The Rake Magazine

Category: Blog Post

  • Music and a Movie?

    FILM
    Schmooze Time

    UrbanLull.jpgOy! Another month gone by?! It really can’t be; but, oh, it is. Cinema Lounge strikes again. See five short films and meet the filmmakers. Ask them anything you like, and you might just get an answer. Tonight’s films include Urban Lull (At Once Charmed), by Micah Dahl; A Satisfied Life, by Freya Schirmacher; Who To Trust?, by Dean Peterson; Buddy, Buddy, by Mojo Solo; and Unhinged, by Gregg Holtgrewe.

    7 p.m., Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-3737; free.

    Hometown Crime Spin

    dyingmidwestern.JPGSmall time politics. Big city crime. That’s what the movie poster says anyhow: Dying Midwestern, a film by Matt Kowalksi. Of course, I can’t seem to find either on the Internet. Hmmmm… Is this a film about St. Paul’s tender punk rock band? I think not, though I know very little. All I know is that it’s a crime story shot entirely in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Yay! Another film shot in the Twin Cities. I ask, once again, who the heck says we don’t do film here? It seems there’s a new local film coming out every other week. What about tonight’s, though? The press release compares it to Fargo and Pulp Fiction, and while this may very well be accurate, we must never dismiss the simple fact that is indeed a press release after all.

    6:30 p.m., The Varsity Theater & Café des Artistes, 1308 4th St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-604-0222; $8.

    While you’re at it, have a look at the Pulp Fiction Short Version.

    And for a real treat, have a look at Beast of the Tokyo Bathhouse, part 1. You may just notice a familiar face in there. Have you had the pleasure of meeting Sailor Martin? You may not want to once you see this film.

    Oh, and don’t forget to check out this week’s Owen video. He’s having a little trouble in the communication arena.

    MUSIC
    Get Out of Jail Free

    curtis.jpgI haven’t given you a good reason to sneak out of work lately, so you’ve definitely got one coming. How about The Brothers Curtis at Elliot Park? Hell, if you work downtown, it’s a piece of cake, just a hop, skip, and a jump away, just over yonder on that greener grass. Otherwise, better still, just cut out early and wile the afternoon away. Enjoy Stratocaster Master Curtis Marlatt with Blues Harp Bender Curtis Blake, then stick around and browse the farmer’s market, which goes until 4 p.m.

    Noon – 1:30 p.m., Elliot Park, 1000 E. 14th St., Minneapolis; 612-370-4772; free.

    And Then There Were Some

    Damn, those Minnesota Zoo concerts are well-attended. Tonight’s show — Tower of Power with Paul Cebar — is sold out once again, so if you don’t already have tickets, you best look for an alternate source of entertainment. The Rake’s myspace page doesn’t really serve much of a purpose, but we do get quite a few announcements for upcoming shows. (If there’s one good thing about myspace –and even that’s pushing it — it’s the abundance of musician and band pages.) And while I so often overlook these announcements until it’s too late, I did notice a few for today.

    Eddie F. posted to let us know about the hip hop and punk rock show at Big V’s. (See, even Big V’s has a myspace page.) Hip hop and punk rock? Does anybody else think this is an odd combination? I guess there’s no such thing anymore. This evening’s performance features C. Doty Run, The Angry Mothers, Fixed Gears are for Jerks & Lesbians, and Many Missions.

    9 p.m., Big V’s, 1567 University Ave. W. (University & Snelling), Midway, St. Paul; 651-645-8472; $5.

    The paper prophet posted to let us know about this evening’s Turf Club show, with Thunder in the Valley, Spider Bags (from Chapel Hill, NC), and Prairie Sons.

    9 p.m., Turf Club, 1601 University Ave., St. Paul; 651-647-0486; $4.

    And a heads up for tomorrow night: Seymour Saves the World will be playing at 10 p.m., at the Uptown Bar.

    Head on out and sample some local sounds.

  • Frank Lloyd Wrong, Part Uno

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    The Duetto Spider. A lovely little effort from another master besides Frank

    I just returned from a trip to Buffalo, New York. For what it’s worth, if you are flying back from the East and granted the chance to be re-routed for points, speak up immediately and say, “I would love to get routed through Buffalo, New York.”

    Suddenly, you could be perceived as a saint by fellow yuppies who are weighing the merits of a stopover in another perceived hell like Detroit (which is actually a real hell compared to this overlooked architectural paradise I am about to describe).

