Alliance Française

I began taking classes at the Alliance Française downtown this past winter. The classes are wonderful for anyone looking to improve their skills or begin the language from scratch.  I studied French throughout high school and spoke a melange of the language and Arabic when I served in the Peace Corps.  However, that was ten years ago! So, I'm a wee bit rusty. The teachers are encouraging, the students kind. And the foundational course (3 hours/once a week) and the conversation course (2 hours/once a week) were both great refreshers for reviving that long-dormant part of my brain that once knew how to conjugate the future perfect.

And now, I will attempt that paragraph in French. I will butcher this in places.

J'ai commence à prendre des cours à l'Alliance Francaise  l'hiver dernier. Les classes sont merveilleuse  pour quelqu'un qui cherche à améliorer leurs compétences (I cheated for that phrase and used Google translate) ou de commencer la langue. J'ai étudié le français au lycée et j'ai parlé un mélange de francais et la langue arabe quand j'etais une volontaire avec la Corps de la Paix. Mais, c'était il y a dix ans! Donc, j'ai oublie beaucoup. Les profs sont encouragants et les eleves sont gentils. Et le cours fondamental (3 heures / une fois par semaine) et le cours de conversation (2 heures / une fois par semaine) ont été les deux formidable for reviving that long-dormant part of my brain that once knew how to conjugate the future perfect.

I gave up at the end...still need to take several more classes.

If you've been debating taking a crack at learning a foreign language and French has piqued your curiosity (and why wouldn't it? the language of love!) or if you want to improve your grammatical or conversational skills, do yourself a favor and stop by the Alliance Francaise. Even if the classes seem a bit pricey to start ($300-$500 ballpark for 10 week course, some shorter classes are offered for a lower price), just immersing yourself in all the AF activities (happy hours, Saturday petit dejeuner, movies, speakers) will nourish your little Francophile soul.

Allons y!

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War Horse

The play opens with an army officer sketching the scene before him, his etches transcribed on a parchment backdrop in grey and black strokes. From that first moment, those first sketches, and that first introduction to a rambunctious foal, the audience is introduced to a world of stunning, yet somehow familiar, visuals. The frolic of a young horse, the rolling hills of some unknown Anglo countryside, the sweet melodies of an Irish lilt, all transform the Orpheum into an idyllic respite from the outside world. Just as our young heroes, horse and boy alike, are shielded, briefly, from the pains of the war to come, so the audience is coaxed into a gentle amazement of that little foal and the powerful beauty he becomes.

Joey, our equine hero, has all the personality of his human actors, with each emotion magically translated by the artists behind his puppetry.  The flick of an ear, the swish of a tail, it's amazing how much can be communicated by the simplest of movements. But with these tiny conversations, Albert, our human hero, falls in love with his spirited horse and the audience isn't far behind.

For those of you who may have seen the movie based on this play and ponder the merit in seeing the movie's inspiration, just trust me. Where the movie was explicit and literal, the play is figurative and magical.  The violence of war is almost more disturbing and emotional in the play setting because the audience is so actively engaged in the struggles of our heroes.  The crash of bombs, the bloody consequences of war, the audience is reminded over and over again how impossible our heroes' story is, how preposterous Albert's dream to recover his dear friend. Where the movie made this apparent in the somewhat tired rehashing of battlefield mayhem, the play establishes with a contraction of Joey's tired legs, a sinking of Albert's shoulders, and the incessant marching of both toward death or miracles.

The cast is strong and somewhat supplementary to the stars of the show, the horses. The exception would be Albert, whose fierce devotion to Joey is part of what builds the horse's power for the audience. We all sit in Joey's saddle, we all ride him through the field, and we all feel his heartbreak when boy and horse are divided by circumstance. There's a sense that this, this child-animal connection, should be sacred from the perils of war. This, at least, should be protected. But that's part of the play's strength.  That sacred bond may not protect either hero from the experience of violence, but it protects them from death, sustains them for their reunion. And the entire cast expertly supports the audience's experience of that bond, allowing that love to be the true star of the show.

War Horse is a must-see, a magical, heart-tugging experience that will leave you uplifted and in awe of the power of theater. It plays at the Orpheum through June 23rd.

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Books and Bars

Books and Bars is an open book club that meets to discuss their book choice at three locations across the Cities each month.  Moderated by Jeff Kamin and sponsored by Magers & Quinn (probably my favorite bookstore North of the Mason-Dixon), Books and Bars gives you ample opportunity to stretch those long dormant liberal arts major muscles at three different bars.

As Bryant Lake Bowl, the current site of the Minneapolis discussion, is walking distance from me, it was an easy election for which location I'd frequent for my first B&B experience. Beer in hand, I settled in and tried to keep my English-major self from appearing too eager to talk about a book I'd loved (The Dog Stars by Peter Heller). As with pretty much any book club, the crowd was a mix of people who liked, loved, loathed, and didn't finish the book.  Similar to any book club, too, there are those with strong opinions and those with quieter ones.  Jeff does a great job keeping the conversation moving and by the end of the just-over-an-hour discussion, everyone in the room had piped up.

