Girl Friday

Weekend Hodge Podge: Local Gifts, Fancy Jewelry and Cheap Drinks

The Sequin and Badgely Mischka Sample Sale is going on today through Saturday:

What: Jewelry will be 50-80% off retail prices. (Retail prices range from $40-500.) Great for holiday parties and holiday gifts. Cash accepted.
Where: International Market Square, Suite 436
When: Today December 3rd, 11:00am-7:00pm
Friday December 4th, 11:00am-7:00pm
Saturday, December 5th 10:00am-3:00pm

The fourth annual No-Coast Craft-O-Rama happens tomorrow through Saturday at Midtown Global Market:

What: The No Coast Craft-o-rama (NCCOR) is a craft event that began in December 2005 as a way to feature a variety of designers, artists, crafters and other talented creators of unique handmade goods.
Where: Midtown Global Market. I already said that.
When: Friday December 4th, 3:00pm-8:00pm
Saturday December 5th, 9:00am-5:00pm

Also starting tomorrow and also featuring local artists is Three-Day Local Artist Gift Mart:

What: More than 20 local artisans will display their one-of-a-kind jewelry, personal and home accessories, tee shirts, artis books, toys, letterpress cards and more. All members save 20% on their purchases.
Where: The Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave
When: Friday December 4th, noon-4:00pm
Saturday December 5th, noon-4:00pm
Sunday December 6th, noon-4:00pm

Toys in the Attic happens tomorrow night at Soo-VAC, featuring toy-inspired art for sale from local and national artists. Guests are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots (no military toys, please). Suggested donation at the door is $1-5, with all door proceeds and 25% of the evening's sales going to Toys for Tots.

What: Toys in the Attic exhibition benefiting Toys for Tots, featuring toy-inspired art in the form of limited edition signed poster prints and custom one-of-a-kind toys.
Where: Soo Visual Arts Center, 2640 Lyndale Ave S
When: Friday December 4th, 6:00pm-9:00pm (silent auction ends at 8:30pm)

Thom Pham has remodeled and renamed his Anemoni Sushi Bar, now it's A25 Anemoni Sushi + Sake Bar. This weekend is the official grand opening to show off the new space, which is now equipped with a full bar, more sake selections than ever before and a list of specialty cocktails from Brad Smith. A25 retains its huge sushi menu but has added an array of traditional hot and cold Japanese dishes. I've spent a lot of time in the new A25 space the past couple of weeks and I find it to be really warm and cozy, despite Thom's intent of recreating a Tokyo streets and subways feel. The closed-circuit TV over the sushi bar that shows you what's going on at Azia's front bar is a nice touch.

What: Grand opening weekend, featuring non-stop happy hour for the next three days. Half-price sake and select bottles of wine, discounted specialty drinks and appetizers.
Where: A25 Anemoni Sushi + Sake Bar (at Azia Restaurant), 2550 Nicollet Ave
When: Friday December 4th, 4:00pm-2:00am
Saturday December 5th, 4:00pm-2:00am
Sunday December 6th, 4:00pm-2:00am

Finally, happy birthday to The Herkimer! The Uptown brewpub celebrates its 10th anniversary this Saturday (I feel old) with $1.00 beers all day. Congratulations to proprietor Blake Richardson and all his amazing staff for defining restaurant longevity.

What: Celebrating 10 years in business with $1.00 beers from open to close, free birthday cake, trivia with prizes all day long and DJ Double Trouble from 10:00pm-close.
Where: The Herkimer, 2922 Lyndale Ave S
When: Saturday December 5th, 11:00am-2:00am

Il Gatto Now Open

If you're looking for the website for Il Gatto, the new Parasole restaurant in the former Figlio space at Calhoun Square, you can find it at IlGattoMinneapolis.com (or even Figlio.com for the time being). Browse the menus and you'll see that Il Gatto is carrying on the legacy of Figlio's famous $3 happy hour as well as the same emphasis on Italian specialties (in case the name didn't tip you off already).

I was fortunate enough to get invited to a test run dinner at Il Gatto on Saturday and I was wholly impressed. I tried the artichoke appetizer, which was a small glass jar of chopped artichoke hearts, mint and red chile flakes. Scooped up and piled atop the accompanying olive oil grilled bread, it was snappy and satisfying without being heavy.

The pasta and entree menu is not overly vegetarian-friendly but I found solace in the standard cheese ravioli with marinara. Nearly all the pastas at Il Gatto are made in-house, and my ravioli had a pleasant chewy texture that only fresh pasta can have. The pureed marinara was very reminiscent of Figlio's ravioli but, thankfully, the 3-cheese blend inside was mostly ricotta and not the cream cheese situation previously presented at The Fig. Also, props for dusting the plate with a little bit of parmigiano as opposed to the heaping handful of mozzarella most mid-priced restaurants gob on top of an already cheesy dish. The other vegetarian pasta option was a tagliatelle with beets, however I loathe those vile root vegetables and await the day when our beloved chefs who are endlessly (and admirably) dedicated to cooking seasonally realize that I am far from alone.

