☕Coffee, Canines & Karts

Your weekly scoop of food + fun.

Joe Carmack
January 28, 2026

Wouldn’t be so bad… There are two types of people in this state: the [crazy] ones who like something called ‘ice kart racing’, and the rest of us just searching for another place to drink more coffee. Lucky for all, this week’s Hotdish covers both.

Enjoy!
Joe & Haley

Your Weekend Forecast

Karting On Ice

February - March

Outdoor go-kart racing on the ice, with a course carved right through the snow. It’s basically snowmobile energy mixed with go-kart chaos, minus the boring parts. Expect drifting, sliding, and trying to pretend you meant to do that. The track layout runs over packed snow and ice lanes, so every lap feels different depending on grip and how brave you’re feeling. Location details dropping soon.

Macbeth @ Guthrie Theater

1/31 - 3/22

A dark, brooding take on Shakespeare’s tragedy that leans hard into tension and psychology. Ambition starts small, then snowballs into paranoia, guilt, and outright unraveling as prophecy and power collide. Sharp performances carry the weight, with a moody atmosphere that never really lets up. It’s intense, sometimes unsettling, and the kind of production that keeps rattling around in your head well after it’s over.

Snowday @ Wargo Nature Center

1/31

A casual, family-friendly winter afternoon with a mix of classic cold-weather activities at Wargo Nature Center. Folks can wander around trying snowshoeing, ice fishing, kicksledding and fat tire biking, with some indoor crafts and animal presentations if you need a break from the cold. It’s laid-back outdoor stuff and mellow community energy, happening rain, snow or shine and open to everyone of all ages.

Monster Jam

2/7 & 2/8

Big, beefy monster trucks tear up a dirt track inside the stadium, racing, doing wheel tricks and pushing into freestyle stunt runs that mix speed with surprises. Drivers compete in multiple rounds and pull off jumps, donuts and other wild moves that make for a noisy, gritty motorsport spectacle people of all ages tend to talk about afterward. It’s raw truck action in a big venue setting.

Doggie Depot 2026

2/1

Indoor pup-friendly hang where local pet vendors set up shop, adoptable dogs mingle with their humans and a few four-legged contestants get crowned Canine King and Queen as part of the Winter Carnival celebration. There’s “doga” (dog+yoga. It’s a thing.) early in the morning, tons of dog stuff to check out and a crowd that’s mostly there to enjoy the scene with their pups.

Dinner at The Fair on 4 is more like fair food without the lines and weird sunburns. The menu leans into corn dogs, house-battered cheese curds and Blue Horse pizza that tastes like carnival logic made delicious. Expect big plates, craft cocktails and beer with casual table service in a space that feels like a mash-up of a bar and a midway. It’s loud, lively and low-pressure, perfect if your idea of a good meal involves sharing crispy bites and settling in with something cold to drink while you scope out what fun you’re doing next.

After you eat, The Fair on 4 doesn’t shut the fun off. This spot doubles as an entertainment playground with go-karts tearing around a multi-level indoor track, axe throwing lanes with instructors showing you the ropes, interactive darts and arcade games tucked around the edges. You can race for bragging rights, see who actually sticks an axe in the target or wander over to play something that isn’t a phone game. It’s the kind of date that ends in laughs, some friendly competition and a weird story or two about how you nearly beat your partner at everything.

After the brutal cold snap, this week’s Up Yonder is a welcome thaw: a roundup of locally owned Minnesota coffee shops where you can warm your hands, sip something done right, and stick around for some friendly conversation.