I am delighted to prepare this inaugural “inside the industry” report in partnership with The Rake! Every couple of weeks, I’ll clue you in to the best opportunities to learn about, taste, and purchase wines in the Twin Cities and surrounding communities. Let’s start with our overview of free public tastings, which occur more often … Read more
In America, every accused person is innocent until proven guilty, right? Well, we may profess such lofty thoughts, but the cold reality is that most people believe that if you are in jail, you gotta be guilty of something. Look no further than the way people have reacted to Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr., the prime suspect … Read more
Wisconsin Estate Sale, Antiques, Collectables, Linens, Furniture. Quality Household Miscellaneous. Pole Barn Full of Tools. Everything Must Go! Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to write one of those ads. But let me tell you, it’s pretty hard to make the words “household miscellaneous” jump … Read more
Say what you will about David Denby, at least he doesn’t pick his nose and eat it. We can make this postulation with a fair degree of confidence for the simple fact that, were he to engage in such behavior, he would almost certainly write about it. Denby is the sort of memoirist who believes … Read more
Sitting at the Ideal Diner in the spring can be anything but. In this Northeast Minneapolis joint there is the counter and there is the cooking line, and that’s it. Perched on a prize stool, you are simultaneously warmed by the remarkable heat emanating from the grill and chilled by the rush of cold air … Read more
I had a ticket. I had a ticket, and a pseudonym. At this and all other New York City fashion week events, I was G— T—, a high-ranking executive at a nice Midwestern cosmetics firm for which I do some grunt work. I’m not sure what she does there, but she—meaning I—sure raked in the … Read more
With dark hair and a slightly rumpled appearance, Bob Daily has the low-key delivery you’d expect from a man whose job is not to seem overly amused by the jokes he writes for a living. Daily is a 1982 graduate of Carleton College, and a writer (and current co-executive producer) for Frasier. One day in … Read more
Sleeping birds are vulnerable. This is why the lucky ones flock by the tens of thousands to roost for the night on the low, gnarled branches of the mangrove trees that flourish in the back bay waters of Estero Island, Florida, where I just spent a week with Jon and our kids. In these quiet, … Read more
When visiting sculptor Joe Anton’s split-level rambler in Brooklyn Park, it might take a while for the subject to come around to art. Horsepower TV might be on, demonstrating the latest muscle-car trick modifications. You might need to help unload an awning from the bed of his Ranchero. Plaques in the rec room display his … Read more
If the title of patron saint of journalists were not already held by the seventeenth-century French priest Francis de Sales, many American reporters would be ready to canonize Professor Jane E. Kirtley of the University of Minnesota for her steadfast support and defense of their work. Through a serendipitous career as a reporter, attorney, advocate, … Read more