Well the theme for Saturday evening seemed to be a “rally the troops” kind of night. I felt kind of under the weather and I could have very easy sat on the couch and watched TV. But, Tracy won tickets to the Electric Amp Radio show and we wanted to put the tickets to use.
We started off the evening by going to Eat Street and eating at New Delhi Indian Cuisine. Being one of my favorites, I knew that they have a great menu with even better food. Maybe it was me not feeling well or having different impressions of how good the food was the first time I came here. But the food didn’t measure up to my expectations the second time around. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but it wasn’t great.
The highlights were samosa’s, a pastry stuffed full of root vegetables and peanuts, which was an appetizer and a sweet condiment dip with chewy bits of fruit in it (dates?) The main dish that I ordered was saffron chicken with rice and Tracy had a hot plate of veggies and fish (think fajita). We also had a side order of some nana bread. We shared the two dishes and I would say that the food was average, a nice combination of flavors and spices but the food didn’t blow me away. Would I return there again. Yes, but not right away.
On to the show…The Electric Amp Radio show took place at the Woman’s Club located in Minneapolis. This performance is a great example of, “what was once old is now new again.” I could imagine this performance taking place back during the early 1900’s.
The premise of the show is this: …”four writers living together in a little house on a city street. They holed up in a back-yard tree house and a punk poet next door. One individual plays the clarinet, badly, the punk poet steps up on occasion to lay down a few soft words about life, living and the pursuit of whatever, and the writers invite a band to stay with them as they all scramble around each other's egos.”
The show opened up by having a guy dressed in a bear costume, doing a comedy act. The material was mostly about one liners, poems, and other random writings, it was funny and mildly humorous. The entire act was a typical stand up act, the only thing that was atypical was the way he was dressed which was strangely funny and odd.
Following the bear costumed comedian, the musical guests for the night were Fran King and Duncan Maitland. They were a duo from Ireland. Upon hearing them they reminded me of the band, Better then Ezra and a solo musician, Michael Penn. They performed acoustically, contemporized style of adult folk music who were enjoyable to listen to.
The main act itself was about 70 minutes in length; it was entertaining, funny, and interesting to see how radio shows are created. I found that the actual plot was fun to follow because, it was mostly was made up in your head. The writers would give the dialog, but you as a viewer, had to fill in the details. There were a few good laughs, interesting play of words, songs from the guest musicians, and interaction from the audience. My bottom line is that the performance was entertaining and I would attend it again.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Laying Low
Laying low tonight and just enjoying the couch, the t.v. and the company. Nothing to review or critique at the moment (unless you count my praises for the dinner Derek made). I guess it's my turn for random thoughts:
- Derek clued me in to this one: Tapes N Tapes is performing in a free Pabst-sponsored show at the Triple Rock on Nov. 30, according to yesterday's Pioneer Press. Sounds like their new album will be out in the next couple of months. Don't know if the Nov. 30 show is in the cards, but I'm sure it will be good. We saw them at First Ave. last December and they were in prime form. One of the best shows I saw all year.
- Has anyone seen the trailor for Lars and the Real Girl? Anything that prominently features a blow-up doll along with the words love story is going to pique my curiosity, if nothing for the seeming absurdity of it all. Plus, it's written by Nancy Oliver, who also wrote for Six Feet Under. I just read this review by Roger Ebert and the opening line of his article was enough for me: "How do you make a film about a life-sized love doll, ordered through the Internet, into a life-affirming statement of hope?" That says enough to make me want to find out.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
"Sea" it soon before you can't: Sea Salt Eatery
Ever try something and wonder why you didn't do it sooner? Hmmm, don't answer that. Anyway, we ventured over to Sea Salt Eatery in Minnehaha Park last night, hoping to salvage what we could of this charming establishment before it closes for the season this Sunday, Oct. 28. I don't typically go out for seafood simply for the fact that I'm cheap and I don't know of any "cheap" seafood places. But we gave Sea Salt a try (I figured it couldn't be too expensive since it's in a pavillion in a park) and came away pretty happy.
