Visit Lake Street Blog
Yelp Drinks Week!
March 02, 2010
March 1st – 7th is Yelp Drinks Week, a “city-wide all day and all week long Happy Hour.” On Lake Street, Bryant Lake Bowl and Barbette are participating. The deals you can find there this week:
Bryant Lake Bowl — $3 domestic taps, $4 select taps, $4 house wines, $4 rail cocktails
Barbette — $3 PBR, $4 house wines, $4 domestic taps
Take advantage of those great prices while they’re still available!
Hymie’s Vintage Records Moving to 39th & Lake
February 26, 2010
Hymie’s will soon be moving, but you won’t have to look too far to find them. Their current 33rd & Lake location will close after Record Store Day, which is April 17th. They’ll be moving everything into place for a couple weeks and reopen on May 1st at 39th & Lake, in the Blue Moon building. Check their website for further details.
Weekend on Lake Street 2/26-2/28
February 25, 2010
Three events coming to you this weekend only
Freewheel Midtown Bike Center’s Ride and Un-Wine-D. Saturday night starting at 5:00 PM. A 90-minute special cycle class led by Jeff Rosga, followed by a Wine & Beer Reception hosted by Freewheel. Note that this is a BYOB event — BRING YOUR OWN BIKE!
A huge sale at Tatters. They’re celebrating 30 years in business by offering a 50% discount on everything in the store, through all of Saturday and Sunday.
Midtown Global Market’s Black History Month Celebration. All day long on Saturday. The Powderhorn Phillips Cultural Wellness Center (PPCWC) and KFAI Radio host. This celebration, entitled “Memphis to Maliâ€, will honor the historical, musical, cultural and artistic traditions of the African American community. There will be live entertainment, an art exhibit, book expo, and much more.
For a night (or day) out at the theater
For the kids, In the Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Saturday puppet show Land of 10,000 Lakes: Minnesota’s 150-year Connection to Water. What makes a shower and what keeps all the grass so green? Water of course! The water that we know so well…or do we? 10:00 AM & noon.
Jungle Theater’s Blithe Spirit, now entering its third weekend. When successful novelist Charles Condomine and his wife Ruth invite a local psychic to conduct a séance at their dinner party to gather material for his next book, they fully believe her to be a harmless fraud. But Madam Arcati successfully conjures up the ghost of Charles’ annoying and temperamental first wife, Elvira, who decides not to honor the vow “until death do us part.†The Star Tribune recommended it highly, saying that “sterling performances at the center of Noël Coward’s witty comedy make the Jungle’s staging soar.”
And Bryant Lake Bowl has four shows lined up. Friday night, it’s Master Works: the Rembrandt plays, where six directors translate six of Rembrandt’s work to the stage, and Inglorious Villifiers, where the Villification Tennis crew invites you to come and “celebrate your ignorance of all films that weren’t directed by Michael Bay.” Saturday night it’s Profile, an evening of dance and video vignettes with performances, and another round of Inglorious Villifiers. The Rockstar Storytellers close out the weekend with Self Help on Sunday.
Live music at Sauce
Friday night it’s Pictures of Then, with The Effects and Modoc. Saturday night it’s Ten Ton Bridge, with Mood Swings, Middlepicker, and Icy Shores. And Sunday night it’s Martin Devaney, with Brad Senne, Luke Redfield, and Minor Kingdom. Friday and Saturday have a $5 cover, Sunday is free to get in. All shows are 21+ and have doors open at 9:30.
Minnesota Monthly Love
February 25, 2010
Be sure to read Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl’s recent review of Il Gatto’s porchetta (Italian pork roast). “The day Il Gatto opened, Minnesota entered a new and glorious era: We now have a porchetta to rival New York’s finest—and one that any pork-lover in the state must taste immediately!” She loves both the crisp exterior and the tender interior. She also found plenty to live in the restaurant’s steak pizzaiola, bucatini carbonara, and burgers.
But that’s not all! MN Monthly’s March issue also has a great cheap eats list of 99 best buys for under $10. This article is print-only so you’ll have to find it on a newsrack or take my word for it, but here are the Lake Street mentions: Taqueria Los Ocampo’s chicken pozole soup, Floating World Cafe’s kitsune soba soup, La Loma’s oaxaqueno tamales, Taqueria La Hacienda’s al pastor alambre, and Holy Land’s whole chicken combo dinner. I’ve personally had almost all of those and will vouch for their greatness!
