Denver in a nutshell

Hi readers, back from Denver and back to the grind. Got caught up with some work and now finally have time for some blogging! I just spent a three day weekend in Denver. My best friend since I was two moved out there last May with her fiance, so I finally went to visit. Denver is a sprawling city with a gorgeous backdrop of mountain peaks. Highlights from the trip include:

One morning we went to breakfast at Snooze, an AM Eatery. The place always has a wait but it's worth it! We got some spicy Bloody Marys with beet infused vodka. They are know for their pancakes, so I had to give them a try. I got the trio, which meant I could pick from any of their flavors. I got a red velvet pancake with cream cheese topping, a chocolate and peanut, and a banana pancake with peanut butter cream and bacon caramel.

 

It was a gorgeous 60 degrees all weekend, which is a vast improvement over January in MN. We look the light rail downtown and spent and afternoon strolling the mall area, which has lots of shops and restaurants. They also have a free bus you can ride up and down the mall, which is convenient. It was so nice to sit on a patio!

We had a really tasty dinner at Sushi Sasa, in northwest Denver. They had very good fresh fish, so all of the rolls were very flavorful and nigiri was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Our "craft project" for the weekend was making Jello shots for a birthday party we attended up in the foothills. We made lemon drop Jello shots and Captain and Coke ones, with Black Cherry Jello. Both turned out pretty tasty!

I think my favorite part of the trip was the day adventure up to Boulder, CO, which is about 45 minutes outside of Denver, closer to the mountains. Boulder is a beautiful city with a lot of personality. We walked up and down the main strip, which was filled with quaint shops hawking everything from marijuana grow kits to beautiful art. There are talented street performers everywhere and lot of unique restaurants, bars, and coffeeshops. I found my dream shoes, which were sadly out of my price range....

A big thanks to my semi-sister Robin and her finace, Marcus, for shuttling me around town and showing me what their city has to offer! Much loves!

Pride and Glory movie review

Hello all, it's been a busy day at work so this will probably be my one and only post of the day. And then tonight I'm off to Denver for a long weekend! I will be back on Monday with a fabulous review of the city. In the meantime, I have another movie review for you. I just watched "Pride and Glory," starring Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, and Jon Voight. It centers around a family of multi-generational police officers. The secret of who is a dirty cop in the family threatens to destroy them and the family name. It's a decent movie but a plot we've all seen before. There's no extra wow factor that makes it better than all the other cop genre movies. It's gritty and dark and sometimes it's a little hard to follow. Interesting back stories about all the couples that make up the family were developed, but not played out. There's too much going on that a lot of things that have potential just go unexplained, underdeveloped, or forgotten. Mainly, it made me miss the glory days of Edward Norton (Fight Club, Rounders, American History X, Primal Fear). I think the last good movie he made was "The Illusionist." Norton, please return to making good movies!

W. The Movie Review

Last night I watch Oliver Stone's movie "W." which made me almooooost miss ol' George Bush (only for the reason that he was ridiculously easy to rip on). I was wondering how Josh Brolin would do, since I couldn't imagine him looking like Bush before this. He actually did a wonderful job (props to his makeup team) and nailed the Dubya Texas accent. The movie is a chronicle of the life and presidency of George W. Bush. I'm not sure how Stone wanted to come away from this movie thinking of Bush. Yes, it was clear that he felt a lot of pressure from his father to succeed, but I'm sorry, this movie is just a highlight reel of all the idiotic things that man did and said. Richard Dryfess did an excellent job as Dick Cheney, the evil mastermind who was clearly pulling the strings for most of that presidency. To watch the scenes where he uses psychology on Bush is just hilarious. Elizabeth Banks played Laura Bush. I wish I knew more about Laura, as she seemed to be another strong force behind her husband and didn't seem to be as conservative as I had assumed she was. Overall, a slow moving but interesting movie.

