Minneapolis Citywide WiFi Not Getting Rave Reviews

Over on the Minneapolis Issues Forum, there is a long thread (for that forum, anyway) about the Minneapolis Citywide WiFi network being built out by USI Wireless, a subsidiary of US Internet. The long and short of it seems to be that the node density needs to be at least twice what USIW has built it out to, people are frustrated with their lousy connectivity and the requirement to purchase or rent a Ruckus router/adapter, the promised Minneapolis Civic Garden is a nonstarter and folks are canceling their service.

I've been considering signing up and relieving myself of my Comcast bill, but this information doesn't encourage me to do that at this time. YMMV.

Blast from the Past: Urban Guerrillas

On the Minneapolis Issues Forum, Dean Carlson posted about a local band that he used to listen to in the mid-1980s -- Urban Guerrillas. I also witnessed some of that band's complete debauchery, with its lead singer, Larry Sahagian, regularly outdrinking most of his audience and preferring to sing table-top rather than on stage. Other stories about UGs included that they were the musical act at Highland Park High School's winter dance circa 1982 and were asked to leave mid-show due to some bad behavior.

Apparently Dean and his friend, Timmy the Freak, are trying to collect remembrances of UGs as well as any mp3s that may be out there (which would've had to have been transferred from vinyl). They've started a Myspace page (of course) for fans of UGs. So if anyone has word of what's up with the former members of UGs or any fond remembrances, get in contact via the Myspace page. There's also a post on Dean's (?) blog with some great comments about the band.

Shimmy shimmy coco-pop, y'all.

St. Paddy's Day Parade Downtown Mpls Tonight

It's almost time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Minneapolis. The Parade is Monday March 17th, 6:30pm on the Nicollet Mall, line up to begin at 6pm. More info available at the St. Patrick's Day Association of Minneapolis website, including a list of sponsoring pubs.

Off-Topic: Mary Ann Caught Smokin' Dope

Well, not actually caught smokin' dope -- but TV's Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island, was nailed by the Teton County, Idaho, sheriff's department with a couple of roaches and "two small cases used to store marijuana." According to the Yahoo article, "[s]he was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving." I don't know why I get such a kick out of a 69-year-old TV star getting busted for doobage, but I will say that I thought Mary Ann was way hotter than Ginger when I was a baked teenager watching those old reruns.

Meet a Farmer on Sunday

Straight from the Strib's Counter Intelligence column:

Farmers who will be offering shares in their crops in the form of community-supported agriculture (CSA) will be part of a fair on Sunday at Let's Cook, 330 E. Hennepin Av., Minneapolis (www.letscook.com), in a collaborative effort with the Mill City Farmers Market and the Northeast Minneapolis Farmers Market. The free event includes mini-talks about the CSA concept; those talks will be held every hour, on the hour, from noon to 4 p.m. The fair includes representatives of 11 farms.

Go, support local farms and eat healthy in 2008!

Big Plans for the Parkway Theater

Lots of new news on the Parkway Theater (which is now called Pepito's Parkway Theater, according to the website):

Renovations have begun, and just this week they brought in some University of Minnesota students to design murals on the interior walls, which an insider tells me will look fabulous when they are complete.

They've got the finals of the 48th Street Poetry Slam this Saturday, March 8, at 9:30pm.

They're currently playing award-winners Taxi to the Darkside (Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature) and La Vie en Rose (Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Makeup), along with a Saturday matinee of the original Charlotte's Web (1973, featuring the voices of Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde and Danny Bonaduce, among others).

The Parkway will be a Fringe Fest site for 2008, so you can see some of that Fringe-y goodness at 48th and Chicago.

And at some point this spring, it sounds like they will be featuring live comedy, perhaps on a weekly basis. The folks behind the Parkway are committed to making it a multi-use arts space, so they will be hosting films, theater productions, and live performances. And keep in mind that you can take your drinks from next-door Pepito's into the theater.

Meat Raffles!

Tom Horgen writes up meat raffles for the Strib, though oddly he focuses first on a meat raffle in Golden Valley (?!? -- at least it's at the American Legion) and then on the kitschy "Risk Your Meat" event at Grumpy's in downtown. The saving grace of the article is a list of Nordeast (and other) bars that hold meat raffles. While not comprehensive, it is a pretty good list. I've won meat at Jimmy's and the 1029, and I was gratified to see that the Rail Station (nearest bar to me physically) has a meat raffle, which I didn't know.

Just thinking about all that yummy pork, beef, chicken (and, apparently, at Grumpy's meat raffles, lamb, rabbit and other goodies from Clancey's (here's a City Pages article that includes info on Clancey's)) gives me the meat sweats. Mmmmmm, meatily delicious.

Fire Arts? Yes, We Will Have Fire Arts!

Saw a nice post on the Minneapolis Issues Forum about something called
The Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC). I was pretty sure that "Fire" was a typo and that the poster meant "Fine," as in The Chicago Avenue Fine Arts Center, but NO! I was wr-wr-wr-incorrect. Turns out that the building that used to be the Nokomis Theater at 3749 Chicago Avenue South, which now houses Wreck Bros. Auto Body, will be converted into the CAFAC through Neighborhood Revitalization Plan funding and the work of committed community organizers. According to the website, it will be focused "on fine and industrial art forms that are produced by heat, spark or flame, including sculptural welding, blacksmithing, glasswork, jewelry making, electronics and others. The umbrella term for these forms is 'fire arts.'" I did not know that.

Here's where you can get involved and help make it happen:

CAFAC will be holding a fundraiser and informational event at:

Bancroft Elementary School - Old Gymnasium
1315 East 38th Street
Thursday, March 13th from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

So, go! And get your fire arts on!

Oak Street Cinema's Days are Numbered

Strib reports that the Oak Street Cinema will likely be torn down after the MSP International Film Festival ends in early May. The Film Festival's website is still under construction for the 2008 Festival. While I'm sorry to see it go, I can't say that I spent a lot of time there in the last few years. With the Riverview Theater (note the snazzy new website design), the Parkway (now owned by Pepito's owner Joe Senkyr Minjares) and others making a go of it on a shoestring, I'm not sure why Oak Street has been mired in trouble for so long. There were a flurry of articles in early 2006 about Oak Street's troubles, then not much new news. Now, it looks like it could be the end.

Great Site on Mpls Condos/Downtown Living

Ok, remind me to check with this guy before I ever post anything again about condos in Minneapolis and/or living in downtown Minneapolis. Minneapolis Guy is Matt Loskota, an Edina Realty manager in downtown Minneapolis. He knows the downtown market, especially condos. Check out this Condo Count Report for all the deets on any townhouse, loft or condo building in or near downtown.

Some interesting information in the report:

(1) If I'm reading this right, there were about 3,000 units (townhomes, lofts and condos) in 30 buildings downtown before the recent building boom. The building boom added 4,700 units in 50 new buildings, for a total of 7,700 units in 80 buildings. In addition, there are about 500 units in 11 buildings near downtown, for a total of 8,200 units in 91 buildings. That's more than I would've guessed.

(2) There are plans for an additional 3,000-4,000 units (I thought I had heard 4,000 somewhere -- maybe in the forums at Minnescraper? -- but I'm not sure where). None are beyond the planning stage right now, but if they all were built, that would bring the total units to between 11,000 and 12,000 total in and near downtown Minneapolis. Wow.

(3) If 2008 absorption rates follow 2007 rates, there are approximately 11 months of previously owned inventory on the market now. I'm no real estate expert, but given the predictions for the economy, I have to believe that the 2008 absorption rate will be slower than 2007, so I'm guessing there is at least a year of inventory out there. In addition there are 2 years worth of newly built inventory available. That's a lot of units available, so I'm guessing the list of cancelled projects will continue to grow, and there will also be some projects that change from condo to rental or from residential to commercial. Already, that's what's rumored to be happening with a project in my neighborhood, 46th and 46th, where construction stalled last spring. Apparently the former luxury condo development will now be luxury rental development.

