The Copper Hen

I learned of The Copper Hen's quiet opening from a fellow blogger, Laura, of One Girl, Two Cities. It was fitting, then, that my first taste of what is sure to be a new neighborhood favorite would be in Laura's company.

The interior of the restaurant is simply decorated with dark wooden tables and lovely, unassuming toile-touched artwork on the walls. The large Nicollet-facing windows bring in a lot of natural light, which fits well with the restaurant's overall cozy, comforting aesthetic. The menu is full of hearty sandwiches on house-made bread, vegetarian-friendly pizzas, and a handful of robust, stick-to-your-ribs entrees. You order at the counter and seat yourself, adding to the casual ease of this lovely little place.

I settled on the Sherwood Forest sandwich (pictured), which was a hefty and delicious helping of ham, brie, tart apple, and caramelized onions.  I swore I'd never finish it when it was set before me but I polished my plate. Nursing a $3 summer shandy on tap was a perfect warm weather pairing. Also on tap are local favorites from Indeed and Lift Bridge, and if you're looking for non-alcoholic indulgences they have a great list of coffee and tea concoctions to make you happy.

The couple who own the restaurant are a baker(wife)-accountant(husband) duo, so those baking roots mean this place makes some killer cupcakes. I tried the mason jar red velvet and I'd happily just take shots of that buttercream frosting. The kitchen also offers catering and wedding cake service, which I have to believe is rather fantastic.  The dessert alone are reason for me to revisit again and again.

Laura and I gushed about this gem in our neighborhood on Laura's May 27th show so if you want to hear more about The Copper Hen and other exciting finds around town, check out the show on Sizzlin 99.9.  You can also download the podcast using the following links:
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/one-girl-two-cities/id579288394?i=269832721&mt=2
Android: http://sizzlin999.com/rss/podcasts/laura1.mp3

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Brave New Workshop Pedal Pub Named Desire

One of my biggest problems with this blog is that I feel like my list of "Ohhh, I want to do/eat/try/explore that!" grows daily and there are really only so many non-work hours in the day. The Cities are an embarassment of riches, and my cup forever overfloweth. Brave New Workshop has been on the aforementioned list for years.  I've even experienced their corporate trainings on two occasions (awesome idea for anyone looking for a unique presentation on teamwork and communication) and still never managed to see one of their shows.

But finally, Pedal Pub Named Desire changed that. I attended the show with Laura, a blogger who is infinitely more active than I am. Laura recently interviewed one of the actors, Andy Hilbrands, on her One Girl, Two Cities internet radio show and you should definitely download the show and check out Laura's blog.

Brave New Workshop's shows are largely seasonal, each running for a couple of months.  They're a hilarious hodgepodge of sketches continually energized by the crapshoot that is a live audience. Our evening had a pretty raucous bachelorette party in the audience and the cast members rather hilariously pegged them to shut up on several occasions.  But even a gaggle of 21 year old drunk sorority girls couldn't weaken the face-splitting jokes that ran throughout.  My mouth ached from 2 hours strait of grins and guffaws. No joke, there was "guffawing," not just laughing.

The sketches in Pedal Pub are tied together with a general theme of love, flirtation, relationships, sex, and all the awkward crap that all those topics generally inspire. Whether it's a song connecting the infamous "Minnesota Goodbye" with couples' inability to breakup or a disturbingly passionate Russian (male) gynecologist teaching sex ed to a bunch of high schoolers, the sketches are hilarious, perfectly timed, and played with enthusiasm by a cast that's clearly having a blast.

There are some folks in my life who say they're "not really into" improv and thus they haven't checked out these BNW shows. First off, I think that's an incorrect opinion. :)  But secondly, even if improv makes you a bit nervous, you should settle in for one of these well-scripted shows.  These are rehearsed, professional exercises in comic timing.  These shows aren't the get-an-idea-from-the-audience games some people may think of when they hear the word "Improv" (those games happen after the show is over, stick around!), these are sketches similar in vein to the vignettes you see on Saturday Night Live, but these are actually funny.

A lot of that humor is derived from the bawdry and offensive, so take that to heart.  Drinks are served at the theater and the show is heavy on inappropriate topics (don't we always laugh hardest at the I-can't-believe-he-said-that phrases?), so keep that in mind before you bring your mom.

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