Now, let me preface this review by saying I'm a little extreme when it comes to my love for seafood. I'll have it cooked or raw, and when I say "it," well, there's no type of seafood I've met that I didn't like. I bet my mouth would water at the smell of Sparky's treats at Como Zoo (anyone get that reference?). It doesn't take much to make me happy when it comes to seafood.
For appetizers, we tried some calamari and shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were a good size and my only complaint was the shell...there's nothing more frustrating -- aside from being hungry -- than having to "work" for my food. Call me lazy. But aside from that, they were just what I expected, and very good at that. The calamari was equally good, but in a different sort of way. It was the kind of "good" that you say about fried anything. Can you really taste much of the "anything?" When you say it's good, you might as well say you're digging the fried, greasy batter hugging whatever it is you're eating. Fry me up some pigs feet and I'm sure I'll like 'em if you coat them with enough of that stuff. And I'll say it for the calamari...that was some mighty fine fried batter.
For our main course, Derek and I both had the grilled marlin tacos. Aside from the portion size -- I could have eaten another one in addition to the two that came with the order --everything was great. The marlin was grilled nicely and perfectly spiced -- lightly, thankfully, to complement the fish's natural flavors. The marlin was served in a soft corn taco, which was a departure from the usual flour kind that I'm used to, and a definite welcome change.
We also shared a seafood soup, which consisted of mussels, shrimp, scallops and possibly squid (Derek? Do you remember?) in a tomato-ey broth. I'm a bit of a seafood soup connoiseur...if it's ever on the menu somewhere I'm eating, chances are, I'll end up ordering it, so last night was no exception. Overall, awesome flavors...but it was a classic case of too much broth and not enough of the good stuff. This is usually how it is, though. The only time I've really gotten a lot of seafood in my soup was when I tried the soup at El Patio on West 7th St. in St. Paul. Does anyone else know of places that serve good seafood soup?
My experience at Sea Salt was pleasant, and it's definitely a place I wish I would have gone to sooner -- i.e. in the summer when it was warmer. Perfectly situated in Minnehaha Park, it's the ideal place for an outdoor meal, and outdoor seating there is abundant. It was indoors for us, though, since it is fall, after all. I guess there's always next summer.
THIS JUST IN: As much as I like to get out and about, I also like t.v. (I have a somewhat embarrasing fondness for the reality genre, in fact) and was happy to find out that the Amazing Race starts on Nov. 4. Woohoo!
Now, let me preface this review by saying I'm a little extreme when it comes to my love for seafood. I'll have it cooked or raw, and when I say "it," well, there's no type of seafood I've met that I didn't like. I bet my mouth would water at the smell of Sparky's treats at Como Zoo (anyone get that reference?). It doesn't take much to make me happy when it comes to seafood.
For appetizers, we tried some calamari and shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were a good size and my only complaint was the shell...there's nothing more frustrating -- aside from being hungry -- than having to "work" for my food. Call me lazy. But aside from that, they were just what I expected, and very good at that. The calamari was equally good, but in a different sort of way. It was the kind of "good" that you say about fried anything. Can you really taste much of the "anything?" When you say it's good, you might as well say you're digging the fried, greasy batter hugging whatever it is you're eating. Fry me up some pigs feet and I'm sure I'll like 'em if you coat them with enough of that stuff. And I'll say it for the calamari...that was some mighty fine fried batter.
For our main course, Derek and I both had the grilled marlin tacos. Aside from the portion size -- I could have eaten another one in addition to the two that came with the order --everything was great. The marlin was grilled nicely and perfectly spiced -- lightly, thankfully, to complement the fish's natural flavors. The marlin was served in a soft corn taco, which was a departure from the usual flour kind that I'm used to, and a definite welcome change.
We also shared a seafood soup, which consisted of mussels, shrimp, scallops and possibly squid (Derek? Do you remember?) in a tomato-ey broth. I'm a bit of a seafood soup connoiseur...if it's ever on the menu somewhere I'm eating, chances are, I'll end up ordering it, so last night was no exception. Overall, awesome flavors...but it was a classic case of too much broth and not enough of the good stuff. This is usually how it is, though. The only time I've really gotten a lot of seafood in my soup was when I tried the soup at El Patio on West 7th St. in St. Paul. Does anyone else know of places that serve good seafood soup?
