TU Dance & Cranberry Wontons

Theoroi and friends and ioper and i attended TU Dance at the Cowles Center on Friday, May 18.
The dancers was technically spectacular and the works were well choreographed.
Costumes were great, crowd engaged... but... the movements could have been set to any music. they weren't rhythmic in any piece except the last, January: Part II with music by Amon Tobin. So i guess that's a discovery of my tastes and distastes in modern dance. But the last piece was actually everything that i DO like about modern dance, from dark, ambiguous costumes to sort of tribal precision ensemble work. 
We got great snacks and saki (from the greatest saki list i've seen in the twin cities) at Tom Pham's Wondrous Azian Kitchen, in the Caterpillar Lounge, and i love that place. so despite my sleepiness of tu dance, it was another great theoroi event! Gotta give great props to the Cowles center, too, and their magical little crystal chandeliers.

Spring Fling with the SPCO

Well, for a grey and rainy Thursday, the SPCO at Temple Israel sure broke the clouds. It was a delight - Violinist Soovin Kim performed on the two Mozart works and the Enesco octet in the place of previously slated soloist, Christian Tetzlaff, (no small charge) and SPCO Concertmaster Steven Copes (who is dreamy to watch play) led the Haydn symphony.

The first piece, a Mozart rondo, was uplifting, energetic and all that is enjoyable about classical music. Soovan Kim was great fun to watch with effortless technique and quick bowing that makes me think he might also play a mean fiddle. This piece was programmatically successful as well in its spring-like energy, optimism, and… stay with me here… casual virtuosity. The joy of this spectacular piece was apparent in each player and they conveyed this and did that crazy trick where they inspire you that you think YOU might like to pick up a viola and no big deal… just join along.

The Enescu String Octet in C was likewise spectacular, and in many similar ways, though the piece itself was far different than any Mozart. The octet was very colorful – each voice in the ensemble was very distinct and unique. The dissonance grew and resolved over and over again, playing upon and highlighting all the different textures, timbres, and atmospheres that music in this setting (smaller group) can paint. Melody lines swam through each section, drawing the listener around the violas painting beautiful shades in their lower ranges, the cellos clipping through textural pizzicato, and certainly the violins sweeping us off our feet time and again. The piece and performance alike were dazzling.

The final piece, Haydn’s Symphony No. 86 in D was rollicking and dramatic, and concluded the concert with the same liveliness and vigor that we’d enjoyed throughout. The orchestra added a couple winds and timpani, and at first, the music seemed to take a more serious turn, but we came to find out that was not at all the case. Each passage that threatened seriousness or a somber turn was countered with a dramatic pause, a lively counterpoint, or the sparkling minuet that reminded everyone not to take things too seriously.

The concert had real potential to be stuffy but was anything but. The program was refreshing, the musicians accomplished and entertaining, and the mood joyous and inspired. Kim, Copes, and the rest of the SPCO delivered a performance that reminds us all how charming chamber music really can be.

Susan Graham

Susan Graham with Theoroi presented by The Schubert Club at the Ordway
Susan Graham - mezzo soprano, with Malcom Martineau - piano
Was quite wonderful. i drove to downtown st paul by myself with no idea about parking and paid the price. drove around forever [MAD] and finally just parked at TeRy's apt building. A 15 minute walk but a guaranteed spot. Theoroi is fun to see shows with and even though i was right on the nose on time, tix were delivered with smile and i was seated with other members of the group. Back at Ordway, i feel we've all gained some level of familiarity, and therefore perhaps more honesty about the show, despite its aforethought exclusivity.

She sang songs (lieder) from a wide variety from many eras of composers writing on themes of french (poulenec), german (goethe), and english poetry (shakespere).  Her voice is an accomplished instrument and she brought passion and emotion to the program.  The whole performance surpassed all my expectations, because while i fully expected musical virtuosity, i did not expect to be so engaged with the music and selections and depth of the pieces.

Certainly our post show visit with David Evan Thomas helped me delve deeper into these mostly shorter works. As usual, i'll not fully book report, but i'd like to recount a bit about a few...