My dining companion ordered the baked oysters with shrimp, pancetta and parmigiano, as well as the boiled gnocchi with lamb ragu. I tried neither, of course, but the man had no complaints.

We attempted to order the limoncello tiramisu for dessert but it was completely sold out, leaving us completely heartbroken.The pain subsided when the chocolate budino arrived at the table, courtesy of the always-amazing Adrienne Odom. It's a warm chocolate pudding cake with a gooey crown of molten chocolate, served alongside a scoop of heavenly salted caramel ice cream. I barely had room for a bite of the spumoni (much less three bites), which was a trio of chocolate, strawberry and pistachio ice creams from Sebastian Joe's topped with hazelnuts, maraschino cherries and pistachios, respectively.

I think it was about this time that the limoncello made its way to our table, served Italian-style from a smiley server toting a freezing cold bottle of the house-made concoction. The presentation here is noteworthy: the bottle is fused inside a small steel bucket of frozen lemons and lemon leaves. The digestif itself is also noteworthy, as it's an ideally sweet, tart, and icy finish to a great meal.

Our server recommended the Pistol Tease cocktail, a sweet citrusy rocks drink with St. Germain elderflower liqueur and a muddled edible orchid. I loved the floral flavors but was a little too sweet for my taste. I did fall in love with my friend's Smitten Kitten, though: a martini of pineapple-infused vodka, cracked black pepper and a kiss of simple syrup.

Price points at Il Gatto are ridiculously reasonable, particularly for a seafood-focused restaurant, with small plates at $4-9, wood-fired pizzas at $9-13 and entrees at $12-25. Martinis top out at $10, house wines (served in Il Gatto's soon-to-be-famous "glass and a half" are just $5 glass/$14 bottle/$26 double bottle, and even top shelf scotches and brandies will only run you between $8 and $11.

Even on a test run night, the service was seamless, friendly and well-versed in the menu, and the course arrivals were timed perfectly, with nothing cold or out of order. We can safely chalk this up to Il Gatto retaining much of the same overall staff as Figlio, not changing the kitchen layout one bit, and putting Executive Chef Matt Kempf at the helm.

I'm not so good with the quantitative math, but I'd say the space's remodel added a metric assload of seating. The main dining room feels about the same, but the bar has moved completely (it now divides the restaurant in half, stretching from the main entrance to the bathrooms), making room for a string of 4-tops in the bar proper, as well as creating an entire second dining area, complete with booths, along the windowed side of the restaurant that overlooks Lake Street.

Oh! And you no longer have to walk through the service stand to get to the bathrooms. They're still in the same spot, but with a less-intrusive entrance that doesn't suddenly make you feel like you should start rolling silverware with the wait assistants.

Dude, Parasole got skillz. Il Gatto will be around for a long, long time; as long if not longer than Figlio's 25-year run at one of the most historic corners in Minneapolis.

Il Gatto: 3001 Hennepin Avenue South, 612-822-1688
Hours: Monday-Friday, 4:30pm-2:00am
Food served until 1:00am Sunday-Thursday, 2:00am Friday-Saturday
Happy Hour: 4:30pm-6:30pm daily, 10:30pm-12:00am Sunday-Thursday

Pantry Check: Veggie Moroccan-style Curry

I haven't done a full-on grocery shop since moving into my new place a few weeks ago, so I haven't been able to do the amount of cooking that I like to do and hence haven't posted any recipes lately. Tonight I wanted home cooking for dinner that was slightly exotic, but I didn't want to leave the house (still wearing pajamas at 11:00pm, thankyouverymuch). The result was delicious -- savory, sweet and fragrant -- and, best of all, made with simple ingredients I already had on hand. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Veggie Moroccan-style Curry
© 2009 by Alexis McKinnis
Yields: 4 servings, with rice

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup dried Mediterranean apricots, cut into thin strips (raisins would also work well)
3 handfuls fresh baby spinach (very scientific measurement, I know-- it was one of those plastic cartons minus a salad's worth)

In medium skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil until soft. Add all remaining ingredients except spinach. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in spinach, cooking for 2 minutes or until it fully wilts. Remove cinnamon stick and serve over rice.

*****

I posted the question to Twitter a few days ago, but I want to ask it here: What coffee shops offer rice or almond milk as an option?

My body hates cow and soy milk equally, so I'd love to know about a place I can go for yummy coffee drinks and not feel like total crap afterward.

megacita suggested The Wedge's coffee bar, since they have both rice and almond milk, and kjtten suggested Dragonfly Coffee at 50th & Penn, which offers hemp milk. Anybody know of a place in or closer to Northeast, or am I asking too much? Not being a regular coffee drinker, I'm not super hip to the scene.