My experience at Sea Salt was pleasant, and it's definitely a place I wish I would have gone to sooner -- i.e. in the summer when it was warmer. Perfectly situated in Minnehaha Park, it's the ideal place for an outdoor meal, and outdoor seating there is abundant. It was indoors for us, though, since it is fall, after all. I guess there's always next summer.
THIS JUST IN: As much as I like to get out and about, I also like t.v. (I have a somewhat embarrasing fondness for the reality genre, in fact) and was happy to find out that the Amazing Race starts on Nov. 4. Woohoo!
Random Thoughts...
Since we haven't gone to an event for several days, I thought that I would list some of the things I have heard or read about.
Salute' of Edina is going to be opening up in the defunct Sydney's location on Grand Avenue.
Crazy that Atlanta may only have 3 more months of drinking water left???
Pop! restaurant owners have plan to open a new location in Lowertown in St. Paul.
St. Thomas University is getting a new student center, to be built in the existing parking lot of the football stadium. In addition they are also going to be building a new 5 story, 700 car parking ramp near Cretin and Grand Avenue.
Trader Joe's may open another location in Highland Park.
The MPR Christmas Concert is going to be awesome.
My friend Dave Busta's fundraiser is coming up please click here to read about it: http://bustabenefit.org/
I think that the proposed 35w bridge is need to be revised again and made into a showcase bridge, something that will be remembered. The current plan for the bridge is very forgettable.
The new Dan Wilson album came out. I really enjoy his music but, in my opinion he sounds better doing a solo gig, then with a band.
The musical A don't hug me Christmas Carol looks funny.
I really enjoy the weather the past few days...clear, cool nights.....bright, sunny and warm days...Did you see the moon last night???
I look forward to seeing the results for the men's olympic marathon trials.
Salute' of Edina is going to be opening up in the defunct Sydney's location on Grand Avenue.
Crazy that Atlanta may only have 3 more months of drinking water left???
Pop! restaurant owners have plan to open a new location in Lowertown in St. Paul.
St. Thomas University is getting a new student center, to be built in the existing parking lot of the football stadium. In addition they are also going to be building a new 5 story, 700 car parking ramp near Cretin and Grand Avenue.
Trader Joe's may open another location in Highland Park.
The MPR Christmas Concert is going to be awesome.
My friend Dave Busta's fundraiser is coming up please click here to read about it: http://bustabenefit.org/
I think that the proposed 35w bridge is need to be revised again and made into a showcase bridge, something that will be remembered. The current plan for the bridge is very forgettable.
The new Dan Wilson album came out. I really enjoy his music but, in my opinion he sounds better doing a solo gig, then with a band.
The musical A don't hug me Christmas Carol looks funny.
I really enjoy the weather the past few days...clear, cool nights.....bright, sunny and warm days...Did you see the moon last night???
I look forward to seeing the results for the men's olympic marathon trials.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Ballet Minnesota Fall Concert: Ballet, blah blah blah...and HIP HOP!
Let me start out by saying I have been a dancer at times in my life. I'm on a bit of a hiatus right now but trained/performed as recently as five months ago so I'd like to say I have a honed appreciation for the art. And I still like to attend performances. That said, Derek found this random listing on City Pages.com for a free performance at the Fitz. Ballet Minnesota + hip hop act Desadomna and Carnage. Huh? Intrigued, we headed over to claim our free tickets and enjoy a potentially awesome show.
By the way, thanks for mentioning my gimpiness, Derek...yep, we had good seats thanks to my compromised mobility.
Anyway, the first act was fine...albeit very classical, no hip hop. I soon learned that Ballet Minnesota is a very fine group of technically sound, well-trained teenage ballerinas. And that was my biggest hang up. I was expecting adults, and I watched younger females -- talented, no less, but young. Here's the thing: you can be great, technically, but if you're young, chances are you don't have the maturity or performance skills of an older counterpart. The result was a show that had the feel of a really awesome dance school recital. The choreography was beautiful, the dancers were beautiful, and the performance was technically-sound, but it lacked the maturity to bring it up to a professional-level performance.
