Nordeast Winners 2007

Congratulations to all the Northeast Minneapolis winners of the City Pages Best of the Twin Cities Awards for 2007 that came out last week. What follows is a list of those Nordeast establishments and people that received accolades this year:

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* BEST URINALS - - Stasiu's

Notes: I blogged about these beauties (here) a few months ago. Glad to see they're being further recognized.

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* BEST GOURMET PIZZA - - Pizza Nea

Notes: Last year's winner for BEST PIZZA.

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* BEST HOT DOGS - - Uncle Franky's

Notes: For some reason, The Birdus and I call this place "Uncle Frankdogs". They also have a stand in the Home Depot at the Quarry that has become very handy around lunchtime on a heavy home improvement day.

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* BEST CHEAP EATS - - Bombay 2 Deli

Note: I blogged about this place (here) a few months ago too. I'm so ahead of the game it is frightening. Like Walken in The Dead Zone.

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* BEST QUEER COFFEE SHOP - - Wilde Roast Cafe

Notes: I always forget about this place. Good breakfast.

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* BEST ART GALLERY - - Creative Electric Studio

Notes: I am perhaps happiest about this one. It's a cool gallery and just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the music and food-filled Mill City Cafe and the art and artist-filled California Building. Keep that in mind for Art-A-Whirl. Or for anytime.

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* BEST MIDDLE EASTERN GROCERY - - Holy Land Bakery and Grocery

Notes: Can't they just give this place a lifetime award?

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* BEST HAIRCUT - - Salon Stella

Notes: Second year in a row for Northeast haircuts. Last year's winner was Aveda Institute - a neighborhood institution. Come to Nordeast. Get yer cut on.

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* BEST STAR CHEF EXPERIENCE IN A RESTAURANT - - The Modern's Phillip Becht

Notes: Let me run this brief recommendation for brunch at The Modern Cafe by you: Pot Roast Hash.

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* BEST CAREER MOVE - - Keith Ellison's run for Congress

Notes: I've pointed out before (here) that, when held by a democrat, the Minnesota 5th Congressional District seat has some serious job security. Nice work Keith.

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* BEST LIQUOR STORE - - Surdyk's

Notes: Last year's Reader's Award winner for BEST LIQOUR STORE.

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There you have it. Let me know if I missed any and visit one of these Northeast standouts in the near future!

The Long Weekend

Whoa! It was a long, beautiful, and active weekend. As befits such a fun-packed three days, this will be a long recap post. Read at your leisure....taking a break if necessary, eating a nice sandwich, and returning as the mood strikes you.

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Friday morning:

The Birdus made a vehicle switch (much easier to just switch vehicles than to uninstall and reinstall the car seat twice) with my mother-in-law at a gas station in rural Minnesota. The Bundle went with Grammy for the night because we had plans!

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Friday night:

On the glowing recommendation of my co-worker Chris, The Birdus and I went to Sea Salt Eatery for dinner. Sea Salt is located in Minnehaha Park just a few short steps away from Minnehaha Falls - the waterfall made famous by Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. (The restaurant is also a stones throw from The Retreagle’s favorite swimming hole – the Minnehaha off-leash dog park.) There was a decent line when we arrived but we were greeted by a young man very eager to provide us with beers while we waited. Our Summits were empty by the time we reached the counter to order – perfect timing. Fresh seafood is what this place does and The Birdus and I indulged in a crab cake, tilapia tacos, and a shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were shell-on so the cocktail was a bit of work and a few were a tad gritty but their cocktail sauce (more like a paste) is out of sight. The tacos were great (we put the cole slaw right on the tacos) and The Birdus declared the crab cake the best she had ever had – no small praise. We also had half a dozen oysters on the half shell. This was the highlight of the meal for me – I’ve been craving oysters ever since my trip to Boston – and I split the plate between Wash. State and huge California ‘sters. I was very proud of The Birdus for trying a couple. A great overall experience. The weather was perfect for outside dining and The Birdus was looking radiant. I should point out that Sea Salt Eatery was just named Best Seafood Restaurant in the Twin Cities by the City Pages staff. I think they got this one right.

Next, we were off to the Joseph Arthur show at yet another “Best of the Twin Cities” honoree– The Varsity Theater.


Again, I think the City Pages nailed it. The Varsity is a great venue - lots of space, terrific decor and atmosphere, friendly and professional staff, good sound, and in a fun part of town. Despite some monitor problems for both bands (Joseph kicked one over in frustration) it was a great concert.

Stars of Track and Field from Portland, OR were the opener and they started just after we arrived, right around 9pm. They’re a 3-piece dream rock outfit and The Birdus and I both enjoyed their set. “Expansive” is the word I choose to describe their music. And maybe “layered”.

Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts were as great live as I thought they would be. For my money, Joseph Arthur owns one of the best and most distinctive voices in rock n'roll currently. In concert, he gives off a very Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie vibe. Sort of a space age folk troubadour. For the opening number ("Baby's Got A New Friend") he came out and plunked down, legs crossed, in a plush armchair. Some joker in the audience shouted, "Take a seat!" It was immensely cool. You got the feeling right from the get-go that Joseph was holding court. It set the tone for the rest of the night.

The band that he has assembled, The Lonely Astronauts, features Kraig Jarret Johnson on guitar. He's best known as a member of the super-group Golden Smog and he wrote some of my favorite songs on the tremendous Weird Tales album. The band also includes a mad drummer that Joseph referred to as G-Wiz. His histrionics on the last number and the resulting state of his drum kit ensured there would be no encore. How that person in the front row caught that missile of a drum stick I have no idea. The Birdus remarked on how great it is to see two women in a band (Jennifer Turner and Sibyl Buck) that aren't there as a novelty but truly rock. I liked that they switched wigs while Joseph played solo.

The Birdus and I were big fans of Joseph's Nuclear Daydream album last year and the evening was a good mix of stuff from that album and the new one - Let's Just Be.

Another highlight of the concert was the middle aged woman dancing right in front of us. She arrived with a man in a wheelchair who I took to be her husband. The emotive use of her body, seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of energy, complete disregard for the amazed onlookers, and pure love of the groove left all those around her brushing the tears of delight from their faces. I think the band may even have taken notice. If you happen to be reading this dancing lady...you alone were worth the price of admission. Boogie on and you may consider many of your best moves stolen.

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Saturday morning:

The next day The Birdus and I settled in for some serious yard work. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that The Retreagle’s well-traveled paths in our backyard are past the point of salvaging as lawn. We have decided to work with this reality rather than fight it. To this end, we purchased a hundred interlocking stone edgers on sale at Menards for under a hundred bucks. The Schmewes helped transport the edgers back to The Urban Cabin in his Tacoma. (It was the first time since the demise of Little Truck that I had to ask for helping hauling something. * sniff * sniff *) Our plan is to edge off the areas where The Retreagle has trampled the grass and fill those paths with wood chips or mulch. Those areas are basically mud pits in wet weather and dust bowls in dry weather – both of which are not only aesthetically unpleasing but also lead to a very dirty Retreagle. The chips should help. We’ll also chip around the lilacs where The Retreagle does his best policing.



Our progress so far:



We bought and installed a pet barrier for the new vehicle, packed up The Retreagle, and headed out to 'Sconie for an overnight and a mini-birthday party for my father-in-law.

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Saturday afternoon and evening:


The Bundle was very happy to see us.



As I mentioned in a previous post, Lunds and Byerly's provide a free cake for 1st birthdays but we were too late to take advantage of the offer for The Bundle's birthday party. But we weren't about to let a free cake go to waste! So we ordered one up for my father-in-law's 55th birthday. Of course, we had to make a few adjustment's to the cake:



Kudos to The Birdus for her masterful doctoring of the cake with the old pastry bag. Following a taco dinner we put The Bundle to bed and sat up drinking beers, talking, and watching playoff basketball and The Big Gay Sketch Show on TV.

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Sunday morning:

After a hearty breakfast, The Birdus and I went to Crex Meadows Wildlife Area in western Wisconsin for some birding while The Bundle napped. This is a great place for viewing waterfowl and we were both excited to see several pairs of Sandhill Cranes and a very startled Sharp-Tailed Grouse. Now that I know how close this great resource is to my in-laws I will return as frequently as possible. One day, I'd like to reserve a blind and get up early to watch the Sharp-Tails do their courtship dance. Maybe I'll invite the dancing lady from the concert. From what I hear, those grouse could show her a thing or two.

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The Big Gay Sketch Show

What follows is a shameless plug for a brand spanking new television program called The Big Gay Sketch Show that is currently airing on the new gay and lesbian themed cable network Logo.

The Big Gay Sketch Show features none other than our good friend, maid-of-honor to The Birdus, co-godmother of The Bundle - the multi-talented and super funny Julie Goldman.


Julie is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and musician. Her stuff has always been edgy and hilarious. She has boundless energy and while she may not like to see me write it - I think she is cute. She's also married to the coolest grad student that Columbia will ever graduate.

In Northeast Minneapolis, Logo is currently only available via DirectTV on channel 263 as part of their TOTAL CHOICE® PLUS and TOTAL CHOICE® PREMIER packages. Click here to see if Logo is available through the provider in your area. If it is not available, Logo provides a quick and easy form that will e-mail your provider with your request to add Logo to their channel line-up.

