The Rake Magazine

Category: Blog Post

  • Lady, That Bra Does Not Fit!

    IMG_0575.jpgHere’s a topic that flares up passions: bras. Or rather, the need to wear better-fitted ones, since the well-endowed among us can cause duress–to others, and especially themselves, while running around the lakes! Yikes!

    If you crave control or maybe even less back fat, you might care to know that Fit for the Cure is happening at various area Macy’s stores later this week and through the weekend. Please note: You’ll likely have to wait a little longer than you normally would for your fitting. But these events do much to demystify the experience. And they’re for a good cause (breast cancer research). Here’s the schedule:

    Thursday, May 3, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.: Rosedale, Ridgedale
    Friday, May 4, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Minneapolis, Southdale, Burnsville
    Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Ridgdale, St. Paul, Mall of America

    Lake-side observations lead me to believe that what the world really needs are better sports and running bras. (Macy’s doesn’t stock the things.) That, however, is a topic for a different day. For now, I shall leave it to you, the experts, in the comments.

  • Wednesdayliscious

    robo.JPG
    like a kitchen mixer …

    There’s just a bunch of stuff swirling around my brain today…

    Doug Flicker’s new menu at Mission started on Monday. I slinked in for lunch and had a nice egg sandwich, but our server had to read from his pack of notes to answer quetions, and a different egg dish was quite short on the cheese it promised. I’d give them a little more time to get things balanced.

    I saw that Shelley’s Woodroast in Golden Valley closed. I wonder what that place should become? Also out that way, the old Louie’s Habit (which I truly mourn for their amazingly-fall-apart pastrami, sigh) has a sign in the window proclaiming the coming of Wayzata Eatery & Wine Bar. Wonder who is behind that one (could have come up with a better name…)? Must dig.

    I guess I’m having people over for Cinco de Mayo this weekend, but I still plan to make it to St. Paul for part of the day. But now I have to formulate a guac plan and locate my best pitcher for margaritas.

    Thursday I’m hanging with some of The Girls at a garage sale. That means sucking down loads of coffee and snacking on baked goods. Obviously, I like to bring something a little out of the comfort zone: dark chocolate zucchini muffins, sweet olive oil bread, Grand Marnier brownies.

    Am I too excited about this Ratatouille movie? I think most foodies have the heart of a kid (check yourself: do you clap when receiving a hot bowl of truffled soup? do you ferociously rip open a parcel you know to contain your cheese-of-the-month? do you hum a little ditty as you watch your dough rise into the perfect boule?) … so I think those who breed and those who don’t will both find enjoyment in the new Disney flick about a Parisien rat who wants to be a chef.

    Watch 9 whole minutes of teaser and cheer like you’ve mastered the perfect roux.

  • Music in A

    OK. Amy Winehouse is playing at the Varsity tonight, but her show has been sold out for quite a while already, and frankly, I’m sure you already know all about it. And I already told you about Ahmad Jamal’s show in yesterday’s Secrets. So, what other music can you see, hear, and feel? Don’t despair. Our little ole town has plenty of options.

    MUSIC
    A Little British Piano Pop Never Hurt Anybody

    aqualung5x10x02x03.jpgWhen I first visited Aqualung’s website, I actually thought that Matt Hale was referring to himself in the royal “we.” But now I’ve come to learn that the Aqualung name has come to encompass more than just Matt — including his brother Ben and his wife Kim. In fact, according to Matt, “Aqualung is not a band. It’s the name I decided to give the music I’ve been making since 2002. It’s written, performed, sung, produced by me. I am it’s legal guardian.” Ok. Works for me. Whatever. It’s nice to listen to. (And you say I’m not insightful.) In fact, it’s quite nice. He’s got a bit of Ben Folds in him, with a little less bite and bitterness. And if that’s not enough to inspire you, listen to Sara Bareilles, his opening act.

    8 p.m., Fine Line Music Cafe, 318 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-338-8100; $15.

    Love, Imagination, Dream

    air__.jpgWell, if the headline didn’t stop you from reading this, I’ll try not to scare you any further. It’s simply the translation for the French words amour, imagination, and rêve, composing the anagram AIR, the name of the French duo comprised of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. “This often glum French duo makes space-age music for shoe-gazers, and they’re touring for their new record, Pocket Symphony.” Remember the music from The Virgin Suicides? It was composed by Air. No, not of air, by Air. Whatever. They’ve actually collaborated with Sofia Coppola on most, if not all, of her movies to date.