The highlight was rapper Desdamona and beat boxer Carnage, the hip hop duo also known as Il Chemistry. You can read about the show's premise of hip hop meets ballet here. Unfortunately or fortunately -- I guess whatever way you look at it -- this highlight came in the last 15 minutes of a two-hour show. The dancers traded the recorded music that had guided their movements for the majority of the show for the sounds of Il Chemistry -- rhythmic poems and beat-boxing. Funny thing, I stopped watching the dancers and just focused on Il Chemistry...their stage presence was overpowering. Desdamona's lyrics were clever, thoughtful and powerful -- a true, strong woman! -- and they fluctuated between rapping and singing. Her singing voice was as rich and soulful as the lyrics themselves. Carnage's beat boxing was equally incredible. This is one act I want to see more of in the future.
According to her Web site, Desdamona has a new CD ("The Source"). I'll have to check that out. Not sure when her next show is...Apparently she just performed at Mayda's CD release show on Oct. 18 at the Varsity. Anyway, she's an artist I'd go see again.
Back to ballet...good dancers, decent show -- but glad it was free. I'll save my money for other upcoming dance performances, including TU Dance, James Sewell and the Zenon Company.
By the way, thanks for mentioning my gimpiness, Derek...yep, we had good seats thanks to my compromised mobility.
Anyway, the first act was fine...albeit very classical, no hip hop. I soon learned that Ballet Minnesota is a very fine group of technically sound, well-trained teenage ballerinas. And that was my biggest hang up. I was expecting adults, and I watched younger females -- talented, no less, but young. Here's the thing: you can be great, technically, but if you're young, chances are you don't have the maturity or performance skills of an older counterpart. The result was a show that had the feel of a really awesome dance school recital. The choreography was beautiful, the dancers were beautiful, and the performance was technically-sound, but it lacked the maturity to bring it up to a professional-level performance.
The highlight was rapper Desdamona and beat boxer Carnage, the hip hop duo also known as Il Chemistry. You can read about the show's premise of hip hop meets ballet here. Unfortunately or fortunately -- I guess whatever way you look at it -- this highlight came in the last 15 minutes of a two-hour show. The dancers traded the recorded music that had guided their movements for the majority of the show for the sounds of Il Chemistry -- rhythmic poems and beat-boxing. Funny thing, I stopped watching the dancers and just focused on Il Chemistry...their stage presence was overpowering. Desdamona's lyrics were clever, thoughtful and powerful -- a true, strong woman! -- and they fluctuated between rapping and singing. Her singing voice was as rich and soulful as the lyrics themselves. Carnage's beat boxing was equally incredible. This is one act I want to see more of in the future.
According to her Web site, Desdamona has a new CD ("The Source"). I'll have to check that out. Not sure when her next show is...Apparently she just performed at Mayda's CD release show on Oct. 18 at the Varsity. Anyway, she's an artist I'd go see again.
Back to ballet...good dancers, decent show -- but glad it was free. I'll save my money for other upcoming dance performances, including TU Dance, James Sewell and the Zenon Company.
Ballet Minnesota's-- 2nd Annual Fall Concert
Friday, I was checking out City Pages.com and came across this "free" event which took place Saturday, at the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown Saint Paul. We arrived early and collected our tickets and noticed that we had balcony seats. Tracy on crutches, had no problem climbing the 2 flights of steps to our seats, but the volunteers did. It worked out to our advantage because they assigned us wonderful seats on the main floor in the back.
There were two acts. The first being very traditional ballet with the dancers performing along to stringed instrument's. The second act was a more contemporary approach to ballet. The dances were choreographed to music from a variety of remixed R&B, acoustic, B-boxing, and rap music.
