Questionable

French fried

You know what I am supposed to be doing right now? Working on my dissertation. Instead, I am procrastinating while waiting anxiously for my chair to send back comments to a really rough draft of chapter four. I've even rewritten chapter three, to the degree that I can, but I am reluctant to start chapter five. If she hates four, most of the work I do on five will be for nothing. I could continue my scour of the library databases for new and exciting articles and dissertations, but instead I'm writing about my weekend. So there, stupid dissertation gods.

J is a bit of a language savant. It drives me nuts. See, I'm the one with the good memory. He, quite literally, can't find his way home sometimes. I don't get how you can speak Spanish after two weeks of lessons, but can't find the local grocery store. Anyway, French is his strongest foreign language, so I picked out a French film for us to see last Saturday night. It got good reviews and I knew he'd enjoy listening to it. Roman de Gare was a nice little mystery with compelling stories and some good scenery. Sometimes watching non-US stuff is great because of how normal the actors appear. You know, they have wrinkles around their eyes and slightly crooked teeth. And the French seem to like the really close face shots which emphasize every little pimple. Same is true for MI-5 (a series called Spooks in the UK - highly recommended for the social commentary, watching the UK's approach to dealing with terrorism, and the physically imperfect, but excellent actors). My only complaint is that the subtitlers were clearly French. Sometimes their English word choices were more hilarious than accurate.

The movie was at the Edina, so we decided it would just be easiest to eat around the corner at Salut, a pretend French brasserie brought to us by the people who also own Chino Latino, Muffuletta, Manny's, etc. This place drove me nucking futs. First, the waiter was one of those super, obnoxious, cheerful types. You know the ones, who might just sit down next to you if you give them the room. Then, when he brought out the amuse-bouche he very slowly explained to us what it was. In a manner that was so condescending, I wanted to throw the food at him. We know what an amuse-bouche is and, even if we didn't, he did not need to speak as if we were not native English speakers, in that very hesitant voice. And sadly, that little piece of cucumber with mustard and a bit of sausage was the best thing about the full meal.

I started with a frisee salad with bacon and egg. I don't like hard boiled eggs, so I gave mine (one) to J. The bacon was good, but there was very little dressing to cut the bitterness of the frisee, so I left most of that. Then, I ordered a croque monsieur. Which is basically, a hot ham sammy served on good French bread, covered with melted cheese. The bread and cheese were hits, but the ham was so salty it was inedible. I left it on the plate. J also had a salad and a sammy. They were fine. He is easier to please when it comes to "cheap" food than I am. He is pickier when he is spending really big money on a meal. My sammy came with fries, which are supposed to be the best in town, as touted by some local magazine. They're not. Really skinny is fine, but only if they're crispy. These weren't. I got a bowl full of fry mush. Mmmm. Not. We also both ordered one drink. I had a yummy grapeish martini and he had something non-alcoholic. Okay, I admit, I didn't look at the price of my martini, but when we got the bill I almost threw up. I was so disturbed, I was tempted to ask for a box for my lump of ham figuring I could put it in soup or something. MY MARTINI WAS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN MY SAMMY! WTF is that about? Yes, I know it is my fault for not being more attentive. I could have lived with it if the meal was good, but it really wasn't. We just spent way too much on a crappy meal, which was capped off by an almost-$11 martini. I'm still sick about it.

Film Fodder

I was thinking that I hadn't written many reviews lately. I'm not really in a reviewing state of mind. And, I don't have much to say about restaurants. We're still going, but nothing fun nor exciting has really popped up. It did occur to me that I've seen bunch of films that I haven't mentioned here. Briefly, here's some comments about what I've seen recently.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - I saw this one by myself and loved it. I don't usually completely dig Apatow movies. They are a little bit juvenile for me, but this one had just the right tone. It was funny and sweet.

Iron Man - Another winner. And RD Jr. was HOT!

The Visitor - You've probably never heard of this movie that broke my heart. It is about a sad, lonely, widower who encounters two illegal immigrants in his unused NY apartment. He befriends them. He finds joy. Then the unthinkable happens. I was almost sobbing at the end of this movie. Even knowing how it was going to end, didn't prepare me for my reaction. Telling J about it a few days later still made me cry. The scenes on the Staten Island ferry of the Statue of Liberty bring about thoughts of all that is good and bad about immigration in America.

Prince Caspian (Narnia) - Horrid! I heard this one was better than the first. It isn't. It is way too long. Editing might have made it better, but it still is different from the book. And Prince Caspian can't act his way out of a paper bag.

Indiana Jones - I wanted to love this movie. I really did. I liked it. It was fun. But the green screen and special effects ruined the magic.

Weekend Reviews: Nick and Eddie

In a word, Yummy.