Loring Theater

Last Sunday I went to the Loring Theater for "Mimosa Movies." The Loring Theater is on Nicollet by Loring Park, in the space where the Music Box Theater (home of Triple Espresso) used to be. The interior space is still exactly the same. The Loring Theater is going to host more musical events and shows, with indie theater, puppets, and burlesque shows thrown in. Every Sunday they'll host "Mimosa Movies" where for $10 you can see a 20th century movie while drinking a very large mimosa. We went to see "Breakfast at Tiffany's," which is one of my all-time favorite movies (as you can tell by my blog header). Aubrey Hepburn is such a fashion icon. I also love the leading men in older movies (ala George Peppard). They were so dashing and much more manly than some of the leading "men" these days (I'm talking to you Robert Pattinson). Anyway, I love the concept. It's the perfect way to spend a Sunday!

Oscar noms are out...

Since I so enthusiastically covered the Razzies nominations yesterday, I should probably cover the Oscar nominations, which were announced this morning. For a full list of the nominations: http://www.moviefone.com/oscars-academy-awards/nominee-winner Nominees are very similar to those who were up for the SAGs (the Golden Globes this year were just a total crapshoot). This time around I'm less interested in who got nominated compared to who got snubbed! I think the biggest surprise was no Christopher Nolan (Inception) for "Best Director." I'm sad Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) was snubbed for "Best Supporting Actor" this round, I though he was one of the best in the movie. But I'm happy J.T. officially got zero nods this awards season even though he was campaigning like crazy.  "The Kids Are All Right" is up for a lot of awards as usual, but no Julianne Moore for "Best Supporting Actress" this time. In terms of other forgotten actors, no Mila Kunis (my girl crush!) or Ryan Gosling this round, which is surprising because both were getting a lot of buzz and accolades. Also, does anyone this there is an issue with James Franco being one of the hosts for the evening and being up for "Best Actor"? That just seems a bit odd to me....

Cyrus movie review

A couple nights ago I watched the indie comedy, Cyrus. It was unexpectedly hilarious! A divorced, socially awkward man (John C. Reilly) finally meets the woman of his dreams who finds him absolutely charming and not at all stalkerish (Marisa Tomei). After following her home one day, he meets her son (Jonah Hill), who is extremely, uncomfortably close to his mother. Don't worry, it's not a dirty relationship at all. They make electronic music and take pictures together and have all sorts of weird rules in their home. They're more of best friends than mother and son. I could not stop laughing. I wish this movie had gotten more buzz in 2010. It was the official selection for both SXSW and Sundance but should have been right up there with "The Kids Are All Right." It is a quirky romance showing the unexpected complications of love.

The Current's 6th Birthday Party

As I previously mentioned in this blog, 89.3 The Current is perhaps the best radio station in the world. I know so many people who stream it across the US, and even a few in other countries. Anyway, last Friday night I went to their 6th Birthday Party show at First Ave. Last year there was a surprise appearance by Prince!! No such luck this year but as usual, the lineup was stellar and made me realize how much I love local music. 

It started out with Trampled by Turtles (a last-minute replacement for Cloud Cult). They're a progressive bluegrass band from Duluth, MN. I'm not huge on the whole bluegrass/jam band scene, but they have a great stage presence and I love the song "Victory." Just announced, they'll be at Coachella this year: http://trampledbyturtles.com/

Next up was Roma di Luna, an acoustic folkish wife and husband duet. They remind me of a more country version of Mates of State. It's got a more jazzy edge to it than your typical folk music. Her voice is amazing and she is adorable. See MPR's review of their latest album here:  http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/10/01/roma-di-luna/

After that was the adoooorable Jeremy Messersmith. He is a local favorite and kind of falls into the indie pop genre. I think his music lyrically has more meaning that to just file him under "pop" though. He and his whole band wore all white at the show. His new album, The Reluctant Graveyard is eerily beautiful. http://jeremymessersmith.com/

Nearing the end was Brother Ali. Now, I am a huge hip hop fan, especially of local label Rhymesayers. I've seen Brother Ali a million times in concert and always found that I like his CDs a lot more than I like him in show. I never knew why this was until my boyfriend pointed out that half his set is literally him having the crowd repeat back phrases to him. It's kind of annoying. At the show, Any from Atmosphere was deejaying for him, of course with one hand so he can chain smoke! One thing I do love about Brother Ali is that even though he's successful, I've seen him riding the city bus. And since he's an albino Muslim, he goes and speaks to school kids about embracing individuality. Very cool! http://www.brotherali.com/

Last but not least, the show closed with Free Energy. Last time I saw these guys, they were late to a show at the 400 Bar because their van broke down. Now they're playing bigger shows and getting recognized for their fun stage antics. These guys definitely bring the energy. Half the band is from Minnesota and the other half is from Pennsylvania. They made Rolling Stone's "Best new bands of 2010." Check them out at: http://www.freeenergymusic.com/

The Razzies are here!