The concert was entertaining, the music was great, the price was right, however the dancers were very amateur. Or I should say, not experienced, they were high school age individuals who were very talented, but lacked the confidence of older more experienced dancers. The reason being, by observing the dancers it appeared that many of them were thinking about the next move rather then being in the moment and creating fluid movements.
Highlights for me was the price, seeing the musical acts during the performance, being mildly entertained, and spending time with Tracy :)
There were two acts. The first being very traditional ballet with the dancers performing along to stringed instrument's. The second act was a more contemporary approach to ballet. The dances were choreographed to music from a variety of remixed R&B, acoustic, B-boxing, and rap music.
The concert was entertaining, the music was great, the price was right, however the dancers were very amateur. Or I should say, not experienced, they were high school age individuals who were very talented, but lacked the confidence of older more experienced dancers. The reason being, by observing the dancers it appeared that many of them were thinking about the next move rather then being in the moment and creating fluid movements.
Highlights for me was the price, seeing the musical acts during the performance, being mildly entertained, and spending time with Tracy :)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Strap the feed bags on.....
With an empty stomach, a knife and fork in hand. Tracy and I walked in the door at the International Market Square for the City Pages Iron Fork benefit. With an 30 dollar price tag and 100 percent of the proceeds going to Second Harvest Heartland. I thought it was an excellent event.
While many of the attendees (about 700) seemed to be going straight for the beverages (wine and beer). We went straight for the food. From the 28 of the restaurants I think that we managed to taste just about all of them. We skipped over a few of the because of food that we didn't care for.
The food was in three different categories; appetizers, signature dishes, and dessert. Regardless of the categories, it was prepared in ways that were found from all corners of the world. All in all, it was a great event that benefited an excellent cause. I left full, satisfied, happy and look forward to this event next fall. By the way here are my favorites.
Appetizers:
Barbette: Chicken liver patte w/ cherries----Excellent, dry brothy taste with sweet undertones from the cherries.
Sea Salt Eatery: Oysters on the half shell----Clean tasting, no grit, beautiful!
Signature Dishes:
Marla's Indian & Caribbean Cuisine: Jamaican jerk Chicken, vegetable curry, rice and beans----This was awesome, chicken fell apart in your mouth, the curry was unbelievable mild spice that warmed your mouth, the rice and beans were pasty and wonderfully spiced.
Shish Mediterranean Grill: Spinach pie, falafel, hummus, grape leaves, and pita chips----It was very clean tasting, not heavy but healthy tasting, spices that surprised your mouth, and a great aftertaste of garlic that reminded me that I should eat here again.
Dessert:
Afton House Inn: Mini pumpkins filled with pumpkin custard---This should be the new pumpkin pie! They were cooked then frozen with wonderful smooth custard, placed in the gutted pumpkin cavity, I had 3 of them...need I say more.
Wild Cards....worth mentioning.
Pizza Luce': Baked Potato pizza---imagine mashed potato's instead of tomato sauce on a pizza. Try it! Trust me you love it!
Jay's Cafe: BBQ pork and wild mushroom pasty---These were excellent, smokey, warm, doughy, moist, excellently done. I had many more then one.
While many of the attendees (about 700) seemed to be going straight for the beverages (wine and beer). We went straight for the food. From the 28 of the restaurants I think that we managed to taste just about all of them. We skipped over a few of the because of food that we didn't care for.
The food was in three different categories; appetizers, signature dishes, and dessert. Regardless of the categories, it was prepared in ways that were found from all corners of the world. All in all, it was a great event that benefited an excellent cause. I left full, satisfied, happy and look forward to this event next fall. By the way here are my favorites.
Appetizers:
Barbette: Chicken liver patte w/ cherries----Excellent, dry brothy taste with sweet undertones from the cherries.
Sea Salt Eatery: Oysters on the half shell----Clean tasting, no grit, beautiful!
Signature Dishes:
Marla's Indian & Caribbean Cuisine: Jamaican jerk Chicken, vegetable curry, rice and beans----This was awesome, chicken fell apart in your mouth, the curry was unbelievable mild spice that warmed your mouth, the rice and beans were pasty and wonderfully spiced.
