From the StarTribune and Rick Nelson::

The Blue Plate Restaurant Co. (www.blueplaterestaurantcompany.com) is on another growth spurt.

The company, which recently launched Scusi (1806 St. Clair Av., St. Paul) and operates Highland Grill (771 S. Cleveland Av., St. Paul),Edina Grill (5028 France Av. S., Edina), Longfellow Grill (2990 West River Pkwy., Mpls.) and 3 Squares (12690 Arbor Lakes Pkwy., Maple Grove), is now headed to Uptown.

Specifically 2112 Hennepin Av. S., in a former Hollywood Video venue. The as-yet-unnamed property will follow a format similar to its corporate siblings.

“About 50 to 60 percent of the menu is going to be occupied by Blue Plate all-stars,” said co-owner Stephanie Shimp. “The turkey burger, the fish and chips, the steak and pirogies, the core items that have done well and have a good story. From there, we’ll expand it to cover the needs of the neighborhood.”

Late-night is definitely at the top of the to-do list.

“There’s a big hole for late-night in Uptown, left after the departure of Figlio and the Uptown Bar,” said Shimp. “And we’re really good at breakfast.”

Shimp said that Blue Plate’s decision to expand into Uptown is a no-brainer.

“We’re an urban company,” she said. “We get urban, we are more comfortable with urban and we have more success in urban areas. And for us, where else is there to go but Uptown? I think we’ve found where we belong, yet we’re not going to be at Hennepin-Lake, so we’re not competing with Parasole [owner of Chino Latino, Uptown Cafeteria and Il Gatto] on that corner.”

The 150-seat restaurant and bar (“We want the bar to feel like a lounge, like a separate space,” said Shimp), which is being designed by Minneapolis-based Tanek, is scheduled to open in July

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