Tons of successful restaurants are hidden in obscure buildings or out-of-the-way places: duplex, cafe Levain, 112 eatery. In these cases, the humble, back-door, sidestreet locations seem only to make them hotter. . . .more desirable. So I can never figure out what, exactly, is going on with Fugaise. The two-and-a-half year old enterprise of wunderkind … Read more
This month marks the third anniversary of Yo Ivanhoe, and considering the similarly wasted years I spent shoveling words in a similar hole (Open All Night) at City Pages, I’m not much in the mood to celebrate five years of futility. When I first started doing this nonsense I was nothing but a clueless conscript … Read more
When was the last time you entered a Wilson’s? For me, it’s been a while. But the trip that’s forever etched in my memory goes all the way back to junior high. My sister had just scored a cool Michael Jackson Thriller-style red windbreaker. Not wanting to be outdone, I commenced to scour the shopping … Read more
So, Eurydice in a nutshell. Many of you will be familiar with the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice. A Cliff Notes synopsis: Orpheus, the son of Apollo and the muse Calliope, is presented by his father with a lyre and plays with such beauty that that nothing can resist the charm of his music. Orpheus … Read more
Here’s the headline from yesterday’s Strib: "Girl, 6, is grazed by bullet, leaving community hurt, too." It’s tempting just to let that stand as one more blob in the insipid lump of goo that is the Star Tribune. OK, I will, but with just one comment: Doesn’t every bullet that hits a six-year-old hurt our … Read more
Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) Game #51, Home Game #26: LA Lakers 117, Minnesota 92 Season record: 10-41 1. Every Position Coach Randy Wittman was fairly nonchalant after his team got pasted by 25 points in a game that wasn’t even *that* close. But nobody could, or did, blame him, … Read more
DANCEGhana in Motion Every year, dance students from the Twin Cities travel to the Dagara Music Center, in Ghana, to study traditional Ghanaian music and dance on the home turf of the Saakumu Dance Troupe. This year, the tables have turned, as the Saakumu Dance Troupe kicks off its first U.S. tour right here, in … Read more
I for one think that to have one day to tell the people you care about how much you love them is nothing more than an opportunity for stores to raise the price of flowers and chocolates to make up for the 364 other days when we don’t give our loved ones a special something … Read more
Being married to the restaurant industry means that, for me, today is not that special. My entire adult life I’ve either worked the night or sat home while my sig other does. My own special tradition includes take-out and a food movie. I’m so very happy to squish into the couch with a bucket of … Read more
I got a press release the other day from Temple, Thom Pham’s Asian Fusion restaurant, announcing that on March 8, the restaurant will hold a Nyotaimori / Nantaimori event. "Nyotaimori and Nantaimori," the press release helpful explains, "are accepted traditions in Japan of serving sashimi and sushi off of the body of a woman or … Read more