As always, the day before the Oscar nominations are announced, the Razzies are announced. Now, I have a love for awesomely bad movies, so I get just excited about these awards as all the others. I loved that last year Sandra Bullock won the "Best Actress" Oscar for "The Blind Side" and the "Worst Actress" Razzie for her part in "All About Steve." And like the class-act that she is, she went to accept both in person! Now, there's probably not going to be any overlap like that this year (although we'll find out for sure tomorrow morning when the Oscar noms come out). Here are the major categories for the Razzies this year with my pick for "winner" highlighted: 

Worst Film Nominees:
‘Twilight Saga: Eclipse’
‘The Last Airbender’
‘The Bounty Hunter’
‘Sex & The City 2′
‘Vampires Suck’ 

Comments: I didn't see it because the preview and premise was so awful, even I didn't want to see it... how many people actual did??

Worst Actress:
Jennifer Aniston: ‘The Bounty Hunter’
Miley Cyrus: ‘The Last Song’
The Four “Gal Pals”: ‘Sex & The City 2′
Megan Fox: ‘Jonah Hex’
Kristen Stewart ‘Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ 

Comments: Everyone who knows me knows how I feel about her flat acting. Lip biting and moodiness anyone?

Worst Actor:
Ashton Kutcher: ‘Killers’ and ‘Valentine’s Day’
Gerard Butler: ‘The Bounty Hunter’
Jack Black: ‘Gulliver’s Travels’
Robert Pattinson: ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ and ‘Remember Me’
Taylor Lautner: ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ 

Comments: I almost went with Ashton Kutcher but he's always been a crappy actor. I'm more sad about Jack Black, who back in the day was great (High Fidelity!) but has made a horrible string of movies over the last couple of years.

Worst Supporting Actress:
Jessica Alba: ‘The Killer Inside Me,’ ‘Little Fockers,’ ‘Machete,’ and ‘Valentine’s Day’
Cher: ‘Burlesque’
Liza Minnelli: ‘Sex & The City 2′
Nicola Peltz: ‘The Last Airbender’
Barbra Streisand: ‘Little Fockers’ 

 Comments: See my "Meet the Fockers" review from last week. I totally called this one. Plus, she's up for 4!! I think that was all the movies she was in for 2010. I"m sad about the Liza nod, I though she was the best moment of SATC2.

Worst Supporting Actor:
George Lopez: ‘Marmaduke,’ ‘The Spy Next Door,’ and ‘Valentine’s Day’
Billy Ray Cyrus: ‘The Spy Next Door’
Dev Patel: ‘The Last Airbender’
Jackson Rathbone: ‘The Last Airbender,’ and ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Rob Schneider: ‘Grown Ups’ 

Comment: Tough call in this category but I hate his late night and have no idea who keeps casting him in movies....

Worst Couple/Ensemble:
The Entire Cast of ‘Sex & The City 2′
The Entire Cast of ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’
The Entire Cast of ‘The Last Airbender’
Jennifer Aniston & Gerard Butler: ‘The Bounty Hunter’
Josh Brolin’s Face & Megan Fox’s Voice: ‘Jonah Hex’

Comments: Besides loving the combo in this category for Jonah Hex, i have to give it to Twilight. These "teenagers" are awkward to watch and have zero range or talent. And for some reason are over-hyped and worshiped. I hope they all disappear from cinema after this franchise is done...

The Green Hornet review

So, this weekend I went to see "The Green Hornet" in theaters. I was excited because the previews made it look super funny and I have a soft spot for comic book movies. Well, most of the humorous parts were in the preview. There were a lot of explosions and a lot of fights scenes, which I guess is to be expected but there was a point where so many things were blowing up that you couldn't actually tell what was going on. I expected more from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep), but I guess everyone's' artistic integrity gets corrupted by a blockbuster budget. The high point of this movie was Kato, played by Jay Chou. I guess he's basically the Justin Timberlake of Taiwan. He didn't have many lines in the movie, but I though he delivered a performance like how I imagined Kato, but even cooler. Basically, "The Green Hornet" is a movie for teenage boys. For the rest of us, not so much.