(4) There are 3,293 units in the Proposed Projects list, in 13 projects. At this point, it appears that 130 of those units are sold, leaving about 3,150 units in the proposed stage. That's a lot of units waiting for commitments. I'll be surprised if half of those actually get built.

This is a great list, and a terrific resource if, like me, you're interested in the downtown residential real estate market. I'm definitely going to follow the Condo Count Report every month. Nice work, Minneapolis Guy!

Dancing Ganesha: New Indian Restaurant Downtown

According to the Downtown Journal, a new Indian restaurant called Dancing Ganesha will be going into the space formerly occupied by Willy's Wine Bar at 11th and Harmon Place. The small blurb says the owner of the new restaurant also owns a vegan restaurant in Columbia Heights, which I assume means that the owner of Udupi, a well-regarded vegetarian South Indian restaurant at 4920 Central Ave. NE., will be behind Dancing Ganesha.

I was sad to see Willy's go, but every time we were in there it was empty. They had a small but good selection of wines by the glass and a nice menu to accompany the wines, but the location is just a bit too out-of-the-way for that particular crowd. Better luck to Dancing Ganesha!

Another Downtown Condo Project Canceled

Downtown Journal reports that David Bernard Builders, a division of Rottlund, has terminated its development agreement with the City of Minneapolis and given up rights to a parcel of land along the riverfront, near the Guthrie Theatre. Here's the meat:

David Bernard Builders, a division of Rottlund Co., needed to sell 40 percent of the proposed 107 units to secure construction financing. The five-story project netted 16 sales and four reservations, and the sales center closed in the spring of 2007 after a little more than a year on the market.

The developer held on to the land rights for nearly four years before dropping redevelopment plans in January.

Michael Noonan, division president of Rottlund Homes, said one factor in the decision to cancel the project was city officials’ desire to designate about 30 feet along Chicago Avenue for open space that would preserve a view corridor to the Guthrie. He said they parted ways when the city refused to allow Rottlund to extend the development contract at no additional cost.

Crowther said the city does not have any immediate plans for the site other than to keep it clean and maintain the grass the developer has planted. She said city officials might offer the property back to the market in the future, but they have no plans at the moment.

This is the third lot on the riverfront that a condo developer has returned to the city. Brighton Development suspended plans last fall for the Portland, a five-story condo building at South 2nd Street and Portland Avenue, as well as Washington Live-Work at the corner of Portland & Washington, a site initially slated for condos and then commercial space. City staff have said they plan to eventually bring those sites back to the market for redevelopment.

Man, this condo shakeout was easy to predict. I think I read somewhere (but can't find the link now) that more than 4,000 new units were planned to be built between 2005 and 2010 in Minneapolis. No way that kind of condo development could be supported even in boom times -- this is a single-family housing kind of town. But for those of us who would enjoy the urban appeal of a downtown condo, it might be good news a couple years down the road, as it appears the condo market has already reached saturation.

Another Bad Aspect of the Farm Bill

The institutionalized mendacity of the farm bill has been documented many places, but a Minnesota farmer has gotten another swipe in, in the New York Times, no less. Jack Hedin, a small fruit and vegetable farmer in Rushton, MN, has an op ed in Saturday's NYT decrying the influence of the large national fruit and vegetable growers, who have built into the new farm bill significant legal barriers to entry for smaller farmers.

For more on the farm bill, here's a link to a blog by Phil Fraas, a Washington agricultural attorney and veteran of six previous Farm Bills.

331 Drunken Spelling Bee Now Monthly

The Drunken Spelling Bee at 331 Club in Nordeast has gone legit (sort of). It now has a sponsor (Pabst), a monthly slot (seems likely to be the last Friday of each month) and a permanent location (331). The Myspace "press release" has more details:

The next Minneapolis Drunken Spelling Bee will be taking place on Friday, March 28th, from 7:30 pm until the last speller stands. The cost is $7 and walk-in spellers will be accepted. Registration is at 7:00 pm sharp for all spellers.

Reigning champ, Stephanie Nett will be the guest judge, along side the witty Mizz Nicole and coffee shop Diva, Library Mary. Host Jess "The Spellbinder" will be on hand to keep spellers in line and drinks flowing.

This round's spellers will be relieved to find this round's words easier and prizes better. The audience will also have more of a chance to interact and play along.

Back by popular demand, the "Underwear Round" will be making reappearing, as well as burlesque hoopster, Honey the Hot Hooper. New additions to the event include the Northeast Hula Hoop Troop, guest DJ Danny Sigelman and more.

Go, spellers! Let's hope you get eleemosynary, antidisestablishmentarianism, and otorhinolaryngological.

Acadia Cafe Relocates

One of my favorite places, Acadia Cafe, has relocated from Nicollet and Franklin to Cedar and Riverside. Justin Flower has a nice write-up in the TC Daily Planet. I saw some great small theatre at the old Acadia spot, including a Fringe Festival performance by Ben San Del (aka Ben Sandell) (myspace) called "Mittens for Fat Kids" that was terrific.

Longfellow Crime and Safety Forum

From the trusty Minneapolis Police Department Crime Alerts comes this info:

LONGFELLOW CRIME AND SAFETY FORUM

This Tuesday the LCC and the 3rd Precinct will be sponsoring an open forum on crime and safety in Longfellow.

The Longfellow Community Connections Committee and the 3rd precinct will be holding an open forum on Crime and Safety in Greater Longfellow. Bring any questions or concerns to Shun Tilman, our local crime and safety expert. Learn about what steps you can take and how you can get involved in making Longfellow a safer community.

Community Connections
Crime and Safety Community Forum
March 4th, 2008
6:30 pm
Longfellow Park
3435 36th Ave. S

For More Information Call Joanna at 612-722-4529

Porter & Frye Face-Off: Rick Nelson Approves, Kathie Jenkins Does Not

No surprise, but Rick Nelson gives thumbs up (after one dine) to Porter & Frye, the new restaurant in the Ivy Hotel + Residences downtown. He raves about, among other dishes, the main course lamb and the cured meat appetizer. Amazingly, Kathie Jenkins rips into both of those dishes specifically, saying the lamb was so rare that "each bite took about five minutes to chew" and comparing the "sausage platter" to "a plate of nachos, a half pound of thin-sliced meat layered with just a few crackers and a little bit of parmesan."

Are these reactions unexpected? Probably not. I'll be interested to see what they have to say in full reviews, but I suspect it'll be more of the same. Nelson strikes me as a solid reviewer with just a bit of rah-rah for the glitzy new kids, while Jenkins seems to enjoy being a contrarian and somewhat more lowbrow.

Two Recent Mentions of Chipotle

Fans of mongo burritos know Chipotle, that healthier, ethnic ex-cousin of McDonald's. Recently, they've been mentioned twice locally that I've seen:

1) Nancy Ngo mentions in this week's PiPress Restaurant News that Chipotle has "switched to using 100 percent naturally raised meats in all of its Minnesota restaurants. The company has been using naturally raised pork and chicken. Now, even the steak fajitas are made with meat from animals fed vegetarian diets and are free of antibiotics or added hormones." Bravo!

2) Two "middle aged skeazy dudes" on the 16 bus on Washington Avenue apparently have come up with what Overhead in Minneapolis feels should be Chipotle's new slogan. I actually think Chipotle burritos are bigger than the object in question, but having never seen said object, it's merely a guess.

Mini-Golf for a Good Cause: 2008 Skyway Open

Never heard of this until today, but what a great idea: set up a mini-golf course in the downtown Minneapolis skyways, charge people to play, and donate the proceeds to a worthy charity. That's exactly what the 2008 US Bank Skyway Open is all about. The profits from the event go directly to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities’ REBOUND program.

Gotta Get Your Krispy Kremes on Vacation Now

Turns out the Krispy Kreme phenomenon was pretty short-lived in Minnesota. Remember the lines around the block in Maple Grove? (No, I wouldn't set foot in Maple Grove for a doughnut or almost anything else, but I do recall seeing the footage on local news.) Remember the lines at the MOA for them? (Again, news footage.) Anyway, THEY'RE GONE. Outta here. Vamoosed. No Krispy Kremes for you.