Shish Mediterranean Grill: Spinach pie, falafel, hummus, grape leaves, and pita chips----It was very clean tasting, not heavy but healthy tasting, spices that surprised your mouth, and a great aftertaste of garlic that reminded me that I should eat here again.
Dessert:
Afton House Inn: Mini pumpkins filled with pumpkin custard---This should be the new pumpkin pie! They were cooked then frozen with wonderful smooth custard, placed in the gutted pumpkin cavity, I had 3 of them...need I say more.
Wild Cards....worth mentioning.
Pizza Luce': Baked Potato pizza---imagine mashed potato's instead of tomato sauce on a pizza. Try it! Trust me you love it!
Jay's Cafe: BBQ pork and wild mushroom pasty---These were excellent, smokey, warm, doughy, moist, excellently done. I had many more then one.
Eat Your Face Off! (Tracy's take on the Iron Fork)
Doing our best Andrew Zimmern impression, Derek and I attended City Pages' Iron Fork event at International Market Square on Thursday night and ate ourselves silly while sampling an impressive variety of signature dishes from restaurants around the Twin Cities -- all for a good cause, of course. With all proceeds going to Second Harvest Heartland, shelling out $30 per person wasn't too bad. And once we read the event description, we knew we'd be in for a treat.
The premise: An "Iron Chef"-type competition for chefs from around the Twin Cities. The bonus? 28 different vendors at stations surrounding the main floor, where the competition took place. I'm sorry to say I have no idea who won. I heard the event hosts bantering back and forth while the chefs took part in the competition, but I was too busy trying some incredible food to pay attention to who came out on top.
I did come away with a desire to visit some restaurants in the near future based on what I sampled. Here's a rundown of the highlights:
Restaurant: Afton House Inn
Food: Mini pumpkins filled with pumpkin custard and spice anglaise.
Review: Oh. My. Can we say decadant? Deliciously spicey, sweet and silky? My response to dessert has always been "no thanks, I'm not really a dessert person." And it's usually the truth. After trying these, though, I now have an exception, and the 2.5 pumpkins I consumed are proof of that. Forget pumpkin pie; this should be the new Thanksgiving dessert. These alone are worth paying a visit to the Afton House Inn.
Restaurant: Marla's Indian and Caribbean Cuisine
Food: Jamaican jerk chicken served with red beans and rice and vegetable curry
Review: God bless Marla for introducing me to Indian and Caribbean food with such a bang. The spiciness of the three dishes actually seemed to occur in phases, with an initial sense of spice followed by subsequent kicks moments later. Chicken, veggies and rice: a simple concept done right.
Restaurant: Shish Mediterranean Grill
Food: Spinach pie stuffed with organic spinach and special spices, falafels, grape leaves stuffed with some sort of spicy rice concotion, pita chips, hummus, roasted egg plant spread and some sort of garlic spread that's still haunting me two days later.
Review: Apologies about the somewhat nondescript food listing; I can't remember all that we had and my trusty food guide that they gave us at the event doesn't list all of Shish's offerings. But a bad memory does not equal a bad food experience. I should note that I've been to Shish before, and it's got the feel of a pretty simple college-y cafe (it's about a block from the Macalestar College campus, you order at the counter, etc.) -- nothing too fancy or exciting. The times I've gone there, I've played it safe and ordered a simple veggie wrap. This time around I took a no-holds-barred approach (actually, that was kind of my approach to the whole evening). When I made my way to the front of line I told the woman serving to fill up my plate with everything. And I'm glad she did. I'm a somewhat health conscious eater in that I don't like fried, greasy fatty foods. The times before that I've had the type of food Shish offers (from other places), I haven't been a fan. Falafels, for example, typically just taste like fried breading. But Shish had a definite quality thatg far surpasses any other Greek-type food I've eaten before. I think my return trip for seconds was proof of that.
Overall experience: Awesome premise for a good cause. I did feel like Derek and I were in the minority with our eating, though. For $30, we came hungry and determined to get our money's worth of food. I was kind of surprised, though, at how many people seemed to be just drinking and not doing much eating. Yes, the $30 covered beer and liquor, too, but with so many great dishes to try, beverages took a back seat. Plus, the beer was Amstel Light. 'Nuff said.