Weekend on Lake Street 2/19-2/21
February 19, 2010
Photo used under a Creative Commons license from flyingturtle
We start today with some calendar-specific events. It’s Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger, and Midtown Global Market welcomes it in style tonight (Friday). Starting at 5:00 PM, members from the Chinese Heritage Foundation will be on-hand for fortune telling and distributing red envelopes that are traditionally believed to usher in good luck for the New Year. Children can also take home their name written in traditional Chinese calligraphy. A donation to the Chinese Heritage Foundation is suggested for these services. And a traditional Chinese Lion Dance will commence at 7:00 PM, circling the Market with graceful movements and magnificent colors.
If Christian tradition is more your thing, how about a fun & delicious Friday fish dinner at the Church of St. Albert the Great? They’ll be serving award winning baked and fried Alaskan pollack, potatoes, meatless spaghetti, cole slaw, rolls, desserts and beverages. For entertainment, there’s bingo, as well as having dinner with a great crowd. These dinners start on the 19th and will happen every Friday until March 26th. 4:30 – 7:30 PM, $10 tickets for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for kids 6-12, and free for kids 5 and under.
Lake Street theaters are humming with activity. Over at Bryant Lake Bowl, it’s one dose of Master Works: the Rembrandt plays (six of Rembrandt’s works translated to the stage) on Friday, two doses of Dykes Do Drag (“a Savers fashion show in Genderbenderville”) on Friday and Saturday, and another two doses of From Here to Maternity (a look into the bedroom of an average married couple with sketches, songs and at least one interpretive dance) on Saturday and Sunday.
Patrick’s Cabaret hosts Queerographer’s Evening on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s curated by Matteo Kelli-Halbesleben and features dancers & artists Jeremy Bensussan, Jaime Carrera, Renee Copeland, Joe Chvala, and John-Mark Hostetler.
In the Heart of the Beast Theatre has activities for kids and adults both this Saturday. At 10 and noon, their Saturday Puppet Shows for Kids series continues with Serious Nonsense, brought to you by Theatre of Fools. “A vaudeville show for the 21st century specializing in physical comedy, magic and absurd theatrics.” And later in the day, from 2 – 5, is a workshop with Kurt Hunter on exploring marionette movement. In a playful atmosphere, participants will work with simple marionettes. The workshop begins with a ball suspended by a single string and moves into two and three string abstract marionettes. More advanced techniques will be explained and demonstrated. That class is in Plaza Verde, across the street from HOBT.
For more entertainment for the kids, take them down to East Lake Library, where the Kids Jr. Book Club convenes on Saturday. This month’s book is Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat. Stop by the library and ask at the desk if you need the book. That’s from 2 – 3 and is intended for kids in 2nd – 5th grade.
And speaking of books, Magers & Quinn has two events this weekend as well. Friday night, author Jennifer Salima Holt discusses her book Sacred Gateway of Grief and Loss: Freeing the Imprisoned Soul, which “describes the breakthroughs Jennifer witnessed by leading grief and loss groups for women prisoners.” And Sunday afternoon, Minnesota native Dr. Paul Linde reads from his book Danger to Self: On the Front Line With an ER Psychiatrist, which “takes readers behind the scenes at an urban psychiatric emergency room, with all its chaos and pathos, where we witness mental health professionals doing their best to alleviate suffering and repair shattered lives.”
Valentine’s Day Weekend on Lake Street
February 10, 2010
There are many, many ways to spend your Valentine’s (or anti-Valentine’s) Day weekend on Lake Street. First, let’s take a look at the clear outlier!
Midtown Global Market holds Shred the Love on Saturday. “Members of the lovelorn public are invited to bring in old love letters, photographs, teddy bears, clothing, and other sentimental items that hold memories of an ex-love. At the event, there will be therapeutic devices such as paper shredders, large scissors to de-stuff the teddy bears, and other ways to help give closure to a love lost…and give participants a fresh start for Valentine’s Day.”
And for those not inclined towards destructive tendencies, we have lots to do as well!
Dining: Let’s face it, if you don’t yet have your table booked yet at a place like Barbette for the weekend, you’re out of luck. So we’ll highlight a couple places with good deals that do not require any reservations. Longfellow Grill is offering a 3 course dinner for two for $39.95, which includes a complimentary glass of red or white house wine. The meal begins with a polenta pizza, continues with a lamb porterhouse or scallop scampi, and finishes which profiterole (Izzy’s coffee ice cream, banana brulee, chocolate ganache and white chocolate sauce) for dessert. It’s available on the 12th, 13th, and 14th.
Glaciers Cafe is offering a good deal of their own — a free bottle of wine with entree purchases. You can find them in the Resource Center of the Americas building.
