Girl Friday

Advice for the Casual Taxpayer

It seems I've waited until the last possible minute to call the IRS and chat about this money they think I owe them. After talking to a few friends in real estate, I'm under the impression that there's no point in arguing over the ridiculously arbitrary "penalty" and "interest" calculations, as the IRS doesn't yield when it comes to that sort of thing. (Hey, I wouldn't yield either if I were some free-rein government agency that spends far more money collecting taxes than I could ever hope to bring in.)

However, I'm still open to suggestions on negotiating this insane bill. Has anyone ever actually done it without filing a successful OIC? And as I understand it, they very rarely grant OICs, which is why Roni Deutch is such a racket.

Really, I'm just curious to hear others' experiences with the IRS. We self-employed business owners always have the best stories, like my friend who received a letter requesting over $30,000 in owed taxes. He called the 1-800 number, said "sure thing, lemme just write you folks a check," then laughed until tears and hung up the phone.

Apparently, I have to call them by the end of today or they start moving decimal points.

Random Friday Stuff

- Wow, the Minnesota Department of Revenue sure cashes a check with a quickness. I think the ink was still wet on the check for $259 they practically stole from me when it came back through my bank last week. Jerks.

- Spotted in this week's Northeaster: a coupon for 15% off at El Taco Riendo, "tacos excluded."

- If you live in Minneapolis and you love shoes, you already know that Heavenly Soles is closing. As of this week, all store merchandise is 35% off, and cards and stationery are 50% off. I stopped in a couple days ago and got a new summer handbag, a beaded necklace, 3 stickers and a greeting card for $42.

P.S., I hate that this store is closing. Before I headed over there, I stood in front of my closet and counted six pairs of shoes and 2 (well now 3) handbags that I've bought there in the past 3 years. There's no telling how much I've bought since I started going there; gifts, socks, wallets, shoes that I no longer have. Actually, my T.U.K. black kitty sneakers are from Heavenly Soles, and I've been rocking those since 2002.

- After posting about my experiences at Everyday People and Buffalo Exchange, I received an email from the manager of the latter. She was actually the employee that conducted my transaction, acknowledged the poor customer service provided and apologized for making such a bad impression. I don't know that I'll be headed back to Buffalo Exchange in the near future, but her response did postively alter my impression of the store.

Getting Cash for Your Clothes

Now that the freak cold snap is over, I finally switched out my wardrobe, putting all my winter stuff in storage containers and busting out the summer clothes. As usual, I had a small pile that I knew I wouldn't wear anymore. This time, instead of donating them to Animal Ark, I decided to sell them. I'll never stop donating good stuff to animal charities, but I was curious to know which of the used clothing shops in town would pay the most for my trendier duds. (A few of which, I should note, came from my sister.)

The clothes, most of which were in new, unworn condition:

White tank with lace (Rubbish); 2 crocheted hair wraps in navy and dusty rose (Echo Design); white/black cotton button-down tunic with ties (not sure of brand, 95% chance my sister got it at Nordstrom); faux-leather patent camel handbag (Poppie Jones).

White cotton cargo capris (DKNY); cotton-Lycra light denim jacket (Rubbish); yellow modal tee with ruffle (Banana Republic); Western-style straw hat (Bitten); cotton-Lycra gray/black miniskirt (Lux/Urban Outfitters).

I tossed all my stuff in a bag and brought it to a few stores. In chronological order on the same day:

Plato's Closet in Roseville specializes in juniors' brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Bebe, Lucky and Roxy. Being 31, I no longer wear a lot of these brands, but I figured it was worth a shot. This is the only place where I had previous experience selling clothes; I brought a few things in several years ago and recalled the experience to be pretty quick and painless. Times may have changed a little bit. The woman at the counter took her sweet time acknowledging that I was standing four feet away from her and then told me it would be a 40-minute wait to check out my clothes. I didn't feel like hanging around Har Mar Mall for that long, much less the shoebox that is Plato's Closet, so I left without getting a quote. (I have no patience, sue me.)

