...Rally the Troops...

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.

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.

"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!

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.

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.

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 :)

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.