Frankly, the whole thing was a lot of hype anyway. We have way, way better local bakery goods here in the Twin Cities than anything those hot glazed folks could sling. How about Mel-O-Glaze, home of the best damn doughnuts in South Mpls.? Or P J Murphy's, which has great baked goods and a completely useless website? Or Scandia Bake Shop, "Minneapolis's Oldest Scandinavian Bakery? Or the world famous (well, not quite, but they make darn good pastries) Palm's Bakery in St. Louis Park? Those are but four of the bakery wonders here in the Twin Cities, all of them producing culinary gems that far outshine anything a franchise bakery operation could make.

Good riddance, Krispy Kreme, and don't let the door hit your keister on the way out!

Rake Stops Print Publication, Will Remain Online

The Rake announced today that it will cease print publication, lay off 15 of its 16 employees (keeping Cristina Cordova to run the web op) and presumably continue as a sort of local Huffington Post (assuming they can keep some of the blogging names on board -- Britt Robson, Jeremy Iggers, Anne Bauer, et al.).

Just prior to the announcement, there was a small dustup in the comments at Brad Zellar's Rake blog (Yo, Ivanhoe!) about David Brauer's MinnPost coverage of The Rake being for sale. MNspeak also has lots of comments on the news.

This is sad news for the Twin Cities media community, although having one less outlet probably won't make much difference (and The Rake was known to be near the bottom of the pay scale for writers). And it's sad news for a friend of mine, a (now former) Rake employee who received a whopping four days of severance pay.

Ultimately, though, quality will out. My friend is talented and will find new and better work. The better writers at the Rake will find lots of opportunities to have their unique voices heard. And maybe Melinda Jacobs can buy what's left of the Rake and turn it into her own vanity publishing mini-empire. Now if only she could find an editor ...

Secret Show at Dakota Tonight?

I just heard through the grapevine that there may be a few celebrity guests at the Dakota tonight for its "Late Night at the Dakota" at 11:30pm.

There is a $5 cover for "Late Night at the Dakota," and they usually feature a local group (and they often have some pretty decent food specials for the late-night crowd, too).

Tonight, Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra is playing at Orchestra Hall.

Mayfield and some of his band members may be heading over to the Dakota after their gig to provide this evening's late night entertainment. You didn't hear it here.

Stuff For Winos: Tastings this Week

Highlight of this week's tastings list from the Strib is a freebie:

Executive chef and sommelier Vincent Negret of the Cannon River Winery will discuss different wines. Free. 6-7 p.m. Feb. 23. Guests can buy wine by the glass or bottle. Reservations required. St. Paul Hotel, 350 Market St., St. Paul. 651-292-9292. www.saintpaulhotel.com.

Some others are listed, mostly on Feb. 29. Also mentioned is $10 wine tasting sponsored by McDonald's Liquors that will take place on March 6 (the Strib article omits the date, mysteriously). Sounds pretty good for the price, and those McDonald's folks are great and deserve to be supported.

I'm Already Over the Naked Sushi Thing

Everyone has an opinion about the "new" thing at Temple -- Nyotaimori/Nantaimori (eating sushi and sashimi off the naked body of a woman/man, respectively). Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it, it ain't worth $75 to me, and it definitely won't be worth $150 to me in the future. And as a non-drinker and person who has no interest in getting a stranger's pubic hair in his teeth, I'm not really up for the wakame sake experience, either.

Lenny Russo Comments on Andrew Zimmern's Blog

Wow! A well-written, informative blog post from Andrew Zimmern on USDA/AMS attempt to co-opt the phrase "naturally raised" in connection with beef production, followed by a foie gras dustup, a rant on restaurant ownership and a long, thoughtful comment from the one and only Lenny Russo, chef-owner of Heartland and champion of sustainable food production. That's a lot of action in one blog post (with comments)!

At the end of the day, though, please read Zimmern's post and comment at the AMS website, if you feel as he does (and I do) that the proposed labeling is just corporate whitewash. This article from Michael Pollan, on the "rectification of names" is on a slightly different word, but the idea is the same.

Mpls Wi-Fi to Finally Be Completed?

Steve Alexander of the Strib reports that the Minneapolis citywide wi-fi network buildout should be complete by March 11. Seems like there are a lot of dead zones, though, and the provider, USIWireless, a subsidiary of USInternet, has a history of missed deadlines.

So, there's a three-tier pricing structure for each of two download speeds. If you want 3Mbps download speed, you can either prepay a year for $18.95 per month ($227.40 for the year), or sign a 2-year contract and pay $24.95 per month, or pay as you go for $29.95 per month.

If you want only 1Mbps download speed, you can prepay for a year for $14.95 per month ($179.40 for the year), or sign a 2 year contract and pay $17.95 per month, or pay as you go for $19.95 per month.

Frankly, signing a 2-year contract doesn't seem compelling to me. It's way cheaper to buy a year's worth of service up front, and if you're undecided, spend the pay-as-you-go amount for a month or two to decide if you like the service.

Anecdotally, I have heard 2 things about the service: (1) it isn't necessarily the most reliable -- all kinds of service calls may be required in the first couple of months because repositioning of the wireless relays may be required to get you a decent connection; and (2) USIWireless generally credits you for the month if your service is down for any unreasonable amount of time. Again, these are anecdotal; your mileage may vary.

NWA Adds PerkChoice for Award Travel

From the Northwest Airlines website, a new way to buy seats with cash and miles combined:

Now there's more flexibility, affordability and choice when booking travel with Cash and Miles.

• PerkChoice lets you use your WorldPerks miles for one half of your roundtrip and cash for the other.
• This all-new exclusive offer will provide options for WorldPerks members to book travel if a PerkSaver award seat is available on only one way of a roundtrip.
• WorldPerks members can use as few as 12,500 miles and there are no time or date restrictions on any Northwest flights.

I don't know whether this will be a good thing or a non-event. I do know that everyone I speak to about traveling on FF miles on NWA tells me they can never find seats. One couple I know has loads of miles, but they wind up either donating them or using them for hotel points, because they can never find WorldPerks seats for the flights they want.

Kathie Jenkins Has a List of Friday Fish Fries

The PiPress's Kathie Jenkins has assembled a good list of Friday fish fries for Lent. I'm not a person who feels they can't or shouldn't eat meat on Fridays, but I'm happy to take advantage of the Friday fish fries just the same. Glad to see one of my favorites, St. Clair Broiler, made the list.

Steve Perry: So Long, Daily Mole. Hello, MNMon!

Steve Perry, as rumored, has shut down the Daily Mole and will be joining the MN Monitor. Sounds like a good move for him, and a nice addition to MNMon. Also, Dude Weather has moved to The Rake.

Viking Udeze Has Leukemia

The Minnesota Vikings have confirmed that defensive end Kenechi Udeze has been diagnosed with leukemia. An earlier report mentioned that he is being treated at Fairview Southdale and also was at the Mayo Clinic. The original story was reported on KSTP Channel 5.

I'm not a religious person, but my thoughts go out to Udeze and his family. He has an infant daughter, who deserves to have her daddy around for a long, long time.

First Course Kudos

A friend writes: "If you have not already seen it, I wanted to point out in the latest edition of The Rake that they mentioned First Course, the restaurant in our 'hood, as a "fine dining under the radar". While I don't think that 112 is losing sleep, it is nice to see [First Course] getting some recognition. We have enjoyed all the meals that we have had there. It is just so nice to be able to walk to a restaurant, be able to get a good meal and some wine, and the walk home again."

Here's another Rake mention of First Course, again from my favorite local food writer, Jeremy Iggers (from November, 2007). And here are the short write-ups from City Pages and Vita.MN. So go already!