    You may also come face to face with something many never will–that modern American architecture neither begins nor ends with Frank Lloyd Wright, and that in many cases this graphic designer (the one area in which he is peerless) actually got it wrong.

    How do I know this?

    a) I study proportion as design exercise every day.

    b) I have learned from Giorgetto Giguaro, Batista Pinnifarina and Tom Tjdara, who teach us that proportion is essential to the design of all things. (Use my links if you want to meet the dudes.)

    c) Frank frequently got proportion wrong in his work, leaving people with the desire to bolt from his buildings.

  • Feed the Mind, then Feed the Soul

    BOOKS & AUTHORS
    Raking Through Books

    gx91elev.gifJoin us this evening for our Happy Hour Book Club. Come celebrate the Great Minnesota Get-Together in literary style. Four authors gather to share their insights on all things State Fair–from crop art to 4-H cakes, from Pronto Pups to Midway prizes. This evening’s authors include Linda Koutsky & Kathryn Strand Koutsky, authors of Minnesota State Fair: An Illustrated History; Karal Ann Marling, author of Blue Ribbon; and Colleen Sheehy, author of Seed Queen, the Story of Crop Art. (All books are available for sale at a 20% discount at the University of Minnesota Bookstore.) Flaunt your knowledge in a State Fair trivia contest and win State Fair tickets! Plus… the best thing of all… haiku on a stick! All are welcome, even if you have not read the books.

    5:30 p.m., Kieran’s Irish Pub, 330 2nd Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-339-4499; free. Park at Downtown Auto Park, 4th and Marquette; $2 with Kieran’s parking voucher.

    MUSIC
    In Lieu of Wilco, Head for the Dark Side

    Sorry, folks. The Wilco show at the Bayfront Festival Park has been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 4. Unfortunately, our lovely Wilco and his guitarist have come down with a mean case of Chicken Pox. I’d hate to see him up there scratching.

    3404988652.jpgThere are, however, still tickets to the Marilyn Manson show this evening at the Xcel Energy Center. And who is the goth lord playing with? None other than Slayer. Ouch. For those of you with a 90s dark side (sorry, mine is definitely an 80s dark side), head out for the show this evening. According to the band’s reps, they’re going all out for this tour with a beefed-up performance, full sets, and great music, of course. Don’t miss Manson’s first gig at the Xcel Center.

    7 p.m., Xcel Energy Center, 175 West Kellogg Blvd., Kellogg Boulevard and W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-726-8240; $59.

    A Glimpse at the Past, or a Peek at the Future?

    31K3QCC5YWL.jpgDamian D, currently of Heaven Zone and Bankrupt in Panama (that I know of), will be getting back together with Joel Blum (lead singer), Jill Bartyzal (bassist), and B.T. Hanson (drummer) for a Blume reunion show this evening at Lee’s Liquor Lounge. Come on out and enjoy Blume’s hybrid folk, with touches of hip hip and jazz, and a dash of Tom Waits. Hopefully, this reunion signals a more permanent union; but, no promises, folks; catch it while you can. Tonight’s show promises to be a good one with a lineup that also includes Dreamland Faces and The Acoustic Death Machine. These guys (and gals) are all worthy of note, and quite a lot of fun. I guess there’s a dash of Tom Waits in all of us.

    9:15, Lee’s Liquor Lounge, 101 Glenwood Ave., Minneapolis; 612-338-9491; free.

    RAKING THE NET
    Fodder

    Truly Awful Stuff
    Random Good Stuff

  • Wicked fun

    Full diclosure: Mitch Omer and Cynthia Gerdes (pictured below) are two of my best friends in the world.

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    (photo by Elena Bauer)

    They’re also the owners — along with Steve Meyer and Mark “Pappy” Anderson — of Hell’s Kitchen, with locations in downtown Minneapolis and Duluth.

    Now, I’m not the only one who loves Hell’s Kitchen. It’s gotten great reviews from nearly every local critic and several national ones — most notably Roadfood’s Jane and Michael Stern. But the truth is, these people probably could serve me warm seawater in one of Mitch’s old size-14 boots, and I’d rave.

    So I’m going to cut out the usual “taster’s notes” here and just give you the facts. I spent the weekend up north, listening from afar to the blues and tasting wines at HK in Canal Park. My favorite set is a weekend series of special Zins from Alexander Valley Vineyards in Healdsburg, California.