The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation - Henry Purcell
Mad Bess (Bess of Bedlam) - Henry Purcell

Baroque. English. Beautiful control and articulation. Delicious poetry. Here, taste.

Mad Bess (Bess of Bedlam)

From silent shades and the Elysian groves
Where sad departed spirits mourn their loves
From crystal streams and from that country where
Jove crowns the fields with flowers all the year,
Poor senseless Bess, cloth’d in her rags and folly,
Is come to cure her lovesick melancholy

La mort d’Ophélie - Hector Berlioz
Honestly, this is harder to recall the music. berlioz can be hard to whistle the next day, though. Also some lovely lyrics here, and french mid-century tone poetry.

Songs from Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister - A variety pack of composers from across the 19th century writing Goethe inspired lieder. Very different, short pieces of music. i really enjoyed hearing the Tchaikovsky sung in the original Russian. This type of grouping illustrates for me the gravity of Goethe on art, music, and theater. Time to hit up the library.

Heiss mich nicht reden - Franz Schubert
So lasst mich scheinen, bis ich werde - Robert Schumann
Kennst du das Land - Franz Liszt
Nyet, tol’ko tot, kto znal (None but the lonely heart) - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Romance de Mignon - Henri Duparc
Heiss mich nicht reden - Hugo Wolf

 And of course the encore. Which was salty and sweet.

 

I Can be a Sexy Lady was written for Ms. Graham by Ben Moore because she's so often cast in less feminine, if even female roles with her strength as a mezzo. So this bit of, er, jazz? was a fun and flirty way to dabble outside the yoozh. Also to remind us that starlets are also muses for admirers.

Oh but Á Chloris by Reynaldo Hahn was incredible. Took the audience's breath away, and then she floated away, and it ended. it was perfect.

Nachito Herrera: Now and Then

Lucked out! Turns out that I wrote a review of this month's Theoroi concert years ago. And its still pretty relevant. Señor Herrera was very kind to do a Q and A with us prior to his performance, and in actuality, it was more of just an A and A and A. Cuz this man needed no prompting to talk about his amazing life.

  

NOW

http://www.nachitoherrera.com/

http://dakotacooks.com/

So going into the talk, I knew what I wrote in 2005 (below), and that he played classical piano throughout his childhood, including all this Rachnaninoff through his late teens.

Ok folks, do you know what that means? Have a quick listen to Herrera himself playing at MacPhail.

We were invited to go to his car (hypothetically, of course) to check out his highly diversified iPod, which apparently contains Weather Report to Mariah Carey to Chick Corea. From this, he made what I found to be the central point: There are 2 types of music in the world: Good and Bad. Finding it and qualifying it is up to you.

From his talk, I gathered that Nachito LOVES theory and technique. And how could a lifelong musician of his caliber not? His skill with language is apparent, and with the language of Music, he translates Cuban into Classical, Jazz into Cuban, and takes “fusion” back and forth across many genre lines to expand all of our vocabularies.

So how does someone get to this point of mastery of an instrument, a language, an art? He talked about learning by ear versus by instruction, and feels that you start by ear, even if it is just to get the motivation by listening to others. He grew up listening to all kinds of music and spoke extensively on the importance of influence. He was playing the piano by 5 or 6 years old, and to illustrate his diverse taste, mentioned that he liked playing music from the album Black on Black (Waylon Jennings – 1982) when he was younger. His father was a piano player and encouraged him to get a good ear to be able to get a job. The technical skill and flexibility came early out of sheer necessity. Call for a gig? Gotta be able to cut it.

The jazz influence in his life is remarkable. He explained that American music was somehow “bad” in Cuba through his youth. Lucky for us that in his teenage dissent, Nachito and his friends huddled around a radio and got the frequency just right to stream in an American classical station that played just 30 minutes of jazz from 9:00 – 9:30 each night. He and his friends transcribed what they heard by ear, and played it.

