Nice to be back in the faux tropics of the Black Hawk swimming pool for kid two lessons. No Betty Draper, though
Had to switch to a different WordPress/Twitter plugin today – Twitter Tools still not working for me. http://rick.jinlabs.com/code/twitter/
The week of birthday dinners started Sunday night when Colleen surprised me with a 5PM reservation at Bar La Grassa in Minneapolis, the Star Tribune’s 2009 Restaurant of the Year. I had read some of the reviews and was excited to check it out.
We found street parking directly across from their building at 800 North Washington Avenue. They also had valet parking available for $3, but with the meters not enforced on a Sunday, we just took an open spot.
The restaurant didn’t open until five and a fairly large crowd was waiting outside the locked doors. We were seated almost right away, though, and had a great table near the wine rack. The room has a lot of atmosphere, including a giant picture of Johnny Cash. How can you go wrong with that?
Our server was very friendly and informative. He helped us pick almost everything we ordered:
- Antipasti – Apple and Prosciutto with Gorgonzola Parmesan Dressing ($6)
- Bruschetta – Olivada and Goat Cheese ($7)
- Fresh Pasta – Fettucine Alfredo ($6) & Gnocchi with Cauliflower and Orange ($8)
- Secondi – Chicken ($18)
- Dessert – Butter Salted Caramel Crespelle ($6), Carrot Cake ($8)
- Cocktail – Poway Sunset ($9.50)
Being a picky eater, I wasn’t too sure about the antipasti or the bruschetta, but both were incredible. I’ve never seen apples sliced so thin and I’m a huge fan of prosciutto, so that is a dish I could eat every day. The fettucine was the best I’ve had outside of the original Alfredo’s, which is saying a lot. The Star Tribune story said the desserts were a weakness, but the caramel crespelle was a perfect end to a great meal.
The room was packed the entire time we were there, but the noise was never too bad. They do occasionally play music, but it was very much in the background. Bar La Grassa is a fun place to people watch, too, with a lot of diversity in the clientele.
Highly Recommended
WTF? Video on ABC doesn’t work in 64-bit Safari?
Day two of my mini ski bum week was spent last Sunday at Welch Village with three of the Miller clan. That was also the day of the big Vikings-Cowboys game, so it wasn’t as crowded as a normal holiday weekend.
Welch is still one of my local favorites – there are a number of relatively steep, medium-length runs (at least by Midwest standards) that are fun to ski over and over. Chicken, Bakkelyka, Dan’s Dive and Pete’s Pike are now joined by the new back bowl runs Carter’s Cliff, Lauren’s Ledge and several others. That new chair is really nice – too bad all the runs are so short (with a long traverse back).
We got in a lot of skiing before lunch, which consisted of the usual fried junk. Kowalski’s is selling advance lift ticket vouchers for $40, which I picked up before I left in the morning. Regular adult tickets are $47, but they can be turned in for a $10 gift card if you ski for less than four hours. Unfortunately, the Kowalski tickets don’t qualify, so I skied until 2:30 before heading home.
January 20th is always sort of a downer for me. Need to get some stuff off the to-do list today
Companies that sent me birthday-related marketing today: Cirque du Soleil, Coke, Harrah’s and Motorwerks MINI
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes – another year above ground is a good one, right? 😉
Picked up the cheese cakes from Muddy Paws, now to fill up the car and get it washed, then take a shower before the dinner party
The Eagle’s Nest at Wild Mountain actually made me a fresh French Dip sandwich for lunch – best MN ski area food I’ve had in a while
Woot – free wi-fi in the chalet. Good thing, because I was freezing my fingers off checking for a signal outside
Free skiing on your birthday at Wild Mountain. Don’t think I’ve been here in 20 years – lifts open at 10
Rode the snowy mountain bike trail today – stupidest thing I’ve done in months. Probably go back again this week 😉
5 minutes to Jack-a-roo
Dinner at Bar La Grassa was pretty damn incredible – http://twitpic.com/yl30x
Wife taking me on a surprise date night somewhere in Minneapolis
Got a little too much sun skiing at Welch today, but I guess that’s a good problem to have during January in Minnesota
Serious fog outside Hastings, but the sun is burning it off
License to Freak
Erik the Bike Man told me about this great site that includes my favorite place to ride: http://morcmtb.org/trailreviews/metro/lebanon.html
Was very impressed with the new Erik’s Bike Shop location in Eagan, though. Shopping for kid two birthday present (and looking for me)
Will never again go back to the postal center at Byerly’s. It’s like a post office for suckers – charge way more than the real USPS
Played Guitar Hero for the first time in months – two hours instantly disappeared off the clock and now I can’t bend my wrists
Lunch with Mr. Miller at the Eagan Leeann Chin – their new color scheme isn’t so new anymore, but reminds me of California for some reason
Time to go read Green Eggs and Ham to kid two’s class