    On Friday nights they serve Temptation Zin 2005 — a big, fruity, juicy, sexy blend of 92 percent Zinfandel grapes and 8 percent Sangiovese, with splashes of blackberry and spice.

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    Saturday nights, it’s Sin Zin 2005 — a zestier wine with layers of cedar, raspberry, and black pepper that’s 100 percent Zin. A gold medal winner in the Los Angeles International Wine Competition.

    05SinZinNW.jpg

    And on Sundays, of course, there’s Redemption Zin 2005 — a smoother, “tamer” wine than the other two; also 100 percent Zinfandel grapes, but more blueberry, cherry, and oaken in tone.

    Redzin05.jpg

    Beware, these are all rich, “hot” wines, with alcohol contents in the 14.5% range. So it’s probably best not to taste them as I did, all in a row from Temptation to Redemption and then back again. But they were bold and fun and perfect with Hell’s Kitchen’s heavenly heuvos rancheros — also just different enough from one another to keep me snitching sips, trying to figure out which was which.

    Of course, my husband was drinking abstemiously and holding the keys, ready at any moment to drive us back to our hotel and take advantage of the effects wrought by those wicked wines.

  • Does It Have to be News OR Analysis?

    The extraordinarily anachronistic Tim Rutten of the Los Angeles Times — a guy writing about media, newspapers even, while on the staff of a daily newspaper — has a particularly interesting piece up today. It’s about several things all adding up to what news consumers really want out of an on-line newspaper, supposedly the creature evolving to either hammer the last nail in the coffin of print or to offer print a last chance for survival.

    Rutten gets off several good lines, like the one where, in trying to describe the specific type of anger that drives CNN Headline’s Nancy Grace, he comes up with, “crypto-fascist anger”. (Shades of Gore Vidal v. William Buckley). And by the way, what was Grace ranting on last night? Some derelict mother who fed cocaine to her toddler? Why is that ever a national news story? Rutten’s point is that cable TV’s strategy for driving viewership is based on a wretch-inducing combination of near lunatic anger, junk news and hype, not exactly a recipe for journalistic credibility.

    He also notes a Pew study on the matter of “media bias” that 71% of Republicans who rely on Fox News as their main news source — and damn, aren’t they a fun crowd? — “hold an unfavorable opinion of major national newspapers”, as opposed to 52% of Republicans who get news from somewhere else and only (?) 33% of non-Republicans. In other words the more you turn your brain over to Fox News the angrier you get with the New York Times and the Washington Post for not reporting the good news from Iraq, the hoax of global warming, the in-depth, investigated truth about John Edwards $400 haircut and how the Clintons murdered Vince Foster.

    Point being, screw ’em. You pander to that fringe at your own peril.

    But eventually Rutten gets around to wondering what news consumers want, (as opposed to what embittered ideologues need).

    If an on-line newspaper is going to be different than its shriveling, compromised dead tree cousin, how different and in what ways?

    “The honest answer,” Rutten writes, “is that nobody knows for certain, but the odds are it will be a hybrid publication in which an online edition that’s focused mainly on breaking news and service works in tandem with a print edition whose staples are analysis, context and opinion. The former almost surely will have a lot more video and interactivity than it does today; the latter will have to be much more thoughtful and far more intensely and carefully edited.”

    Rutten, like other veteran newspaper types seems to believe that news consumers will demand some kind of continuation of a print edition well into the future. I’m not so sure at all.

    Last Friday night former Strib food and ethics writer turned Rake blogger and TC Daily Planet guiding force, Jeremy Iggers, invited me down to a class he’s teaching at the new Minneapolis Central Library. I was flattered he had an interest in my deep thoughts on what is happening to daily papers, and arrived full of half-prepared bloviation and bogus factoids. I was going to wow ’em, I tell ya’. Then the Strib’s Mike Meyers showed up. Mike is a smart and funny guy, and, well hell, why lie? He big-footed all over me. Not that I put up much of a fight. Who could? When Mike gets on a roll he is damned entertaining, and Iggers’ class ate it up. Besides Meyers and I pretty much agree. Pretty much. So what’s to fight?

    Meyers, who takes a kind of pragmatic capitalist view of things up to the point of condoning rampant, short-sighted stupidity, such as he sees going down at the Star Tribune and elsewhere in the newspaper biz, also believes the dead tree version will linger. I don’t. I think five years from now the thing they’re leveling forests and burning boat loads of gas to truck to your door every morning will be a quaint memory.