Stories from Exile Tonight at LUSH

I meant to post this last night but social obligations can really occupy a girl's time. Here's your social obligation for tonight:

Stories from Exile Presented by Red Card Production

Join us tonight at LUSH for the premiere of 9 short films (and when I say "short" I mean like 2-3 minutes) by Erik Janzen of Red Card Production. Each film is a visual interpretation of a different poem by poet (and podcaster) Ragan Fox, from his collection, "Exile from Gayville."

Doors open at 7:00pm and the short films will run from 7:30-9:00pm, with a little music in between films. The event is free, but you have to buy your own drinks. LUSH is located on Central and Spring Street, in the former Healy Spring Co. building. They're not usually open Tuesdays, except for incredibly sexy people who are having incredibly awesome events.

Holiday Shopping Season Begins

So this is my new favorite food blog: Cook to Bang: Recipes to Get You Laid. Aside from the genius concept and quirky commentary, the recipes are actually pretty promising. The photos are good -- though any food photos are good compared to mine -- and several of the recipes are vegetarian or easily convertible.

Speaking of which, any recipe requests for me? I haven't seen much reader mail the past couple of months and I'm dying for a challenge. Hit me.

I hope you have a little spending money because it's officially holiday shopping season. Last year, most retailers offered special discounts and extended sales above and beyond the usual, so I expect that to be the case again this year. Cleaning out my inbox, I came across a few good shopping events this weekend:

Tomorrow through Sunday, martinpatrick3 is having a pre-holiday sale where nearly everything in the store will be 20% off. It's worth a look, if only because this is one of the few good men's boutiques in the Twin Cities.

Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm is "Presence of the Holidays" at Suburban World Theater in Uptown. The event is free and will feature 35 local artists and retailers peddling jewelry, clothing, food, desserts, bath and body products, pet items, hats, pottery, wall art and home decor, as well as live music all day.

Saturday is also the Local-to-Global jewelry event at the Walker Art Center. From 11:00am to 5:00pm, shoppers will find "unique gifts to suit unique tastes by jewelry artists and designers from Mexico City to Minneapolis; and from Brooklyn to San Francisco." Local chocolatier B.T. McElrath will also be on hand from 11:00am to 3:00pm with chocolate samples.

And I would be disowned by my family if I failed to mention the grand opening festivities this weekend at WillowBridge Center in Cambridge. WillowBridge is a family business owned and operated by my sister. It's a massive facility where things like massage, skin care, salon services, acupuncture, natural health consulting, yoga, dance and a ton of other services are available. There's also a large gift boutique and a bead shop operated by my mom.

This Friday and Saturday, all items in the gift boutique will be 10% off, and there will be complimentary wellness seminars, auriculotherapy, beverages and treats, as well as free makeup consultations and Aveda consultations. There will also be $5.00 brow waxes, 50-cents-a-minute chair massages, and discounts on regular massages, facials and yoga classes if you book on Friday or Saturday.

Happy Notary Public Day (Tomorrow)

Yeah, that's right. We get a day, too.

November 7th is Notary Public Day, so make sure to say what up to your favorite notary public.

So the day after I moved into my new apartment, I got swine flu. I finally left the house yesterday and worked and socialized like a normal human being, even though I'm not quite sure I feel normal yet. After three days of 101 to 103-degree fevers and four straight days of watching "Lost" on DVD, I'm not sure I'm fully immersed in reality.

I'd never seen this show before and now I've cleared the first three seasons. I was shocked, absolutely shocked, to learn that it's still on the air, concluding this spring. Seriously?! They are not off the island? And they still don't know why they're there? I don't know if I could even handle the frustration of watching three more seasons.

Birthday Henna Tattoos

After a week of transition, I'm finally moved into my new place, so blogging should resume at regular intervals once again. As an aside, Comcast can't come out until later this week so I linked up to the Minneapolis Citywide Wifi. It sucks.

Friday the 23rd was my birthday and, after a failed attempt to get an appointment for 4 manicures at the Aveda Institute after lunch at Brasa, I decided that we would all go get henna tattoos. There's that place in Eden Prairie Center that does henna and eyebrow threading, but it seemed like a long way to drive for such a little thing. Then Erik remembered that a girlfriend of his got henna done at the Somali mall. Google led us to 24th and Elliot, to a concrete structure more or less void of windows and certainly no henna shops. It turns out we were at the wrong Somali mall. (Yes, there are multiple Somali malls in South Minneapolis.)

Some nice ladies directed us to the Suuqa Karmel Somali mall at Lake and Pillsbury, where the henna tattooing can be found in suite #110. You'll recognize it by the complete lack of any indicators that henna tattooing is done there. You will, however, see a lot of long black dresses adorned with sequins.