    8 p.m., First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-332-1775; $30.

    A Genuine Taste of Local Flavor

    Amethyst54_l.jpgIf you want a real taste of local flavor, stop by the Terminal Bar. Yeah, remember that place? It was actually a pretty great place to catch some local acts back in the 80s, and hey — guess what — it still is (just more quietly). Stop in tonight and catch Amethyst Factor and friends celebrating their first annual show. You’ll immediately notice the Prince-inspired groove that Amethyst Factor’s Damian D uses at the core of every song — mostly originals, with a few covers, like Ray LaMontagne’s “Burn,” just because they’re that darn good. That song alone will be well worth the show if he plays it. Overall, the show offers a good sampling of five different local artists of different genres — artists from local acts ranging from The Wranglers, to The People’s Chariot, to (this is not)(this is now). Click the previous links and listen to them yourself. You’ll get a feel for what to expect and experience the variety. I mean, if you don’t like one act, you’re bound to like the next.

    10 p.m., The Terminal Bar, 409 East Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-623-4545; free.

    ART
    Cultivating a Creative Connection

    event.122184.jpgIf you’re not up for music at all tonight, and are looking for another vehicle through which to channel your creative energy, check out the Solutions showcase. Local designers, artists, and activists will come together to share their ideas and pinpoint solutions through short, rapid-fire presentations. Each presenter will show 20 images for 20 seconds each. With each presentation staying under seven minutes, this leaves time for a great number of artists to share their work. You’ll be exposed to a maximum number of ideas, and the ideas will remain focused and terse. (Of course, if you happen to miss it, they claim to be posting the ideas in easy-to-view packages on their website following the event.)

    7 p.m., Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-340-1725; $8 ($6 online).

  • Tuesday Night: Twins Vs. Bad News Bears

    Wow. That game featured a dozen different kinds of ugly. It was ugly enough –particularly if you happen to be one of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ 117 fans– that it almost managed to make Big Sid Ponson look pretty. You know, pretty in a greasy, WWF bad guy sort of way.

    But, what the hell, let’s throw Siddhartha a bone while we still can: that was a serviceable impersonation of a Major League pitcher, and who knows how many times we’ll be able to say that.

    The Devil Rays are a young, often laughably bad team right now, but they have been able to score runs; even after tonight’s blowout they’ve still managed to outscore the Twins (127-124). They’ve also given up 171 runs, the most in the majors by a large margin. Despite that fact they remain tied with the Yankees for last place in the east. We should all take satisfaction in that while we can.

    The Rays beat Johan Santana, though, and they beat-up on Joe Nathan. They haven’t quite figured out the crafty Sid, however; both of his wins have come against Tampa Bay, and tonight’s performance (7 IP, 5 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and one earned run) was actually good enough that it almost made it possible to root for the guy.

    Almost.

    Be honest, though: even after the Twins built an early lead, didn’t you pretty much take it for granted that Sidney would cough it up? It was almost shocking to see him go back out there for the seventh.

    After the last couple games Minnesota’s marketing people must be breathing a big sigh of relief. It was a serious risk to expend so much capital on the whole piranha shtick, particularly when the club has the reigning MVP, Cy Young Award winner, and batting champion. I’ll be damned, though, if that game wasn’t an example of piranha ball at its ferocious, shin-kicking best.

  • Happy "Mission Accomplished" Day

    The acutely aware may have already seen this Tom Tomorrow cartoon celebrating the 4th anniversary of, “Mission Accomplished” Day.

    He attaches the following highly ironic quote from long-blindered/much-syndicated conservative columnist, Cal Thomas:
    ‘
    ‘
    “When the Berlin Wall fell and Eastern Europe escaped from the shackles of communism, I wrote that we must not forget the enablers, apologists and other “fellow travelers” who helped sustain communism’s grip on a sizable portion of humanity for much of the 20th century. I suggested that a “cultural war crimes tribunal” be convened, at which people from academia, the media, government and the clergy who were wrong in their assessment of communism would be forced to confront their mistakes. While not wishing to deprive anyone of his or her right to be wrong, it wouldn’t hurt for these people to be held accountable.