If you're looking for a book club but can't find anyone cool enough to join you, don't sweat it.  I went solo and it was fine.  Yeah, everybody else in the group of 20 was part of a couple or a posse, but beer is a great equalizer and Jeff won't let you feel lonely, squired away in some corner. This is a great way to get out and about, get a conversation-starting book under your belt, and maybe check out a bar you haven't frequented in awhile. As the bar locations for Minneapolis are going through some changes, check out the Books and Bars website for next month's locale. I'll see you there...

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Lola's Lake Waconia Half-Marathon

This was my first time running Lola's, in part because this is only the second year of the half-marathon's existence. Those who ran it yesterday were reminiscing (not particularly fondly) about last year's weather, which was hot and humid. I suppose one benefit to our slow summer warm-up this year was a beautiful Saturday morning for a very challenging course.

Starting and finishing in downtown Waconia, blocks from Lola's Lakehouse, the course is hilly. I thought the Minnetonka Half was hilly. Nope, not by comparison. Lola's is just packed with rolling hills, sharp inclines, and miserable grinders. But you've also got a beautiful view of the lake for a large portion of the race and a comfortable number of participants.  My only complaint was the starting procedure.  As Lola's hosts a half-marathon, a 10 miler, a 5K, and a half-marathon relay, there are a lot of moving parts to understand race day morning. The half-marathon and 10 miler started 10 minutes apart.  I had friends who did the ten miler and their experience was that they "wandered/ran several blocks before running over the starting time pad." They didn't really understand where/when the race actually started.  The half-marathon start was a bit smoother but we still wandered around some before actually arriving at the start line.  I'm not sure what the remedy would be, fewer individual events, better directions about starting locations...

I liked the size of Lola's.  Some half-marathons are so huge they're unwieldy and the check-in and get-out processes are just a nightmare.  But Lola's is a smaller race with the same amenities (if not better) as the larger races.  The race shirts were cute, the medals were nice, the water stops were stocked and supported by friendly faces. All racers were invited to a post-race celebration at Lola's for drinks and lunch, something that is untenable with the larger races. It makes for a friendlier, small town feel, and that's a welcome comfort after battling those gnarly hills! This is one I will definitely do again.

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Hello Pizza

The night before half-marathons I usually insist on pizza. Pizza Luce serves me well but this time I decided a race was a good excuse to check out Hello Pizza, Ann Kim's new New York style restaurant in Edina. 

The restaurant is casual and super family-friendly. In fact, upon first glance, I wondered if maybe it was a bit too kid-friendly for my friend and I (kids are great but sometimes you're not really keen on competing with noise levels of somebody else's hellions).  But the space is comfy and not so cramped as to encourage irritating decibel levels.  So, if you've got kids in tow, this is a great, easy spot for supper.  And if you don't have kids in tow, don't worry, this place has all the charm of a neighborhood slice shop and the kids are too engrossed with their cheesy triangles to cause problems. And those cheesy triangles sit atop casually adorable plates that appear to be paper plates but are actually sturdy dinnerware. Cuteness overload.

But that cuteness has substance. The first bit of joy occurred while waiting in line when my friend pointed to the line-up of beverages and say, "Rae, isn't Cheerwine that drink you love?" What?! It's HERE?! Heaven help me. Even if the pizza was awful (which it definitely is not) I'd come back just for the joy of drinking my favorite soft drink, a product of my Southern homeland. A cherry-flavored cola far superior to cherry coke, you'll thank me once you take your first swig.

And that swig pairs beautifully with the Hello Trinity, topped with crimini mushrooms and sausage with an intense and delicious amount of fennel. The perfect amount of mozzarella coupled with that expert New York style crust, foldable without being wimpy, round out an excellent slice.  I paired my slice with the smoky greens.  I know some people don't like salad.  But lots of people like bacon.  If you like bacon and hate salad, I would encourage you to give this one a whirl.  The smoky bleu cheese and applewood smoked onions  give a meat-y heft to the greens without any actual meat. My mouth told me it was a light, crunchy bowl of greens.  My nose told me it was bacon. Magic, I swear. 

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Sunset Boulevard

New Century Theatre would not be the expected staging in my mind for Sunset Boulevard. It's a small, casual space, definitely not what one would typically picture for a grandiose Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

But I was happily surprised by how deftly the actors made the space make sense. Norma Desmond, executed beautifully by Sarah Gibson, was still the larger-than-stage-life character we need her to be, equal parts self-obsessed maniac, fragile ex-ingenue, and tragic product of society's hunger for perfection. The musical unfolds in flashbacks and every inch of the stage is used to capture Old Hollywood movie sets, the interior of a star's mansion, bigwig office spaces, and a mental institution. Norma falls apart bit by bit as those around her struggle to piece her back together with accolades, lies, and the latest beauty treatment. Her slippage is often humorous, but with that twinge of pathos that makes laughing feel a bit naughty. It isn't kind to laugh at the crazy lady, but it makes for good theatre. And that's all Sunset Boulevard, the play itself and this particular production are shooting for, a bit of levity in a sea of melodrama.