TGIAC... Thank god it's almost Caturday!

For the whiskey fans

I'm not sure how many of you readers are whiskey drinkers (I'm assuming the Green Eggs & Glam readership is predominantly female), but my boyfriend sent me an interesting article yesterday about the newest rage in liquor, whiskey in a can. Panama-based Scottish Spirits LTD is now offering whiskey in 12-ounce cans. That's eight shots, apparently intended to be shared by three people. Somehow, I bet there's not going to be that much sharing going on.... It's not available in the U.S., but when it arrives it will probably retail for about $5 a can. I'll stick with my champagne in a can (Sofia by the Frances Ford Coppola Winery), which even comes with a straw!

Monte Carlo review

Today I went to lunch at the Monte Carlo, in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. The restaurant has been around for quite a while. Right when you walk in, there is a beautiful bar, which a wall full of liquor bottle assortments. I has the Caesar salad to start out with, which had the perfect amount of dressing. For lunch, I had the Cajun chicken sandwich, with a spice rub, cucumber relish, and a spicy aoili. It was quite tasty and very spicy, but the cucumber relish helped balance out the spice. Looking around the table, all of the portions are quite generous. For dessert I had a bite of some very rich classic New York cheesecake. This is the perfect place for either a business lunch, dinner date, or just having drinks. Overall, a very classy place with a parking lot and free valet at lunch.

*This painting is by one of my favorite local artists, Michael Birawer.

Not my choice: The Spartacus: Blood and Sand Review

Soooo, we just got done Netflixing Starz's "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" season one. This of course was the boyfriend's choice. I have never seen so much unabashed full frontal nudity (for males and females). There were definitely moments I felt like we were watching soft-core porn. There was also a lot of graphic violence (being as how the show is focused around gladiators). The blood effects were overdone, like something out of a graphic novel movie, reminiscent of Sin City or 300. I was excited to see that one of the female leads was played by Lucy Lawless (I use to love Xena: Warrior Princess). However, now that I've seen her totally nude (although I'll give her credit for aging well), Xena will never be the same... Overall, very strange show. It was renewed for a second season, although the actor playing Spartacus is being replaced due to illness.

Sea Change review

Today over lunch I went to the restaurant Sea Change with a bunch of people from work. I was very excited to go, as I've heard that the food is amazing because it's Tim McKee's. McKee is the big James Beard Award winner of the Midwest and has been behind many successful restaurants in Minnesota, such as the newly revamped Il Gato, La Belle Vie, Barrio, and Solera. Sea Change is a sustainable seafood restaurant attached to the Guthrie Theatre, where Cue use to be. The space itself was absolutely gorgeous, very clean with lot of vibrant blue and green notes. During the summer, the patio has a wonderful view of the Mississippi River and the outside of the Guthrie Theatre, which is spectacular in itself. It offers a three-course pre-theater menu, late-night small plates, and a raw bar. It wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. The lunch ranges from $8-$15 and the dinner ranges from $18-$22. I had the spicy shrimp sandwich, which was flavorful and delicious. Some of the people I was with were not a fan though. The guy who got the fish tacos said they were overcooked and my boss who got the salmon said it was undercooked and the skin left on it was soggy and gross. So all and all, some mixed reviews. I'll hold out on a final consensus until I'm able to try their dinner, where they should really shine. I'm also looking forward to checking out their 100+ wine bottle list.

Mt. Fuji Sushi

Last night I went to Mt. Fuji (on Hennepin Ave S in Uptown) for some sushi with a friend. I had never been there before and am now a huge fan. First off, they have an amazing happy hour, which run 4:30-7p and 9p-close Monday-Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday! It has cheap drinks and appetizers. For sushi, it's not only smaller maki rolls and select nigiri, but also significant discounts on the larger, more fun maki rolls. I had the spicy tuna girl, which was delicious, and the a classic salmon and avocado roll. Outside of happy hour, the sushi is pretty expensive. They also offer carry-out and delivery. It was pretty empty when we were there, so I hope this place survives. It's got some tough competition with the much advertised Sushi Tango and Fuji-ya nearby.