He talked about the stuffy-ization of classical music (he didn’t call it that, in case you’re unfamiliar with rea-isms). Today we need a tuxedo to see a classical concert in a concert hall with an expensive ticket. But historically the venues for (and indeed the intention of) lots of this music were casual gatherings or dance functions. He talked about the humanity of these musical giants as well: Vladimir Horrowitz was knocking down Rachmaninoff’s door saying “hey you gotta get out of bed and finish your 2^nd movement.” These musicians were people, and continued to re-invent their craft the same as we continue to do today. So with that, when presented with Rhapsody in Blue, he suggests taking the tuxedo out of it. Swing it! Often people forget that Gershwin was a jazzer.

Alright let’s get to the show itself. We had good seats, but I was far less connected to the performance than my previous experience. Not complaining about this – our experience included a 3 course meal ala mode exquisite that the Dakota boasts. After all, their URL even reads “dakotacooks.com.” And do they ever. The smoked pecans on the salad tasted like bacon. It was remarkable. Mad props for this kitchen, too, for being able to accommodate a last minute, by the way, vegetarian request. And to our server for being chipper about it. The entrée was a little bit like banana bread with beans on it, but it was delectable and unusual, and what more can you really ask for? How bout locally sourced apple strudel with lingonberries and skyr? Amazing.

The music was sort of a hodge-podge of Cubanized Christmas music, and started off with the oh-so-catchy Sleigh Ride, but as a cha-cha-cha, and it warmed us right up for the rest of the show. There were a lot of synth horns that I could have done without, but in the absence of a full horn section and various auxiliary percussionists, what’s a prodigy to do? Just do it all himself.

His daughter joined him for many of the pieces. Here’s a real journalist’s thoughts on her, pulled from the Dakota’s own site:

“As magnificent as is Nachito throughout this set, he is nearly upstaged by his daughter’s vocal incantation… Sounding like a cantorial sorceress conjuring the Gods, Mirdalys Herrera gives a ceremonial performance, her voice powerful and penetrating. One can imagine a mythical Yoruban Princess, especially when her only accompaniment is the congas. The rest of the cast serves as the chorus; the piano sounds the final benediction as the crowd erupts.” - Andrea Canter, Jazz Police

Personally, while I found all the above to be absolutely true (conjured gods and all, you wouldn’t believe how crowded it got), she had lousy stage presence. Nachito WAS nearly upstaged by her, and not by her vocal incantation, but by clumsy interactions with the crowd and interruptions to the musicians.

They closed the show with a familiar and appropriate tune, Guantanamera, perhaps the most well known Cuban song, which really was charming.  And just to round out our Cuban experience, have a listen to Celia Cruz doing it while strolling the streets of Havanna.

THEN

Concert Review:  Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera

Saturday, April 23, 2005

The Dakota - 1010 Nicollet Ave.  Minneapolis, MN 55401

This show was my first experience in a jazz club, and “Nachito” had the perfect presentation for me to have a flashy, cinematic experience. I went with my sister, who is recently 21, and quite a jazz enthusiast, so it was the perfect venue to show me a bit of the big city, and her a bit of the bar.

We came after a break, so we sat on the balcony level, which gave us a good view of the whole band, and the whole bar. The main area was full with the dinner crowd, and Herrera engaged them quite a bit. The stage was central and surrounded on all sides by seating, even above, so the whole atmosphere had a lot of energy.

Herrera headlined the group on piano, with Gordy Knudson on drums, Jorge Bringas on bass, and percussionist Shai Hayo, who played mainly congas and sang. His pamphlet and website state that the band usually includes a saxophonist, Rodolfo Gomez, but we didn’t see him play. This group differs from the artists found on his recent featured album, Bembé En Mi Casa.

