Visit Lake Street Blog
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.
Your Weekend Entertainment, January 22-24
January 22, 2010
Let’s start things off with Patrick’s Cabaret, which is gearing up for its first new cabaret show of 2010. Aesthetic Elevator takes place Friday and Saturday nights. It will feature: dance by Erin Liebhard, Kats Fukasawa-Butoh, David Means-intermedia art, a short film by Tucker Dryden, dance by Anat Shinar, and theater with Vickijoan Keck. Buy tickets
Bryant Lake Bowl’s theater has a double-header of Party in the Rec Room (a comedy bash) and Ye Olde Vylyfycation Tennys Showe (a take on Renaissance Festivals) on both Friday and Saturday nights. On Sunday, it’s The Problem of the Body, in which “Damon Rudman probes contemporary American attitudes toward bodily urges by comparing today’s US media with jaw-dropping imagery from other times and places.” Buy tickets
Dumb/Sex wraps up at Old Arizona Friday & Saturday. It’s a double feature of Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter and Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago, with some improv thrown into the mix as well.
There are not one but two venues for kid friendly puppet shows on Saturday. At 10:00 AM and again at noon, In the Heart of the Beast Theatre presents Big Fish, which has two stories. “Many small fish get together to overcome the big fish. An African American family moves into an all white neighborhood in the 1930s, and are welcomed with open arms!”
The other venue is East Lake Library. At 11:00 AM on Saturday, “the delightful Megan & Friends will help us celebrate Martin Luther King Day by teaching, entertaining and inspiring us to make the world a better place. Join us at 11:00 and stay after the show to meet the puppets. For children ages 4-10.”
Bibliophiles can head to Magers & Quinn on Sunday, for a book reading with author Maaza Mengiste. She’ll be reading her novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, a “memorable heartbreaking story that opens in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1974, on the eve of a revolution.”
And there’s always something for local music lovers at Sauce Spirits & Soundbar, and this weekend is no exception. Friday night it’s City On The Make, Black Blondie, and Military Special. On Saturday, The Van Gobots, Big Lake, and The Drive Back. Both shows have a $5 cover and are 21+. And on Sunday, DJ Gary Slam visits, with no cover charge.
Your Weekend Entertainment, January 15-17
January 15, 2010
Let’s start off this edition with some family-friendly activities. East Lake Library is holding another Kids Book Club on Saturday, starting at 2:00 PM. This month’s discussion will be based on The Cookcamp by Gary Paulsen. You can order a copy of the book through at the library’s website, or stop by the library for help. Newcomers are welcome!
And a bit further west, In the Heart of the Beast Theatre is putting on a kid-friendly show called The Puggles – A Platypus Adventure, “A musical tale of a brother and sister platypus making their way in this big, big world, discovering the strength in sensitivity.” It’s there Saturday at 7:00 PM and Sunday at 1:30 & 4:00 PM. Buy tickets
In more adult-oriented fare, there’s Old Arizona at 29th & Nicollet, which is hosting Dumb/Sex: 2 Shows & Improv. “3AM Productions invites you to sit back, grab a beverage, sit back and enjoy an evening of suspense, provocation, and laughter. Join us for Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter and Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago followed by a rotating schedule of improv performers.” It runs Friday & Saturday at 7:30 PM. Buy tickets
Bryant Lake Bowl has its usual busy schedule. Friday night it’s Lorna Landvik’s Party in the Rec Room, followed by “Inspire” A Tribute to Michael Jackson. Saturday it’s another round of Party in the Rec Room, then DRAGMANITY: Dragxclamation!, presented by Esme Rodriguez. Finally, on Sunday it’s two showings of Wednesday Feels Like Tuesday, presented by the Orange Mighty Trio and Maggie Bergeron and Company. Buy tickets
And for fans of live local music, Sauce Spirits & Soundbar has you covered. Friday night it’s Velvet Davenport, Whitesand/Badlands, and Zoo Animal. On Saturday, it’s Flavor Crystals, The Chambermaids, Red Pens, and Gospel Gossip. On both nights it’s 9:30 doors and the cover is $5.
