Girl Friday

Art-a-Whirl & Local Jewelry Artists

It's Art-a-Whirl weekend!  The biggest and best party in Minneapolis, happening right here in Northeast from Friday to Sunday.  Grab a map at one of many Art-a-Whirl featured locations or click here and print your own.  NEMAA has their list of special events you won't want to miss (as if it's even possible to attend everything that's going on) and vita.mn has a map, staff picks and a couple of interesting exhibition profiles from Gregory J. Scott.

Don't miss the Art-a-Whirl Musicfest on Saturday at the 331 Club, where Matt and I will be introducing the bands and giving away prizes.  Also at the 331 Club on Saturday will be a vendor fair, featuring fantastic art, clothing and gifts from local artists.  Two fabulous girls I know will be selling jewelry during the event, so make sure you stop and say hi to Kara:

Photos courtesy of Antonio.  I own a couple of pieces of jewelry by Kara, namely my favorite pair of earrings (so cute my older sister tried to steal them).

Jen will also have a booth at Art-a-Whirl, so make sure you say hi to her:

Photos courtesy of Rich.  The V State/Atmosfere store in Calhoun Square has also started selling Jen's jewelry, so if you can't make it to Northeast this weekend--for shame!--then you can check it out there.

Indio

Alright, I finally made it to Indio last weekend.  Here's my mini-review on vita.mn:

Chef Hector, Please lower your prices!

Indio was a knockout dining experience. From the perfectly mixed, juicy cocktails to the fresh-fried tortilla chips to the black bean mole on my enfrijoladas. But I must say, the biggest wallop came with the check when we saw the high price of our delicious meals: $112.00 for three ladies who each ordered just one cocktail with dinner, and no dessert afterwards. Chef Hector Ruiz's dishes are simple and delicious, using basic ingredients and traditional combinations of Mexican cuisine.

I don't know if I can bring myself to order an $8.00 dish of guacamole again any time soon, but I'd go back for the $7.00 mojitos on the patio outside.   Rating: ***

To add to that, I do want to say that the management at Indio is top-notch (hi Ken!), and the kitchen staff provides extra eye candy for your dining pleasure.  But I'm serious about not knowing if I could spend that kind of money on simple Mexican fare again. 

Indio uses fresher ingredients and lighter cooking methods than the joints a bit further down Lake Street (like my beloved La Poblanita), but should I be paying over twice as much?  $13.00 was too steep, in my opinion, for sauteed onions, onions and more red onions wrapped up in fried corn tortillas and covered in a pureed black bean sauce.  And yes, $8.00 was a shocking sticker price for a little bowl of guacamole.

My sister says I've become a Mexican food snob since mastering basic and intermediate methods of cooking the cuisine in my own kitchen.  Sorry, I can't help it.  Maybe I should open up a little takeout place of my own up here in Northeast.  If Indio is still in business in one year, charging the same prices (transportation inflation irrelevant), then I'll seriously consider it.

Friday... Four

- The Rosedale Sephora opens today.  They're not offering any sweet grand opening discounts, so I'm refusing to go until I need something.  Besides, I just got an Ulta coupon in the mail and their Roseville store will be a ghost town this weekend.

- The Mill City Farmers Market opens for the season tomorrow, 8:00am sharp.

- The Top Valu Liquors Grand Opening Sale also commences tomorrow.  Both new and very improved Columbia Heights locations have been open for a while, and both will be running the same specials: 10% off all liquor, 5% off all beer, 15% off all wine, 15% off all liqueurs, mixers and bar supplies, and 15% off all 375, 200, 100 & 50 mls (isn't that liquor?).  There are also a ton of wine, beer and liquor tastings going on, so click here for all the info.

- Yesterday kicked off the Eastside Food Co-op's special plastics recycling effort.  Now every recyclable plastic item that the city doesn't accept with your trash (like dry-cleaning bags, plasticware, plant pots, yogurt tubs and various kinds of lids) can be brought to the Co-op on Thursdays and Fridays for recycling, 7:00am to 4:30pm.

The Northeast Mexican Restaurant Shuffle

I think I may have sort of gotten the scoop on the ownership changes on all the food joints on the 2400 block of Central.  It's complicated, so pay attention:

The former owners of Chiapas are now operating Durango Bakery next door.  Former Durango owners are no longer in the business.  The new owners of Chiapas are the same people that had opened Adelita's across the street, not the other way around as previously thought.  The recently opened Dos Puertos is now closed.  San Pablito is now operating in the former Dos Puertos space, with either the owner or chef being a former owner or chef at Me Gusta on East Lake Street (the tail end of that story got lost in translation, sorry).

What part of the above paragraph matters?  None of it, but pay attention to this:

San Pablito delivers!

That's right Northeasters, our options have opened up beyond pizza and Afghani cuisine.  Not that we were complaining about Snap or Crescent Moon, but it's always nice to have options.  And Mexican delivery is a pretty nice option, if you ask me.