Since I didn't hang around Plato's Closet, I didn't find out exactly how they pay for clothes. I'm assuming it's the same as the other two stores: First, they calculate what they will sell the merchandise for. Then they offer you 50% of that total in store credit, or 30% of that total in cash.

Buffalo Exchange in Uptown buys and sells more trendy clothing and accessories than the other two stores. Before I committed to the sale, I informed the employee that I'd also be shopping my wares at Everyday People, which prompted sudden snottiness. She quoted me at $19.95 cash option but warned that, if she wasn't the person at the counter when I came back, that offer could go down. Only having sold clothes once before, I'd never really thought about it, but I suppose that's the nature of the beast; the quotes will inevitably be somewhat arbitrary. Also, she didn't know what Von Maur was when I answered her question about where one of my items was purchased. I found that to be a little odd for someone who's supposed to know fashion. Buffalo Exchange passed on the white DKNY capris, the crocheted Echo hair wraps and the denim Rubbish jacket, so the $19.95 quote excludes those items.

Everyday People in Uptown stocks about 40% vintage clothing, or at least that's my best guess having stopped in there numerous times. There was a friendly staff of two working when I walked in, and they were quick to sort through my bag of goodies and come up with a quote of $10.25 cash option. Interestingly, they also passed on the same items: the capris, hair wraps and denim jacket. Now, had the margin been smaller between Buffalo Exchange's quote and Everyday People's quote, I would've just sold my clothes to Everyday People and called it a day. But we're talking about an almost $10 difference.

That's a Sawanoi during happy hour at Azia.

Naturally, I returned to Buffalo Exchange to get my $19.95. Now, I'm not one to really bitch about bad customer service, but if an experience is exceptionally bad, I feel the need to mention it. The employee that checked out my clothes was still there (this was only like 20 minutes later) and she copped even more of an attitude when I returned. I won't quote the whole conversation, but suffice to say there was a way to make me understand the rules -- you must wait your turn (there were now 3 people ahead of me), you cannot shop while you wait (the other two stores encourage it), you cannot go outside while you wait, you cannot move more than 5 feet from the counter while you wait, you must keep your bag(s) with you at all times while you wait -- without being a snot about it. In fact, I would happily return to Buffalo Exchange to both sell clothes and shop, had my experience with the employee there been better.

But it wasn't, so I won't. I took my $19.95 cash option and headed to Azia. I'll most likely just continue donating my clothes in the future but, if I decide to sell again, I'll probably go to Everyday People. Interesting, too, that the price difference was relatively big for six items. I guess I've never noticed Buffalo Exchange being so much more expensive than Everyday People.

Overrated/Underrated Restaurants

Chandrew wants to know what you think are the most overrated restaurants in the Twin Cities.  Commenter votes so far have gone to Holy Land--what?!--Pizza Luce, W.A. Frost, La Belle Vie--again, what?!--and Masa. 

My vote(s) would have to go to Chambers Kitchen, Loring Pasta Bar and any steak and seafood house.  Yeah, yeah, I'm a vegetarian, but seriously: I can cook a fresh filet on my backyard grill and it'll taste the same if not better than it would at Murray's.

What about the most underrated/overlooked restaurants?  My picks are, in no particular order, La Cucaracha, Donatelli's, King's Korean, Fat Lorenzo's, Fugaise, Bombay 2 Deli, Crescent Moon Bakery, La Poblanita, Uncle Franky's and Flameburger. 

Throw ya off a little on that last one?  Well, it's all about ambiance at The Flame.

Apparently Europol Eva's Delicatessen was a little too overlooked in my neighborhood.  I drove by yesterday and the place is shuttered.  Too bad; it was a very cute little Polish/Eastern European takeout counter loaded with treats and situated in a presumably accessible spot just off University and 13th Avenues NE. 

