A closer look at flyover land

Friday food

Last week's column on WCCO.com covered Minneapolis' Eat Street. I've blogged about different restaurants on this street before, here and here.  Today let's take a look at another spot, directly across the street from the Black Forest Inn, that's a whole lot of fun and good food.

 

Can you guess the cuisine? Unlike much of Eat Street, this isn't a place focused on foods from outside the U.S. borders.

 

The Bad Waitress Diner & Coffeeshop. The tongue-in-cheek name does not refer to the attitude of the employees, but to the set-up, which involves customers seating themselves, reading their menus, filling out their own order forms, and taking them to the register to pay. You want water? Help yourself. The server will deliver your food, however.

Bad Waitress has three square meals a day, including hearty pancakes, omelettes, scrambles, French toast, and my favorite, the El Diablo Breakfast Sandwich (two eggs, cheese, and your choice of meat on an English muffin or biscuit); sandwiches, salads, burgers, soup, and chili; and at dinnertime, burritos, quesadillas, and pasta. Desserts are offered, of course, as is good hot coffee and a selection of wine and beer.

My most recent visit was at dinnertime. I brought my "real" camera to photo the interior, but you know what? It's such a warm and cozy place at night, and people looked comfy and content at their tables, and I didn't want to bother anyone with the flash of a camera. So I used my cell phone. My bad. Trust me. The place is a great hangout.

 

The food is great. I had a local brew:

 

to go with my veggie burrito.

 

Enormous, of course, because that's what diners do. But refreshingly, it's grilled rather than deep-fried, and the inside was heavy on rice and veggies and light on gloppy cheese. Wonderfully seasoned, not spicy, but very flavorful.

My friend had mac 'n' cheese.

 

She was kind enough to let me try a bite. Yum. Very smooth and creamy.

It's a kid-friendly establishment, with plenty of things for them to eat. There's a happy hour with drink and appetizer specials, and a daily entree special as well. If you haven't been, it's well worth a stop; if you have been, don't you think it's time to go back?

The Vikings want a new stadium

Not being a huge fan of major league sports, I find it hard to care whether or not the Vikings get their way. But I also recognize that I'm in the minority on that. So it was refreshing to see this post over on Erica's site. Why do we care, indeed? For the record, I do understand that teams like the Vikings do generate revenue in various areas of the economy. But speaking of the economy...I hate to see school funding and arts organizations and state parks and badly needed social programs losing cash, while a football team gets dollars for a new stadium. I have to wonder why the Vikings think this is a good time to make this push.

MN Monthly

--has now posted the link to the Judy Garland Museum story here. Give it a read. Good stuff.

The Judy Garland Museum

The March issue of Minnesota Monthly magazine has an interesting article about the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids. (At the moment, the magazine's website hasn't updated to the March issue yet--silly magazine!--but if they post the article online, I'll link to it.) The article talks about the Great Theft of 2005--for those of you who aren't aware, one of the four pairs of ruby slippers still known to exist from The Wizard of Oz were stolen off the museum's premises. That left the little museum devastated, having lost one of its main attractions. What I didn't know was that the museum didn't actually own the slippers; they were on loan from a private collector. If you get a chance to read the article, it's really fascinating, looking at the rise and the fall of the Judy Garland fan cult. Apparently her status as a gay icon has decreased considerably in recent years, and interest in her movies has declined as well. But the ruby slippers still have a (somewhat fanatic) fan base. The slippers have never been found, although there are plenty of theories. My favorite: one of the still-living Munchkin actors says he's sure it was an inside job by a museum employee. I'm not sure how having been a Munchkin qualified him to make investigative assessments, but whatever. Whoever did it, the town of Grand Rapids is not happy about it.

I visited the museum back in 2007. Like many people my age, I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz year after year after year. I still rank it as one of my all-time favorite movies. So when the opportunity to visit the birthplace and early home of Garland presented itself, I couldn't say no.

The home itself is small, typical of its era.

 

The interior has been restored and furnished with accessories from the period, although there's not much that the Gumm family owned from that time period (Frances Gumm being Judy's name at birth). Still, it's always interesting to see homes from other time periods, particularly when someone famous lived there.

