The World's Best...lipbalm

It's hard to explain why... wait, I can explain why:

- Smaller height to fit better in pocket/purse, but wider at the same time to cover lips fast

- Pleasant, non-gender specific, non-cloying scent, almost unscented but not quite

- Twist mechanism is pretty hard to twist... which is perfect so it doesn't spin up in your pocket while walking

- Smooth formula that goes on easy and lasts

- It has a cool Euro-vibe

See, it's true. It also helps to have friends in Scandinavia, which is where it's sold. Tack så mycket.

"Metamorphosoup" / Bare Bones Puppets, St. Paul, MN

It's a little hard to explain, but in a nutshell, each Halloween local puppeteers, artists, musicians,  performers, and volunteers spend three months putting together a performance celebrating the changing of the season and remembering loved ones lost.

Is held on the St. Paul side of the river front, south of Minnehaha Falls. It's all outdoors, with straw bales for seating and the night sky for added ambiance.

This was a sight to behold and pleasant music for the ears. I tried my best with the pictures, but I'd highly recommend going instead.

Nothing like a little fire on a Saturday night...

This was a portion "in the deep sea", with the little bit of light only coming from those creatures that made it themselves - it was really cool

Do you see the man in there?

There's two men in the Triceratops

Yeah, they kind of fought each other

Add caption

These guys were maybe 8-12' tall, on stilts, on uneven ground

Can you make out the stag? Kinda?

You can learn more about attending or being involved HERE.

The last Halloween in Delano, MN

The friends that have hosted me many times now are moving back towards the cities... this was the last Delano Halloween for now. We did it up right, including "pregame" food, decorations, tally sheet, and even fire color packets. I think the 108 trick or treaters appreciated the efforts. I know I did.

Beans fortified with more beans, bacon and hotdog pennies

Mu-hahahahaha!

I have heard simple copper powder will provide this effect

Happy Halloween

Corner Table, Minneapolis, MN

My second time, during restaurant week, just go...

Appetizer of smoked salmon rilette, very good with baguette

Main dish was the lightest gnocchi I have ever had, with Hen of the Woods mushrooms, a creamy Gruyere-based sauce who's origin I forget but loved the light green color

For dessert, they had me at "chocolate cake"... plus caramel, whipped cream, and some sort of burnt sugar brittle/meringue. Chewing the brittle basically fused my teeth together for a few minutes - like if you've ever bite down on a half-sucked Jolly Rancher

You're helpless to resist...

Terzo / T3RZO Vino Bar, Minneapolis, MN

A few pics from a quick, solo, weeknight dinner. I would love to take a moderate to big group here. The people are great, and the food and drinks follow their lead. 

I started with a drink, Indeed Brewing's Sweet Mamma Jamma

They do something nice with some of their beers by offering a 10oz pour. In some cases the ABV is so high that the city requires this smaller size. In my case, I like being able to have some of one and then some of another if I so choose

Each night they offer a different $1 bite of something interesting. If I recall, this was peppercorn whipped goat cheese, arugala, walnut and red grape. It usually does not disappoint, especially for a buck

The other side of the same spoonful

I had one of their porchetta sandwich selections that they do very well. This one was porchetta with truffled crimini mushroom and garlic-parsley aioli. Not BBQ or smoked pork either, but just really nice slow-roasted pork. They give all the sandwiches an Italian spin rather than anything with American flavors. I mean, this place is part of the Broder's family of restaurants (three kids, three joints).

While I ate, the bartender was nice enough to give me some drink samples too - I had 2-3oz of a great Dog Fish collabortion with an Italian brewery (now forgot which) and 2-3oz of a very nice Sangiovese-based red wine.

Though everything was pretty filling, I went whole-hog (pun intended) and grabbed a scoop of almond gelato to finish the meal.

Chef Shack, Minneapolis, MN (Cooper/Seward)

Have you heard of this place? I'm told it began life as a food truck and has now morphed into a kitschy little spot in Seward (plus the truck's still around too). We decided to hit it up on a Saturday night before heading out to a concert. Boy, was it a great idea.

It's a very unassuming decor allowing just about anyone to feel at home and comfortable. The menu is simply a board you read from, order at the counter, then sit down and wait for delicious to arrive. 

And did it ever. Fries with pulled pork, smoked meats, German potato salad, pickled vegetables, grainy mustard. It was awesome and that was just our appetizer and main. 

We could hardly stop our forks...

And now the best part - desserts! We ordered the Indian-spiced donuts and chocolate pot de creme. The latter was amazing. Like chocolate ice cream, but not frozen. The donuts were freshly fried and pillowy puffs of dough, but the spice was missing. We mentioned this to our hostess and as if to placate us, she said she could bring us a free creme brûlée.

"Excuse me, Miss, did you say free creme brûlée? I see. Yes, I think that will do nicely...and I love you."

I'm going to have to go back only to try the items on the menu I wanted to eat this night but couldn't fit into my stomach.