It’s a few blocks north of Lake Street, but Common Roots Cafe has quite a deal of their own. Saturday and Sunday nights, choose two dinner entrees, a bottle of wine, and two desserts for $45. And again, no reservations!
Entertainment: Jungle Theater has a Jazz at the Jungle event entitled All You Need Is Love! “Love The Beatles? Don’t miss this show, the latest installment in ‘The Songwriters Series’ featuring Connie Evingson. With guests Adam Levy (Honeydogs, And the Professors), Gary Raynor (A Prairie Home Companion), Noah Levy (Peter Frampton, the BoDeans) and singer/pianist Alicia Wiley, Connie explores the Beatles songbook from their early hits to their final album together, Let it Be. A special appearance by Adam Levy’s Beatles-lovin’ daughters, 11-yr.old Esther and 8-yr. old Ava Bella (Bunny Clogs), makes ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE a Valentine’s show for all ages!” The two shows on the 14th are now sold out, but thanks to the demand they added an additional Monday show, and tickets for that are still available! Buy tickets now (And don’t forget that Jungle’s new show Blithe Spirit opens Friday night, a few tickets are still available!)
In the Heart of the Beast Theatre gets in on the Valentine’s fun with Sock Puppet Serenade. “Singing socks and a dancing box on strings: enter an odd and entertaining world of marionettes, presented by Twin Cities master marionettist, Kurt Hunter, in a series of short dances and dramas. Minnesota Fringe Festival audiences called the show ingenious, charming, captivating, witty, warm, and poignant.” Buy tickets now
For those who like their Valentine’s Day puppetry a little more risque, Bryant Lake Bowl has you covered. Saturday and Sunday nights, it’s Erotic Valentines – A Shadow Show. “Eat, drink, and listen to the smooth, sensual voices of faceless beings whispering stories of love, passion and obsession in a darkened room lit only by soft colored lights. With the wine, the glow, and a lover by your side, what else could be a more perfect date this Valentine’s…other than what happens once you get home…if you make it that far! The daring shadow puppetry show returns! (18+)” Both nights also feature From Here to Maternity, a “peek into the bedroom of an average married couple for a funny but frank look at pregnancy, birth and, yes, romance.” Buy tickets now
And we’re not done just yet! Last but not least are two events at Old Arizona. Friday night it’s a delicious-sounding Wine & Chocolate Tasting. “Set the mood for Valentine’s Day and join us for an evening of wine and chocolate tasting, the food and drink that most evoke the spirit of romance. Old Arizona is hosting this palate teasing, wonderfully decadent wine and chocolate tasting. Fine wines complemented by the right chocolate can be a match made in heaven!” Buy tickets now
Finally, Saturday night, they host Open Your Heart For Haiti: A Valentine’s Fundraiser for Haiti. An evening of live music with Trailer Trash, The Maeflies and more, live auction and cool things to buy! The suggested minimum donation is $25. Your generosity is encouraged.
Weekend on Lake Street 2/5-2/7
February 05, 2010
The biggest going-on this weekend is of course the City of Lakes Loppet, the big cross-country ski festival that has its finish line right in the middle of Uptown. They suggest that spectators check out Lagoon between Lake of the Isles and Hennepin on Saturday, from 10:30 – 3:30. And on Sunday, check out the Mall area (by the Greenway and Walker Library) between 9:45 – 3:30, including the awards ceremony around 3:00. And there’s plenty more going on too! Check out:
Patrick’s Cabaret: Their show this weekend is Herding Logic. It features music with Cuddlefish Squid, a comedy performance by David Hanbury, Curio Dance, sonic mayhem with I R Gadgetar, music with NikoStrums, and storytelling by Howard Lieberman.
Intermedia Arts: Saturday night is VERVE 2010: Spoken Word Showcase! “All winners of Intermedia Arts’ 2009 VERVE Grant for spoken-word poets, these performance poets are ready and waiting to bring their new work to the community.”
Bryant Lake Bowl: Friday night, it’s Master Works: the Rembrandt plays, where Commedia Beauregard teams up with six Twin Cities playwrights and six up-and-coming directors to translate six of Rembrandt’s works to the stage, followed by The Underpants Show, which features “a new bevy of beauties and burlesque antics” every month.
Exposed Brick Theatre: Their newest piece, a performed reading called Evolution, is being held at the studio of Pangea World Theater at 711 W. Lake. “A coming-of-age story about cultural navigation, assimilation and realization.” It’s on Friday & Saturday night.