Latino Community Safety Fair, Feb. 16, 10am-2pm

ANUNCIO DE PRENSA
PUBLICACION INMEDIATA

February 3, 2008

Contactos: Becky George, 612-728-5485 o "Tina" (Maria Cristina) Tavera, Latinos en Acción 612-724-7457.
¿QUE?: Feria de Seguridad para la comunidad Latina

¿CUANDO?: El Sábado, 16 de Febrero de las 10am hasta las 2pm

¿DONDE?: El Salón en Plaza Verde, 1516 East Lake Street

¿PARA QUIEN?: Gratuito y abierto al público

El Sábado 16 de Febrero 2008, se llevara a cabo una feria de seguridad en el Salón de la Plaza Verde de las 10am hasta las 2pm de la tarde. El evento contara con información en español sobre como reducir el crimen y como proteger nuestras familias, bienes, y negocios. Este evento beneficia a todos porque ofrece recursos de prevención de pandillas, ayuda en como alertar a las autoridades, información sobre seguridad para los jóvenes incluyendo uso de bicicletas o computadoras, sugiere maneras para proteger tu dinero y te dará estrategias para mejorar nuestra comunidad. Habrá actividades en las que los padres se podrán informar sobre cómo proteger la seguridad de su familia. Disfrute con el perro mascota McGruff, el Payaso Barrilito, habrá premios, y otras actividades. Este evento es organizado por el Cooperativo Mercado Central, Minneapolis 3rd Precinct Police Department, Weed and Seed, Latinos en Acción, and U.S. Bank.

Para mas información, llame a Becky George, 612-728-5485.

Los esperamos…

* * * * * * * * * * *
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2008

Contactos: Becky George, 612-728-5485 o "Tina" (Maria Cristina) Tavera, Latinos en Acción 612-724-7457.
WHAT?: Safety Fair for the Latino

WHEN?: Saturday February 16, 2008 from 10am hasta las 2pm

WHERE?: El Salón in Plaza Verde,1516 East Lake Street

FOR WHO?: FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Saturday February 16, 2008, there will be a security fair in the Community Room de la Plaza Verde at 10am to 2pm. The event has information in Spanish about how to reduce crime and how to protect our families, valuables, and business. This event benefits everyone because it offers resources on how to prevent gangs, how to report crimes, bicycle and internet safety, how to protect your money, and strategies on how to improve your community. There will be activities with information for parents protecting their families. Come enjoy a day with McGruff the crime dog, el Barrilito clown, prizes, and other activities. This event is organized by the Cooperativo Mercado Central, Minneapolis 3rd Precinct Police Department, Weed and Seed, Latinos en Acción, and U.S. Bank.

For more information, call Becky George, 612-728-5485 or "Tina" (Maria Cristina) Tavera, Latinos en Acción 612-724-7457.
Please come…

Winos: These Are For You

The Strib rounds up a bunch of wine tastings happening in the next couple of weeks. A votre sante!

Switching Caucuses to Primaries -- Someone Hears

Someone out there is hearing the call for electoral primaries instead of caucuses. The Strib notes that two Minnesota legislators called for just such a change.

Sens. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, and Linda Scheid, DFL-Brooklyn Park, . . . announce[d] their plan to decouple the presidential contest from the caucus system by the next presidential election cycle. Their bill would allow voters to participate in a primary similar to a general election without requiring them to be involved in the caucus process now run by political parties.

When asked for comment on the proposal, the state's two party chairs were split:

On Wednesday, DFL chairman Brian Melendez tentatively endorsed the new push for a primary. "It's definitely worth talking about," he said. "The e-mails I've gotten since last night from people I don't know run strongly in favor of the primary."

He said he has sent a letter to the party's district chairpersons telling them that "switching to a presidential primary -- while keeping the caucuses for other races and for party governance -- is worth talking about."

As for the logistical headaches that plagued Tuesday's caucuses, "We reached our limit last night," Melendez said. "The caucus system is going to have a very hard time coping with numbers like that. We can handle 80,000, and we could have handled 100,000, but we couldn't handle 200,000."

GOP chairman Ron Carey said he and other party leaders adamantly oppose "any change from our caucus system."

If a presidential primary becomes law, "they can put it on the calender if they want ... but it will remain a beauty contest for us," he said.

Party bylaws dictate that the GOP's presidential preference be expressed exclusively through the process that ends with the party's state convention, he said.

Carey also said he believes that splitting a primary from the caucuses would have the unintended consequence of ensuring that "the only people who show up for the caucuses would be the true insiders and geeks."

Carey is out of touch -- even the comments to the story feature Republicans complaining about the caucus system. Here's one, from someone who signed in as jimpolitel:

We need to have a primary. I attended my GOP caucus as I have since 1984 and the same people always move on as delegates because they are known by the insiders. I felt sorry for the young Ron Paul supporters who were out of their element as this was their first caucus and the regulars were ramming things through and not being supportive to the new attendees. While Ron Carey says he doesn't support a primary, it does not mean Republicans do not support a primary. One other note, if you are a sitting congressman, please don't run for delegate, you already have an at-large seat at the conventions and you're taking away an opportunity for someone new to get involved.

Edit: The Strib music writer Chris Riemenschneider writes up his first caucus experience -- clearly, from his tone, not a fun night.

Macy's to Close Mpls HQ, Lay Off 950

The Strib reports that Macy's will consolidate its headquarters in New York, eliminating 950 HQ jobs from the Twin Cities. Apparently a cost-cutting measure, the company will now run the store from afar. I'm not sure what will happen to all that space on the 8th-11th floors of the building, but presumably some of it will be filled by regional hires Macy's will be making.

From the article:

Tyler Rosengren, 26, an advertising account executive from Minneapolis who frequently buys lunches at the downtown Macy's, said the loss of the headquarters represented "the final stage of a downward spiral away from the Dayton's days."

"It's been a long time since this store felt special," he said.

That's for sure.

Macy's has a right to run it's business as it sees fit, but Twin Cities shoppers also have a right to shop where they want. The abandonment of the Twin Cities market is just another nail in the coffin of the old-time department store, which doesn't seem to have much place in most people's lives these days.

Mine, for example: I would boycott Macy's, but how would they even be able to tell? I haven't purchased anything at a Macy's store since December, 2005.

Zander Cafe Is No More

Nancy Ngo of the PiPress reports that Alexander Dixon closed the eponymous Zander Cafe yesterday after lunch. The economy, financial woes and liquor license issues finally combined to create the perfect storm. This is a bummer, but not entirely unexpected. To stay afloat, last March he sold the restaurant space to neighbors Solo Vino, and leased it back, but that turned out to be a temporary fix.

Here's hoping Dixon finds a new kitchen to grace, stat.

Target Free Family Concerts at Orchestra Hall -- Sign Up Now

Several times each year, Target sponsors free family concerts at orchestra hall -- the catch? You must enter a lottery for tickets. Here are the links to the two free concerts (there are two performances of each):

On The Day You Were Born

Mozart, You Kid, You

Instructions for entering the ticket lottery are on each page, and you can only specify your first 2 choices of the 4 performances. Also (caveat emptor), you will be receiving telemarketing calls from the Minnesota Orchestra if you sign up for these -- your phone number is their payoff for the free concert. That said, it's a small price to pay for a fun afternoon for the kids.

10,000 Arts Party at Northrup This Thursday, Feb. 7

Feb 07, 2008 from 7 pm to 10 pm

All the World's a Stage at Northrop, University of Minnesota!

A performance extravaganza, on stage and off:

• 2008 Voltage: Fashion Amplified Preview
  
• Music by MC/VL
• 7 Deadly Sins by the University Opera Theatre
• 7 Corners Quartet jazz ensemble
• Scott Mateo Davis: flamenco guitar
• Authur Murray Dance Center

Meet the artists featured in the new issue of 10,000 Arts: Minnesota's Creative Quarterly! Also, sample fine complimentary foods, spirits, wine, and beer (plus cash bar).

General admission is free.

We are no longer taking V.I.P. reservations.

Northrop Auditorium

University of Minnesota

84 Church Street S.E.

Minneapolis, MN 55455

For parking suggestions, visit www1.umn.edu/pts.

Co-hosted by The Rake and mnartists.org. Sponsored by Explore Minnesota, Simon Delivers, Bacardi, Newcastle Brown Ale, and Artisan Vineyards, with support from West Bank Arts District, and Voltage.

