matt User
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contributions | Saved Stuff | Photos | Users |
Venue reviews
Afternoon delight
Lucia's presents such a modest veneer -- quiet, unadorned, and woody -- that I sometimes forget about it as a dinner option, even though it's just a few blocks away from me. So I found myself there for the first time in a while yesterday, in a quiet corner behind the host stand, sipping a Pimm's and ginger, savoring each tender, delicious slice of a leg of lamb. The slices rested in a pool of rich, earthy juices, alongside gently-cooked sliced carrots and peas, and coins of potatoes roasted firm and golden, all drizzled with a light rosemary and mint sauce. I topped off the scrumptiousness with Lucia's unparalleled white wine sangria, and strolled home feeling happy about pretty much everything in the world at that moment. Rating: *****
Worthy of matthewcw's review
Pearson's Edina Restaurant is our old, formerly moneyed grandmother who lives in Edina's dining room for those of us who do not have an old, formerly moneyed grandmother who lives in Edina. And somehow there is comfort in this.That quote and that quote alone drew me to Pearson's (for a second date, no less!), and I was not disappointed. As promised, my date and I were among the youngest folks in the place. As promised, the decor was so suffused with a yesteryear charm that I smiled every time I looked around. As promised, the food was just about what I expected. The most exciting moment of the dinner was breaking my lefse cherry.
There is nothing unlovable about Pearson's. Rating: ****
A personal favorite
Out on a quiet, residential part of Lyndale Av., just across the street from a park and a coffee shop, trellises covered in vines and blossoms stand beside the entrance to Sonny's Crema Cafe. Inside, they're playing a Billie Holiday song I forgot I loved. And they're sure to be serving up something marvelous and simple in the kitchen -- spaghetti with fresh pesto and organic tomatoes for dinner, a perfect Cuban sandwich for lunch, chocolate pancakes for brunch.
I've always found the service delightful. You order and pay ($10 minimum on credit cards, but you can always pad out your order with Sonny Money), and they'll bring your food to you. Generally very quickly.
Crema just glows on warm summer evenings. European honeybees scuttle over the flowers on the patio, water trips into stone fountains, and the corner of Lyndale and 34th St. transforms into Florence. Eating Crema's ice cream on Crema's patio after a great dinner and a bottle of wine is my version of heaven.
About that ice cream, by the way -- you can't go wrong. Highlights for me have been the vanilla (impossibly good), champagne sorbet, lychee-lime sorbet, and butter almond, but I've had a love affair with every flavor I've gotten.
Often overlooked about Crema is the fact that it's a coffee shop, so I can spend hours there sipping Soy Joys without feeling as though I'm overburdening the waitstaff. Also: try the fresh lemonade. Too sweet and acidic for some, but absolutely hits the spot for me.
Rating: *****
Levain is back
According to Star Tribune food critic Rick Nelson, Levain has been reinvented as a casual bistro, serving more comfort food instead of the high-end stuff.
Are we gay enough for Camp?
The first thing you'll see when you walk in the main door is a giant painting of a haloed Judy Garland cradling the Baby Liza. Walk further in and you'll notice a gorgeous, shimmering chandelier hanging above a grand piano, wigged and boa-ed busts of smiling cabaret dancers high up on the walls, and huge plasma TVs everywhere playing showtunes. It may be one giant stereotype, but I'm prepared to accept Camp as paradise for gays. My only question: Is Minnesota gay enough to make this bar thrive? I sure hope so. Rating: *****
Lists
2. Synchronized Shrinkage
3. Extreme Snowman Building
4. Shoveling (10m, 20m and 30m driveways)
5. 100-Meter Ice Run
2. Max from Where the Wild Things Are
3. Balloon Boy
4. lady gaga
5. Sarah Palin
6. Olympia Snowe
2. That's the Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson
3. Doin' It - LL Cool J
4. Giving Him Something He Can Feel - En Vogue
5. Criminal - Fiona Apple
6. I'll Make Love to You - Boyz II Men
7. No Diggity - Blackstreet
8. U Make Me Wanna - Usher
9. Swim - Madonna
10. Are U That Somebody - Aaliyah
2. Skinny Love - Bon Iver
3. Haley Bonar - Highway 16
4. Creator - Santogold
5. Single Ladies - Beyonce
6. Sour Cherry - The Kills
7. That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings
8. Womanizer - Britney Spears
2. Camp
3. Townhouse
Tag topics
Tag responses
(Oh, and b.t.twankies, hi from Missouri!)
Got space available during the RNC? AB&B will hook you up with a room-seeker and let you pledge a percentage of your proceeds to the McCain campaign! Wanna take a last-minute trip out of town? See if there are any beds available in your desired location.
Being the type of person who's made many friends (and met his boyfriend) through random meetups from Craigslist, I tend to love efforts like this. I haven't couchsurfed myself, but I know there are some reputable folks who've offered up their space.
Would you or have you ever couchsurfed? Might you consider offering up your place on AirBedandBreakfast?
Metablog topics
Metablog responses
Somehow, I think it would be way too weird if I could win prizes.
The cover is amazing. Amazing.
You're totally eligible. That was an oversight that's now corrected.
Oh, yeah, that's the catch. It'll only work at a diesel station in Brainerd.
I kid! It's a Super America gas card.
Tapqueen, perhaps. :)
As for your prize, dan91971, it sits here, lonely in its vault, guarded day and night by three ninja masters. You should have an e-mail from me in your inbox. Get in touch, and we'll get you your goodies.
Comments on events, guides and lists
Favorites
Click a date
to find events
Find stuff
Editor's picks.
Favorite things to do at the State Fair
- people watch 20 users
- cheese curds! 18 users
- try all the new and exotic foods on a stick 16 users
- [read more]
Best food at the State Fair
- cheese curds 42 users
- sweet martha's cookies 35 users
- mini donuts 27 users
- [read more]
Excuses I might give for going to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival
- women in a corsets 18 users
- I'm a dork and there's no hiding it 14 users
- Turkey Drumsticks 13 users
- [read more]
Favorite workout tunes
- Gorillaz 15 users
- "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor 14 users
- Justin Timberlake - Futuresex/Lovesounds 11 users
- [read more]