What will you be doing this weekend? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Your Weekend Entertainment, January 8-10
January 08, 2010
This weekend will finally see temperatures climbing a little bit, and the Lake Street entertainment scene is heating up a bit too — it’s not the busiest weekend of the year but there are still activities to choose from.
Bryant Lake Bowl, for one, has a full schedule. Friday night it’s Party in the Rec Room with local author & actor Lorna Landvik at 7:00, and Last Laugh from La Vie Theatre at 10:00. Saturday at noon Creative Laughter Club House, for kids K-6, takes the stage. Later that night it’s another dose of Party in the Rec Room at 7:00 and Women Stand Up! A Comedy Cabaret at 10:00. And Sunday at 9:00 it’s “The Shirt Off My Back” Benefit, an evening with The Teddy Holidays. Attendees are asked to bring clothing for donation. Buy tickets
Magers & Quinn has an interesting event on Saturday, with Emergent Poets III. It features poets Julie Carr, Christine Hume, and Andrew Zawacki.
And Sauce Spirits & Soundbar has a full weekend of music scheduled. Friday night it’s High on Stress headlines, The Tisdales, The Hard Left, and Slim Dunlap. On Saturday it’s 20 Dollar Love, The Rockford Mules, Droids Attack, Tonnage, and Blue Ox. And Sunday, it’s DJs Imelda & Jaques Renault.
Lake Street for the holidays
December 23, 2009
We’ll have minimal activity here until 2010, so to close things out for the year, here are some photos we took that show Lake Street looking festive for Christmastime. You can find these photos and more over at our Flickr stream. Thanks for reading, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Your Weekend Entertainment, December 18-20
December 17, 2009
‘Twas the weekend before Christmas, and that means a lot of programming wrapping up for the year. That includes La Natividad from In the Heart of the Beast Theatre, which ends with shows at 6:30 PM Thursday through Sunday. Only Thursday night tickets are still available, but there may still be some volunteer opportunities as ways to get involved and see the show!
Also on its last weekend up is Jungle Theater’s The Seafarer. It’s gotten great reviews from MSP Magazine, Daily Planet, Star Tribune, and others, so see it while you still can! Buy tickets
Some Christmas-themed shows are wrapping up at Bryant Lake Bowl too. Letters to Santa…Postage Due! has its last show Saturday at 7:00 PM, and A Christmas Carol: The Golden Girls Remix ends Sunday with shows at 6:00 and 8:30 PM. Buy tickets
Christmastime also means Santa Claus! He’ll be at the Midtown Global Market on Friday and Saturday for free photo opportunities. That starts at 5:00 PM on Friday and noon on Saturday.
And non-holiday related but no less interesting for that, Magers & Quinn hosts Mitch Omer, the owner of Minneapolis’s Hell’s Kitchen, on Saturday. He’ll be discussing his cookbook Damn Good Food. “Omer reveals the recipes that have made his restaurant a pleasure seeker’s destination, including inventions like his tart, ethereal Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes; dark, wild Bison Sausage Bread; and sweet, creamy Mahnomin Porridge. These dishes have the hungry and eager queued up out the doors of Hell’s Kitchen, often for hours, but now you can make them at home.”
Your Weekend Entertainment, December 11-13
December 10, 2009
There’s a very busy Lake Street arts scene this weekend. Let’s start with In the Heart of the Beast. Their yearly production of La Natividad actually starts tonight (Thursday), but is also on Friday and Sunday nights. “Much more than a straightforward enactment of the Christmas story, La Natividad unites evocative theater with an open-armed community celebration of inclusion and generosity. It has become a tradition for many in the Twin Cities who wish to push beyond the commercialism that abounds during this season and experience the essence of the holiday.” Buy tickets
To the east, Patrick’s Cabaret hosts Kinetic Kitchen on Friday & Saturday night. Featuring Cade Holmseth premiering “Just One More”, Jennifer Glaws’ Jagged Moves, Sarah LaRose-Holland’s Kinetic Evolutions dance company, and youth group The Phipps Dance Company.