The 'Burboons Speak, and Of Course It Sounds Like Ass

The Strib has an article about suburbanites getting religion and using public transportation to get to work. They've seen the green revolution and they want to get onboard! (It has nothing to do with the fact that it costs them $92.50 to gas up the Navigator every 3 days). After reading those sentences, I don't think anyone will be surprised to know I don't have a lot of respect for the average 'burb dweller, but quotes like these almost make it mandatory to just assume all 'burboons have shovel-to-cranium disease:

"I really think there's a big misconception out there that buses are stinky and there's all these grimy people on them," said [Tony] Pistilli, of Brooklyn Park. "And it's just not that way! You meet the same people over and over again, whether it's the 8:02 or the 7:56, and they're just like you." (emphasis added)

"I do have an SUV, I feel you need one in a northern state," [Katie] Robers [of St. Michael] said, "but even though if you knew me you'd be, like, 'You're no environmentalist,' I do like to balance out that cardinal sin with the little things you can do." (emphasis added)

Emily Miller, coming in from Eden Prairie, says that while "money is an issue, in some ways it's more environmental. You see the stop-and-go traffic on the crosstown [highway] and just think of all those greenhouse gases." . . . And Miller confesses to a certain image, beforehand, of bus riders. "You sometimes think they're creepy people muttering things -- I don't mean that in a bad way -- but it's a bunch of people from Eden Prairie and the southwest suburbs just going to work downtown, or kids to the U. It's not a creepy experience at all. " (emphasis added)

So, it's official, apparently: you have to be completely clueless to be a 'burboon, with lots of baseless, preconceived notions of what horrible creatures must live in the Twin Towns. How sheltered and stupid are these people? Luckily for them, African Americans, Asians and Hispanics have the courtesy to have darker skin, so that the 'burboons can easily identify them and avoid them as much as possible. For us "creepy," "grimy" Caucasian city folk, I guess they just have to take their chances.

Ladies (Ages 9 - 55): Get the HPV Vaccine!

As a husband and the father of 2 young girls, I have to pay attention to stuff I probably wouldn't normally concern myself with, were I not married or a parent. This is one of those things: HPV vaccine. The MN Dept. of Health backed away from mandating the HPV vaccine for junior-high aged girls, but "we strongly encourage young women to get the vaccine," said Kristen Ehresmann, section chief for immunizations at the Health Department.

It saves lives. If you're a woman in the target range for the vaccine, please get info on the HPV vaccine and get vaccinated.

Edit: Turns out there's a benefit to the vaccine for men -- fighting HPV-related oral cancers. So, fellas, you need to stay up to date on this stuff, too.

Santana: "I guess the best thing for them was to make this deal."

The Strib recaps the Santana negotations and it sounds like Johan is both happy to move on to New York ($137.5 million later, who wouldn't be happy?) and regretful that he couldn't stay with the Twins.

One aside: my Spanish is lousy, but I've never understood the pronunciation of Santana's first name. He's from Venezuela, so I would think Spanish pronunciation would be correct. My understanding of Spanish pronunciation would mean his name is pronounced "Ho-an." But I've only ever heard him referred to as "Yo-han." So what is correct? Have we Midwesterners just been mangling his name for nearly a decade? That's my assumption, but if someone can clear that up, I'd appreciate it.

How Can You Help Fred?

Fred Tilbury is a first-grader at St. Helena School in South Minneapolis. Just 6 years old, Fred has been diagnosed with ependymoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. St. Helena has set up a Friends of Fred area on their website to explain what's going on with their friend Fred and offer a way for you to become a friend of Fred and help out a family in need.

The Friends of Fred had a head shaving fundraiser last Friday, and almost 300 people had their heads shaved and/or hair cut in solidarity with Fred and to help raise money for his treatment. Cutting/shaving services were kindly donated by Riverstone Salon Spa, where the missus and our girls get their stylin' on as well.

Fred also has a CaringBridge site, where you can find out more about him and his journey. I can't say enough good things about CaringBridge: when friends of ours had kids hospitalized for several months, it was the best link to how they were doing (their situation didn't allow for visitors, so info was sometimes tough to come by).

Please send your thoughts and good wishes Fred's way (and some coin if you can spare it). I'll do my best to keep up with Fred's situation and post it here.

Vote Today!

Find out where your local precinct caucus will be held by using the MN Secretary of State's Precinct Caucus Finder. Then go vote. I'm already on the record for wanting to change our caucus system to a primary, but no matter what the system is, you don't have a voice if you don't participate. Find out more about the candidates from the League of Women Voters' Vote 411 website.

Trader Joe's and Aldi's: Secret Siblings

I posted recently about Trader Joe's opening another store in St. Paul soon. Now I've just found out that the extremely popular Trader Joe's (popular, that is, among my more well-to-do circle of friends) is owned by the same folks that own the more downscale Aldi's, which has 19 locations in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs, including 2 in South Minneapolis (one on East Franklin and one on East Lake, across from the Midtown YWCA). According to the Newsweek article, some (most?) of the stuff in both TJ's and Aldi's is name brand stuff in generic packaging.

I wonder how my TJ's-loving friends will feel about the TJ's-Aldi's link (if they don't already know). I know of one person (a thrifty mom) who shops Aldi regularly, but most of the TJ's crowd wouldn't be caught dead in an Aldi's. Having shopped Aldi's a couple of times myself, my issues with it are: (1) cash only -- that doesn't work well for us, as we like to do one big grocery shopping trip per week and I NEVER carry much more than $20 in my pocket; and (2) limited selection -- again, we have time to do one big grocery shopping trip per week, so we need to get everything at once, and Aldi's doesn't have everything we want. That said, we have saved a lot of money at Aldi when we were selective (and even when we weren't, we didn't blow it too badly: we once bought several bags of hot dog buns, put them in the freezer, and then wound up throwing them out after about 3 months because we almost never eat hot dogs -- but since they were marked down to $0.05 per bag, our total wastefulness was limited t0 $0.20).

So, perhaps we need to fit time into our schedule to go to Aldi's more often (and carry more cash on us). In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that although several of my friends rave about TJ's, I've never set foot in one.

Minnesota Should Dump the Caucuses and Go to a Voter Primary System

I was going to write up a big thing about how the caucus system in Minnesota is ineffective and needs to be changed, but this guy beat me to it. A quick review of info shows that Minnesota expects to break all records for caucus participation, and yet of Minnesota's 3,114,268 registered voters (as of Feb. 1, 2008), only about 4% (125,000) will participate in the caucus process. That compares to about 39% of South Carolina voters participating in its primary. Even in Michigan, where Democratic participation in its primary was down (likely because the Democratic Party stripped the state of its delegates because it moved it's primary up too far on the calendar), approximately 20.3% of the state's registered voters voted in the primary. You'll see numbers bigger than that in most states in tomorrow's Super Tuesday primaries.

Twin Cities Supper Club at Nick & Eddie on Feb. 19

Join Twin Cities Supper Club (presented by Metro Magazine) at Nick & Eddie, Doug and Jessica Anderson's new digs (with Steve Vranian) on Loring Park. The menu looks good, and the place has been getting good reviews all over (former CP foodie Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl raves in Gourmet, Rick Nelson swoons in the Strib, former Strib guy Jeremy Iggers beams in The Rake, even the PiPress's Kathie Jenkins likes it).

Here are the details, if you're interested:

$35 ticket includes appetizers, dinner and 2 complimentary drinks. Valet services start at 5:00 PM. Metered street parking is available and parking lots are just a 1/2 block away.

Nick & Eddie
1612 Harmon Place
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Menu:

Appetizers:
- Cocktail Ruben Sandwiches
- Whitefish Salad served on Potato Pancake
- Roasted Vegetable Tapenade Crostini
- Mesquite Grilled Shrimp Skewer

First Course:
- Baked Gnocchi with Cheese Sauce

Entrees:
- Roasted Chicken Breast
- Spicy Steak
- Vegetarian Risotto with Radicchio, Grilled Vegetables, & Parmesan Cheese

Sides:
- Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
- Wild Rice Hominy

Fixing Shoreham Yards

Come help brainstorm ideas for fixing up one of Minneapolis's most blighted sites -- Shoreham Yards on Central Avenue in Northeast (near the Columbia Golf Course). According to a post on the Minneapolis Issues Forum on e-democracy.org:

Mayor Rybak has assembled a team of professional architects, artists, landscape architects, and developers to work with you - the community of Northeast - to visualize what to do with the best redevelopment opportunity along Central Avenue.