A caveat: in one of those "I understand fully why they did this but I sure wish they hadn't" moments, the house is not at its original location on a small-town residential street. Instead, it's been moved to a location near Highway 169, across from a Cub Foods and strip mall. Easier access and more visibility? Sure. But it's hard to get a sense of the small-town life Judy must have experienced when you're on a major highway and across from big-box stores.

The house is attached to a newer structure that holds a gift shop, display of various movie posters and memorabilia, and a children's museum. Look--you can be photographed as your favorite Wizard character (unless you preferred Glinda or the Wicked Witch to the Fab Four).

 

There may not be ruby slippers, but there are still lots of things to look at. I'll tell you what, as a kid I would have killed for this:

 

Without the slippers, probably the crown jewel of the collection is this carriage:

Remember Dorothy's initial arrival at Oz? Yup--this is the carriage. But it's significant historically for another reason:

 

Pretty cool, yes?

The gift shop is a lot of fun. Tons of books, including the Judy Garland cookbook, filled with recipes from people who knew Judy (in some cases, the association is pretty tenuous, but who cares?). Dolls, collectibles, Christmas ornaments, recordings--there's plenty to choose from. My favorite purchase:

 

A Wicked Witch tape measure.

Bottom line, if you're in Grand Rapids, stop by. It's a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Or make a special trip this summer to the annual Judy Garland Festival, this year celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz.

If nothing else, check out the museum's website. Did you know she wrote poetry? Yup.

Need a caffeine fix

Read that as a cry for help, gentle readers. What are your favorite independent coffee shops in the Twin Cities? Note--for the most part, that means excluding Starbucks, Caribou, and Dunn Bros. The exception to that rule: if one of the chains is doing something out of the ordinary. For example, the Dunn Bros. in Eden Prairie that partnered with the city to renovate an historic home. Otherwise, let's talk about independents. Who and where are the good ones?

Friday food

Last weekend my brother and I trekked up to northern Minnesota to attend a funeral. (Yes, the funeral was in a Lutheran church; yes, there were ham sandwiches.) On the way north, we had the opportunity to stop at one of my favorite central Minnesota haunts:

 

The 371 Diner, named appropriately enough for its location on Highway 371 in Baxter, just down the road from Brainerd. It's all shiny on the outside and built like the traditional traincar diner. There's a fun photo of it here.

Inside it's also bright and shiny.

 

Red and white vinyl booths, neon lighting, and of course there's a jukebox.

The food is what you'd expect (and hope for) from a diner: burgers, sandwiches, blue plate specials. Oh, and for the little ones, the kiddie meals come in cardboard racecars.

I had the patty melt.

 

A sizable--of course--portion of beef with grilled onions and cheese on rye bread with perfectly crispy crinkle fries. The patty melt was delicious, although it could have used more onions. But then, I nearly always want more onions, and I'm often in the minority on that.

Good food, reasonable prices, cheerful service--what else could you ask for in a diner?

 

Lovely in theory, but...

I think this is a great idea. But, as the writer for TC Daily Planet notes, it's not without potential flaws.

Bike Sharing Planned for Minneapolis

By Jon Behm , TC Daily Planet

February 08, 2009

Minneapolis residents may begin seeing some funny looking bicycles on the street this fall. The chunky “urban-oriented” bikes are part of a partnership between the City of Minneapolis and City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation to create a viable bike sharing system for the public. Not only will the system be a healthier, more environmentally friendly alternative to driving, if they pull it off it could radically change the face of the city’s urban streets. Representatives from Nordic Ski as well as the city were present at a public presentation in Calhoun Square on February 4, answering questions about what the partnership hopes to achieve.