Over in Lyn-Lake, it’s the penultimate weekend for Jungle Theater’s play The Seafarer. “A collection of Irish misfits lay their cards – and their souls – on the table in this tale of a poker game played on Christmas Eve. A wonderful exploration of passion, provocation, and the potential for redemption, The Seafarer showcases one of today’s greatest storytellers, and an all-star cast of local favorites.” Buy tickets
Up the street at Intermedia Arts, they’re hosting Dance Film Project, their annual festival “for dancemakers and filmmakers to collaborate and create original short works for the camera. The project aims to explore choreography through a cinematic language.” Click here for a full schedule of events. Intermedia Arts also continues its Dimensions of Indigenous exhibit, which just got a nice write-up at the TC Daily Planet.
And Bryant Lake Bowl has a very merry weekend in store. Friday night it’s Inappropriate Laughter III: Merry Sketchmas and Happy Ha-Ha-Ha-lidays at 7 PM and The Santaland Diaries at 9:30. Saturday it’s Creative Laughter Club House at noon (a show for kids K-6), and then Letters to Santa…Postage Due! at 7 PM and another round of The Santaland Diaries at 9:30. Then on Sunday, it’s one more Letters to Santa at 6 PM followed by A Christmas Carol: The Golden Girls Remix at 8:30.
And that’s just the theater spaces! How about live music? At Sauce Spirits & Soundbar, it’s local indie-rock group Pictures of Then on Friday night, and a CD release party for Al Church & State on Saturday night.
In a Scandinavian frame of mind? Come in to Ingebretsen’s on Saturday 11 – 1 for a Santa Lucia celebration. “December 13, is a celebration of light in Sweden, and all of Scandinavia; countries that are very dark in the winter. Join Ingebretsen’s to share the tradition of this special Swedish holiday with holiday music and pepparkakor served by Lucia and her attendants.”
And finally, Powderhorn residents and others may be in Getting to Know Project 8. This will be “a community event to discuss the concerns of youth in the neighborhood, to eat a free meal, and to enjoy free youth entertainment. Project 8 recognizes that there are an infinite number of things the people in our community are good at. Whether it be cooking or teaching math or giving free law advice, we want to show the youth of the Twin Cities that the support is here for them to succeed. This is a family event so bring your kids!”
Your Weekend Entertainment, December 4-6
December 03, 2009
The big, big event on Lake Street this weekend will no doubt be the No Coast Craft-o-Rama, which will be at the Midtown Global Market for the third year running. The No Coast Craft-o-Rama will provide shoppers with that warm fuzzy feeling as they experience the beauty of buying handmade goods. The sale offers a diverse atmosphere that is definitely a welcome alternative to the humdrum of the shopping malls. The craft sale will be on Friday 3 – 8 and Saturday 9 – 5, and promises to be an absolutely packed event with lots of great deals and products to be had, many from local craftmakers.
Elsewhere, Patrick’s Cabaret holds the Somewhat 90’s Variety Show this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. An evening of hip-hop, comedy, singing, breakin, house dance, waacking, freestyle, and modern dance. It promises to be a good time.
Jungle Theater is now in the middle of its run of Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer, which has been getting rave reviews. To pick just one example, the Star Tribune says,“A spanking cast spins out this yarn in a frightfully good production directed by Joel Sass…The acting here is the best I’ve seen in quite some time not only at the Jungle but anywhere. Sass’s staging has a cohesion, pace and rhythm that is spot on….” You can see more reviews at the Jungle’s website, where you can also buy tickets!
For those with children in tow, In the Heart of the Beast has you covered with their Saturday puppet shows. This Saturday, at 10 am and noon, it’s The Fisher and the Fisher / El pescador y el pescador, which is a bilingual English/Spanish show. Don’t forget the Make-n-Take puppet workshop at 11 am.
Also for kids, Santa Claus is paying his first visit to the Midtown Global Market on Saturday, from 12 – 4. This will be at the same time as No Coast is on so be ready for a very bustling and festive atmosphere!
And finally, in an event that is more for the grown-ups, renowned local food critic Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl is paying a visit to Magers & Quinn Booksellers Friday night at 7:30 pm. She’ll be there to discuss her book Drink This: Wine Made Simple. “If you’ve been baffled by a wine list, stood perplexed before endless racks of bottles at the liquor store, or ordered an overpriced bottle out of fear of the scathing judgment of a restaurant sommelier, Dara is here to help.”