SHOREHAM YARDS DESIGN CHARRETTE
Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Arrive at 10 a.m. to participate fully in the design process, or arrive at 3:30 p.m. to see the final result.

Hennepin County Northeast Library
2200 Central Avenue NE
Minneapolis

Refreshments will be served.

This event is free and open to the public. To learn more, contact: Francis Bulbulian, AIA - 612-359-3256

According to their website, Shoreham Yards is:

* a 230-acre rail yard/rail distribution center in northeast Minneapolis owned by Canadian Pacific Railway/Soo Line. Shoreham is bordered on the east by Central Avenue, the west by University Avenue, the south by 27th Avenue NE, and the north by St. Anthony Parkway. Shoreham is the historic home of the Soo Line's rail operations, dating back to the late 1800s.

* home to Minneapolis' largest polluted site, including a state Superfund site and three other contaminated parcels.

* a source of key regional groundwater aquifer contamination and soil pollution that includes TCE, PCE, PCP, VOCs and dioxin.

* the proposed site of a city- and community-approved redevelopment plan in 2000 that neighbors hoped would stimulate hundreds of new jobs, major corridor revitalization, tax-base enhancement and reduced collateral blight; neighbors continue to advocate for sustainable, community-friendly redevelopment that preserves Shoreham's historic assets.

* the site of the Historic Shoreham Roundhouse, named one of Minnesota's 10 Most Endangered Properties in 2003 and designated by the city of Minneapolis as a historic property.

Come be a part of the solution!

John Ewoldt Frugal Food Ideas

The Strib's John Ewoldt has an article today on frugal food ideas. He interviews frugal folks who give their 5 best frugal food tips. Surprisingly (to me), a couple people suggested buying meat by the half side. One woman buys half a cow for about $1.75 per lb. -- pretty good deal. We've been thinking about doing this for reasons both frugal and healthful -- we'd like to be able to afford quality beef, and we'd like to avoid all of the hormones and etc. that most processed meat contains. Unfortunately, Minnesota grass-fed beef doesn't come cheap. But I'll keep looking.

MomTalk - A Twin Cities Place for Moms (and Dads)

A friend referred me to Momtalk.com, which I (being a Dad) had never heard of. They're the real deal: corporate sponsorships, a leadership team, some real design (not just a Blogspot site). They're even having something called a Mom Camp on Feb. 8 and 9 at The Depot Minneapolis. Lots of breakout sessions and fun stuff for moms. And, yes, no Dads (or kids) allowed.

Off-Topic: That Crazy Freakonomics Guy Looks at Chicago Prostitution

Via Jason Kottke, these days Steven Levitt of Freakonomics fame has made a prelim available of an analysis (with Sudhir Venkatesh) of Chicago street prostitution. There are blog posts by Tyler Cowen, Matt Yglesias, Radley Balko and Kerry Howley commenting on the draft paper.

Prepare to Wait For It: Obama at Target Center This Saturday

The Strib reports that Barack Obama will be appearing at the Target Center this Saturday, February 2. Let's hope it goes better for him than it did for John Edwards: Edwards appeared in the Twin Cities this past Tuesday, then dropped out of the presidential race on Wednesday.

For the Winos: Strib Overviews Liquor Store Websites

Bill Ward, a wine writer at the Strib, runs through the websites of local liquor stores and gives a few thumbs-up (and down). Curiously missing are Surdyk's and France 44 -- were these just forgotten, or is there some issue there?

A quick run through the Ward on Wine blog also reveals no mention of either store. Hmmmm.

anyway, Ward touts the launch of Artisan Vineyards.com, a distributor website with 2,000 wines available for delivery. He also mentions upcoming improvements to the Haskell's and WineStreet Spirits websites.

Think You're Funny? Last Comic Standing Auditions at Acme

From the Acme Comedy Company newsletter comes this info:

The funniest show on TV is back! The Twin Cities’ comedy boom just got another huge laugh when NBC picked Minneapolis to host auditions for Last Comic Standing Season 6. With comedy events of all shapes and sizes popping up throughout the Twin Cities, it’s no wonder NBC picked Minneapolis for the second straight year. From local superstars like Dave Mordal and Josh Blue to the hundreds of aspiring comedians waiting outside to audition, the road to comedy riches will once again have an Acme flair.

Last Comic Standing Open-Call Auditions

Are you the next big name in comedy? There’s only one-way to find out . . . Beginning at 9am on Tuesday, February 19^th, the funniest show on TV will begin its sixth season and Acme Comedy Company will host auditions for aspiring comedians hoping to be the Last Comic Standing. Perform your best 2 minutes and become this season’s Last Comic Standing!

For more information, please call the LCS Hotline: (818) 845-5784
or visit: www.nbc.com/Last_Comic_Standing

Last Comic Standing Showcase

This is your chance to watch a live NBC taping that will showcase the best comedic talent in town! Come see for yourself as the best and brightest perform for the chance of a lifetime! Hosted by Bill Bellamy. Doors open at 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now through the Acme box office.

More Animal News: No Home in Buffalo for Polar Bears

The PiPress reports that the Como Zoo polar bears, Neil and Buzz (not sure what the Apollo mission naming thing is about), who were supposed to spend a couple years in Buffalo, NY, while a new home for them is being built at Como, won't shuffle off to Buffalo after all. The Buffalo Zoo had promised to take them, then reneged based on the high costs associated. Apparently, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan team is frantically searching for new temporary housing for Neil and Buzz. Good luck finding new digs, fellas.

No Circus in Minneapolis?

The Strib reports the Minneapolis City Council is poised to ban elephant rides. In turn, the Twin Cities Shriners have suggested that they will not have a circus in Minneapolis, rather than have one without elephant rides.

It appears to come down to money for the Shriners, who charged $8 per ride last year for elephant rides. Apparently, the loss of this revenue would make it not worth their while to bring the circus to Minneapolis.

Are elephants harmed in the process? Is there a legitimate concern for the well-being of the elephants? I've got no background on this story other than this NY Times blog piece and this NY Times piece about Denver's zoo ban on elephant rides.

More On the Newest Members of the Twins

The Strib has a quick write-up of the 4 players expected to become Twins once the Mets work out a $150 million deal with Johan Santana. One thing that stands out about these guys -- they're big. All at least 6'4" tall, they range in weight from 195 to 224 lbs. (and the 224-pounder is the 18 year-old kid, Deolis Guerra, who's 6'5").

I know "measurables" aren't as widely used a criterion in baseball as they are in football, but these guys all seem to have the right bodies to be major-leaguers. Now let's see if they can make us forget Sin Johan No Hay Paraiso.

Santana to Mets for 4 Prospects

USA Today is reporting that the New York Mets have reached a tentative deal with the Twins to acquire Johan Santana for 4 players, believed to be outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey. Unlike the signings of Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer, which were roundly lauded by Twins fans, this deal is getting mixed reviews in the comments on the Twins Insider blog. Unfortunately, there is no immediate help in the deal for the Twins; the prospects are not likely to meaningfully contribute until 2009 at the earliest.

Well, that was a quicker resolution to Sin Johan No Hay Paraiso than I expected.

Surly Brewing Expanding

My buddies can't get enough Surly beer. They look for it in bars and restaurants, they grab it in cans at liquor stores, they even travel from time to time to the Surly HQ to get growlers. We even toured the place last summer, and had a ball learning about the ultimate frisbee career of head man Omar Ansari, the brewing process for Surly beers, how Surly got its name and its start, why Omar didn't join his parents' manufacturing business, and other fun facts. Here was one exchange:

My friend Todd: How many states is Surly sold in?
Omar: Um, Minnesota and ... let me think ... yep, that's it. Minnesota. Hey, we're only a year old, give us a break.