    In my scenario, the greed of the Avista Capital Partners private equity/hedge fund crowd now gobbling up every molecule of value at the Star Tribune will soon give way to them blowing out of town and leaving behind the journalistic equivalent of a fake Hollywood stage set standing at 425 Portland. The Strib will be a fraction of a fraction of its former size and by that time everything the Strib, and other major papers, used to provide, will be available, albeit scattered in a thousand different places on the web. But also by that time … advertisers will have grown comfortable enough with the best of local news/analysis sites to have begun moving money toward them. Then, I say, all that’s left to spike consumer interest and appeal is an ergonomically comfortable device that allows avid information consumers to replicate their favorite habit of reading the “paper” anywhere they want with a cup of coffee and a delicious custard-filled bismark. (Oh wait, that wasn’t supposed to be in my out-loud voice.)

    A device based on technology from something like this would pretty much fill the bill.

    I mention the ergonomics because I hear that a lot, especially from older readers, the crowd Strib research famously referred to as being so loyal, “we couldn’t beat them off with a stick.” People like holding a newspaper. They don’t like hunching over a computer. Everyone understands that. This ergonomic issue came up again at Iggers’ class.

    I tried to explain the dawn of gizmos that will radically shift the thinking of long time newspaper reading adults. But that f**king Meyers was being so amusing and on-point all I got were a lot of glazey-eyed stares. (Meyers nodded when I repeated the market assumption that the purchase price of a personal, fold-away, eminently portable computer screen would probably be heavily underwritten by on-line content purveyors, much like cellphone companies who more or less give the phones away and then stab you with monthly fees.)

    But back to Rutten’s concern over the proper separation of classical news reporting and analysis. Frankly, I don’t see why the two can’t co-exist on the same web-site. Anything you can do in print you do more of and better on line. In something like the I-35W bridge collapse what staff there was, and presumably an established collection of stringers/community journalists, most with cameras, would rush down and do what reporters always do. But then, as the search for explanations expanded, reporting, by professionals, could mix with analysis in ways that would not set off bias sirens in anyone other than the most hardened Fox News-o-holic, not many of whom I’m betting will have much interest in news from any source other than Sean Hannity’s butt.

    I mean, read a newsweekly and tell me where the “straight” news ends and analysis kicks in? Smart readers — the only folks who’ll BUY into an on-line paper — know bias when they read it. Bias is when the facts don’t match the reality.

  • Giddyup to Glamorama

    boots.jpg
    It’s a busy week here at Rake Media Worldwide as we put finishing touches on a September issue. But here’s the light at the end of my tunnel: Countdown to Friday’s Glamorama event, in case you missed my little preview over the weekend. So excited am I that I carved out some time to pull together my own glamorama getup: cowl-neck Tracy Reese dress (it’s turquoise!) paired with leather belt, pewter-n-mother of pearl belt buckle with a lil’ horsey’s head painted at the center – formerly owned by my father (d’OH – why didn’t I take of picture of THAT last night), simple hoop earrings, and my loose-fitting, Jim Barnier white boots (above) with the floppy straps.

  • For the Rebel-Rouser in You

    BOOKS AND AUTHORS
    Dan Mathews IS Committed

    m_c7c97960bfa27345a2ee2500cf61f16b.jpgIf you like to challenge the status quo, you’re in for a real treat tonight. Dan Mathews, the force behind PETA, is in town tonight to share his memoir, Committed: A Rabble-Rouser’s Memoir. Mathews writes about growing up as a poor, gay, punk-rocker in conservative Orange County, California — the abuse he endured, his passion for animal rights, and how he started PETA. He goes on to share the planning, chaos, and consequences of his most daring protests. This is bound to be be fascinating considering the chaos and riots that resulted from his many protest. I mean, you must remember his “I’d Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur” campaign.

    7:30 p.m., Magers and Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-4611.

    MUSIC AND A MOVIE
    Another Sultry Night

    imitation_of_life.jpgThe Walker’s Summer Music & Movies in Loring Park are coming to an end soon, so be sure to head over before it’s too late. Tonight’s performance features the music of Robert Skoro with the Douglas Sirk film, Imitation of Life. You might remember Skoro in his first role as Mason Jennings’ bass player. (Did you go see Mason Jennings last night at the 400 Bar?) Since then Skoro has gone on to become one of our most noted singer/songwriters. His band features Andy Thompson (Dan Wilson, Mike Doughty), Bill Mike (TBD), Adrian Suarez (Vicious Vicious), and James Buckley (Mystery Palace). The film, Imitation of Life, one of Sirk’s biggest hits, tells the story of an aspiring actress (Lana Turner) who spends more time on her career than on her own daughter. You know the story. It’s the typical tale of empty appearances and hallow lifestyles. But that’s not all. Sirk also explores internalized racism through the African-American housekeeper’s relationship with her own daughter.