Lucky for those of us without cable or with cable but without Logo, the network has thankfully provided full videos, clips, and cast internviews on their website. You can view them here.

You should watch. Very funny stuff here. I love the "When I Knew" segments. When Julie was talking about this show I had no idea it would be this good. Congratulations Julie! You make The Bundle proud. You deserve all the success in the world.

Hot Damn! Hotdish!

Criminy! I love hotdish.



The HotDish Revolution held this past Saturday (April 21) was great fun and (by all appearances) a great success.



The Birdus really liked the tamale hotdish with the polenta top. The Bundle was more interested in all the firefighting photos and patches in the museum than the hotdish. She will learn. I love the train passing by in the background of this photo.



A friendly accordion player and beer supplied by Grumpy's Northeast helped to soothe down all that ground meat, onions, tater tots, and cream of mushroom soup.


I ate myself silly. (Keep in mind that this was after I went to the Eastside Food Co-op Member's Day event and stuffed myself with free samples.) My favorite hotdish was one based on a reuben sandwich artfully named the "Reubenesque". It is a dream of mine to travel the country consuming reuben sandwiches and writing a book about my experiences. The "Reubenesque" and Hotdish Revolution deserve their own chapter. There was also a spicy jambalya-style hotdish that was outstanding and someone made a blueberry bread pudding that was soooo yummy. There was a veggie tater tot hotdish that set me right as well. I submitted my green ballot with my favorites but I had eaten so many by that time that it was hard to remember them all.



We had to leave early so we weren't able to hear who the winners were. If you know...please post in the comments. I'm dying to see if my neighborhood (Audubon) took home any honors.

Before we left, The Birdus and I both complained to one another that we were uncomfortably full. But the old adage still holds true. There's always room for...

Northeast - Dates of Note

These days, I leave the heavy hitting to folks like The Northeast Beat and The Northeaster. Make no mistake - this is still a Nordeast blog. That's for certain. But lately I have purposely strayed away from covering Northeast Minneapolis events, businesses, and the like (as I did in the early days of The Perfect Life) because the aforementioned sources just do it better. However, the spring and early summer is a great time to be a Nordeaster and I would be remiss if I did not highlight a few key dates and events that you won't want to miss. Get out your calendars!

This weekend:

* WHAT: Hotdish Revolution
WHEN: Saturday, April 21, 5-9pm
WHERE: Firefighters Hall & Museum
TELL ME MORE: You must attend!

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* WHAT: EFC Earth Day & Member's Day
WHEN: Saturday, April 21, 11am-5pm
WHERE: Eastside Food Co-op
TELL ME MORE: Live music, discounts on bulk foods, and vendor samples.

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* WHAT: Earth Day Watershed Clean-Up
WHERE: HQ at Marshall Street NE in front of Gluek Park (1926 Marshall Street)
WHEN: Saturday, April 21, 9:00am-1:30pm
WHY: Help clean-up our "coast" here in Northeast - the shores of the Mississippi River. A 5K run/walk followed by breakfast, live music, team clean-up, a park opening, and birds of prey from the U of MN Raptor Center.


Next Weekend:

* WHAT: The 20th Annual Minneapolis St. Paul Home Tour
WHEN: Saturday & Sunday, April 28-29
WHERE: All over the Twin Cities
TELL ME MORE: Here's a list of Northeast homes on the tour:

818 Main St. NE
2941 Grand St. NE
3026 Lincoln St. NE
2066 St. Anthony Pkwy.
847 Brighton Ave. NE
1618 Polk St. NE

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* WHAT: Northeast Citizen Patrol’s Walking Season Kick-Off
WHEN: Saturday, April 28, 5pm
WHERE: Columbia Grounds
TELL ME MORE: All are welcome - not just volunteers.


Beyond:

* WHAT: Weed It And Reap Neighborhood Clean-Up
WHEN: Thursday-Saturday, May 3-5, 8 am-6 pm
WHERE: HQ at Central and Lowry
TELL ME MORE: Help clean-up NE MPLS. Free t-shirt for participating.

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* WHAT: EFC Plant Sale
WHEN: Saturday & Sunday, May 12-13, 9am-6pm
WHERE: EFC parking lot
TELL ME MORE: You can save money and time by pre-ordering.

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* WHAT: Art-A-Whirl
WHEN: Friday-Sunday; May 18-20
WHERE: Northeast Minneapolis
TELL ME MORE: The event of the season. This one is worth flying in for. Seriously.