Herrera has been a musician and performer from a very young age, playing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 with the Havana Symphony Orchestra at age 12. He studied with Cuban masters such as Rubén González, who played with the Buena Vista Social Club, Jorge Gomez Labraña, and Frank Fernández. He earned his master’s degree in Music from the Superior Institute of Art in Havana in 1990. He became the musical director at the famous "Tropicana" in Cuba where his site says he “continued to deepen his repertoire”. I think this is worded a little funny, because the Tropicana is a huge club and cabaret show in Havana. But with a lot of music for a lot of dancers over many performances, he did have the perfect opportunity to create his stage presence. His experience there is very evident in his current show. He later joined Cubanismo, recording a couple cds as a featured pianist, and later leading the group. He has performed and toured with musicians such as Michel Camilo, Michael Tainer, Tata Quines, Carlos de Puerto, Tito Puentes, Oscar de Leon, Emilio del Monte, Jesus Alemany, and the Yellowjackets. He is now living in Minneapolis and working with his current project, Puro Cubano.

Herrera did a wonderful job of flowing from song to song, and not letting the energy drop, but I didn’t catch most of the song titles he announced. The first I caught was a chart called “Dirty Bird” and defiantly took its theme from “Birdland” which was written by Joe Zawinul for his group Weather Report in 1977 for the Album Heavy Weather. (Ginell) Stylistically it was very different than Birdland, but the places that the tune actually came through were in the bass parts, which my sister noted were “Jaco-y”. Bringas, the bassist, really brought his playing to the front, and managed a smooth, fretless sounding style, that really did reflect Weather Report’s bassist, Jaco Pastorius. As a personal note: he played in this manner throughout the gig, which I thought wasn’t fitting in a lot of the tunes, especially when it shadowed the piano. It was perfectly balanced and appropriate for “Dirty Bird” though. Tanner, Megill and Gerow give mention to “Latin Jazz Fusion” that was in fact pioneered by artists like Zawinul, Airto Moreira, Chick Corea, and Miles Davis in the 70s. (Tanner 319) Indeed, I think this category fits Puro Cubano very well, especially noting the artists that Herrera has performed with and no doubt drawn influence from.

Herrera played a piece with Hayo (on congas) called “Something I Love”, and it was a beautiful ballad. He introduced it as a very famous piano tune, but I can’t find it anywhere in English or Spanish.

One song I recognized (they didn’t play all originals, there are several standards on the albums Herrera has made) was Night in Tunisia. Of all the standards, this is perhaps another perfect one to reflect their style considering the influence Dizzy Gillispie had on Afro-Cuban/Latin jazz. He added conga player Chano Pozo to his orchestra as early as 1947 and integrated complex polyrhythms into his music. (Yannow) Herrera’s group played this one truer to the original than the birdland rendition, but without a horn player (or some other voice than that smug bass player), I felt it couldn’t build very well. It was bright and fast and impressive though, and they caught some familiarity from the crowd, so it was really fun.

Overall, I had a really amazing experience, and I found a really accessible, fun way to take in jazz. This club, along with going to Basie’s for a show, reassured me that I will be seeing live jazz well beyond my graduation, and that even after school, clubs like this continue to educate and expose people to musicians from across the globe.

Works Cited

Nachito Herrera. FS Productions, Inc. 2005. 3 May 2005.

Tanner, Paul, David W. Megill, Maurice Gerow. Jazz. Ninth Edition. McGraw-Hill: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2001. New York.
Varela, Jesse. “Nachito Herrera: Puro Cubano.” Latin Beat Magazine. June/July 2003. 3 May 2005.

Yanow, Scott. “Dizzy Gillespie.” All Music Guide. 3 May 2005.

Ginell, Richard S. “Joe Zawinul.” All Music Guide. 3 May 2005. 

Thanks be

And the the time comes, once again, for penance and attention to the things we're thankful for in this world, in the name of family and food, and death and depression.

Here come the holidays.

But first i'll thank Give to the Max Day for both fueling my spirit, with charity and giving, and forcing me, bitching and moaning, into a higher plane of data processing. survived and stronger though.

Barred Owl Rehab at the Raptor Center

University of Minnesota - The Raptor Center

Their bald eagle is named Max. Give to Max. Har. har. They received had a hefty matching grant, though. Way to go and awesome blog about all sorts of great rehabilitation, research and education programs.

i've known 2 other animals named max - a great dane. maximus. har. har. whom i hated and he hated me. and max  the indian ringneck who said "happy bird-day!! happy birthday max!"

This is actually Sydney, a ringneck who found a home through Parrot Rescue Services!

