Hey everybody. Come to my Magers & Quinn reading tonight! It will be a Q&A led by the charming and able Jim Norton, founder and leader of Heavy Table (who will also be on hand to sign his astonishing new book, Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin—I say astonishing because it’s like a New Yorker magazine filled end to end with news about Wisconsin cheese. Just great.) There will also be free wine, and, since I suspect a bit of Dara-book-tour-fatigue, the chance for me to walk across the street with you and pick out presents for your mom at the giant new Kitchen Window? Dunno, but come on down if you can: 7:30 p.m., Magers & Quinn in Uptown.
Now, my top five suggestions for things to do afterward:
1) Catch a late dinner at Lucia’s wine bar. I had a piece of grilled beef in a blue cheese sauce that was just exquisite a couple weeks ago, as well as a cheese plate that had to be one of the top in the region. I didn’t write down too much about it because it was a true night off (and so now you also know where I go on a true night off) but my general impression was: Perfection. Then again, I walked right in and got a table, so it was obviously a blessed evening.
2) Grab an alcoholic hot chocolate drink at Zeno—my number one guilty pleasure in Uptown. What’s not to like about all those top-shelf sweet-tooth liqueurs? I mean, a lot, but once or twice a winter they’re indulgent and a warming joy.
3) Enjoy a bottle of bubbly and plate of French fries at Cafe Barbette. This is definitely an indulgence, but hey, you survived Thanksgiving, so deserve the best French fries in the state, right?
4) Sample Adrienne Odom’s desserts (former pastry chef of Aquavit and La Belle Vie, who recently returned to town) at newly opened Il Gatto—the old Figlio.
5) Catch the 9:50 p.m. Up in the Air at the Uptown Theatre, or 9:30 p.m. Fantastic Mr. Fox at the Lagoon Cinema. I saw Fantastic Mr. Fox last week, and it was my favorite movie of the past three years. So charming.
So, come!
Magers & Quinn: 3038 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-822-4611, magersandquinn.com
