Xelas by El Sazon, the outfit that started in a BP gas station in Eagan, will open a third location this month in the former Thai Basil spot in Stillwater.

Chef Christian de Leon, Karen de Leon and Zoilo Ruacho are awaiting final permitting for the restaurant, which will focus on “the bold, authentic flavors of Mayan cuisine,” according to a news release.

The menu will reflect chef Christian de Leon’s Mayan heritage and will incorporate traditional ingredients such as grain, corn, cocoa, beans, peppers and squash, flavored with spices like achiote and chili peppers.

The bar menu is rum-focused, featuring a selection of high-end rums and hand-crafted cocktails.

The 130-seat space has been redesigned to include natural wood accents, earthy tones and touches of Mayan art. There is a small private dining room, and a 30-seat patio will be added.

Thai Basil closed in July after nine years. El Sazon has another location in south Minneapolis as well.

Xelas by El Sazon >> 1180 W. Frontage Road, Stillwater; ElSazonMN.com

-- Jess FlemingWuollet Bakery on Grand to close

The Wuollet Bakery location on Grand Avenue has closed.

The building “is in desperate need of repairs,” owner Eric Shogren said in a statement confirming the closure, and the company is looking for a new space on Grand Avenue. Shogren purchased the local bakery chain, which started in the 1940s in Minneapolis, from the Wuollet family in 2019.

A neighboring business, the gift shop GoodThings, plans to expand into the former Wuollet space, according to a spokesperson for the bakery company.

The bakery was known as the Bungalow Bake Shop until the Wuollet family took it over in 1977.

Currently, the building is owned by James Jurmu, a cousin of the Wuollet family, who also owns the buildings housing Wuollet bakeries in Robbinsdale and on the Edina-Minneapolis border. Jurmu confirmed his ownership but declined to comment on the state of the building or its future.

Although for ostensibly different reasons, the St. Paul shop is the latest of several Wuollet locations to close abruptly in recent months. The bakery was evicted from locations in Wayzata, Hastings and downtown Minneapolis this year all because of significant unpaid rent. (Those buildings were not owned by Jurmu or others tied to Wuollet.)

In September, a Chicago-based bank filed lawsuits in Anoka and Hennepin counties alleging Shogren and his wife had defaulted on over $1 million in loans related to Wuollet and other bakeries, according to court records. Online complaints about the quality of the bakeries’ products have also appeared to be on the rise in recent years.

Shogren, who grew up in the Twin Cities, moved to Russia in the 1990s and started a pizzeria chain and a bakery chain in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. After moving back here, he bought the bakery A Baker’s Wife in 2016 and, in addition to Wuollet, has purchased other longtime businesses including Grandma’s Bakery in White Bear Lake and Hans’ Bakery in Anoka.

Separately, Shogren’s business practices in Russia also faced similar financial scrutiny. In the late 2010s, prosecutors there alleged several dozen incidents of fraudulent loan practices and nonpayment of vendors and employees, according to Russian news media, but the case was ultimately dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired.

Shogren could not be reached directly for comment about Wuollet, and a spokesperson said the company is undergoing a “reorganization.”

Closing the St. Paul location with the intent to reopen in a smaller storefront appears to be part of that strategy, which the spokesperson, Robb Leer, said also involves producing baked goods at a centralized facility rather than at each individual bakery location.

In 2021, Shogren had previously planned to purchase a tract of land on the East Side for $1 and build a wholesale production facility there. The plan would have brought nearly 100 jobs to the area, he said at the time, but the deal was never finalized and the land remains owned by the Port Authority of St. Paul.

-- Jared Kaufman

Brunch is back at Meritage

Brunch-lovers rejoice: Sunday brunch is back at Meritage.

The downtown St. Paul French bistro is serving its famous beignets, croque madames and monsieurs, steak and eggs, apple crepes with pecan bourbon maple syrup, a lobster omelette and so much more.

Chef/co-owner Russell Klein said there were many requests from regulars to bring back the midday meal, which will be available Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Selections from the oyster bar and the full beverage program will also be available.

Reservations are recommended.

Meritage >> 410 St. Peter St., St. Paul; 651-222-5670; meritage-stpaul.com