    7 p.m. (movie at dusk, around 8:45 p.m.), Loring Park; free.

    MUSIC
    The Devil’s Bastard Son

    3103899142.jpgI confess, when I was about 16 years old — and a very angry teenager with an orange mohawk — I used to get into my bright yellow Toyota Corolla, which I called my batmobile, and drive around blasting Peter Murphy and Wall of Voodoo to unleash my anger. It helped. Really, it did. And they hold a dear place in my heart for helping me bear my teenage angst; so of course I’m pleased to hear that Stan Ridgway is in town tonight. While I no longer carry that sort of anger like a monkey on my back, I can still appreciate an occasional unleashing. And I’m hoping for a rock-hard show.

    7 p.m., Varsity Theater, 1308 4th St. N.E., Minneapolis; 612-604-0222; $20.

  • Waitress

    If you haven’t seen Waitress, now’s your chance. It’s showing at the Hopkins Cinema for $2.50 per ticket. Part fairytale, part romantic comedy, part cautionary fable, this film is far from perfect but it’s fun, colorful, unique, and features a killer performance by, of all people, Andy Griffith. A modern morality play about infidelity, spousal abuse, parenting and the importance of good friends, Waitress uses pie — what could be more wholesome? — as a literal emblem for just about every American value. And it features a diner that seems real, despite the fact that bizarre and unlikely things converge there: a wedding, a spacious and spotlessly clean restroom, and an owner (Griffith) who stops in wearing a bow tie to dispense salty wisdom.

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    It’s rare that you find a film this light, yet wending and unpredictable. And for $5, it’s a terrific cheap movie date that will give you much to talk about over dinner.

    Speaking of waitresses — I attended a family reunion of sorts at Lord Fletcher’s and had a great one. In our party was one child with a severe peanut allergy, an adult with a raging gluten intolerance, two people celebrating birthdays, and a teenager who’d recently had his wisdom teeth removed and was high on Vicodin. The woman dealt with our motley crew graciously and the food (believe me, this came as a surprise to many of us) was actually quite good. I’m not a fan of big, huge beefsteaks or fried fish or the usual “choice of potato” array, so I asked them to double a dinner salad and throw on every vegetable the chef could find in the kitchen. Not only was it tasty, the six other special orders we requested (my family can be a wearying lot) were perfectly executed as well.

    Old school, yes. I think our table had the lowest mean age in the dining room by about 15 years (which is scary, as one of the birthdays was a 70th). But Lord Fletcher’s is, frankly, better than I remember. And the Fess Parker Chardonnay made for a lovely screen deck summer wine.

  • Before It's too Late: Tom Snyder

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    The bridge disaster put a hit on my carefully planned blog schedule. (I’ve been reading through the local papers from the first days after — I was out of town when it happened — and will offer deep thoughts in the not too distant future. I know, hearts be still.)

    But I gotta say something about Tom Snyder, whose death was obscured, not just by the bridge over I-35W, but by the simultaneous passings of film legends Ingmar Bergman (somebody … please … another full-scale retrospective … fresh prints … especially Wild Strawberries and Persona), Michelangelo Antonioni (ditto, La Notte), and Bill Walsh. (Do you really think Brad Childress has read ANY of Walsh’s stuff?)

    I was a Snyder fan. The guy was the perfect night-capper: curious, smart enough, inclined to be goofy but not a comic, flappable, affable, approachable and occasionally maudlin. The kind of guy you figured spent the previous night out on the town chatting up cabbies and players, and was perfectly comfortable telling stories about the boss(es) with a cocktail in his hand — i.e. an evolved, easy to be around human being. For God’s sake, the man even SMOKED on camera. (It was relaxing watching him smoke. The cigarette was a prop he used well. It conveyed relaxation.) And he admitted smoking pot to Barbara Walters. And he managed — more or less — to get The Clash to sit still for an interview, (during their legendary Bonds’ concerts in Times Square in 1981).