Well, they must be doing it right, because they're already expanding -- they've just poured the floor for their next 3,800 sq. ft. Hopefully that means more Darkness, more Coffee Bender, and more awards (Surly was named Best American Brewery by Beer Advocate in 2007).

Possible Minnesota Monitor-Daily Mole Hookup?

David Brauer reports in MinnPost that he's guessing that Steve Perry, former City Pages editor, may be poised to become editorial director of Minnesota Monitor. Perry is currently the Publisher/Editor of The Daily Mole. Amusingly, Brauer bases his guess on the circumstance that he (Brauer) interviewed for the position with the MinnMon and was told that they had identified another candidate. Perry is his guess (and Brauer does recommend Perry, with some reservations).

Investigation of Former US Atty Rachel Paulose Hits Roadblock - The US Justice Dept.

According to the PiPress, the investigation into allegations of mismanagement by former US Attorney Rachel Paulose has hit a roadblock: the US Justice Dept is blocking access by the special prosecutor appointed in the case. Eric Black has the details at MinnPost. They are also apparently stonewalling on the investigation into the politically-motivated firings of 8 other US Attorneys. Former US Attorney Tom Heffelfinger was apparently on the list to be fired before he resigned.

To steal a quote from a Jack Nicholson movie character: When I assess the Bush Administration, I just think of how a normal governing administration would be run, then I take away reason and accountability.

Carlson Companies Leaving Leisure Travel

Carlson Companies announced that it has sold its leisure travel business, Carlson Leisure Group (CLG) to the CLG management team in an internal acquisition. Michael Batt, former president and CEO of CLG, will lead the new group, known as Travel Acquisition Group. They will continue to use the Carlson Wagonlit name for some undisclosed period of time. Details of the transaction were not disclosed; the transaction closed yesterday.

From the press release: "TAG is purchasing all the travel assets and companies currently held within CLG. The business employs over 1,000 people directly with company-owned travel sales approaching $1 billion. Travel sales made within the various franchise groups involved are in excess of $5 billion. Combined cruise sales for the group are in excess of $500 million. Other franchised travel agency brands included under TAG’s umbrella are: Cruise Holidays, Results! Travel and SeaMaster Cruises. Other TAG brands include: All Aboard Travel, Carlson Destination Marketing Services, Connexion Loyalty Travel Services, CruiseDeals.com, Cruise Specialists, Fly4Less.com, Luxury Travel Network, Partners In Travel and SinglesCruise.com."

City Pages Announces Two New Food Critics Hired

City Pages announced late last week that they have hired two new food critics to take over for Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, the longtime CP food writer now departed to Minnesota Monthly. As it turns out, CP arranged a swap with MN Mo -- the lead dining writer at CP will be Rachel Hutton, who has been at MN Mo for the past six years, and the "cheap eats" half-page will be written by her MN Mo associate, Jim Norton, who also writes wrote the Skeptical Diner posts on Metroblogging Minneapolis, among other side gigs.

Andrew Zimmern nods approvingly (end of post), and it will be interesting to see what the changes bring about. I was never a huge fan of Moskowitz Grumdahl, a two-time James Beard-awarded writer who has a writing style that can be just a bit too precious for my taste. On the other hand, MN Mo has that "thou shalt not criticize," local boosterism policy of restaurant reviewing, so it'll be interesting to see (a) how Moskowitz Grumdahl fits into that ethos and (b) what happens to Hutton when she is turned loose from it. No such worries about Norton, who has been alternatively beaming and grouchy on MetMN, two qualities I completely admire.

Off-Topic: Chocolate Chip Cookies WITH BACON

A friend told me about these at a dinner party over the weekend. Incredulous at the barefaced audacity of combining chocolate chips and bacon, I literally shuddered. However, he followed up with a recipe, and this comment: "Oh, yes. They're real, and they're spectacular."

The pictures on the blog are essentially the definition of food porn, and the comments are pretty uniformly positive on this, so if you think you won't like them: Try them! Try them! And you may! Try them and you may, I say!

Mike Doughty Coming to First Ave

Minneapolis favorite Mike Doughty, former frontman for Soul Coughing and premier proponent of small rock, is coming back to Minneapolis on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23 for shows at First Avenue. Doughty has numerous Minneapolis connections: Soul Coughing was championed early by the late, lamented Rev105, Doughty rocked the Hennepin Avenue Block Party in July 2005, Doughty's solo live album, Smofe & Smang (currently out of print), was recorded at the Woman's Club in 2002, and Doughty's two albums for the ATO Records label, 2005's Haughty Melodic and the Feb. 19, 2008 release Golden Delicious, were produced by Dan Wilson (native Minneapolitan of Semisonic and Trip Shakespeare fame, as well as Grammy winner with the Dixie Chicks and successful solo artist).

Doughty has a blog and the obligatory Myspace page. As of this afternoon (the first day of presale ticket availability for the current Doughty tour), the Saturday pre-sale is sold out but tickets remain for the Sunday show; the single date in Chicago at the Vic Theatre is also sold out, but pre-sale tickets remain for all other shows.

Twins: Crucial Week in the Santana Saga?

La Velle E. Neal III reports that this could be the crucial week in the Johan Santana soap opera (hereafter known as Sin Johan No Hay Paraiso). Will Johan be traded to El Mets, El Yanquis, El Calcetines Rojas? Or will he stay with the Twins? If so, for how long? Will the Twins give him the 6 years, $120-150 million he is looking for? Can they afford it? Can they afford not to? Tune in to Neal's Twins Insider blog to keep up with the action.

(This is WAY more baseball news than I would ever have envisioned putting on the blog. It just goes to show ... something.)

Decision 2008: Obama and Edwards Coming to Minnesota

The Strib reports that John Edwards will be in Minnesota on Tuesday (presumably tomorrow, Jan. 29), and Barack Obama will come to Minnesota next Saturday, Feb. 3, two days before our state's precinct caucuses on Tuesday, Feb. 5. If you need help finding out where your precinct caucus will be held, use the MN Secretary of State's handy precinct caucus finder tool. And get out and caucus!

St. Paul To Get A Trader Joe's

My friends rave about Trader Joe's, but I've never been in one. Looks like I'll have another opportunity coming: the Strib reports that St. Paul's City Council approved rezoning a parcel at the corner of Lexington and Randolph Avenues for a Trader Joes plus another small retail building (likely a coffee shop).

Neighbors are apparently worried about traffic and parking, and no wonder -- a friend told me that on the opening day of the St. Louis Park Trader Joe's, there were traffic cops directing traffic into and out of the parking lot and the place was packed. Apparently, there are also Trader Joe's locations in Woodbury and Maple Grove. Bon marche!

Twins Spending Like Drunken Sailors

I only intermittently follow baseball, having become a non-fan after the last baseball strike and never really gotten back to following (or enjoying) the sport. But I know there are rabid Twins fans out there, and perhaps one (or more) of them can explain to me the two huge deals the Twins are apparently going to announce. La Velle E. Neal III is reporting in the Strib that the Twins will sign Justin Morneau to a 6 year, $80 million deal, and Michael Cuddyer to a 3 year, $23 million deal.

This after Morneau and the Twins agreed to a one year, $7.4 million deal, and after the Twins offered $4.7 million to Cuddyer (who was looking for $6.2 million in arbitration after making $3.5 million in 2007).

Here's what I don't understand: Morneau is signed for $7.4 million for 2008, and then you give him a deal that is worth $13.33 million per season for 6 years? And Cuddyer is asking for a 77% increase in his salary year over year (from $3.5 million to $6.2 million), so you give him a deal that averages $7.7 million per season for 3 years?

You've now tied up an average of $21 million per season for the next three years on 2 guys? Neither of whom is named Santana? Obviously I don't have enough of an understanding of baseball economics, because the comments on La Velle's blog are mostly positive about the deals.

So I'll just end by saying congratulations to the two new multimillionaires (not that they weren't fabulously rich already), and hopefully this will lead to postseason success for the Twinkies.