    That advice was not taken – but today we are presented with another opportunity in the form of scores of false media prophets who predicted disaster should the U.S. military confront and seek to oust the murderous regime of Saddam Hussein. The purpose of a cultural war crimes tribunal would be to remind the public of journalism’s many mistakes, as well as the errors of certain politicians and retired generals, and allow it to properly judge their words the next time they feel the urge to prophesy…

    All of the printed and voiced prophecies should be saved in an archive. When these false prophets again appear, they can be reminded of the error of their previous ways and at least be offered an opportunity to recant and repent.”
    ‘
    ‘
    There are at least two remarkable aspects of the pre-war media punditry.

    One: The vast majority of the regular pundit have been proven not just wrong, but deliriously wrong. So wrong the proverbial room full of monkeys would have produced a higher success rate than … the pundits allowed to offer comment on network and cable television. (Forget about talk radio, which at least is unabashed in its unwavering commitment to wrongheadedness.)

    As Bill Moyers reminded us last week, the choice of “expert” pre-war punditry was heavily influenced by networks — and newspapers — tilting coverage to remain in step with perceived popular opinion, thereby avoiding charges of unpatriotism, which to nervous “objective” editors is a little like being accused of pedophilia, that is to say, an accusation from which you never fully recover.

    Two: Virtually all of the worst offenders, the “experts” now proven so completely, ghastly wrong — the kind wrong that would get a standard beat reporter reassigned to the loading dock — continue to gas on as though nothing has changed and their expertise hasn’t been proven not just faulty but, on many levels, corrupt.

    More to the point, no real attempt has been made to rotate in pundits who accurately predicted the catastrophe we see before us today. None of the cast of, for example, “The Nation”, contribute any more frequently than they did before the war. And voices who have established their bona-fides since May 1, 2003 — people like Glen Greenwald, Eric Alterman, Kevin Drum, Brad DeLong — are largely unknown even to the better-than-average informed because of their absence from the standard punditry chairs on the “Hardballs” and “Scarborough Countries” of the world, much less the Sunday morning DC chat shows and “Nightline.”

    With audience levels off 30-40% and more for your average Rush Limbaugh-style talk radio act, compared to 5/1/03, and Bush’s job approval pretty much resting on the marrow of the country’s most reactionary and implacable conservatives, common business sense would tell you that unless you are in the business of just nakedly cooking “facts”, like Fox News, time and events have evolved an audience interested in something both new … and a hell of a lot smarter and more intuitive than the same discredited cast of characters of yore.

    As a “Mission Accomplished” Day kicker, here is a little bitter dessert, thanks to Greg Mitchell at Editor & Publisher.

  • Let Tuesday Impress You

    I’ve always been fond of Tuesdays — perhaps because they are simply not Mondays, perhaps because they are so oft ignored. Give it some credit for once, folks. Give it a chance to impress you. Everyone deserves that.

    FILM
    Whet Your Appetite

    Ban-LaLettre.jpgStart the evening with a quirky visual appetizer — and one worth watching, at that. Head straight from work to the Walker. Take a little stroll around the galleries a while if it’s still early. (The quicker you can wrap up work, the sooner you can begin.) A couple of Michael Gondry short films will be screened every half hour during gallery hours, starting at noon. Be sure to stop and watch them. La Lettre is a 14-minute black-and-white film about a boy who experiences first love behind the lens of a camera. (The final awakening reminds me of my own life.) The finishing touch is the 3-minute, color film, Three Dead People. You actually have a couple months to go see them, but why wait? They’re just a little sampling to work up your appetite for the upcoming film restrospective, Michel Gondry: The Science of Dreams, which begins May 11th. I’m sure you’ll hear more about that later. Look, I can’t support blatant recluse behavior — it’s simply not healthy — but if you really just can’t make it, then don’t miss out completely. Watch La Lettre here. Maybe it’ll inspire you to get to his approaching feature screenings.

    Every 30 minutes, Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; free with cost of gallery admission.

    DINING
    Sometimes the Best Option Is Right in Front of You

    walker_rest.jpgOnce you’ve seen the films, go get a bite to eat to pleasure yourself a bit and stop your stomach from rumbling during your next event. This next event couldn’t be closer, so why leave? You’ve got Wolfgang Puck’s 20.21 Restaurant & Bar right there. Don’t overdo it. This is a good place to share a couple of simple pleasures. It’s true — it’s cliche and every place has it, but the tuna sashimi is a no fail choice. Play it safe with that and go crazy with another option. If it’s not yet 7 p.m., you can always have dessert. (Don’t worry, just because you have dessert now doesn’t mean you can’t eat more later.) And if you have a drink or two, this might be the time for the first espresso. (OK. OK. It’s seldom a good idea to have caffeine at night. — but then sometimes it is.)