Parrot Rescue Services
i actually don't know much about this group, but they are local and doin things right from the looks of it. Sanctuary - Adoptions  Avalon Parrots: Supplies Store - Grooming

Macy and Simon

MAARS - Midwest Avian Adoptions and Rescue Services

"alflanafla! hiiiidnia murrrtina thana rhna .." -Peaches

no money to maars, but they get my eve more valuable gift: time. Maars has calendars and cards on sale right now! They glamour shot these drama queen birds: http://www.maars.org/store/calendar/index.php


And just to whine the requisite amount- A small poem about the darker side of GiveMN and my journey into a higher plane of Microsoft Excel.

draining my unsuspecting spirit into cross-eyed dispair spreadsheets data sorting update field update salutation crosscheck dates merge letters deduplicate records deduplicate spreadsheet upload updates update values update merge path print.


i bet you even got a little cross-eyed reading even just that much. We raised [a wonderful bunch] of bananas for the library, and i haven't entirely figured out our new software. :P

On a brighter note about work and the Friends, The Pen Pals lecture with Michael Ondaatje - prolific Canadian author of lots of novels and poetry including The English Patient - was pretty successful and he mentioned this movie:

The Arbor
which is streaming on Netflix right now! 


but with all these lectures n things, who has time to watch movies?
Even yet tonight is:

Nachito Herrera at the Dakota - with theoroi!

[Minimalist] cuban dance music? i'm not sure the Dakota will provide the tropical flora that i'll be longing for as a result, but these guys are so virtuosic that it sounds like they've got all the claves and guiros covered between the global 3 of them. dancing may be in order.

performer-dashery

Last weekend we saw I am my Own Wife with the Theoroi group. The Jungle Theater was a lovely and likely place for this group to have a good time, and we received an amazing welcome to explore the theater. oh! and an awesome saki flight from moto-i!

i'll try not to book report these performances. The play auto-biographies Charlotte vom Mahlsdorf, who did not compromise herself regarding gender roles, sexuality, family, or individuality through both Nazi and Cold War Germany.

I Am My Own Wife from Jungle Theater on Vimeo.

From the Jungle Theater: 

“Museum. Furniture. Men. This is the order in which I have lived my life.” - Charlotte
The Jungle reunites actor Bradley Greenwald and director Joel Sass to tell the astounding true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Collector of antiques, non-conformist, and guardian of the past, Charlotte survived the Nazi terror and the communist oppression of East Germany. What makes her story so extraordinary is that Charlotte von Mahlsdorf was a man, and lived her defiant, distinctive life adamantly on her own terms. One of the most popular shows the Jungle has produced, and winner of a 2006 IVEY Award for Performance. Not to be missed! 

Bradley Greenwald was really spectacular. He shared a story with us and portrayed the experiences and points of view of many people by himself, quite seamlessly. Or, rather, with perfectly fused seams of heartbreaking connection between very different people in history and the world. i learned very much about the Cold War, followed through a script with not just a little bit of beautiful German English English German, that piques mein Interesse für diese Sprache.

Had a nice time through the Jungle Theater with founder Bain Boehlke, as well.

The theater itself is pretty intimate... a 150-seat space with lots of plush, old art and feel of tha theata. Right at LynLake, which really doesn't have horrible parking or food options, so you can't go wrong.

And just to be sure to cover the Pacific Theater, we'll head over to Moto-i to see what kind of Japanese appetizers bring about the most meaningful de-briefing of such layers of sociology, history, performance art, stage design... etc. Sticky buns will do it for me. Mini-hamburgers start to distract. itty bitty bahn mi have completely taken me away from the important items at hand, because i'm giving my all to resisting them due to their high content of chicken.

But absolutely see I Am My Own Wife before December 18 if you can make it uptown.

Paradigm shift

Well, maybe just an inspirational shift, though it seems to have affected the appearance around here, too, hasn't it? i haven't blogged in a while, and i'll tell you what: everything is going to change. firstly, the key combination of left shift to capitalize the letter i is somehow not working on this computer, so the entries for the reasonably near future will have a bit more casual look. but at some point perhaps i'll remark on how this experience may have changed as i participate in these events as a lowercase first-person singular subjective case personal pronoun.