Especially when it's good Mexican, which is exactly what I had for dinner at San Pablito last night.  I tried the tacos de nopales platter--which I've tried to order twice recently over at Chiapas, but both times they were out of nopales--and it was wonderful.  Tangy cactus strips grilled up with sliced onions and mushrooms, then sauteed with gooey Oaxaca cheese.  Served with a hearty heap of refried pintos and seasoned rice, as well as a perfectly citrusy, perfectly salty Mexican salad (that lovely pile of lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro and lime juice which accompanies most entrees).  All that with a stack of warm, soft corn tortillas and I needed nothing more to be totally sated-- although the basket of chips and ridiculously hot red salsa were certainly not turned away.  The green salsa is much milder; I recommend both.

My Mexican had the alambre platter with various meats, which is basically a handful of open-faced tacos topped with your choice or choices of meat, sauteed with onions, peppers and Oaxaca cheese.  (If you've never had it, Oaxaca is kind of the Mexican mozzarella, so you can imagine the great gooey, chewy texture it adds when melted with grilled meats and vegetables.)

Service was very friendly and fast.  No beer on sale, but there are plenty of glass-bottled Mexican sodas to quench your thirst.  Don't forget to have them throw a couple in your delivery order.

Takeout menus were not available yet, and it sounds like delivery is only during the day and sporadically at night (just like Crescent Moon, you know the drill).  Delivery is limited for now anyway, until business picks up and they have the staff to regularly run orders for dinner. 

So go to San Pablito and let's get another full-time delivery option on the Northeast map!

Rachel Kramer Bussel in Minneapolis

If you're looking for a sexy party this weekend, Miss Rachel Kramer Bussel is visiting Minneapolis for the first time to teach a sex writing workshop and read from a few of her new erotica anthologies. 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rachel for this week's issue of vita.mn, and I look forward to spending some time with her this weekend.  Time which will be spent eating cupcakes!  (If you recall, a little over three years ago, Rachel interviewed me on her fabulous cupcake blog.)

Rachel will be at the Smitten Kitten Saturday evening to teach the workshop ($15) and again on Sunday for her reading (free).  Event details are here.

Season Opener

The Toxic Shockers played our first game of the season last night, which was a disappointing loss.  We were up against the Randy Johnson of kickball (if Johnson was a bespectacled black man), and half of our dudes couldn't kick against this guy.  In an act of sportsmanship, the pitcher threw slow balls to us ladies, but we just couldn't get past second base.  The final score was 5-0, the other guys.

The game busts my previously held theory that it doesn't matter what kind of pitching style you have on the mound, as long as that person can make defensive plays.  (As proof, that was my position the last season we played.)  However, this guy carried in the win by keeping us off the bases, so my theory of three-plus years is now blown.  Though I don't remember ever being up against someone who threw so fast and so accurate; he only had one wild pitch all seven innings.

Next week's game is at 8:30, with what appears to be a new team to the league.

Bumper Sticker Theft

Well, some jerkoff's finally done it.

Someone stole my Bill Clinton/blowjobs bumper sticker.  I handled it with grace when someone defaced it.  I even laughed it off when someone left an angry note about it on my windshield at the bank.  But to mess with another American's First Amendment rights by stealing?  Not cool.

Seriously, who does that?  This happened over a week ago and I'm finally cooled off enough to mention it, but I was really peeved.  Handsome reward for any information leading to the ass-kicking of the larcenist.

I was thinking I'd just order another one, but the guy that made them doesn't appear to be offering them any longer.  Plan B was to get a Big Lebowski bumper sticker, so I guess that's where I'm at now.  But which one?

I'm really partial to "I know my rights, man," but "a natural zesty enterprise" and "you're not blowing" are also calling my name.

Friday Five: What People I Know Are Up To Edition

1. Amber is making a prediction about who dies in the Sex and the City movie.

2. Reetsyburger is letting go of polka dots and redesigning her blog.

3. Christian is realizing why it's sometimes a bad idea to buy drinks for strangers in Northeast bars.

4. Leif is discovering Mexican Coke for the first time, starting a love affair he quite possibly won't be able to stop.

5. Cherish is moving to Chicago, where the cost of living is going to seriously cramp her shopping style.

I have to confess that I've never actually met Cherish in real life, but we've been reading each other's blogs for a long time.  In the spirit of not really knowing someone but still wanting to share useful information about something, here's a bonus link:

6. LJ Twin Cities is on a quest for latte art, and wondering what the tipping etiquette is for this fancy extra.

Keep or Return: Peep Toe T-strap Sandals

Found at DSW for $39.95:

I think I already know what you're going to say, so know that I bought them on a whim on one of those "I hate all my shoes!" days.  There are few outfits I couldn't wear them with, but the question is: do I really need them?

Shouldn't Every Day Be "Don't Eat Animals Day?"

Happy Earth Day.  Remember that the single most important thing you can do to save the planet is to eliminate or significantly reduce your meat consumption (yes, birds and fish included).

Food for thought:

- A 2006 United Nations report found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined.

- Only 10% of the oceans' big fish population remains, the other 90% wiped out mostly by industrial fishing.

- Because it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of animal flesh, using 1 acre of land to raise cattle for slaughter yields only 20 pounds of edible protein. If soybeans were grown instead, that 1 acre would yield 356 pounds of edible protein.

Now that green is officially the new black, I'm hopeful more people will discover how serious an impact the meat industry is making on our environment. Pathetically, world hunger still plagues our planet--people are starving to death in Haiti, just 600 miles off the coast of Florida--but if mankind simply ceased slaughtering animals for food, world hunger could cease to exist.