The windows are papered but there's no "for rent" sign to be seen.  Maybe there's already another great takeout spot in the works?  If anybody wants to float me a few grand, I've got a no-fail restaurant concept that would work perfectly in that space.

Northwest/Life Time Fitness Membership Dues: Problems?

Um, whoa.  I just noticed that Life Time Fitness has been charging me membership dues for a joint membership that was cancelled in 2006.  I'll have to get the bank on the phone to see how far back the charges go, but in the meantime: Has anyone else had problems with the handling of your Northwest gym membership after the company was taken over by Life Time?

Could It Be True?

An anonymous comment on Andrew's blog announces that, as of tonight, Five is finally done.  Someone threw their final temper tantrum and the investors decided to "put the thing out of its misery."

At Temple, I work with several former employees of Five, all of whom will loudly gripe about their last few months there.  Half-smirking and half-wincing, they entertain me with stories like how the entire wait, bar, and kitchen staff would take rows of shots before opening the dining room because getting through the shift was unbearable otherwise.  Not because of the customers, of course--Five always had a stellar staff that was eager to cater to every request I ever made, and I was very happy to see some of the same faces at Temple--but because Five was so poorly managed that the pure pandemonium that took place behind the scenes made it nearly impossible for them to maintain their sanity while working, especially while executing fine dining service.

Imagine needing a drink to get through a day at the office.

My first dinner at Five was incredible, yet the same entrees just a couple of weeks later were disasters.  Thinking it was just one of those anomalies that occasionally appear when a restaurant first opens, I tried Five for dinner once more after that, but that was the last time I'd ever eat there.  So sad: a beautiful restaurant (pretty bathrooms!), great staff, sexy beer and scotch list, but disappointing food with a you-gotta-be-kidding-me price tag.  Plus... just a really weird spot for such a restaurant.  Should be interesting to see what goes in that space now.

Hey, I'm back in Minnesota!  I had the most annoying flight attendant on the way home.  I nicknamed her "Your Passive-Aggressive Aunt Lynn" because she was so every Midwesterner's passive-aggressive mom/aunt/grandma (and her name was Lynn). 

- After picking up my empty cocktail glass, she said, "wow, you drank that fast" while walking away.

- After serving me a coffee and my friend a second cocktail, she leaned over and whispered to me, "maybe you should tell your friend to have a coffee, too."

- After noticing my seatbelt was off while the fasten seatbelt sign was illuminated during flight, asking me about it, then hearing my explanation that I was just getting up to use the bathroom, she said "well, I guess that's your decision."

- After hearing my explanation that I was going to change out of my flip flops and skirt and into jeans and boots once I got to the spacious airport bathroom, she sighed, "alright, but that jetway isn't exactly gonna be warm."

At first I thought I was maybe being sensitive, but Lynn made a few other comments (that I can't remember right now because it's 3am and I'm still on Caribbean time) and those really pissed off my friend, too.  Then one of the other passengers voiced a fairly audible complaint about her as we were de-boarding, which made me feel justified.

Oh baby, I am so sleeping in tomorrow.

New Toy

A very random post today:

- To answer the question asked here:  Stasiu's was closed down for a week and a half for cleaning, repainting, and redecorating.  Brad Schutte of the 510 Restaurant is the new owner.  Brad is also bringing in live music, better food, and an array of single malt scotches.  The urinals are not going anywhere.

- I should have a Silence of the Lambs category on this blog.  Local gothy boy Carrier Flux covers Q Lazzarus' "Goodbye Horses" (mp3).

- Girl Friday through The Dialectalizer.

- I had a terrible dinner of linguine in white wine sauce at The Loring Grill last night (I know, I know, I should've known better).  Just piles of red onions and red pepper skins and pools of grease and mountains of salt; gross.  But check this out: on the menu, they have a cocktail sauce that's served with the calamari.  They also have a shrimp stir fry.  My dining companion was really craving shrimp cocktail, and asked if it would be possible for the chef to make him one, since our server/bartender had just informed us that the shrimp is fresh.  No problem, she said.  Then she came back a minute later and told us that THE CHEF SAID NO BECAUSE HE WAS FEELING ORNERY FROM HAVING HIS WISDOM TEETH PULLED OUT AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE IT. 

