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.

Not Funny: Acme Leaving Mpls, Moving to St. Paul?

Nancy Ngo reports on the Eat blog at the PiPress that Acme Comedy Company is in serious discussions to leave its Warehouse District basement digs and move into the former Fhima's space on Wabasha in downtown St. Paul.

I think this would be a disaster for them, as a significant portion of their audience comes from University of Minnesota students -- many of whom may not be interested in making the trek to downtown St. Paul. The sad story of downtown St. Paul is that it has been a nightlife dead zone for decades, and without an abundance of other nightlife venues nearby for after-show partaking, there may not be enough there there.