Howard’s Bar, Formerly Whitey’s Bar, Is Open in Stillwater | Eater Twin Cities

"After buying the longtime Whitey's and quietly operating it for months, the owners reopened the space this month as Howard's Bar, a comfy Stillwater hangout and restaurant named after their Staffordshire terrier mix. It's first and foremost a bar — serving beer, wine and rail drinks and even featuring a pull-tab station in the back corner — but it also offers quality meals alongside bar standards: a classic cheeseburger, gooey cheese curds, a full sandwich menu and nostalgic items like a bacon-and-ketchup-topped meatloaf. The menu expands into supper-club territory with lasagna made from fresh pasta sheets, house-trimmed rib-eyes with loaded baked potatoes, and smoked trout dip with a toasted baguette. Adam To, who cooks five days a week and brings experience from both Midwestern kitchens and a focused, high-end stint in Los Angeles, aims for organized, small-batch prep and familiar, comforting food rather than brigade-style intensity. The space leans into '70s basement vibes with wood paneling, neon signs, paintings and posters, and taxidermied deer and cow heads for a warm, cozy, slightly messy Minnesota dive feel; a red neon sign reading “I remember when it was John’s Bar” nods to the place's history. Many staffers are holdovers from Whitey's, the dog Howard makes regular cameo appearances, and the owners live above the bar while raising their son, hoping to serve the people of Stillwater through winter and beyond." - Eater