J and I have been twice in the last few weeks. The first time we stumbled in on a very busy night after the fantastic Frida exhibit at the Walker. That visit, we waited a while for a table, but while sitting at the bar, we were graciously accommodated and reminded periodically about when a table would be available. We went again on Friday night because my brother and his GF wanted to do something. Some thoughts about the visits:

The service the first time couldn't have been better. The second time it was slow and a bit inefficient. Our server was clearly nervous and struggling.

On both occasions the food was excellent. Over the two visits, we tried much of the whole menu. The highlights were the pork loin and the spicy steak. GF also loved the salmon. On the appetizer menu there is also small plate of gnocchi that is addictingly good. Right now, they also have Brussels sprouts as one of their vegetable sides. I could eat them every day, so having them twice in a few weeks was a treat.

The meal ends with a plate of cookies. I love that touch. A little sweet at the end of a meal, makes the whole thing better.

On our first visit, there was an excellent rotation of music playing through the substantial sound system. On our second, we never really heard it, which was unfortunate.

Prices aren't bad considering the quantity and quality of the food. Also, there is a cheaper bar menu and after bar food starting at 11 p.m.

We were screwed out of seeing Hotel Chevalier: Comments about recently watched movies

I see movies for three reasons: the acting, the look, and the music. I rarely see a movie for the story. There are just so few new stories. Stories almost never surprise me. Sometimes I see an ending a few minutes into the movie. This is why I rarely see romantic comedies or silly Apatow-type movies (go back and read what I said about Knocked Up. I had to pay attention to the plot because there was nothing else. So I didn't really like the movie). Thus, my movie experiences and descriptions are often different from my friends and family. Keeping this in mind, recently I've seen the following:

Darjeeling Limited - I loved this movie. The Indian scenery, the nuanced performances. But, I'm pretty crabby that I didn't get to see Hotel Chevalier. When the movie was originally released to the festivals it came with a short prequel that sets the stage for one of the characters. At the time the movie was first released, prior to wide distribution, the prequel was not shown. Instead, the viewers were supposed to go to iTunes to watch it. I didn't. I planned on watching it after I saw the movie. However, by the time I got around to it, the movie had been removed from iTunes because now it is being shown before Darjeeling. Bah. I hate movie distributors.

Lars and the Real Doll - A very sweet story. Gossling nails the character. But you know why I really loved this movie? It captures Wisconsin's rolling terrain perfectly. And the early winter, steel gray skies are perfectly reminiscent of what I saw out my window growing up.

American Gangster - Great soundtrack. Decent enough movie. Not as violent as I expected.

Into the Wild - You don't go to this movie for the story. You know what happens at the end. And, it sometimes moves too slowly. But the scenery is unbelievable. Shot on location around the U.S., you see this movie to see this movie.

Weekend Reviews

Michael Clayton - This is a good movie. A really good movie. Even though it did sort of meh at the box office, I'm thinking it has staying power, so you'll have lots of chances to see it.

But I was distracted by Clooney's non-hotness. In the Ocean's movies, he is so yummy. In this movie, not so much. His hair was too short, his face puffy, his skin drawn. I never even looked at him and thought, "ooh la la". Plus the eyeliner he was forced to wear was really distracting.

Longfellow Grill - The food at Longfellow is always decent enough and the service good and friendly. I forget about this place sometimes and am always pleasantly surprised when we go back.

Mairin's Table - We have had some excellent meals here and they still have the best hummus in town, but they have to figure something out or this place will close. I ordered their hamburger (which is really more a Jucy Lucy). The last time I had it, I raved about it. This time it was bland and overcooked. J ordered the lamb kabobs and had nothing much to say about them. They were fine, but certainly not flavorful enough. The interior was so warm, we almost walked out. But, there were so few people there that we felt sorry for them and stayed. The restaurant is located in hip NE, right behind Bulldog, so location should not be an issue. Maybe the vibe is too stuffy. With a little bar and a big cappuccino maker, you expect to feel energy. Instead the table cloths and bad soft jazz probably chases people away.

And I fucking hate westerns

My dad loves westerns therefore I hate them. That's the way the world works. My childhood was filled with boring John Wayne epics. Oh, how I despised Rooster Cogburn. But after reading a number of excellent reviews and not being able to pass up Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, I decided to go see 3:10 to Yuma (J teaches at the U on Wednesday nights so I often go see movies). It really was a fantastic movie. I hated the westernishness of it, but the acting and the character development were superb.

Weekend Reviews

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters - I get off on quirky films about real people (like the Crossworders, Spellers, or Scrabblers) doing unusual things; this is, hands down, my favorite of the genre. This film is mostly about two guys playing Donkey Kong - one edited as "the good underdog", the other "the bad professional". There is also so much seriousness amongst video game players, that when they declare themselves professional athletes, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. There were a number of times during this movie that I had to bite my hand so as not to disturb other viewers. After I returned home, I learned that the main "bad guys" feel very betrayed by the movie and are on a rampage all over the net to clear their names. Dudes, you're not stupid. Every movie has a story and when 300 hours of footage is edited down to 90 minutes it is easy to have it say whatever the filmmakers want.