The premise: An "Iron Chef"-type competition for chefs from around the Twin Cities. The bonus? 28 different vendors at stations surrounding the main floor, where the competition took place. I'm sorry to say I have no idea who won. I heard the event hosts bantering back and forth while the chefs took part in the competition, but I was too busy trying some incredible food to pay attention to who came out on top.
I did come away with a desire to visit some restaurants in the near future based on what I sampled. Here's a rundown of the highlights:
Restaurant: Afton House Inn
Food: Mini pumpkins filled with pumpkin custard and spice anglaise.
Review: Oh. My. Can we say decadant? Deliciously spicey, sweet and silky? My response to dessert has always been "no thanks, I'm not really a dessert person." And it's usually the truth. After trying these, though, I now have an exception, and the 2.5 pumpkins I consumed are proof of that. Forget pumpkin pie; this should be the new Thanksgiving dessert. These alone are worth paying a visit to the Afton House Inn.
Restaurant: Marla's Indian and Caribbean Cuisine
Food: Jamaican jerk chicken served with red beans and rice and vegetable curry
Review: God bless Marla for introducing me to Indian and Caribbean food with such a bang. The spiciness of the three dishes actually seemed to occur in phases, with an initial sense of spice followed by subsequent kicks moments later. Chicken, veggies and rice: a simple concept done right.
Restaurant: Shish Mediterranean Grill
Food: Spinach pie stuffed with organic spinach and special spices, falafels, grape leaves stuffed with some sort of spicy rice concotion, pita chips, hummus, roasted egg plant spread and some sort of garlic spread that's still haunting me two days later.
Review: Apologies about the somewhat nondescript food listing; I can't remember all that we had and my trusty food guide that they gave us at the event doesn't list all of Shish's offerings. But a bad memory does not equal a bad food experience. I should note that I've been to Shish before, and it's got the feel of a pretty simple college-y cafe (it's about a block from the Macalestar College campus, you order at the counter, etc.) -- nothing too fancy or exciting. The times I've gone there, I've played it safe and ordered a simple veggie wrap. This time around I took a no-holds-barred approach (actually, that was kind of my approach to the whole evening). When I made my way to the front of line I told the woman serving to fill up my plate with everything. And I'm glad she did. I'm a somewhat health conscious eater in that I don't like fried, greasy fatty foods. The times before that I've had the type of food Shish offers (from other places), I haven't been a fan. Falafels, for example, typically just taste like fried breading. But Shish had a definite quality thatg far surpasses any other Greek-type food I've eaten before. I think my return trip for seconds was proof of that.
Overall experience: Awesome premise for a good cause. I did feel like Derek and I were in the minority with our eating, though. For $30, we came hungry and determined to get our money's worth of food. I was kind of surprised, though, at how many people seemed to be just drinking and not doing much eating. Yes, the $30 covered beer and liquor, too, but with so many great dishes to try, beverages took a back seat. Plus, the beer was Amstel Light. 'Nuff said.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Mother nature...death becomes her? The Death of Enviornmentalism
I'll admit it...Compared to Derek, I'm not the most engaged when it comes to environmentalism. Well, I take that back. I take out the recycling sometimes -- right, Derek? Anyway, sure, I care about our planet. I like nature. Pollution sucks, nature is nice. But when we're talking about the whole planet, well, "saving it" sounds a bit daunting. And when there are smaller-scale things to think about -- I'm talking about those things that, when ignored, will land me in hot water (e.g. paying bills, calling my mom, etc.) -- the environment, global warming, etc. isn't going to be the first thing to keep me up at night.