    5:30 p.m., 20.21, Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600.

    and then onto your next fare…

    LECTURE AND VIDEO
    Becoming an Internet Phenomenon

    chuck.jpgOne of the most interesting and baffling things about the Internet is the seemingly random way certain works and certain people rapidly rise to Internet stardom. The Internet is an incredible distribution mechanism. Artists can now get their work seen and their voices heard across the world — often with the help of free “services” such as YouTube, Blip.TV, Flickr, MN Artists, blogs, social networking, and more. Hear from artists and organizations that have had success getting their work seen and heard on the Internet: Kathleen Kvern, Hans Eisenbeis, David DeYoung, Emma Berg, Nate Schroeder, Mike Fotis, and Chuck Olson. (photo)

    7-9 p.m., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; free.

    I hate to suggest this — really I do! — but you might want to leave just before the last person speaks. Ouch! Did I really say that? Look, the truth is… you might just have to decide which event is more important and then choose one or the other. That’s the reasonable things to do (which, as far as I’m concerned, is one more reason not to do it). Anyhow, I’m sure they’ll have some amount of dialogue and questions at the end, so just head out a bit early — without causing a stir — and make a b-line for the Dakota for the evening’s star performance.

    MUSIC
    Music with Shape and Texture

    discbw.gifYou can listen to Theolonius Monk CDs all day and all night. You can close your eyes. You can let his music carry you away. You can imagine his fingers churning over and over again on that keyboard. But you’re just not going to see it live ever again. You’re just not going to live it, see it, breath it — what it was to see him perform. But you can come close. Whew! That’s a lot to say. But really, I’m certainly not the first to say it. Ahmad Jamal is probably one of the most artful pianists in the country. If you appreciate the piano even just a bit — and how could you not? — you mustn’t miss him.

    7 and 9 p.m., The Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-332-1010; $40 and $25.

    THEATER AND PERFORMANCE
    For the Children, by the Children, with the Children

    Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? (Well, then, you’re mad! No, really.) Perhaps you’re looking for some from-the-heart theater from the Chicago Avenue Project. While it certainly sounds like something we’ve all see 552 times already, Heard It Through The Grapevine is actually a rather unusual concept — a collection of eight short plays, each written by a local playwright for a specific child, and featuring that child alongside a professional adult actor. It’s bound to be fun.

    4:30 and 7 p.m., Pillsbury House Theatre, 3501 Chicago Ave S., Minneapolis, 612-825-0459.

  • Isaac Mizrahi for the Back of Your Closet.

    Mizthree.bmpBig news from the “Design for All” movement: Starting tomorrow, May 1, Isaac Mizrahi’s new line of bridal wear will be available for purchase at Target.com. There’ll be $160 wedding gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, even ties and cummerbunds. Now you, too, can wear satin to your shotgun weddings.

    Mizfour.bmp

  • Two Trick Pony

    I realize I’m running dangerously close to being a two-trick nag on the Star Tribune’s problems with; (1) Charges that publisher Par Ridder plotted abandoning the Pioneer Press for his primary business/financial rival for months before he actually did, allegedly cooking/absconding with executive non-compete contracts in the process, and (2) The paper’s startlingly weak pursuit of provocative local angles on the US Attorneys scandal.

    I really should spend more time watching the sweeps months features lining up on 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11. But damn, these two items are so juicy.

    Anyway, a couple quick observations before I move on … for a while.

    While it was mildly gratifying to see the Strib’s reader rep, Kate Parry, finally address The Ridder Problem in her Sunday column, I’m not sure the difficulty of covering an in-house scandal is the essence of the issue facing her. I don’t doubt it is damn tough to get Ridder to discuss the accusations thrown against him, and I don’t doubt the accusers have been more forthcoming. Nor do I doubt that reporter Matt McKinney, who was handed the assignment is a resourceful pro. And likewise, I’m not at all surprised the Ridder matter hasn’t generated public interest.

    From the public’s perspective, why should they care about Ridder? He’s a faceless executive. Unless there are other boots to drop, Ridder isn’t sucking money out of the public’s pocket and the whole thing is as inside corporate baseball as it is snicker-worthy and soapy.

    The issue is credibility and the higher standard for recognizing and rectifying appearance problems to which newspapers regularly claim to hold themselves. When it comes to the grunt classes of newspapers — the wretched pecking scribes — there is no end of hand-wringing concern over the slightest appearance issues, with management regularly admonishing writers to step back from proximity to any perception of ethical dilemma.

