Food and restaurants

by Brian Moen

by Cyn Collins

This week’s picks

Thursday, January 8
“If you ain’t seen Cadillac Records yet,” writes Dwight Hobbes, “I don’t know what you waitin’ on.” It’s still playing at the Regal Cinemas in Brooklyn Center; catch the 7:05 screening and you can still make the Radio On show at the Turf Club.

Friday, January 9
Friday night’s all right for fighting! First, Skirmish at The Loft as Dobby Gibson releases his new book of poetry. Then, after you’ve had enough of that prissy literary shit, it’s time for some cage fighting in Maplewood! (Yes, there are still some ten-person balcony couches available—$600. Ringside chairs are $50, BYO plastic tarp.) MORE »

The Laotian ladies tried to warn me. So did the brothers who own the New Orient Market, I had ordered beef laab to go, and the cook asked me whether I wanted it cooked or raw. Laab is considered the national dish of Laos, and though it can be made from chicken, pork or even tofu, I had the idea that the raw beef version is the most traditional. It’s usually made from chopped meat mixed with mint, lime juice and chilis, and served with fresh lettuce. MORE »

The new Seward Co-op, in its bright, green building at 2823 East Franklin, will open for business on Thursday, January 8 at 10 a.m., with a ribbon-cutting, give-aways and general celebration. The $10.5 million store doubles the retail space of the old store, with 13,000 square feet, and also has a community classroom on the second floor. The building includes Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principles and the Co-op is hoping to earn a LEED gold rating. MORE »

Looking back over 2008, there were a couple of high-profile openings – Porter & Frye and Barrio, and a few high-profile departures: jP American Bistro, Babalu, Temple. But it’s hard to spot any big trends on the local dining scene, except for maybe More Sushi: openings in the past 12 months include Musashi and Seven downtown, Tiger Sushi in Uptown, and Giapponese in Woodbury. More Vietnamese noodle joints opened on Eat Street, including Pho Hoa, the Noodle Bowl and Hoanh Thien Y, but that’s not exactly news. Eat Street also got a new Indonesian restaurant, Bali, at 14th and Nicollet, and a Mexican Deli, Marissa’s, at 28th and Nicollet. My most memorable meals of the past year were mostly driven by the joy of discovery – terrific Thai cuisine in the back room of a deli on University Ave; wood-fired pizza on a farm in Stockholm, Wi., world-class sushi in Woodbury. Herewith, in no particular order, a few of the highlights of the past 12 months: MORE »

This week’s picks

Thursday, January 1
Swing by your local video store to rent a copy of Wall-E, the animated film that’s shaping up to be the surprise critical favorite of 2008.

Friday, January 2
“While some bands find Rock ‘N’ Roll after taking the most circuitous path possible,” writes Jon Behm, “Nightinghales take a straight path from A to B minor.” Catch them tonight at the 331 Club, where Dwight Hobbes praises the courteous barstaff—who don’t “saunter over with a kiss-my-grits disposition like they’re doing you a favor to let you spend your bread.” MORE »

Roat Osha offers Thai food the way Americans like it, and that’s just fine. The new Thai restaurant at 27th and Hennepin follows pretty much the same formula as the other three Uptown Thai eateries, including Chiang Mai Thai, Amazing Thailand, and Roat Osha’s sister restaurant, Tum Rup Thai: stylish contemporary décor, big bar with a hip cocktail menu, and lots of colorful dishes that tend to look alike, because they all have carrots and broccoli and green beans and big chunks of red bell pepper. Okay, not all of them, but you get the idea. And of course, cream cheese wontons. MORE »