So i'll be sharing each performing arts event i attend, if even to just remark that i attended

New Orleans 2010

Blog post via Picasa!



creature

Spring Strawburries

 Tree Planting at Vermillion River
What a muddy mess. I didn't get a picture, but we planted just shy of 315 trees in an ex-pasture along the Vermillion River. Its one of about 14 trout streams in the gravitational pull of the twin cities. The DNR and Friends of the Mississippi River were there with a whole bunch of little twiggy trees and protective tubes and shovels. All this rain made everything really easy to dig, and we didn't have to water them. But what a lot of mud. Cottonwoods closer to the banks, some shrubs for higher lying areas. It sleet/hailed ever so slightly for a little while. The birds didn't give a sniff that we were tromping around. I saw Barn Swallows and Red-winged blackbirds in abundance. 


Bird watching at Eloise Butler Wildflower and Bird Sanctuary.
Eastern Kingbird was the jem here. Sara and I strolled through these winding paths with no end of little things to wonder at. Lots of familiar locals- I got a nice shot of some honeysuckle. We were attacked by diving bugs and mosquitoes.

Also walked through a bog. Real, true to life, loamy, alive bog. The Quaking Bog to be precise. Right smack in the middle of Minneapolis.



Jardin d'Andrea

Stupid stupid cold. Enough threatening frosty weather that I haven't put a thing in the ground. But I've got a couple happy corners and a whole lotta space eager for some roots!

Name of Flower -- Snapdragons -- Other Name of Flower

Ok, this is creeping jenny (Lysimachia Nummularia). I know its technically a weed, but this is just too lovely not to notice. 

Of course. But I'm not one for chemicals, so I don't really get much choice here.

Who can resist petunias? This is the only color in my flowerbeds this season. Everything else is white.

Birds

Let's look out the digital back porch window:
cardinal
baltimore orile
grackle
starling
robin
bluejay

morgan

Rekindle

Reading, writing, authors, plants, books, paper books, dandelions, are these all tags I should be placing elsewhere. I feel like I'm warming up or something. Like the "red leather yellow leather red leather yellow leather" up and down the scales to warm up one's voice. which I haven't done since high school. There are a good number of creative things I am good at that I haven't done in a very long time, and I think that writing is one of them. So much of my writing is all stuffed away in journals never to be sifted again, so I need to get a fire going under me to write online. I have no issues sharing every little thought that crosses my mind with the world around me. Strangers or no, if anyone actually take the time to read my thoughts to myself, that's great, and hopefully something artistic or poignant will escape periodically.  Hopefully I can sort through the muddy thoughts to create something, hopefully soon:

Here's the chart-
Gardening - as natural and basic as I am busy and partially lazy. Hopefully get some interesting photos of tomatoes and 2 new shady flowerbeds I have. We'll see some pics here quick.

Books - I'm always in a vampire kick it seems. I've branched enough to be able to compare, contrast, and generally speak better of these books than their proximity to Buffy and how that is a good or bad thing.

Events - This will relate to my book reviews cuz my events are all authors these days. Saw David Lipsky at Talk of the Stacks talk about David Foster Wallace on Thursday and it was BIZZARE. Minnesota Book Awards were Saturday, and they were less bizarre and fun, and today was Neil Gaiman, who inspired this writing kick in me, so thanks much! This Thursday is Michael Chabon for the Pen Pals series and I'm selling books.

-- THE FUTURE -- 

House on the Rock for Halloween? Yes, please!

Book Reviews in the Library Catalogue

Hazen High School All Class Reunion 

That's a good square meal of productive homework eh? Kinda summery and charcoal grilled activities and ambitions.

Salut & Loring Pasta Bar

These are probably my favorite places to eat or drink in the Twin Cities. I go as often as I can convince my company to join me! Salut is my new self-proclaimed "watering-hole" due to its proximity to my house and its unbelievable happy hour. LPB is the most beautiful place in the world!