Picosa - Picosa is a new restaurant on the river in Mpls, in the former home of Sofia's. The food is mainly Central and South American. I've become rather picky about food from this area of the world, so I wasn't that impressed by Picosa. The empanada appetizers were much too doughy. My pork and corn cakes were very disappointing. I got two, very heavy, thick, corn cakes covered in just a bit of pork and then slathered with sour cream. The whole thing was pretty tasteless and the sour cream completely killed the taste of the pork. At least put the cream on the side. I didn't even eat the corn cakes. And, how about some vegetables or beans or something? J had a really good piece of steak that was made correctly, so at least that came out okay. Each meal there starts with Sonoran fry bread, which is very good, but it is hard to resist. After I ate some of this, I wasn't hungry for dinner. Service was excellent and they have good early and late happy hour food and drink specials.

Labor Day Weekend Reviews: Grand Marais

Gunflint Tavern - Despite the warmth and stuffiness of the setting, I used to love this restaurant. But, success has spoiled the place and they are now just phoning it in. The food, which used to be tasetful and inventive, has become salty, boring, canned, and Sysco-like. They claim to be organic and locally sourced, but I find no evidence of that. My guess is that one or two things are organic or locally sourced and they use the phrase as an advertising gimmick. Two examples of bad food during our visit: They used to have this really good pork shoulder served with black beans, veges, a little cheese, and some tortilla - make your own pork taco. It is off the menu, now the pork is used in a quesadilla and covered with some insipid salty sauce, beans, and cheese. No longer fresh and light, it is heavy and gross. They also used to have a good, properly made Cuban sammy. Now, it comes on a big bun (so it isn't pressed) with mayo - no mustard to be found. And, the service is so hit or miss. On some nights food comes in the order it is supposed to and drinks are delivered in timely manner. Other nights, appetizers come last, drink orders are forgotten. The dude who owns this place spends part of the winter in a house in Mexico. Maybe he needs to permanently retire and give someone else a chance at this restaurant and bar space.

Chez Jude - This is the fancy restaurant in Grand Marais. We've never visited before because it is too expensive. But, we figured we would order off the appetizer menu and make a go of it. The service here is fantastic and the food quality is high. But, in the end I was disappointed. I ordered a $12 hamburger - which to me is way too much for a lump of beef (particularly in Grand Marais). And, if I'm paying that, I expect perfection.  It came with fries and a broccoli slaw salad. The broccoli salad was yummilicious. I wish they offered it as a larger appetizer size. I wanted to take a pint home. However, no one in MN seems to be able to cook a hamburger to order. I like hamburgers medium. Sometimes I order them medium rare so that I get them medium. But, given that this is a nice restaurant, cooking mostly French food, I figured they knew how to cook a medium hamburger. I was wrong. The hamburger came medium-well to well-done. Some parts of the outside were burnt. The meal also came with fries, which were cold. J had a small vegetarian pizza, which he liked, so it wasn't all bad. I would go back here and give them another try because the eating experience was good.

Wild Onion - In the Harbor Inn, this restaurant is a replacement for an older, mediocre all-purpose restaurant. We ate lunch here - our only restaurant lunch of the weekend (we were on the trail most days). Honestly, the food was so good, I wished we had saved it for a dinner. Everything was very fresh, served hot, and well-prepared. I had a sammy and I still remember the perfect texture and taste of the bun. The service was also very efficient.

Wind and Waves - Wahoooo. We went in the water three times. Two days the water was warm enough for paddling around. And, the waves were as big as I've seen them, sans storm.

Final Fringe Reviews

Bouffon Glass Menajoree - I hate TN Williams, so I liked this rip on Glass Menagerie. It was one of the weirdest, but best put together shows I've seen. It wasn't my favorite because the content was difficult and included too much incest. It did well in the NY Fringe, but not as well here and people did leave mid-show. The performances were excellent and creative. I'm guessing our Midwest audience didn't get it.

Buckets and Tap Shoes: Here and Now - I've seen this group perform in the past, but I have to say this show wasn't my favorite. The consistently get standing ovations and sold out crowds (at 300 person Jeune Lune, which is a very big Fringe stage) at a sloppy tap show, which should include more drumming (like their old shows did).

Fringe Review: Take a Left at the Giant Cow

Take a Left is a storytelling show, of which there are many at the Fringe this year. Two people ruminate and present vignettes about their childhoods in ND and their current lives in MN. This show has been sold out for all its performances so far this year. About half the tickets were pre-sold for our Wednesday night show, so that is an indication of just how good this performance is. What I loved most about this show is that the cleverly written stories they told bore similarities to my upbringing in Sheboygan. If I could write as well, I'd tell my funny stories on this blog.