Using a number of lessons learned from the world’s successful bike sharing programs in cities such as Paris, Barcelona, and Montreal, Minneapolis is taking a number of steps to prevent the project from becoming a disaster on a par with St. Paul’s recent “Yellow Bike Program.” First of all, the bikes will be available on a web-based subscription basis. To sign up, one would be required to pay an online subscription fee in order to receive a security card. (The annual fee has not been determined, but the best guess-timate was about $40.)The card would then be used to check out a bike from one of the city’s planned 70 – 80 kiosks. No card? Use a credit card in the kiosk for a one-day subscription. The hope is that keeping electronic records of each bike rental will cut down on the number of thefts that occur. The kiosks also contain a state of the art locking system that ensures that no bike will be able to be wrenched off illegally.

More Bike Share Meetings Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. SE Thursday, Feb. 12, at 5:30 p.m. Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall For more information, visit the Twin Cities Bike Share Web site.

To reduce vandalism and breakdowns, the three-speed bikes are built to be relatively indestructible with durable steel frames and heavy pneumatic tires. They will also be maintained by a full-time roaming crew to ensure that each bike remains in good working condition. To prevent users from simply renting the bikes and holding on to them for days, the cost of using the bike will increase as you keep it longer, encouraging users to make short, cheap rides and keeping the number of available bikes high. For night use, the bikes are even outfitted with lights that utilize self-sustaining solar power.

One glaring problem with the plan is the obvious impossibility of renting out bike helmets with the bikes, raising the question of safety as well as liability. The Minneapolis/Nordic Ski partnership hopes that offering a bike sharing possibility to citizens will change the pedestrian culture to one that habitually keeps bike helmets on hand. Even so, it doesn’t take a cynic to imagine an injured cyclist suing the city for not providing safety precautions. Regardless, optimism from the city and Nordic Ski members remains high. The next step to tackle will be securing federal funding, which will be necessary for the program’s estimated $1.5 million dollar annual budget.

Friday food

Meat. Today's Friday Food is all about meat, and a wonderful place to buy it and sit down and eat it.

 

Kramarczuk's in NE Minneapolis. This neighborhood institution is the purveyor of meats, specializing in eastern European sausages. You can also get darn good steaks, slab bacon, leg of lamb, all that sort of thing, but for goodness sake, if you're going to go, get some sausage. Their signature item is Krakowska, a wonderful garlicky Polish sausage. But there are also numerous variations on other kinds of sausages. Like blood sausage? Here's your source. Need Italian sausage? Spicy or not? You'll find both. Andouille? Chorizo? You're in luck. Plain brats? Lamb brats? Curry brats? French apple brats? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

 

I'm not sure many vegetarians would want to visit, but for the record, they also sell scrumptious baked goods, including honey spiced cake, apple streusel, and cream puffs.

Here's the best part, though. After you've stood in line--and it's likely there will be others there ahead of you--and smelled the heavenly sausage/smoked meat/garlic aromas, you might be hungry. No problem.

 

Because right next door is a cafeteria-style restaurant, serving all manner of hearty eastern European foods.

 

Casual and friendly. Enormous portions. Reasonable prices. Get your fill of cabbage rolls, varenyky (little filled dumplings, like pierogi), brats, Krakowska sandwiches, hearty soups, or goulash. On my most recent visit, I went with the Szegedin Goulash.

 

It's a goulash of meat, sauerkraut and onions, served with a trio of varenyky (you can choose from cheese, sauerkraut, or meat/cheese potato; I chose one of each) as well as sour cream as a garnish for the varenyky.

Fancy? No. Good? Oh, my, yes.

February festivals

Just a reminder—come listen to me being interviewed tonight at Radio Free Nation at 7:40 p.m.

So what if it’s cold? There’s still plenty to do. And no, it’s not all related to Valentine’s Day—far from it. February is the month when Minnesotans start to get cabin fever, and there are festivals all over the state to get people out of the house and back in good spirits. An homage to the movie Grumpy Old Men, snoball softball, polar plunges, outdoor golfing on Lake Minnetonka, a Victorian poetry slam, and a frozen lefse flinging contest are just a few of the entertainment options available this month.

Granite Falls

Ole and Lena Days

Jan. 31-Feb. 6

You gotta love a festival named after the quintessential Norwegian couple. A live carnival, sleigh rides, the Fireman’s Dance, and the frozen lefse fling.

