film director Guillermo del Toro is 61.
Singer PJ Harvey is 56.
Film director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) is 56.
Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam is 55.
Musician Sean Lennon is 50.
Actor Brandon Routh is 46.
Author-TV presenter Marie Kondo is 41.
Comedian Melissa Villasenor is 38.
Actor Tyler James Williams is 33.
NFL tight end George Kittle is 32.
Country singer Scotty McCreery (TV: “American Idol”) is 32.
Model Bella Hadid is 29.
Actor Jharrel Jerome is 28.
Tennis player Ben Shelton is 23.

SARTELL, Minn. — A seventh-grader from central Minnesota was declared brain dead Wednesday after suffering a severe head injury despite wearing a helmet during a weekend bike crash.

The family made the decision to take Raghav Shrestha, 12, off life support on Wednesday afternoon, Sartell Police Chief Brandon Silgjord said.

Silgjord went to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis to check on Raghav’s condition earlier Wednesday.

“We know that we speak for our entire community when we say that our hearts are broken for Raghav’s parents, brother and entire family,” Silgjord said in a news release. “The Shrestha family wanted it shared that they are deeply appreciative of the community’s support and everyone that rallied behind them in their time of need.”

Raghav’s dream was to become a police officer, and “several of us involved in the incident were able to visit Raghav this morning, and in the presence of his family pin him with his own badge and swear him in as an honorary police officer with Sartell,” Silgjord said.

Sartell police said that officers responded to a report that Raghav had crashed his bike near the bottom of the hill, often referred to as “Muskie Hill” at Northside Park, on Sunday afternoon.

The incident did not have any eyewitnesses, but law enforcement believe Raghav likely lost control or something caused him to flip over at the bottom of the hill, Siljord said.

After the crash, his injuries appeared to cause cardiac arrest, according to police. A good Samaritan — whom Silgjord identified as Gary Wassen — administered CPR until first responders arrived. Law enforcement also said multiple citizens stepped in to help provide aid following the incident. Wassen is a founder and instructor with Heart Vital CPR, an organization he started with his wife, Zette, in 2014 to offer first aid and life support training classes.

Raghav was taken to the St. Cloud Hospital, where he regained vital signs before being flown to Minneapolis. He was treated in the pediatric intensive care unit at HCMC. On Tuesday, the police department said that his parents had been at his bedside the past two days and had asked for prayers for their son.

A fundraising campaign set up on behalf of the Shrestha family to help with medical costs described the seventh grader as a “fun-loving, adventurous 12-year-old.”

“His parents, while grieving the loss of their son, also wanted it known that more than anything they are proud to be Raghav’s parents and to have raised and known a boy that was always courageous in his words and actions,” Silgjord said. “Choosing to never cause harm to people and animals alike and taking the most pride in his role as a big brother.”

Raghav attended Sartell-St. Stephen Middle School, which is braced for the impact of his passing.

“We want the community to know that our hearts go out to Raghav, his family, his friends and everyone close to him,” Sartell-St. Stephen Superintendent Mike Rivard told St. Cloud LIVE. “They will be in our thoughts and prayers.”

There will be extra resources for Sartell-St. Stephen Middle School students and staff looking for support this week and later as needed, Rivard said.

He added that he is proud of the community’s response to the tragedy.

“It is remarkable how quickly the Sartell-St. Stephen community wrapped its arms around Raghav’s family,” Rivard said. “We’re being as caring as possible.”

Related Articles

Daniel Rosen to serve as next U.S. attorney for Minnesota

Tony Lazzaro, Minnesota GOP donor likened to Jeffrey Epstein, loses at Supreme Court

Impaired driving suspected in deadly crash of rural Minnesota fire truck

Massive Duluth freeway project wrapping up this month

‘The Untold Story’ of the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald told in new book

By Lauren Dezenski, Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will undergo a physical exam on Friday following mounting questions about his health prompted by noticeable bruising and swelling in recent months.

Related Articles

Retired Justice Kennedy laments coarse discourse of Trump era and its effects on the Supreme Court

Trump has yet to provide Congress hard evidence that targeted boats carried drugs, officials say

Senate vote tests Trump’s authority to strike vessels he says are carrying drugs

Pressure points ahead could bring a quicker end to the shutdown

IRS to furlough nearly half of its workforce as shutdown enters second week

“On Friday morning, President Trump will visit Walter Reed Medical Center for a planned meeting and remarks with the troops. While there, President Trump will stop by for his routine yearly check up,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Wednesday. “President Trump is considering going to the Middle East shortly thereafter.”

While the White House described the visit as his regular yearly physical, the 79-year-old president had an annual exam just six months ago, on April 11.

Since then, Trump has been spotted with swollen ankles and a persistent bruise on his right hand. The White House said in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, but physicians had otherwise found the president to be in “excellent health.”

Trump’s ankle swelling, his doctor said, is related to the vein disease, which occurs when damaged valves inside the veins struggle to keep blood flowing from the legs back to the heart. Leavitt previously called it a “common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.” The disorder affects about one in 20 adults, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

A subsequent memo from White House physician Sean Barbabella said doctors found “no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease” and that “no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified.”

The White House also said the bruising on Trump’s hand, which has remained visible for months, was “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent hand-shaking” and a side effect of aspirin therapy, which the president takes as part of a cardiovascular prevention routine.

Trump in January was the oldest president ever sworn into office. He himself has boasted of being in good health, telling Newsmax in a Monday interview: “I feel the same or better than I did 30 years ago.”

His predecessor, former President Joe Biden, dropped out of the 2024 election amid questions about his acuity, and Trump in his first term was reticent to disclose when he underwent medical evaluations.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.