Gibson is supported by a great ensemble cast, most notably Aly Westberg as the bubbly, young, naive Betty Schaefer, who serves as a refreshing foil to Norma's descent into murderous madness. Betty's love for and Norma's mad infatuation with Joe Gillis, played with a bit of swagger and lots of melancholy by Tim Kuehl, serves as inspiration for much of the show's movement. Joe, in many ways, is just as pathetic as Norma.  He may have his wits about him, but his depression and negativity seem to rob him of those faculties.  It's a dangerous mix for a naive girl and a woman gripping sanity with her little finger.

A sluggish start quickly smooths into a solid performance by a great ensemble. A deft use of video cameras aid the audience's attachment to a once-loved star and allows the theatre to feel bigger than it is without losing the intimacy the space provides. The show suffers only by comparison to Webber's more famous classics, the book for this show lacks the oomph and hook of the catchiest of Webber's music.  But there are still gems scattered throughout, and the actors provide a sad, engaging story of youth and hope lost.

Sunset Boulevard plays at New Century Theatre, located in the City Center in downtown Minneapolis, through Sunday, June 23rd.

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Rye Deli

A good sandwich is a beautiful thing. there are few things more satisfying when you're feeling peckish and the perfectly chewy piece of bread paired with the right layer of ingredients can alleviate most of any day's ills.

I went to Rye Deli for the first time this week with my Mama along for the maiden voyage.  We were both starving so we started with the Deli Debris. Honestly, I didn't expect nachos. Fancy nachos. I expected a plate of odds and ends, glorified Lunchables. But Rye Deli knows better than that and piled their bagel chips with chunks of smoked meats and hot and sweet peppers and, of course, covered it with expertly melted cheese. It was a very heavy appetizer so Mom and I polished off maybe 1/6 of it before boxing the rest of it for Dad. It would be an awesome order for a table of happy hour buddies.

Sandwich-wise I opted for the Midnight Turkey.  This is an aptly named sandwich.  It just tastes like THE sandwich you would make if you were up late and found yourself staring at a stocked fridge (lucky!) that included wonderfully moist herb-y turkey, fresh sprouts, and crisp veggies to sit on top of a delicate lemon aioli. My fridge usually does not look like that, thus, I'm pretty sure midnight will happen upon me at some point in the future and I will yearn for this sandwich.

I didn't drink this time around, something I'd likely remedy next time given the interesting cocktail list and excellent local beer selection on tap and impressive list of bottle options. This is a spot more people should be heading to for happy hour (7 days a week, 2-7 pm), the drink and nosh specials are just too good to pass up. And if you're like me and call 55403, -04, -05, or -08 home, on Wednesdays you get 20% off! Embrace your neighborhood deli, order the Deli Debris!

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Cajun 2 Geaux Crawfish Boil

One of the spring activities I miss most from my years in New Orleans is the crawfish boil. I have fond memories of heading to a park after class, sipping a beer at a picnic table after a milk jug-sized scoop of crawdads and sausage was dumped in my styrofoam container. I remember one boil where the crawfish were poured into a canoe and everyone scooped their own wares. Not a bad serving dish, the canoe.

Suffice it to say I'm rather surprised to have the opportunity to talk about crawfish boils several states North of my last such party. But thankfully, Cajun 2 Geaux food truck exists, and thus I'm a happy Southern girl who has had a healthy dose of mudbugs and shrimp. I've affectionately reviewed the truck before, here, but I figure the crawfish boil is a distinct event and worthy of its own mention. 

For $22 guests had an all-you-can-eat spread of fresh crawfish and shrimp with the requisite corn cobs and potatoes thrown into the mix.  I was sad not to see more andouille sausage, but crawfish were the main attraction and these were beauties and there were plenty for the feast.  I was skeptical that Cajun 2 Geaux would provide the requisite kick I expect in a crawfish boil, given the sensitivity of the Upper Midwestern palate.  But I shouldn't have doubted Chef Tim's Houma, Louisiana roots.  Not overly spicy, but with enough heat to perfectly accompany the Summit brewery choices, this boil was the real deal. And even if the crawfish spread didn't entice you (I wouldn't understand that, honestly), I can attest to the jambalaya (pictured) and po'boys, too, from prior visits to this particular truck. A festive brass band played indoors (when it rained) and out, and those $7 flights of Summit were a perfect pairing for a summertime party. 

This was the second of three opportunities to get in on a true Louisiana tradition.  The next chance is a boil on Saturday, June 15th at 1pm at Pour Decisions in Roseville. Registration is here. Whether you're a crawfish pro or a newbie, the Cajun 2 Geaux crawfish boil experience isn't to be missed. Dig in and get messy, pinch da tail and suck da head!

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