Little Fockers review

Last night I went to see "Little Fockers" with a couple girlfriends. Frankly, I was surprised it was still in the main theaters. And it made me think of De Niro's dig at it during his speech at the Golden Globes. It was actually a lot funnier than I expected it to be. Somehow, that cast can make the same-old scenario seem humorous over and over again. De Niro's crazy, overbearing, ex-CIA dad shtick is always hilarious and Ben Stiller's reactions to handling him always manage to dig him into a whole. The annoying part for me was Jessica Alba's casting. I think someone else could have made that role a lot funnier and complex. Owen Wilson's character is also getting stale, still pining over Pam. They need to do something new with him. Overall, I enjoyed it for it's simple humor and it made me laugh, but I hope this is the last of these movies. The end had a potential setup for a fourth, but I hope they don't go there.

The end of an obsession

I just finished the series finale of Showtime's "The Tudors." I was hoping that since it was so successful, they would continue with the rest of the Tudor dynasty, like Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I. No dice but it's probably good because that's one less show obsession I have to keep up on. I thought Jonathan Rhys Meyers was a perfect choice for Henry VIII. His natural arrogance really helps the role and it doesn't hurt that he's pretty nice to look at. My favorite show though is Charles, the king's best friend, played by the very manly Henry Cavill :) I also thought all of the queens were very well-cast and enjoyed cameos by Joss Stone and Joelyn Richardson. And of course, you have to love history told with the raciness of a Showtime show! 

Brunch Buffet at The Loop

Sunday we went to check out the brunch buffet at The Loop, in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. For those who've been to The Loop at night for drinking and debauchery, it's a much different ambiance during the daytime. The buffet was very tasty and is one of our new favorites in Minneapolis. Their selection included veggie and meat scrambled eggs, breakfast sandwiches, bacon, sausage, pasta salad, Caesar salad, pastries, biscuits and gravy, and cheesy hashbrowns. My favorite was the french toast mash, which was sugary, cinnamony, and doughy. They also custom make Belgian waffles and omelets, with pretty much anything you could dream of wanting in an omelet. My one complaint is that in the Vita.MN review, they said they had breakfast pizza. There was not breakfast pizza to be found. Per person, the buffet is about $13, a good deal for a brunch buffet downtown!

A new addition to Apt 110

Recently, we decided our cat, Winston Churchill, needs a friend. Yesterday we went to an adoption event put on by the Minneapolis Pet Rescue Project: http://www.facebook.com/PetProjectRescue The Pet Project Rescue is a no-kill, non-profit, volunteer-based animal rescue which places homeless animals in foster care homes until they are adopted. We adopted a 6-month old black and white kitty. His foster name is Chile but we are definitely going to rename his. He's very fun and playful. However, his favorite game is chasing Winston around and we're not quite sure how Winston feels about that yet....

Also, thanks to all my readers! Whether you just read occasionally or are a blog stalker, I've only been on since Nov '10 and already have had over 1,000 page views, coming in from all over the world. Thanks for reading :) I like to think my opinions matter.

Golden Globes Recap

Last night was the Golden Globe Awards. I've read a lot of mixed reviews this morning but here are my overall thoughts. I looooved Ricky Gervais as a host. He's getting a lot of flack for being really harsh but I thought it was hilarious. Good for him for not kissing any celebrity asses and taking cracks at Hugh Hefner and Scientology. In terms of fashion, I think Sandra Bullock had my favorite dress, although I do not know what was going on with her bangs. Bad hair seemed to be a popular trend for the evening (Annette Bening anyone?). In terms of awards, The Social Network and Glee seemed to be the big winners of the night. I'm surprised Black Swan didn't get more. Natalie Portman's "Best Actress" speech was a little to gushy for me. I'm glad The Kids Are All Right is getting a lot well-deserved recognition. My favorite wins and speeches of the night were Christian Bale, Colin Firth, and Melissa Leo. And of course Robert De Niro's acceptance rant :) There were some random presenters, like Megan Fox and Robert Pattinson. Anyone else glad The Tourist and Burlesque didn't take home anything? For a complete list of winners: http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/

TGIF.... which means it's almost Caturday!