Waseca

Sleigh and Cutter Festival

Feb. 6-28

Snow sculpting, ice harvests, a parade, sky diving, golfing, curling, ice fishing, and live entertainment.

Aurora/Iron Range

Laskiainen Finnish Sliding Festival

Feb. 6-8

Explore Finnish traditions (foods, music, crafts) as well as, of course, sliding.

Rochester

Winterfest

Feb. 6-15

A 5k/10k Frozen Goose Run/Walk for charity, snoball softball tournaments, sleigh rides, chili cook-off, ice and snow sculptures, and a polar plunge.

Ely

Ely Winter Festival

Feb. 6-16

Northern Minnesota’s answer to the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Snow sculpting classes, art walks, a spaghetti feed, a historic Voyageur encampment, dogsled rides, snowshoe hikes, fish fry, live music, and a Mukluk Ball. If you’re there over Valentine’s, sign up for the special dinner at the Grand Ely Lodge, benefiting the wonderful Dorothy Molter Museum.

Bemidji

Logging Days

Feb. 7

A tribute to days long gone, this festival has it all: tomahawk throwing, chainsaw sculpting, crosscut saw contests, blacksmithing demonstrations, lumberjack relay races, sleigh rides, square dancing, and flapjacks.

Wayzata

Chilly Open

Feb. 7

Really, really missing those fine days of golf? Don’t have trips planned to Arizona or Hilton Head? Then sign up for this annual event, which will have you golfing on Lake Minnetonka.  

St. Paul

Romance and Relaxation

Feb. 13

Learn about the romance and multiple weddings that have taken place in the James J. Hill House (a perfect place for a wedding), then enjoy guided meditation. Reservations recommended.

Finland

Winter Snow Days

Feb. 13-15

Family and couples friendly, this weekend offers the chance to thoroughly explore everything the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center has to offer. Dog sledding, cross-country skiing, birding, indoor rock climbing, kids’ Valentine’s crafts, and adults-only candlelight ski and snowshoeing.

St. Paul

Victorian Poetry Slam

Feb. 14

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to visit the romantic James J. Hill House and hear poems by Dickinson, Poe, Longfellow and Browning—and even a poem about James J. Hill himself. Reservations recommended.

Pine City

Queen Charlotte’s Birthday Ball

Feb. 14

Enjoy a Jane Austen-esque evening of dance and entertainment (country dances taught at the site) at the North West Company Fur Post. Reservations required.

Red Wing

Eagle Watch Weekend

Feb. 14-15, 21-22, 28

Colvill Park will have scopes and volunteers available to answer questions and help visitors spot eagles.

St. Paul

Victorian Nights: Tea and Tarts

Feb. 18

Oh, those Victorians, with their hang-ups and prudishness. Learn all about them at this tea at the Carriage House at the Alexander Ramsey House. What did Victorian women think about the birds and the bees? Learn about the era’s “soiled doves,” and enjoy live entertainment from the Klondike Kates.

Walker

Eelpout Festival

Feb. 20-22

Polar plunge, rugby tournament, encampment judging, the Eelpout Idol contest, ice drilling contest, and, naturally, ice fishing.

New Ulm

Bock Fest

Feb. 21

Visit Schell’s Brewery for a day of fun, food, and bonfires. Oh, and beer.

Elk River

Looking Towards Spring on the Farm

Feb. 22

Pioneer farmers had to start planning early for spring crops. Learn how they prepared the farmstead and took care of their animals.

Grand Marais

Winter Tracks

Feb. 26-Mar. 1

Thumb your nose at winter and enjoy the season on the Gunflint Trail. Three days of Mini-Olympics, broomball, snowshoe obstacle course, snow sculptures, kiteboarding, a Mongolian Firepot dinner, and many other activities.

Wabasha

Feb. 28

Grumpy Old Men Festival

A “grumpy plunge,” ice fishing, softball in the snow, a pet pageant, and a rib dinner at the American Legion.

On the radio

A Closer Look at Flyover Land will be part of the discussion at Radio Free Nation tomorrow, Wednesday the 4th. Stop by the RFN website and tune in around 7:40 p.m. Central time to hear my pithy commentary.