If Alex Roberts opened Rotisserie Brasa to prove a point, he has definitely succeeded. Everybody likes the idea of eating locally and sustainably, but the rap against organic-sustainable local restaurants like Roberts’ Restaurant Alma is, we are not going to save the planet by eating that way if most people can’t afford $25 entrees. At … Read more
So I am sitting here at Starbucks this morning and I just overheard something that troubles me. A guy having a drink with his coffee klatsch is saying to his buddy that his “engine blew up” after three years and needs to replaced. It is an aluminum block engine in a Cadillac. That would make … Read more
VARIETY by Eeva-Liisa Waaraniemi The name is a bit misleading — Amateur Psychologists Convention. I was a tad let down when I found out that the APC is actually a variety show of “folk and future music, stories, poetry, dance and film.” That sounds pretty darn good, actually, but it’s not the same as a … Read more
Ratatouille. Now showing in theaters everywhere. Directed and written by Brad Bird Someday, audiences and critics will wake up from their studio-induced stupor, rub their eyes and realize that Brad Bird is en par with the greatest filmmakers in the firmament. I mean, really, if you see enough movies at the Cineplex, taking in whatever … Read more
Last night I had a particularly tasty brew. I’m in Denver and while dining at the Denver Chophouse and Brewery, I happened upon their Wild Turkey Barrel Conditioned Stout. After home-brewing the stout, they “cure” it for a time in used bourbon barrels. Being a bourbon girl, and a stout girl, it was like winning … Read more
MUSIC by Eeva-Liisa Waaraniemi All That Jazz Jazz artists are not just middle-aged or elderly men, although that may be a common assumption. At this weekend’s Twin Cities Jazz Festival more than a few talented young ‘uns are getting into the groove. Alto-saxophonist Grace Kelly, who’s hardly turned fifteen, will be “gracing” the stage with … Read more
If you’re the sort of fan who has an appreciation for both the home team and the history of the sport, today’s Twins/Jays finale was a pretty fabulous proposition all around, particularly if you were one of the 31,038 folks in attendance at the Dome to see Frank Thomas’ 500th home run in an 8-5 … Read more
Somebody famous once said, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. The city inspectors took one look at the kitchen of this cozy little wine bar and cafe in the warehouse district and said, if you can’t vent out the heat, don’t put in a fryer, or grill. So chef-owner Scott … Read more
It is a sad fact that every year Heartland, the restaurant and wine bar on St. Clair Avenue, closes its doors for two weeks in summer. This is because owner Lenny Russo (formerly the executive chef at Cue) and his wife, Mega Hoehn (the wine maven), work non-stop the other 50 weeks a year — … Read more
For me, the on-going Par Ridder saga/scandal/circus has become an anthropological study as much as legal story. I’ve seen the rich operate before, but rarely with such a flagrant indifference to moment and setting. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve misspent thousands of hours fawning over movie and TV stars, (and local TV news readers … Read more