Ann Bauer Ah, the dilemma of being an upright mammal. Each of us — excepting strict vegans, of course — must make peace with his or her spot on the food chain. Are we carnivores, herbivores, or pesci-vegetarians? Do we eat fowl but not red meat, because cows have sad eyes while chickens are mostly irritating? Is … Read more
The latest Parasole restaurant opened for dinner last night in Maple Grove. It’s called Pittsburgh Blue, named for the way he-men in the Rust Belt eat their steak: charred on the exterior, cold and bloody inside. Why, you may ask, is a restaurant geared toward steelworkers located in the pink collar capital of the Midwest? … Read more
Oddly, the last two movies I’ve seen have had more or less the same storyline: impoverished street musician suddenly finds success but suffers many personal losses along the way. The first was La Vie en Rose, a biopic about the French singer Edith Piaf. It was long — 140 minutes — and as violent a … Read more
Perversely, after a summer of drinking meaty, dry red wines, when the cool weather set in this week, I suddenly got a hankering for white. A woman’s body is fickle, as I tell my husband often. One day, you slip into your size-7 jeans and run around the world bending every which way like an … Read more
Lists bore you? Don’t bother. You can get breaking news in a colorful, jagged puzzle format at newsmap. Even if you don’t find anything interesting, it’s a great screen to stare at. Kind of like an Escher.
So I’m talking to my friend Schneider today and he asks, “Are you watching Wine Library TV?” “Damn,” I think to myself. “I guess it’s time to bite the bullet and get cable.” First I find out there’s this show on HBO featuring dysfunctional couples having real sex; not good sex, mind you, and never … Read more
It’s funny. Not too long ago, I was with a group of people who were bemoaning the lack of “real” delis in the Twin Cities. Then, as if magically, two contenders appeared. First, the New York Deli & Bar opened in June on the south side of downtown Minneapolis. And on Monday, September 10, former … Read more
The name Côtes du Rhône is a regional appellation for wines coming out of France’s Southern Rhone Valley. The area is huge: about 171 villages, with more than 100,000 acres of vineyards in a space 60 miles long and 30 miles wide. What’s more, there are a number of varietals grown in the Côtes du … Read more
Traveling by motorcycle has many advantages: open air, engagement with the environment, and gas mileage about one-third that of most mid-size cars. There is one downside, though. You’re at the mercy of small towns when it comes to things like coffee, wine, and food. My husband and I have toured most of the Midwest, and … Read more
So, we’re riding through the Upper Peninsula last night and decided to stop in Hancock, Michigan. Walked into a little mom-and-pop liquor store called The Shottle Bop — I’m not kidding — and right up to a shelf with The King Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, third edition. The bottle features a photo of Elvis from his … Read more