A new player in the cheap wine arena

Three Buck Chuck (from Trader Joe's) has been dominating the cheap wine market forever. I mean, where else can you get tasty, award winning wine for $3? It's definitely saved me a ton of money over the years. So, Whole Foods, of all people, decides to come out with their own brand of $3 wine. First off, this seems pretty random and off-brand for them. They charge a lot for their food, but now they want to have cheap wine? Okay, whatever. Their line is called "Three Wishes" and the bottles are pretty, However, FOX News (excuse the source) did a taste test of Charles Shaw against Three Wishes for the Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvingnon. You can read the article here: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/01/13/buck-chuck-wine-gets-competition/ Basically, Charles Shaw beats them out in every single category. My favorite part is under the Cabernet Sauvingnon, which featured an odor one taster described as “feet.” Good try Whole Foods. But your food is still to pricey and your cheap wine sucks. I'll sick to Trader Joe's!

Cupcake Crazy

It's official, I am deep into this cupcake craze that's going around. I can't stop watching "Cupcake Wars" on the Food Network, even though the host is possibly one of the most annoying men alive. Every time I hear the word "buttercream" frosting my mouths starts to water like some kind of Pavlovian experiment. Yesterday I went and got a dozen cupcakes at one of the many gourmet cupcake shops popping up around town, Sweet Retreat (located at 50th and France). Let's just say, half of that dozen is already gone today and I find myself coming up with crazy justifications about the acceptability of cupcakes for breakfast. We got a variety of cupcakes from Sweet Retreat, including, Mocha, Red Velvet, Monkey Business, Cookies & Cream, and Choczilla. But I have to say, the most amazing cupcake they make is the Salted Caramel. The actually cupcake is slightly salty but also sweet and it's topped with a light whipped cream and caramel drizzle. At this point, I can honestly say, there are few things I love more in this world than Sweet Retreat's Salted Caramel cupcake.

Sushi at Origami

Yesterday I went to lunch at my favorite sushi restaurant in Minneapolis, Origami. Origami is on First Street in the Warehouse District, in a quaint, brick, two-story building. Their sushi is superb every time I have it. Yesterday we started out with some edamame, which was well-salted. My sushi lunch came with a small salad and miso soup beforehand. I've been wondering why Origami's sushi is so good. A lot of other sushi chefs around the Twin Cities recommend Origami, so I've asked a couple why. Apparently the owner of Origami has a hookup with the fish suppliers, so he often gets first pick of all the fresh fish that comes in. With sushi in the Midwest, getting the fresher fish definitely makes a difference! They also have some pretty good happy hour deals for sushi-lovers on a budget.

The Kids Are All Right Review

Last weekend we rented the much-buzzed about "The Kids Are All Right." Although it has a couple slow parts, overall I liked it a  lot. It was a unique plot about a nuclear family that probably becoming more and more common in America. It felt real, there weren't any sensationalized, oversexed lesbian scenes, it was just two normal, older women in love. I loved the kids in the movie, although it droves me nuts that the boy was named Laser. Annette Bening is up for a SAG and Golden Globe for her performance and it's up for Best Comedy. I actually though Mark Ruffalo did the best job in the movie. You couldn't help but love him, not matter how much he screwed up. He's up for a SAG for best supporting actor. The only thing negative I really have to say about this movie is the semi-inconclusive ending. Always drives me nuts. Otherwise, definitely rent this before the Golden Globes this Sunday.

Thom Pham's Wonderous Azian Kitchen

With a name like that, it better deliver! The first time I went there, I was not a fan. We went to the dim sum brunch. Dim sum, which includes things like plates of squid and sticky buns, was not what I would classify as brunch food. And with each little plate of dim sum being $3-$7, it added up fast. We left much broker feeling unsatisfied, and my boyfriend swore he would never go back. I went yesterday for lunch and actually really liked it. Our table started out sharing a bunch of appetizers, like calamari, squash dumplings, sauteed green beans, and asparagus. They were all quite tasty. I had the maki bento for my meal, which was a California roll, a salmon avocado roll, and a spicy tuna. It wasn't the best sushi I've ever had, but it was decent. I like that they work local ingredients into some of their dishes, like the squash dumplings and cranberry curry. I definitely get something along those lines when I go back. I also hear they have some pretty potent drinks I'll have to try out!

