weier.net

This could be really, really bad news. [via She]

Little Szechuan in St. Paul has a new chef. Bing Wu of Grand Sichuan in New York has replaced opening chef Guanghe Luo. Wu plans to add new dishes but keep such classics as the crispy spicy chicken and ma po tofu. "It has been only a few weeks," says owner Rong Bai, who opened the University Avenue spot three years ago. "We'll need some time to get things to taste similar to how they were before. I'm telling my customers to give us feedback."

...more to come after lunch research. (I'm scared!)

...is OPEN!

(Lexington & Randolph)

Always crowded this place is one of the "must do"s in downtown...even though we haven't been blown away by the food choices we have made yet - the atmosphere deserves your visit anyhow. (I can't even imagine what this place will be like next year when the whole stadium area goes berzerk pre-Twins-games.)

Must Have
-------------


Very Good
-------------
+ Two Brothers Hefeweizen (how come I can't find this mentioned on the Internet? Was our server drunk?)
+ (#3) Hot Salami and Dried Chili Pepper

Good
-------------
+ (#5) Fennel Sausage, Hot Salami, Onion and Cracked Green Olives
+ (#8) Oyster Mushroom, Smoked Mozzarella and Rosemary (no sauce)
+ Farmers Market Salad (Greens, chick peas, salami, mozzarella, black olives, grape tomatoes)

Here's another excuse to go back to NYC....the newly reclaimed High Line Park. (via Arah)
[info] [(super-slow loading) pics] [map].

Teen Has To Self-Diagnose Own Crohn's

Wow!

   Jimmy John's Nutrition Guide

I need more understanding of the union-negotiated roster system in MLB...this article is a good start...

   25- and 40-man rosters / DL / options / waivers

Filis = Phillies
Medias Rojas = Red Sox
Indios
Tigres
Mantarrayas = Rays
Azulejos = Blue Jays
Astros
Bravos
Orioles
Nacionales
Marlines
Cardenales
Mellizos = Twins (evidently this means "twins"...."Gemelos" means "identical twins")
Rojos = Reds
Dodgers
Mets
Piratas
Yanquis
Diamantes = Diamondbacks (strange they chose the word for diamond (ie: the rocks) over something like "snake" or "rattlers")
Medias Blancas = White Sox
Angelinos = Angels
Rockies
Cachorros = Cubs (literally means "puppies")
Atléticos = Athletics
Padres
Marineros
Reales = Royals
Rangers
Gigantes
Cerveceros = Brewers

Remember; stretching before golf is very important to both your game and your health. Don't forget.

I think about science fiction movies much too much while I watch. If I just went into a movie looking for some entertaining ass-kicking I would have come out a lot happier from many movies; especially Terminator: Salvation.

The path to viewing T4 started with an AIM from the lovely Amy of "Amy and that guy who works with me" fame. She hooked me up with two free premiere passes to see it 3 days before it opened to the public. (Yay, Amy!) I told She what I had received and she was all "Terminator? Meh." So I had to start searching for a hot man-date (since I am a sexist and assume women wouldn't want to go). Luckily for me, Mr. Raih was looking for a testosterone-filled nightcap. We had a romantic dinner on the patio at the new(ish) Tavern on France and then popped over to the show.

Titanium robot ass was kicked, time travel was mentioned and someone said "I'll be back." Yet I was left unsatisfied.

There is absolutely no way that humans could last a month in a war of attrition against machines that have no purpose but building a tireless nuclear-powered army to eradicate us. Human are too fragile; we need food, water, oxygen - all of which can be made toxic to us. Our bodily heat signatures can be seen from space by even Cold War technology....and then we desperately huddle around fires and vehicles which makes it even worse. All this is even before we start to try to organize to fight back; once we do that we start to create easily triangulatable radio signals - and gather into communal housing with tremendous tell-tale markers.

Perhaps humans would have had a chance when war was purely about applying firepower - but now that war is won almost exclusively on the gathering, management and application of information we have no hope. The first thing machines would do it place sensors every 100 feet on the face of the planet; reporting GPS locations of movement, heat, audio waves, radio signals, gun shots, etc, etc, etc. This data would go into the grid and be crunched real-time for anomalies. Immediately upon detection by the intelligence network a weapon would be delivered to eliminate the target. The only existence for humanity would be hiding stationary until you starve to death...so still the robots win. This knowledge bothered me all through the movie.

However, even if one didn't think about this minutia; this plot is not that tight. Anyone remember the "control frequency" thread? what happened to that game changer? Was there any point to the future Auschwitz? Why do Terminators suddenly play with their prey? Why do Skynet factories have human accessible security panels are they left over from human days?

The only truly positive thing I will say about this movie is that it has the best fully computer-generated human character I have ever seen in cinema. It is truly on the verge of being indistinguishable from reality. SAG cards may be on the verge of extinction if this sort of thing catches on.

Mindless entertainment, it will fill a couple hours for you -- but that is about it.

