Corey Brewer and other news

I was at the downtown Target yesterday and who did I see shopping, but none other than Corey Brewer (http://youtube.com/watch?v=P77gIxsOQ2I) of the Timberwolves. Of course I had to introduce myself to him, shake his hand (he had a weak handshake), and wish him luck for the following season. Out of the famous athletes I have ever shook hands with Corey Brewer would probably rank somewhere in between Ben Roethlisberger and Mark Madsen.

My Dad's visit went very well. We went to the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul and saw a truly Minnesota production: Prairie Home Companion. For those of you who don't listen to public radio I would suggest you tune in to Prairie Home Companion. In the Twin Cities you can listen to it on 99.5 FM at 5pm central time on most Saturdays. Or you can download Prairie Home Companion as a podcast that is updated every Monday, which for anyone who has Itunes is pretty easy.

If you are looking for something other than fried walleye while in Minnesota, here are some of my quick picks based on my experiances in the Twin Cities:

• Best Italian: Cosetta's. (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g43501-d444520-Reviews-Cossetta_s_Italian_Market_Pizzeria-Saint_Paul_Minnesota.html) in downtown St. Paul next to the Excel Center.
• Most Romantic: Amore Victoria (http://www.amorevictoria.com/): Unbelievable Italian food. I would recommend the chicken alfredo (unlike any other chicken alfredo you will ever have) or the veal (I know I felt bad about eating it, but it was beyond amazing).
• Most Disappointing: Duplex (http://duplexmpls.com/Page_1.html): Despite a nice atmosphere and a great waitress, the food overall was disappointing and pricey.
• Best Reason To Stick to Traditional Mexican: A tie between Tejas (http://www.tejasrestaurant.com/) in Edina and Masa (http://www.startribune.com/456/story/176849.html) in downtown Minneapolis.
• Restaurant That Keeps Getting Worse Every Additional Time: Betty Jean's Chicken and Waffles was absolutely incredible the first time I went, but every other time has been less and less impressive. Now it just makes me wish Minnesota had Waffle House.
• Best Pizza: Andrea's in downtown Minneapolis.
• Best Downtown Minneapolis Skyway Option: Zen Box (http://www.zen-box.com/)
• Best Shakes: Malt Shop (http://www.themaltshoprestaurant.com/)
• Best Burger: 5-8 Club (http://www.5-8club.com/) - side note: I haven't been to Matt's Bar yet.
• Best Steak: Barbette (http://www.barbette.com/) uptown is the surprising winner. I haven't ever been to Erte's, Manny's, Murray's, Capital Grille, or Morton's, so I don't know I have a long way to go before I can actually give a true opinion on the steaks in Minneapolis. However, I do know that Barbette's steak (which I had last night thanks to M) was absolutely incredible.
• Best Seafood: Stella's: (http://www.stellasfishcafe.com/): Minneapolis isn't and shouldn't be known for it seafood, but if you are looking for a place to go to you could do a lot worse than Stella's uptown. I would recommend going on Sunday and getting the 1 1/4lbs Whole Live Lobster for $19.95.

Anyway, I am excited for the Ohio St-Minnesota game tonight. If you haven't seen this yet check out what will probably not be the opening scene of the 2007 Gopher Football Season Recap Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3pjGpy26-lg