Salut
917 Grand Ave
St Paul, MN‎ 55105

Just to clear it up, this place is certainly a " Bar Americain" and NOT a "Bar Francais." There are a few elements of French, which makes it perfect for me! So this happy hour I speak of is remarkable because (one of them) takes place from 10pm - midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Their #1 (cheap house) wine is discounted as well as rails and taps. And the bar food is a tasty rendition of some classic happy hour bites: pizza, burgers, and fries. However the pizzas are these little flatbread wonders, the burgers are bite sized and loaded with all the fixin's, and the Pommes Frites are served with Bernaise. All are $3!!!

Experience Ratings:
Ambiance/Space: 8
They have high tops and booths and a nice bar top in the bar area. It's classy and comfortable. Haven't sat on the patio yet or in the dining area, but the patio's existence alone bumps this rating up.
Bathrooms: 8
Clean, bright, and big mirrors.
Food/Drink: 9
I like their happy hour food. They also serve oysters a la carte if you've never tried one. I think they're good. I've been acquiring the taste for em for a while though. I also had a small plate of mussels last time, and I LOVE mussels. Tried a little frizee salad once too, and Ian hated it, but I thought it was good. Overall, very diverse, and we've managed not to spend too much, although you could if you weren't careful.
Service: 6
The staff are always nice and helpful. However, I think they close at midnight every night including the weekends, and that is rediculous.
Overall: 8
Tres Bien! Want to go more often.

Loring Pasta Bar
327 14th Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Oh it is so lovely! So so gorgeous!

Experience Ratings:
Ambiance/Space: 10
Parking can be tricky, but there is a lot really close for $4. Otherwise walk through a bit of campus. Always a few sights to see. The decor is truly unique. Organic, classic, cozy, glitzy.... all of these things and more. There are huge windows and tons of potted plants, candlelit tabletops, highbacked chairs, huge round booths. Its so amazing. Here, I just have to post a picture. I cannot do it justice:

Bathrooms: 10
Also unreal. Dark, mysterious, and strangely private despite half-walls and and open ceiling. Once again, I just have to post a picture.

Food/Drink: 8
The food is very good. Oh, the Sunday Brunch is FANTASTIC. I've had a number of pasta dishes that are very good. They use a lot of Saffron in their menu. We were pleasantly surprised that their sushi was really good! Drinks are good too.
Service: 9
Always sincere, always human (as opposed to bar&grill robots), and almost all uber-hipsters. Oh and on weeknights (and for brunch) they have a 30% student discount. That is huge!! Remember to carry your college student ID forever.
Overall: 10
I can't give it anything lower. Loring Pasta Bar, I love you so much.

B-Dubs

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar

2100 Snelling Ave N # 80

St Paul, MN 55113

Let's first look past the fact that this place is named after itty bitty little birdie body parts, intended to be eaten by the truckload.

And once we're over that, let's look past the 6 dozen gigantic televisions at absolutely any angle, so that no matter where you sit, you're guaranteed a bee-line distraction from your friends.

And once we're over that, let's TRY to order some food.

I struggled... and searched.... and eventually ordered a simple cheeseburger.
And... the final verdict? Is there hope for this good ol' American bar and grill to serve me a good ol' American burger? There was hope. And it fizzled quickly as I dissected the Not-a-Cheeseburger-At-All grey lump that was presented to me. The burger was bad. Skinny, processed, bun-heavy, and had no cheese. I mean, c'mon. I order the most barebones (ick) thing on the entire menu, called a CHEESEburger, and had to fight for my (eventual) half-melted cheese with more than one server.

Would we have had better service with a few beers in our gullets, or would we just have cared that much less that everything about this place sucks? I think it would take quite a few. And I think that's their evil plan. Sell enough cheap beer for not cheap, and no one will notice how horrible everything about this place really is. And based on the popularity of this place, their beer potion brainwash is working. Ick ick ick.