The Fighter review

Hi readers, sorry for the lack of posts these last few days. Here in the Midwest the flu is definitely going around and I feel like I've been sleeping for the last 72 hours. I did take a break from all the sleeping though to go see "The Fighter" in theaters and I'm glad I did! New favorite for awards season (although "The King's Speech" is still a close second for me)! "The Fighter" surpassed being lumped into the inspirational sports movie genre, in large part due to the superb acting. Christian Bale was amazing as the coke addict ex-boxer brother of Mark Walberg's character. When Bale commits to a role, he really goes all out. He must have lost a bunch of weight for this movie. My other favorite is Amy Adams, who's so far away from her typical fairy-princess role. She brings the sass in this movie and does an amazing job. I loved the crazy family in the movie and when she takes them on. Actually, one of the many sisters is played by Conan O'Brien's sister! Definitely go see this movie in theaters, such a great true story.

Dinner at The Strip Club

For the boyfriend's birthday last night, we went to dinner at The Strip Club. Wait, wait, before you think we're some crazy white trash couple, The Strip Club is a steak and seafood restaurant on the north side of St. Paul. It's in an old brick building, on top of the hill overlooking the St. Paul skyline. The food was amazing!! We started out getting a couple small plates to share. I had their soup du jour, which was squash, apple, and cream puree with pomegranate seeds. It was super flavorful and creamy. They had deviled eggs on the menu, so of course we had to get that. They were spicy and the eggs were pickled, definitely unique but tasty. We also got shrimp skewers over a spicy, cheesy, cauliflower puree that the boyfriend picked as his favorite taste of the night. For dinner, we split their New York strip steak. All of the beef they serves is grass-fed, so everything is super tender. After you pick your cut of steak, you can pick from 7 different sauce options. We got our steak with the "Thai Me Up" sauce, which was spicy peanut and cilantro. I gave up deep-fried food as a New Year's resolution, so we passed on their french fries with white cheese and chorizo. The steak automatically comes with fresh carrots sauteed in a butter sauce, which were surprisingly tasty for carrots. Overall, I would say this place is a lot cheaper than one of your high end steakhouses, and has much better unique flavors, with local produce, at a reasonable price. This place is definitely one of the best restaurants in St. Paul.

New restaurant openings in the Twin Cities- 2011

The City Pages had readers vote on what restaurant openings in 2011 they were most excited for. The top ones are: http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2011/01/most_anticipate.php I'm loving the concept of Heidi's. If it's 4 star food and ambiance, with 2 star prices, I'm there. The Donut Cooperative sounds... interesting. I'm a big fan of Kim Bartmann's existing restaurants, so I hope Bread & Pickle is just as good. If it serves what's in the name, I'll be a happy camper. I'm most excited for Masu Sushi & Robata. Tim McKee is a genius and I'm all for more and more sushi restaurants in the cities!

Since I haven't in a while, here's an extended "It's almost Caturday!!"

Sookie Stackhouse novels

In the last month and a half I have been OBSESSED with reading all of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Right now there are 10 books in the series, with the 11th coming out this May. The books are written by Charlaine Harris and they are like literary crack. They're very easy to read and there are a lot of cliffhangers. These are the books that the HBO show "True Blood" is based off of. I'm a huge fan of the show but I think I like the books even more. The books are all written from Sookie's perspective, so you get a lot more of people's inner thoughts via her telepathy. There's a lot of characters, which is sometimes hard to keep track of, but they are all very interesting. And to "True Blood's" credit, they did a good job with casting. Another upside of the books, the two characters who annoy me in the show are not a major part of the books at all! And they are much, much better than the "Twilight" books because they are not centered around mopey teenagers.

TV movie night....

Thank god for HBO! What would I do on nights were I have no Netflix at home without it?? Last night we watched Zodiac. I forgot how much I liked that movie. I don't do well with scary movies, so when it came out back in 2007, I was afraid to go see it. However, it's not really scary, it's more of a psychological mystery. Unfound serial killers will always be interesting and I love movies based on true stories. Jake Gyllenhal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. star in this movie. There could not be a better trifecta of men! The movie follows these men and their obsession to find the Zodiac killer. It's crazy how much of these men's lives were eaten up by this obsession. And imagine how frustrated they are that the killer was never found. Anyway, thank you HBO for reminding me how much I like this movie.