Jeune Lune After "The Explosion"

Minnesota Monthly's February issue features an article about Theatre de la Jeune Lune, a downtown mainstay that has fallen on hard times. The core Jeune Lune principals (Dominique Serrand, Barbara Berlovitz, Robert Rosen and Vincent Gracieux) fell out in what Berlovitz describes as an "explosion" over what writer Tim Gihring calls "personal and artistic tensions."

The article is quite light on what happened to cause the "explosion" and what the prospects are for Jeune Lune's continued survival. Having seen a number of shows there (and being a big fan of Barbara Berlovitz, who has recently been doing some small theater around town), I hope Jeune Lune gets things fixed and remains a fixture on the Minneapolis theater scene for many years to come.

14th Annual Twin Cities Food & Wine Experience, Feb. 21-24

Tickets are on sale for the 14th Annual Twin Cities Food & Wine Experience, the annual wine and food blowout at the Minneapolis Convention Center (with other associated events at local restaurants and at Macy's downtown). Events begin on Thursday, Feb. 21 and run through Sunday, Feb. 24. There will be chef demos (JD Fratzke, Nathalie Johnson, Scott Pampuch and others), wine seminars, and lots of other opportunities for doing it (and overdoing it). Two unfortunate notes: (1) the Friday night winemaker's dinner at Solera is already sold out, and (2) featured chef Rick Tramonto of Tru (Chicago), previously announced, will not be able to attend.

Closings: Opposable Thumbs Bookstore (NE)

Via Rake Magazine's Net Raker, Sassy notes that the Opposable Thumbs bookstore at 2833 Johnson Street in Nordeast will be closing soon (might already be closed, so call first: 612.706.2020). Books and most vinyl 50% off. Soon to be replaced by Crafty Planet, according to Sassy, though I can find nothing on the Crafty Planet website about it.

Dining for a Cause, Again

As the Twin Cities Originals website proclaims, Frost Bites (yes, it does). The Twin Cities Originals group of restaurants are holding their 2nd Annual Winter Taste of the Twin Cities Originals on Tuesday, February 26th. Tickets are $40 in advance or $45 at the door (if there are any left to sell at the door). Lots of cool restaurants are part of the TCO group, so it looks like it will be a tasty good time.

The best part is that you'll also be helping to support Washington County Meals on Wheels, TCO's first charity partner. Of course, the great food and Gallo Family wines aren't too shabby, either.

Order tickets here.

Go Cruising with Chef Andrew Zimmern

There are those that love Andrew Zimmern, and those not so fond of him. If you are among the former, you may be interested to know that he will be "teaching a bunch of classes and hosting a dinner onboard the Holland America Line’s Ryndam." That's a cruise ship, to you and me. Info on his Chow & Again blog at Minneapolis-St. Paul magazine.

While We're on the Topic of Being Cheap (Er, Thrifty)

Good site for cheap local eats, drinks and info on events about town: The Thrifty Hipster. I'm in no way, shape or form a hipster, and they let me on the site (not sure that was advisable). If you sign up to get their emails, they promise info on drink specials and free stuff. Yay free stuff!

Thrifty Local Gal!

Via The Rake's Secrets of the Day, I ran across Cheap But Not Easy, the website of a blogger from a north St. Paul suburb who has decided to attempt to purchase nothing over $20 for a full year (okay, there are a few exceptions, like certain personal services, household requirements, unforeseen repairs and the like).

Cool idea, though as one commenter mentions, tough to do if you have a spouse and/or kids. I do find lots of good thrifty tips and links there, though, for consignment shops (she's partial to Nu Look on 50th and Penn, among others), thrift stores (she likes Savers, as do I) and cheap eats (she mentions my old employer, the Cheese Shop at Surdyk's, where I slung high-end queso with the best of 'em).


So, you go, girl. Stay thrifty, Minneapolis (and St. Paul).

Off-Topic: The Fixx

In the '80s, I loved The Fixx. I haven't kept up with them as I should have, and they've release scads of albums that I haven't heard a lick of. For whatever reason, I was thinking of them this morning and went looking for online resources. In addition to the already-linked Fixx website, there is the obligatory Myspace page, currently featuring new versions of their biggest old hits. There is also a Wikipedia entry, as well as a fan forum. There are also a couple of individual fan sites.

There are only a few bands/artists that I've had a deep interest in but, without fail, for those bands/artists, I find that the big hits are less satisfying than other aspects of their work. Specific to The Fixx, almost everyone who loves '80s music remembers "One Thing Leads to Another," "Red Skies at Night," and "Saved by Zero," all from the Reach The Beach album, and "Stand or Fall" and "Red Skies" from the Shuttered Room album. For me, the best album was Phantoms which, if I recall correctly, was disappointing from a sales perspective but for me was eminently more enjoyable than either of the first two albums.

Just checked their website and at this point there are no plans to tour at this time. Too bad -- I'm in need of a Fixx.

Best Places to Work: MN Gets Its 2%

Seems simple: 100 best places to work in the US, 50 states. Minnesota should get 2. And we do: Fortune Magazine says Minnesota has the 59th and 69th best places to work in the US. Coming in at #59 is the Mayo Clinic, world-class medical facility and home of the lifer: "The magazine noted that at Mayo, 'Hire for life is the goal at the prestigious health-care provider. And it's working. More than 17 percent of the workforce has been here 20 or more years.'" And at #69 is General Mills, the agribusiness giant, which makes the list regularly for its family-friendly policies.

PiPress List of New Restaurants Coming in 2008

Lots of new dining opening in 2008, according to this list from the PiPress. Of note: the former Old Chicago space in downtown Minneapolis will be a (wait for it) sports bar, run by the Loop Bar & Restaurant guys; Indio, another Hector Ruiz production (he of El Meson and Cafe Ena); and, on a hyperlocal note for me (a Longfellow resident), "St. Paul-based Capital Growth real-estate company is looking for restaurant tenants for Longfellow Station, an apartment and retail development across the street from the light rail on the southeast corner of Hiawatha and 38th (pdf). The company has turned down national chains, including Buffalo Wild Wings, says broker John Chirhart. 'We want it to be a neighborhood place.'"

Eastern Blok at Rossi's Blue Star Room, 1/24 and 1/25

A friend emailed me to let me know that Eastern Blok, formerly known as The Goran Ivanovic Group, will be playing 2 shows at Rossi's Blue Star Room, at 8pm on Thursday, 1/24/08 and at 9pm on Friday, 1/25/08. My friend says Eastern Blok is an interesting group out of Chicago with an amazing guitarist. The Eastern Blok website describes their music as Balkan fusion. Here's their Myspace page.

Name That Restaurant

The folks at Blue Plate (the people behind the Longfellow Grill, Highland Grill, Edina Grill and Groveland Tap) are opening a new place in Maple Grove (why?) and are casting about for a name. You can win a $500 gift certificate good at any Blue Plate restaurant.

First, although it is probably tempting to want to call it Maple Grove Grill (to associate it with three of their four existing restaurants), I have a hard time believing (a) they haven't thought of it yet (since Nancy Ngo of the PiPress did) and (b) it makes for a good restaurant name. So try something a bit more clever.

Second, I have nothing in particular against Maple Grove (except that the couple of times I've been there, I have only been to that weird Arbor Lakes area that is like the size of downtown Minneapolis but filled with chain restaurants, big box stores and other unremarkable national chain stores, and I got lost each time in the maze of consumerism). But I have read that several restaurants have already come and gone from Maple Grove, and there are still like 50 chains there, so I'm not sure what Blue Plate thinks they're going to be adding (they advertise their other spots as "urban diners," but I'm not sure someone who moves to Maple Grove is looking for any kind of urban experience).

Continuing on that thread, the Maple Grove Wikipedia entry notes that "Arbor Lakes is home to more retail than virtually any city in the state, second only to the Mall of America in Bloomington. Maple Grove itself is likely to have nearly 6 million square feet (600,000 m²) of commercial development at build out, which may soon push the city into the number one spot for retail square-footage."

Finally, here's a link to a 2005 Jeremy Iggers Strib review of the Longfellow Grill in which, among other things, Blue Plate owner David Burley says, "We have no plans to go to Eden Prairie or Maple Grove. We're urban dwellers." Um, whoops.