- I now own one of these.  What should I do with it?

Bastards

The downtown Olive Garden is closed and nobody cares but me.  Look, I'm not saying it's my favorite restaurant or anything.  It's just a great place to get a cheap lunch that's actually pretty tasty.  The minestrone soup is great when it's not too salty, and -- call me crazy -- but I actually like the cheese ravioli with marinara.  It's one of my hangover cure meals.  See also: spaghetti marinara from Buca, #6 easy mayo from Milio's (I prefer Erbert & Gerbert's, but parking there is a bitch), and #3 no meat from Taco Bell.

I was this close to posting a big rant about a contractor that's giving me hell right now, but I'm honestly afraid of getting sued if I name names.  If anyone has a paint job coming up, feel free to send me an email and I'll gladly tell you who NOT to hire in the Twin Cities.

Likewise, if anyone has any glowing recommendations for painting and masonry companies in the Twin Cities, please let me know.  I've had it up to here with the way these f**king criminals do business.  They try to take advantage of people like my client who live in affluent neighborhoods.  They don't show up for the first day, hell, the first week, on the job.  They change the estimate price after starting the work.  They insult my intelligence by claiming certain conversations never took place.  They're completely disrespectful to me and to my client.

You know what?  Screw it.  No more messing around.  I just joined Angie's List 5 minutes ago.  $53 a year is so worth it when it comes to dealing with these goddamn contractors.  Looks like I'll be calling Varsity Painters tomorrow morning.

I Am So Never Going There Again

Found via the Strib: the Wall Street Journal scouted out both Five Restaurant & Street Lounge and Masa in an article called "Where to Eat This Fall".  I wonder if that’s stressful; to have the WSJ write about how awesome your restaurant is going to be before it even opens.

Five actually is open now, at least partially, which I didn’t know until reading this article tonight.  Andrew Zimmern had mentioned to me a while back that it would be opening soon, so I was watching for it.  But I couldn’t find it.  Then I saw this ad on Craigslist, looking for hosts/hostesses for a new restaurant at 2917 Bryant, and just knew that had to be it.  I drove over there yesterday, but must’ve whizzed right by the address, because I still didn’t see it.

Doy, it’s in the old police station.  I’m not a dumb girl, I just didn’t see past the cop shop.

Also in the Strib: Christian Johnson, owner of the Spyhouse on Nicollet, is opening a diner down the block called Bad Waitress Breakfast Joint & Coffee Shop.  Should’ve just named it Joe’s Garage.  Honestly, have you had worse service?  After tonight, I’ve vowed to no longer eat there. 

My most regular dining companion lives across the park, so we end up at Joe’s every so often when all other destinations are exhausted.  Right off, the server tells us she’s having a bad night and that she’ll be back in a few minutes to take our dinner order because she’s too busy right now.  Okay, fine, she’s dramatic, whatever.  A few minutes after we do order, she stops back to ask me again what I’d wanted.  This doesn’t upset me so much, even after I realize that she’d taken the time to clear two tables in our section before stopping by again.

My lasagna came out before my salad; small mistake, no big deal.  This happens all the time, as I seem to be one of the only people left on earth who regularly orders a salad with dinner.  I told server #2 (server #1 was somewhere having a nervous breakdown) that I had the mixed greens ahead of my entrée, so he took it back and brought me the salad.  However, maybe 4 bites into the salad, he comes back, nonchalantly drops the lasagna off on the corner of the table and sneaks away.  Perhaps thinking I didn’t see him, or hoping I would just plow through the rest of my salad and be forever grateful that I didn’t have to wait one single second, or put my fork down, or even chew and swallow between plates. 