So four of us walk in, two girls, two guys, without really giving it a second thought. My cousin Tony actually stops just short of the back room where the tattooing is done, since he wasn't really thrilled about the idea. But Cristina, Erik and I just stroll on in, to where at least four Somali ladies have their sleeves up around their elbows and their skirts pushed up to their knees. Erik was, of course, quickly ushered out -- "women only!" -- and joined my cousin in the front room to pout. No henna tattoos for boys. Modesty aside, no wonder they were pretty wide-eyed when a guy walked into their henna salon. According to Wikipedia: "Traditionally, only women apply this body art and it is absolutely strange for men to apply such art on their hands and feet."

Our henna tattooist, Sabrina (whom we later renamed Sabrina Fierce), was a master of multi-tasking. Not only did she complete both Cristina's and my tattoos in like 5 minutes, she did while texting.

Cristina's hand:

Waiting for my henna to dry:

Getting knifed (the fun part):

Note the six-year-old giving a henna tattoo in the background. She had a sucker in one hand and a squeeze-bag applicator in the other. Sabrina Fierce couldn't have been older than 20 and she said she'd been doing henna for at least 12 years.

The tattoos were $10 each and I'd totally go back for another one. We went right around 3-3:30pm when school got out so it was a little crowded with youngsters, but we probably only waited about 5 minutes for Sabrina Fierce to get started.

Happy 32

It's my birthday! I'd like to thank all the readers of Girl Friday over the last nearly five years for checking out this blog and making it a regular stop (and let's not forget those of you who were following me on LiveJournal before I moved the blog to Typepad).

Here are the last 4 posts from October 23rd on Girl Friday:

2008

2007

2006

2005

And here's a song that Pandora re-introduced to me today. I can't believe I'd forgotten all about it, since it's totally one of the best songs from my adult formative years. Download it, put it on your iPod, play it for some hottie and get lucky this weekend.

In honor of my birthday.

Lady-mustaches and Little Black Dresses

I was just brushing my teeth in the bathroom (you know, where most people do that) and I suddenly remembered an incident from almost two weeks ago that I'd obviously tried to forget. My friend Christian and I were walking around Eden Prairie Center on a quiet afternoon and he decided to get his eyebrows threaded. The lady made quick work of Christian's eyebrows (in her makeshift "salon" that was probably an Air Traffic store not three weeks earlier), then turned to me and offered to clean up my lady-mustache. Well, I never!

Anyway, I may or may not be making an appointment with my aesthetician later this week. Ooh and, speaking of, you should know something if you didn't already: the wonderful and talented Jessie May has left H Design Salon and opened up The Uptown Hair District. It's on Lake Street, right next to Bryant-Lake Bowl.

Now, moving from my upper lip on to the top of my head:

So, my hair's a bit on the nappy side. While keeping it a few shades darker than natural tends to help make it smoother and regular deep-conditioning help to keep it soft, I inevitably lose that wonderful sheen you get from a fresh color job. I can always go in and get a gloss treatment from Sarah (that's Sarah Buckley at Sassy Lu Salon, as long as we're stroking personal service provider egos) but let's face it: I'm really busy with all this Facebooking and Tweeting lately and it doesn't exactly pay the bills. I stopped in to Whole Foods a couple days ago for toothpaste and decided to try this Shikai Color Reflect Hot Oil Treatment. I have to say I'm pretty impressed. I've sporting softness and definite shine, all with the clear conscience of using a cruelty-free product. Recommended.

I read about The Uniform Project in Glamour and intended to write about her here, but life got in the way. Thanks to Mark for sending me the video link and reminding me. Sheena Matheiken is wearing the same black dress for 365 days (don't worry, she has duplicates) in an effort to raise money to clothe and send kids to school in India. All contributions to The Uniform Project will go directly to The Akanksha Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to education reform for the country's underprivileged children.

The philanthropist in you will love the concept and want to donate to the cause. The sartorialist in you will love the fact that Sheena posts photos of each outfit every day. She's a fashion whiz, putting together amazingly creative ensembles using recycled, re-purposed and donated accessories. She's just passed the halfway mark of her project and created a video to celebrate The Uniform Project's success so far and encourage more people to donate.

Time Out

G-F is taking a little T-O.

I'm having a bit of a rough time with some stuff right now so, for the first time in Girl Friday history, I'm taking a short break from blogging. My goal is to return to some regularly scheduled recipes, bar and restaurant reviews and cruelty-free shopping tips on my birthday, which is next Friday (Amazon Wish List being updated accordingly.)

Since I'm under a contractual obligation to do so, you will still see me blogging on vita.mn. And, for those that can handle my dirty mouth, I'll still be all up in Twitter.