Rating    (Possible Ratings)
Terminator: Salvation: Full Price Rental
The Terminator: Opening Night
Terminator 2: Judgement Day: Camp Out in Line Before Opening Night
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: Matinee

There has been a rash of "upscale burger joints" flooding the Midwest - basically it has finally reached here after being "all the rage" on the coasts. Our first stop was Five Guys Burgers and Fries, omnipresent annual foodie award winner from Washington, D.C...now freshly arrived in Edina.

The decor couldn't get much simpler. Deadly 50 pound bags of salted peanuts form the line to queue in - and available free for your waiting enjoyment. 100 teenaged employees waiting to service your every burger need behind the counter. That's it. And being that their most expensive food product is $5 you can clog your arteries with gusto no matter how much Dubya's economy has raped you.

Must Have
------------
+ Burger

It don't matter -- double meat, single meat, + cheese, + bacon...tender, juicy, cooked to perfection and topped with anything you can imagine (free, they are all free; mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, A-1 Sauce, Bar-B-Q sauce and hot sauce) -- they will all treat you well. PS: I would love to go back and put every single topping on a single burger and see how unmanageable it gets.

Very Good
------------
+ (Regular) Fries -- the second time they were fried to perfection....so I guess it just comes down to praying for a perfect batch or going up for replacements if they are not up to snuff.

Good
------------
+ Peanuts (not enough salt)
+ Cajun Fries -- tasty...but the seasoning salt gets a bit over-powering after a while....probably best to just go with regular ones unless you are in a huge group.


Take It Or Leave It
------------
? (Regular) Fries -- I don't like flaccid fries, and from the reviews this was not a cooking mistake this is their "style". But if it is your style this may be your place.

What I love most about foreign languages is the existence of words for which English has no equivalent. It truly is beautifully elegant to be able drop a single word in the place of a turn of phrase:

Spanish: madrugada = the hours before sunrise / pre-dawn
German: schadenfreude = taking joy in the misfortune of others/your enemy.
French: terroir = characteristics that only their unique geography could bestow upon them.
Spanish: carro nuevo = a brand new car
Spanish: nuevo carro = a "new to me" used car
.
.
...and a million more...

...and what I love most about English is we eventually absorb them all.

The Liffey might be the best patio in St. Paul....there are few things better on a 78° day. It is a little early in the season yet...so this was not one of those days to be out there (59 & windy) - but this is MN damn it....you gotta make it happen yourself sometimes.

They have this new (to us anyhow) Wee Lunch menu. $7.99 = mini burger/pulled pork/reuben/rachel, fries, salad, soda, tax & tip. Better check this out.

PS: I think we got screwed on the price now that I think about it...I didn't notice the "tax & tip" bit in there when I was ordering...or maybe I forgot it by the time I was paying (no, I wasn't drinking ) ... but anyhow, when we got the bill it had tax added to the $7.99. Hmmm....I am unhappy(er) now.

Must Have
----------------
+ Sunshine


Very Good
-----------------
+ "Wee" Salad
+ Fries


Good
----------------


Take It Or Leave It
----------------


Probably Not
----------------
- "Wee" Mini Rueben

The usual Reuben fixin's ...however, served on a multi-grain/wheat mini-hamburger bun. TERRIBLY DRY! Nowhere near enough Thousand Island to counteract the absorptive properties of the bun. Even after ordering extra Thousand Island for lubrication it did not satisfy.

Before we ditched Tea House in Plymouth for Little Szechuan we liked it plenty fine. So when we (and Morman & Arah) were going to drive past the "east side" Tea House we figured we would go for it.

Tea House 2 actually has quite a few offerings not available at the original Tea House for some reason. Most importantly....o...m...g....the soupy dumplings ...or as they are called here "juicy buns".

Must Have
-------------
+ Bamboo Tips in Spicy Sauce

Even better than Little Szechuan's ...actually they are exactly the same, except the fact that they julienne these much thinner....which means more surface area for naughty sauce to cling to - and more tender.

+ Shanghai Mini Juicy Buns

6 steamed pork-and-soup-broth-filled dumplings. Put them on your spoon. Take one bite to let the deadly steam out. Now pour dipping sauce over the top. Go crazy. DAMN!!!!!

+ Crabmeat Mini Juicy Buns -- same as the "original" version ....just a bit more complex with both pork and crabmeat hiding inside.


Very Good
--------------
+ Gui Chou Beef
+ Shredded Potatoes and Green Peppers (in vinegar) -- the perfect foil to all the other spicy goodness


Good
--------------
+ Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce -- perhaps a touch too sweet....but don't let that make you say "no".
+ Garlic A Choy -- again a nice counterpoint the heavier/spicy dishes. If you like greens you will like this.


Take It Or Leave It
--------------
? Dan Dan Noodle -- unlike the deliciousness of Little Szechuan's (and the original Tea House's) these are horribly oversauced and not nearly as complex of a layered flavor.

We have been looking for some place that will accept all the plastic we were collecting when we thought we would be able to drop it off in St. Paul. Suddenly Eastside Food Coop has delivered the goods (or it is just that we stumbled upon it finally); accepting sorted, clean #1, 2, 4, 5, 6 on Thursday and Saturdays.

   Plastics Recycling Information (.pdf)

We have about a 55 gallon drum of plastic to drop off...so we will report back how smoothly it all goes on Thursday.