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* WHAT: Northeast Block Party
WHEN: Saturday, June 9
WHERE: 509 1st Avenue NE
TELL ME MORE: Just announced. Reportedly, the band Low will be performing there. Sounds like it will be really cool, a new Northeast tradition I think- and you'll be able to say you were at the first one! Keep an eye on The Northeast Beat for more.

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* WHAT: NE Parade
WHEN: Tuesday, June 19, 6:30pm
WHERE: Central Ave starting at 14th Ave
TELL ME MORE: A great event. Head to the EFC parking lot for food and fun beforehand.

April 2007 - Party Log

Date: Saturday, April 14, 2007

Time: 11am - 2pm

Place: The Urban Cabin

Attendees: Grammy & Grandpa; Uncle Ryan with Cousins Charlie & Annie; Em & Li'l Tommy; SPS, Joel, & The Twins; Amy & Dan; Areti; The Birdus & me, The Retreagle, The Bundle (of course!)

Kind: Birthday Party! Buttefly theme.

Reason: In honor of The Bundle's 1st Birthday!

Decorations: Crepe lanterns from the party store. Spring colored paper plates cut into the shape of butteflies, affixed to sticks, and stuck in the window boxes or taped to the windows. The Bundle in a butterfly top.

Music: The Current - 89.3 FM

Menu: We got 4 giant subs from Jersey Mike's. Also fresh fruit, veggies with dip, and a smokey cheese ball with crackers for snacking. Chips with the subs. We confirmed the rumor that Lunds and Byerly's provide a free 9x13 cake for 1st birthdays but alas, we also confirmed that it is a specific cake that must be ordered 48 hours in advance. (Take note new parents!) So instead we made cupcakes.


Only after the party did I realize the charming symmetry between The Bundle's first birthday cupcakes and the cupcakes served at our wedding reception.

Drinks: Iced coolers of juice, soda, water, Summit, and Miller Lite.

Hits and Misses: The Birdus had the great idea of playing "Pin-The-Hair-On-The-Boom-Bah". ("The Boom-Bah" being one of The Bundle's many aliases.) We cut out little tufts of paper to approximate The Bundle's actual hair tuft. The picture of The Bundle that we used for the game was hilarious (see below) and we all had a good laugh playing. Terrific idea!




The submarine sandwiches were low cost, low stress, folks loved 'em, and we ordered just the right amount (26 pieces) for the number of our guests (about 15). We'll definitely go this route again.

Also, we like to keep our parties moving - especially when children are involved. Food and drinks, games, presents (see picture below), cake, etc. No rushing. Just a nice constant flow of events. We stuck to that and all went well.


Guest Portfolio: Family and friends are always an interesting mix. Always a little surreal seeing people from one area of your life talking to someone from another area. It's a good idea to have group activites to get people mingling and talking. The Urban Cabin held up well with six children under the age of four beneath its roof. This gives me confidence as The Bundle starts cruising around.

SPS and The Twins
The Bundle and Cousin Annie Peruse a Book

Other Notes: The Retreagle was very happy outside as we FINALLY had a nice day.

The Bundle Enjoys Her Birthday Cupcake

Photo for Comparison

There's been a lot of talk here on The Perfect Life lately about the startling degree to which my daughter looks like me. And I'm sorry...I just don't see it. Here is a recent photo of me and I really don't see any resemblence:

1-Year-Old Today!

Happy Birthday Bundle. You are one-year-old today. Just so you know, you went from this...


...to this...



...in one year! That's the same rug and bunny in both pictures.

I love you so much my dear girl. We had a great day today.

Bye Little Truck

If only I could figure out how to get Taps to play as you read this. My truck is dead.



The brakes started feeling a little mushy followed shortly by the appearance of the brake light itself - glowing obscenely in the dash. We took her into the garage this past Wednesday and received the news.

“I think it’s time to say goodbye,” the mechanic told me over the phone, gently but with enough resolve so that I new that he meant it.

“That bad, huh?"

“I could start fixing things,” he said, “But I don’t know where I’d stop."



Turns out every brake line was leaking. Needs new calipers, pads, rotors. The frame is nearly rusted through. Various other things wrong with it. We’d be looking at a couple grand easy. Way more then I’m willing to throw into an older vehicle, no matter how good it’s been to me.

“At least the price was right,” I told the mechanic.

The truck was a gift from my brother and sister-in-law about 4 years ago. They just didn’t need it anymore and very generously handed it over to us. My brother Geoff drove it up here from Chicago and took the train back one weekend. Boy, did this vehicle come in handy. Hauling firewood back from the state reserve, taking carpet and other garbage to the dump when we first moved to The Urban Cabin, carting The Bundle to and from daycare and me to and from work. She’s been a good truck. And now, like other vehicles before her, she will be donated to NPR.

Bye little truck.