Chianti Grill

Chianti Grill
2050 North Snelling
Roseville, MN 55113

Catching up with Aaron J last night. We went to the new location for the Chianti Grill up in Roseville. In their previous location, Ian and I would stop in occasionally after going to The Source to look at comic books or magic cards. Our regular order was house red wine (can you guess their house? Chianti of course!!), maybe a flatbread pizza (shrimp and pesto - spectacular!), and the most amazing chocolate cake EVER. It was gigantic and paired so well with the wine, that we ordered it every time. And we're both a little spazzy about dessert!

Now the space is lofted, and very open, and really really beautiful. But it has certainly lost some of its previous cozy qualities that brought us back over and over. I ate a salmon salad, which was perfect. Crisp and flavorful greens, a light and sweet dressing, and just the right amount of salmon that it made for a delicilious, fulfilling meal.

Experience Ratings:
Ambiance/Space: 8
The place is welcoming, well lit, and well decorated. The bar area is tucked back just slightly for a separation from the dinner crowd which keeps you in touch with the rest of the restaurant, yet lets you sit a bit more casually in a high backed booth. All around, very nice and very comfortable.
Bathrooms: 7
Unremarkable. Clean, big, well-decorated. And since the place is brand spankin' new... they better be clean!!
Food/Drink: 7
Good here, good at the last location. Yum Yum Yum. The salad was the only thing I have ever ordered that wasn't off the happy hour or dessert menu though because I think their prices are just a little high. Somehow, I let the Downtown Minneapolis places off the hook for their pricing. If it were even just slightly less expensive, it'd be my watering hole.
Service: 9
They notice when we need them, and leave us alone when we don't!
Overall: 7
Just lovely! The prices keep out the hipsters and us youngins though. I think I'll drive to Upown next time.

Christian Truckstop & St Clair Broiler

Well, it's time to update on a few restaurants, and announce to the current hypothetical audience that I will be trying out a bit of publicity. So sorry, world of nobody, I might invite a few real viewers in.

Nelson Brothers Restaurant & Bakery

aka: The Christian Truckstop
950 State Hughway 24
Clearwater, MN 55320

If you're heading north or west on I-94, this is the pit-stop to make. Its just outside the cities a ways, so wait to use the bathroom just until you're a bit uncomfortable and you'll be right here!! Their fritter bread is sinful and they use it all over the menu. I used to get the Monte Cristo sandwich which is an amazing combination of sandwich and sweet for the most amazing plate fulla guilt you'll ever try. This place uses their fritter bread for the sandwich of turkey, ham and cheese, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Dip it in jam for the final touch. Now that I no longer eat bird, I have branched out, and tried a few other delectables including a few appetizers and breakfast plates. The onion rings are giant slices of sweet white onion in a batter that is heavy and light and sweet all at the same time (however that works). Their Nachos are made with what seems like bbq or chili meat. We call them Minnesota nachos because they taste like... home! Or your high school basketball tournament.

We've gone a few times and I can't quite remember all of my other dishes, but next time I'm trying their home made sausage made with wild rice. There is something a little freaky about pressed meat tubes, but if we're goin for home cookin and Minnesota foods, wild-rice sausage made without poultry sounds good to me!

Experience Ratings:
Ambiance/Space: 6
Its a rest-stop on the busy interstate, HOWEVER! It is a huge restaurant with skylights and huge windows, rustic log tables and chairs (which are surprisingly comfortable), and rooms behind rooms which make you forget there's a gas station right there.
Bathrooms: 1
Ick. No separate bathrooms from the stop though. Nasty, and usually busy with a tour bus of 11 year olds. Horrible.
Food/Drink: 8
Its all so delicious. Its all SUPER greasy though. Would you expect otherwise though? It is true to itself as a diner! The variety and creativity and home-made-ness of everything acually pushes it above the bar though as diners go.
Service: 5
It's a busy place and full of travellers. The servers are overworked and make no secret of the fact that they don't care at all.
Overall: 6
Worth stopping while travelling! Might want to consider louder music for the rest of the drive though, to avoid the nap your body will REALLY want to take.

P.S. - If you're wondering why we call it the "Christian Truckstop", it is because there are Jesus Fish all over all of their billboards.