    I met Snyder only once, in L.A. maybe 10 years ago, during his brief come-back. By that point the game had shifted and he was doing kind of a caricature of himself, almost as though that’s what the suits expected. But in his prime Snyder possessed — and was allowed to express — a quality largely missing from television today, despite the fact there are roughly 150 more functioning channels than when he was doing his thing.

    What gives? Why can’t a character who isn’t as self-involved and self-serious as Charlie Rose, or as embalmed and … incurious … as Larry King, interview people from the entire range of modern culture — novelists, government leaders, rockers, athletes, firebrand politicos, other media egos? My understanding has always been that in the fragmented media game of 2007, every niche has its go-to interview guy/gal and the rules more or less require them to play within their demographic zone. That is to say, if on MTV, stick to pop foo-foo. If on ESPN, don’t wander far from sports. Stick with the games and the careers, and obviously don’t even try to trot say, Jonathan Franzen onto MTV, or Win Butler from Arcade Fire onto The Best Damn Sports Show.

    The lack of a character like Snyder, or hell, even like Dick Cavett, bothers me. Although Cavett, who I also enjoyed and appreciated, had a lot more of that Upper East Side ‘tude going for him than Snyder. (Never mind that Cavett was born in Nebraska and Snyder in Milwaukee. Both are also the same age, interestingly enough.) Their act — Snyder’s in particular — shouldn’t be that tough to replicate. But I don’t have the feeling anyone is even trying.

    PBS should be able to pull off something like this. But somehow everything that goes through the PBS de-flavorizer, (TM — Neal Karlen), ends up too self-consciously proper and measured, with no room for a prankish stupid question or two. And God knows you couldn’t smoke.

    I really have nothing more to say on the subject, other than it strikes me as odd that Snyder’s shtick, and it was pretty natural as shticks go — isn’t playing anywhere, nationally or locally.

    If any of you think of someone who meets the criteria, remind me.

    Here is a collection of Snyder’s “classic bits”. Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock. a very young Bono, Charlie Manson, Johnny Rotten.

    Nice range, dude.

    I looked for Dan Aykroyd’s impersonation of Snyder and couldn’t find it.

  • The Strip Club, and other Town Talk Talk

    I get a little grumpy every time I set foot inside the Town Talk Diner at 27th and E. Lake in Minneapolis. The decibel level is overwhelming, especially in the bar, which not only makes it hard to have a conversation, but pushes me towards morbid thoughts of how I am becoming one of those cranky old geezers who complains about the noise levels in restaurants. The place is always packed with customers, who don’t seem to mind the decibel level one bit – in fact, they are creating most of it – which only makes me crankier. What on earth was my esteemed former Star Tribune colleague Rick Nelson – whom I usually agree with – thinking when he gave this place three and a half stars?
    Then the food shows up, and the three-and-a-half star rating starts to make a little more sense. We only ordered a few dishes, but they were just about perfect: a creamy corn soup with spicy croutons; a citrus and avocado salad sprinkled with pine nuts, and a very simple grilled cheese sandwich with avocado, accompanied by superb hot-from-the-fryer french fries, tossed with garlic and parsley. I’m still not convinced of the three and a half stars, but then again, I am a cranky kind of guy. There’s lots more on the menu I would like to try, including the lamb braised with sumac ($18.95); the pan-roasted chicken breast ($17.95), and the Town Talk Pancakes with maple syrup, butter and bacon ($8.95).
    Pretty soon one of the owners, Tim Niver, spots me, so it’s possible that I got a much better grilled cheese sandwich than I would have gotten otherwise, but I doubt it. Niver dishes up a juicy tidbit of info: he and his partners are working on a neighborhood steak house in Saint Paul’s Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood – to be called The Strip Club. An October opening is planned.
    We were actually headed over to the new cafe two doors away, T’s Place, currently the world’s only Ethiopian-Malaysian restaurant. Owner Tee Belachew learned to cook Malaysian dishes from Malaysian chef Kin Lee during their brief partnership at the ill-fated Singapore! restaurant in south Minneapolis. But it turned out that only the Ethiopian side of the menu was available last night – chef Tee had left the restaurant earlier in the evening, when he got word that his wife was giving birth to their first child. Congratulations, Tee! We’ll be back soon, to try the Ethio-Asian fried rice and Tee’s chicken curry.
    Town Talk Diner, 2707 1/2 E. Lake St., Minneapolis,.
    T’s Place, 2713 E. Lake St., Minneapolis. (no phone number available.)