On Tuesday, Oct. 16, we attended Policy and a Pint: The Death of Environmentalism, hosted by 89.3 the Current and the Citizen's League at the Varsity Theater. First of all, let me say that the Varsity is a sweet venue with a hip enough atmosphere to make any topic interesting (note to my college econ professor...). Luckily, the atmosphere was simply a bonus to what turned out to be a pretty interesting discussion. The speaker, Michael Shellenberger, and his coauthor, Ted Nordhaus, recently came out with a book called The Breakthrough in which they assert that "the old ways of talking about pollution and acid rain will never change how people go about their lives, and that 'environmentalism' has to die in order for real change to happen to protect our water, air and land." They believe controlling global warming won't happen with more calls to end pollution; instead the government must make substantial investments in new technology (solar, etc.) and new models, ways of thinking, policies, etc. that take into account economics, job creation and people's quality of life.
It seems that the idea of expanding technology instead of focusing on limiting/restricting carbon emissions through pollution is gaining wider traction when I look in the paper, watch the news and listen to what others are saying, like on Tuesday. And it makes sense to me when I think about human nature...who responds to restrictions and limits? Shellenberger talked about the limitless potential of humans to create and innovate. Harnessing that power toward technologies that create clean energy breaks out of that "restriction" mentality and focuses on moving forward. The difference is subtle, but it’s there. The only trick, though, will be for government to carry through on the idea by backing it financially, of course. Definitely a topic to keep in mind heading into November 2008...
So maybe I'm more of an environmentalist than I thought. Better yet, maybe I just needed to change my thinking to become part of a new kind of enviornmentalism. I think that's what Tuesday did for me...definitely a worthwhile event.
On Tuesday, Oct. 16, we attended Policy and a Pint: The Death of Environmentalism, hosted by 89.3 the Current and the Citizen's League at the Varsity Theater. First of all, let me say that the Varsity is a sweet venue with a hip enough atmosphere to make any topic interesting (note to my college econ professor...). Luckily, the atmosphere was simply a bonus to what turned out to be a pretty interesting discussion. The speaker, Michael Shellenberger, and his coauthor, Ted Nordhaus, recently came out with a book called The Breakthrough in which they assert that "the old ways of talking about pollution and acid rain will never change how people go about their lives, and that 'environmentalism' has to die in order for real change to happen to protect our water, air and land." They believe controlling global warming won't happen with more calls to end pollution; instead the government must make substantial investments in new technology (solar, etc.) and new models, ways of thinking, policies, etc. that take into account economics, job creation and people's quality of life.
It seems that the idea of expanding technology instead of focusing on limiting/restricting carbon emissions through pollution is gaining wider traction when I look in the paper, watch the news and listen to what others are saying, like on Tuesday. And it makes sense to me when I think about human nature...who responds to restrictions and limits? Shellenberger talked about the limitless potential of humans to create and innovate. Harnessing that power toward technologies that create clean energy breaks out of that "restriction" mentality and focuses on moving forward. The difference is subtle, but it’s there. The only trick, though, will be for government to carry through on the idea by backing it financially, of course. Definitely a topic to keep in mind heading into November 2008...
So maybe I'm more of an environmentalist than I thought. Better yet, maybe I just needed to change my thinking to become part of a new kind of enviornmentalism. I think that's what Tuesday did for me...definitely a worthwhile event.
Policy and a Pint presents the Death of Environmentalism
Policy and a pint….My thoughts on the event was very education and informative. First things first; the location was the Varsity Theater. This is a great venue, very intimate, comfortable and very inviting. There was seating on the main floor as well as more comfortable chairs around the perimeter of the main floor and standing room in the back. The audience was a mixed bag of individuals from all age groups, with one common thing in mind…environmentalism. The way the night played out was on the stage Steve Steel a DJ from the The Current, interviewed Michael Shellenberger, one of the authors the book Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility.
I found Shellenberger very informative. He first described what the enviroment is. Does it include humans or just the trees, plants, animals, land and so on? He stated that he believes that it involves everything that lives on planet earth. I can see both sides, and this topic could be argued in depth, but anyways.
What I remember the most is that the underlining theme that Shelleberger mentioned was that you have to admit that there is a problem. There is no mystery, today’s society is a huge consumer of energy (there’s the problem!) and we need to slow the consumtion process (way of maintaining the situation) and create a different way to produce energy (What a great solution).
http://minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2619
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977144939
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