For a long time, whenever people asked me to recommend a restaurant — not by food critic standards, but a personal favorite — I immediately told them to go to jP American Bistro. Why? It was everything: the simple, clean decor; the mid-priced menu with absolutely drop-dead beautiful, satisfying perfectly-proportioned dishes; the crack staff that … Read more
Judging by the size of last night’s audience, there should be tickets left to see Particularly in the Heartland. And if you happen to be the type who’s a little tired of our pop culture’s present mood (rampant cynicism peppered with ironic snark)–in other words, if the Colbert Report doesn’t entirely resonate, or if the … Read more
Something terrible happened to my family this week. What it is isn’t important, and I’m not being self-effacing when I say that. Individual calamities mean little but to the people who suffer them. Tragedies occur every day: Little children are struck by cars and killed; young people are diagnosed with hideous diseases; old people die … Read more
SPECIAL EVENTCelebrate Theater All Year If you only do one thing this weekend, join us for a fabulous celebration of Theater All Year. Start the evening off by kicking back a few Newcastles and sampling the natural and organic victuals of Whole Foods. And then stick around for a presentation by The Lighthouse Group. An … Read more
There are those, here in Boston, who will say that Paul Revere never made his historic Midnite Ride, that he actually sent a neighbor to warn the countryside. And some people will giggle at your naïvety when you mention the Boston TEA Party, as if everyone should be so silly to think that it was … Read more
I just picked up my two children from their school-supported daycare, at which time a young woman put her finger in the air and motioned for me to have a moment with her. I stepped aside and proceeded to listen to her complain that my son had been calling her, and other students and teachers, … Read more
"Don’t you find," he said, "that there’s a funny taste of chicken coops in Rhone wines? Especially Beaucastel." "Chicken coops?" Was he pulling my leg? "Even the great wines, you know, have a whiff of chicken coops. It’s well known." I offered him a glass of the Beaucastel. I tasted it again, now frantically looking … Read more
THEATER & PERFORMANCEParticularly in the Heartland Part of the Walker’s Out There festival of experimental theater, this show, by a youthful New York City ensemble called the TEAM (Theater of the Emerging American Moment) defies rampant cynicism by presenting a work of resounding optimism. Set in Kansas, the action unfolds within an evangelical household. The … Read more
Thanks to Rich Goldsmith for the use of his camera, and for his photos. The Strip Club finally opened last night in Saint Paul, and while it perhaps lacked the expected tits-and-ass show, many a mouth was watering throughout the evening. I must confess, I had absolutely no intention of going — after all, this … Read more
It was difficult to sleep, yet almost impossible to move. It was easy to be irritated about everything that was of no consequence, yet care about nothing that mattered. —Richard Flanagan, The Unknown Terrorist There is no love. There is only proof of love. —Denis Diderot, or maybe Jean Cocteau One of the firemen from … Read more