Seriously, grr.  That really bothers me, being rushed along while I’m trying to have a meal.  Last time I checked, Joe’s Garage wasn’t going for the short order kitchen appeal.  Don’t ask me what exactly it is they’re going for, but I’m pretty sure that’s not it.

As I’m eating my entrée, I look over at the kitchen and notice that the chef, too, is enjoying his own dinner.  That’s right, he’s got half a burger in one hand and is tossing a salad with the other.  Excuse me, but isn’t that some sort of health code violation?

I’m more than slightly annoyed at this point.

Server #1 reappeared looking refreshed after wrestling with suicidal thoughts in the ladies’ room, so I asked her to clear the empty bread basket and plates while I was finishing my lasagna.  My friend asked for more water.  I didn’t think I needed to ask for more, since my glass was also empty, but apparently I thought wrong.  She came back and slid just one glass across the table, in his direction.  Yes, I said slid.

I won’t bother talking about the food at Joe’s.  Everyone’s been there, multiple times, so we all know how average it is.  I won’t hypothesize as to why the place stays in business.  It’s right across the street from The Walker, so it’s not going anywhere.  I just can’t believe the service sometimes.  Most of the time, actually.  I mean, it’s a f**king anomaly, how consistently horrible it is.

"You like the pepper?"

Holy smokes, the patrons of Betty's Bikes and Buns managed to raise $12,000 in 3 days to keep the Northeast coffee shop open.  Makes sense, though.  I suppose if Stasiu's was facing eviction, I'd gladly throw down a Benjamin for a beer to help the cause.

So, D'Amico's Campiello has been doing this tour of Italy thing for some time now.  Each month, they choose one area of the country and showcase the trademark cuisine from that particular region.  Boy, oh boy, was I excited when August came and it was Puglia month!  Puglia (or Apulia) produces almost half of Italy's olive oil volume, and the region's cuisine is rich with breads, pastas, tomatoes, olives, garlic, eggplant, red chilies, and bitter greens.  Hello, these are all my favorite things to eat.  Anyway, in addition to the regular menu, Campiello has a special little menu with the month's specials.  How disappointed I was to see only one vegetarian item on the entire little menu.  It was a flatbread pizza with olives, grape tomatoes (not my favorite variety), and an obscene amount of kosher salt.  See, here's the deal: olives are really salty.  Really, there was no need for the additional handful of salt on top of the pizza.  A couple of bites were actually inedible.  The grape tomatoes (not the most flavorful in the family) weren't doing much as a topping, either.

The regular menu also only has one vegetarian option (not that I was surprised by that), so my entree was a spaghettini tossed with tomato chunks, basil, and, again, way too much frickin' salt.  I'm a big girl!  I can season my own food.

Which actually brings me to my biggest pet peeve when dining out.  I don't know if I've ever mentioned this here before, but I cannot stand it when a server sets my plate down and immediately positions his pepper mill, ready for action.  The following exchange always occurs, no exceptions:

"Would you like some fresh cracked pepper on your pasta?"

"I don't know, I haven't tried it yet."

[awkward, confused pause]

"Okay, well, I'll just come back in a minute and check on you."

And you know what?  They never come back with that pepper mill.  I've been keeping track.  It happened again tonight at the Loring Pasta Bar when my mushroom penne arrived.  If my dish does need pepper, I'll ask for it.  Baby, please, don't get all up in my food before I've even tasted it, and don't fill my ears with the empty promise of your zesty return.

Enough of that. 

I got a postcard last week from Bellanotte inviting me to come in now through September 30th for a bottle of Greg Norman Pinot Noir and 2 entrees for just $65.00.  Sounds like a fine deal.  I've never actually eaten there before; the club-type atmosphere kind of turns me off.  Suppose I'll try anything once, though.  If you want awesome postcards and monthly email newsletters about local restaurants, join up with Twin Cities Originals.  They actually have some pretty sweet member deals, like TCO Tuesdays.  Eat at any of the participating restaurants on a Tuesday, and you receive a gift certificate to one of them after your fourth visit.