Then Saturday night it’s guitarist Cory Wong’s “Becoming” CD release party, followed by music from Joe Firstman featuring Ernie Halter and Miggs.
Midtown Global Market: They have Sunday brunch from 11 – 2. This weekend it’s Salty Tart’s turn to make brunch, and you know that’s guaranteed to be delicious! They’ll be serving One-Eyed Salty’s (fresh bread with egg), local farm-raised bacon, asparagus, side salad, and coffee or juice.
Review your favorite places at VisitLakeStreet.com
February 04, 2010
Did you know that you can now write reviews of your favorite places right here on this website? We’ve been testing this feature out for a while and it’s now ready to roll! For example, here’s a comment left about Ingebretsen’s Scandinavian Gifts & Deli:
Great butcher shop, great gifts, great atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit, especially around Christmas time.
Our site is becoming more and more popular for people who are using Google or another search engine to look for specific Lake Street businesses. Leaving reviews about them is a win-win scenario for everyone. It makes the site more meaningful, gets our site visitors more information about the places they’re looking for, and our reviewers’ experiences and opinions get shared with an audience who will appreciate them.
So seek out your favorite Lake Street places here and let us know what you think!
Your Weekend Entertainment, January 29-31
January 29, 2010
This looks to be quite a busy weekend indeed. We start with a few exhibition openings. The American Swedish Institute opens its new exhibit 17 Swedish Designers at 6:00 PM on Friday. The exhibit “showcases exciting examples of the most recent work from these seventeen designers, spanning a wide variety of design fields including glass, ceramics, textiles, architecture, furniture, industrial design, interior design, and graphic design,” and “suggests a flavor of contemporary thoughts and solutions for developing good design for every day use.” It runs through the end of May.
At Highpoint Center for Printmaking, it’s the opening of Select Impressions, which features 50+ images from 29 local printmakers. See this Star Tribune article for all the details. The exhibit runs through March 13, and the opening reception is from 6:30 – 9:00 PM Friday.
Anyone who likes soup is sure to want to be at the Midtown Global Market on Saturday. It’s the third incarnation of the Global Soup Cook-Off, and the competition will be fierce! Over a dozen soup recipes will be available for sampling. Market visitors are invited to vote for their favorites and take the recipe home.The event is open to the public. A donation of $3 per person is suggested with proceeds benefiting Perspectives’ Kids Café.
On the theater scene, Patrick’s Cabaret has a new version of Elements in Translation this weekend, Friday & Saturday at 8:00 PM. “An evening of hip-hop, breakin, waacking, house, poppin, tap, african, bellydance, spoken word, singing, and modern dance. Local urban talent with local urban style.” MPR recently paid Patrick’s a visit to learn more about this show so be sure to have a listen!
At Bryant Lake Bowl, Party in the Rec Room raps up its long run with four shows over the course of Friday and Saturday. And Sunday night, it’s The Rockstar Storytellers: Erotica & Romance, “a smokin’ hot lineup of stories that’ll make you feel all warm and gushy and… and perhaps other unmentionables.”
Pangea World Theater hosts a Benefit for Haiti on Saturday night. Performers include: Khary Jackson, Ayanna Muata, Gabrielle Civil, Ellen Marie Hinchcliffe (more will be added soon) Hosted by Juma B. Essie. All money raised will go directly to Paul Farmer’s organization Partners in Health.
And Magers & Quinn has a couple book events this weekend. Friday at 7:30 PM, four Twin Cities authors read from Interfictions 2, a genre-spanning collection of short stories from 21 authors from around the world that included these four locals. William Alexander, David Schwartz, Kelly Barnhill, and Alan DeNiro. And Sunday at 2:00 PM, Former Minnesota Viking Todd Kalis will sign copies of Pigskin Dreams. Special guests will include Hall of Famer’s Paul Krause and Randall McDaniel, The Power Trip (KFAN) host Mike Morris, Bob Lurtsema, and John Randle.
New and upcoming business openings on Lake
January 28, 2010
There are several new and upcoming business openings to take note of in the Lake Street corridor. A new Subway restaurant and coffee shop called I Am Coffee are now open at 2752 Lyndale Ave. Just south of there, at 2800 Lyndale Ave., a new motorcycle dealership called Ducati Minneapolis plans to open in the spring. My Sister’s Closet plans to open its second store in February at 2741 Hennepin Ave. Double Danger Comics & Collectibles plans to open at 818 W. Lake St. And the Pioneer Press reports that a new Parasole restaurant called Cafeteria will open in Calhoun Square later this year.