    So why not demand the same — if not more — from the publisher? You can certainly make the argument that his reputation puts a heavier stamp on the credibility of the paper than say, a sports writer who lets a player buy him a couple drinks. (Like THAT ever happens.)

    Ridder dodges Parry’s questions on the law suit with the stale ploy of respecting “the legal process”, a process that, as every reporter knows, regularly obfuscates more than it clarifies. If that’s what Ridder wants to say, fine. But at this point OUR reader’s rep owes us at least a paragraph explaining how this dodge reflects rather badly on the paper’s reputation for transparency and why much more — a lot more — is needed to avoid months of lingering suspicions.

    One other thing: Parry is big on the rough and tumble competition between the two papers. But the Par Ridder matter has NOTHING to do with the competitive fire of the two newsrooms. This is an executive suite-to-executive suite affair, with the two staffs as bystanders. Far from being competitive, the two newsrooms are unified in preferring complete and satisfying answers to what in the hell has been going on behind the mahogany doors. (The two staffs are also unified in suspecting/knowing that the greatest threat to their continued survival is upstairs in their own buildings, not the reporters across the river.)

    On Trick 2: I’m running out of expressions of righteous amazement. Late last week it was revealed that former US Attorney Tom Heffelfinger was in fact on a list of prosecutors … someone in DC wanted fired. You’d think this would be the long-awaited green light for the Strib to put the pedal to the metal and start catching up on this story. Until now the Strib has been running like a soccer mom’s mini-van in the NASCAR race that is the US Attorneys story. A race where its former McClatchy DC bureau has been playing Tony Stewart, denting bumpers and fenders.

    So … I fail to understand the value in constantly returning to Heffelfinger for yet another discussion of what he doesn’t know. As I’ve said before, even if Heffelfinger knows something more, he isn’t obligated — yet — to tell anyone, much less a reporter about it. More to the point, the scandal is such a godawful circus of incompetence and arrogance that any sane adult would want to keep a healthy distance from it.

    Although by now, the prosecutors who were fired and/or were on a list to be fired are the ones assuming badges of honor. Suspicion is turning to those who MET with Bush administration approval and kept their jobs.

    So here’s a word of advice. Tom Heffelfinger’s repeated expressions of surprise and annoyance are not the story. Nor, for that matter, are former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Sandy Keith’s testimonials for Heffelfinger’s replacement, Rachel Paulose.

  • Broders 25

    bci25_red_black_white.jpg

    Mondays tend to be planning days, right? Well I just want y’all to get this one on your radar…Next week marks Broders’ 25th Anniversary, and they’re doing it up.

    Sunday kicks it off with a multi-course wine dinner. Sign up NOW as the dinner benefits the Slow Food MN Educational Fund and space will surely fill up.

    And then it’s a week full of love from Tom and Molly Broder at the Cucina Italiana and the Pasta Bar. On special days you’ll find 25% off salumi, fresh pastas, olive oils, Tuscan chickens, and their stunning array of imported cheeses. Enter to win great prizes, like a grocery bar full of cheese and crackers, or take in a cooking class, like one in which you learn to create a fresh pasta rotolo.

    On Saturday the 12th, their actual Anniversario D’Argento, stop in for some free cake and a generous public tasting: From 10am-2pm the pasta bar will be open for you to sample comparative tastes of wines, cheese, olive oils, salumi, you name it.

    This is an amazing gift from the Broders who have been advocates of freshness and high-quality food for longer than most people have been expecting it. A quarter of a century is a HUGE life span for any restuarant and they show no signs of slowing down … that is something to celebrate. Any of you young culinarians who have yet to sample the Broders’ wares, you’re missing a measurable piece of local food history. Get there.

  • Circulation Takes Another Dive

    It comes as a surprise to absolutely no one that newspaper circulation took another dive in the spring numbers released today by Audit Bureau of Circulations. Locally, the Star Tribune registering a somewhat worse than average decline — -4.8% on weekdays and 5.1% on Sundays. Last week the Pioneer Press claimed its daily circulation had increased .3%, with Sunday up .1%

    The Strib can take hollow consolation by looking at the once respectable Dallas Morning News, where gruesome gutting by the Belo Corporation hasn’t exactly blunted a circulation meltdown that reached 14.2% daily and 13.3% on Sundays.

    Another sign of the apocalypse can be seen in the INCREASE of the New York Post, 7.6% daily and 6.5% Sundays.