Krik's Picks

  We have some really great museums in the Twin Cities. They are interesting, engaging, and thought-provoking. Sadly, living here, I get busy with 'life' and don't make the time to visit museums like I do when on vacation.  But when my sister came to town this month, we planned a museum visit and lunch.  We both really like   The Museum of Russian Art . So that's where we went.  Our timing wasn't great. The museum had just finished a major exhibition called "Spies and Space: Cold War Artifacts from Both Sides of the Iron Curtain." They were still packing up the artifacts, so we were able to see some of them, even though the exhibition was technically over.  Still, the museum had several other exhibits that we enjoyed viewing.  Violins of Hope: A collection of restored violins that were played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Say 'No' to War: A collection of political cartoons by Ukrainian and Russian artists conveying the traged...

 My wife and I have offered our son and daughter to take their families on a trip. It's basically an open invitation. We'll negotiate the specifics of when and where. But we want to take them where they want to go.  Our daughter was the first to take us up. So for Presidents Day weekend this year, we flew to Palm Springs for a long weekend. The plan was to get away from the Minnesota cold and do a bunch of hiking. My wife and I are in our 70s. Our daughter and her husband are in their 40s, and the grandchildren are teenagers.  For lodging, we opted for an Air Bnb . In case you don't know, vacation rentals in Palm Springs can be tricky, and short term rentals present a challenge. (As you might expect, a lot of vacation rentals in the area are aimed at snowbirds who want to stay for several weeks.) We ended up picking a house in Thousand Palms. It was well maintained, not large but roomy enough for our family. It had 3 bedrooms; my wife and I claimed the master suite....

 My extended birthday celebrations came to a glorious end in mid-December, nearly a month after my actual birth date. (That was Thanksgiving Day.) My daughter treated me to dinner at Terzo in south Minneapolis.  Unlike the other two restaurant birthday dinners, I had been to Terzo in the past; multiple times, actually. I've even posted in this blog about the restaurant twice - once in 2014 as we prepared for a trip to Italy and again in 2016 just before another Italian trip.  Terzo continues to be a favorite of mine. So it was an easy choice for a birthday dinner, especially since my daughter hadn't eaten there previously.  We started with a glass of prosecco and an order of arancini . Next we had salads. My daughter had 'misticanza' which was a beautiful mixed salad with baby lettuce, pea tendrils, fresh herbs, radish, celery, egg yolk and a light dressing. I had a seasonal salad 'autumnale'.  Smoked trout on pasta Terzo offers half orders of its pasta entre...

As I explained in my previous post, I turned 70 years old on Thanksgiving Day 2021. That being something of a milestone, I ended up enjoying four birthday dinners. Thanksgiving dinner was the first. Two weeks later, my wife and I had a special dinner at Italian Eatery in Minneapolis. You can click here to read that post, or simply scroll down to it after you read this post.  Both my son and my daughter gave me the gift of having dinner with each of them individually. They actually did pay for those dinners. But I would have been happy to pay just to have the time alone with them.  Just four days after Birthday Dinner No. 2, I picked up my son and we went to Kado no Mise , a Japanese restaurant serving a fixed price "omakase" tasting menu. The restaurant's website explains that Kado no Mise translates as "corner restaurant." (The restaurant is located at the corner of N. 1st St. and N. 1st Ave. in Minneapolis.) The website further explains that "omakase...

 In my previous post - The Story So Far - I noted that one of the things that happened during 2021 was that I had a birthday. Not just any birthday. I turned 70.  When I was a kid, my parents (or at least my mother) usually made a big deal about birthdays for me and my siblings. But Mom and Dad never made much of a big deal about their own birthdays. So I suppose it's not surprising that in my adult years, I also never made much to-do about my birthday. While I was still working, I usually would still go to work. My wife and I would have a nice birthday dinner out at a restaurant sometime in the relatively close vicinity of the actual birth date.  But, 70 is a bigger deal. So it justified having multiple birthday dinners. (Stay tuned for Nos. 3 and 4.) When I rebooted this blog, after a 14-month hiatus, I decided to give up any pretense that my restaurant posts are actual 'reviews.' Restaurant reviewers have standards and a process for evaluating a restaurant, its ambian...

In case you haven't noticed, it's been more than a year since my last post. I considered pulling the plug and just putting an end to Krik's Picks. But I took time to reread some of my old posts, and it reminded me of a couple of things.  1.  I mostly am writing this for my own amusement.  2. It's been amusing. And so - The Story So Far ... * I started Krik's Picks 15 years ago. My first grandchild had just been born. (Yes, I have a 15-year-old grandchild who's eager to take drivers' ed and get her license.) Also, at the time, I had responsibility for member communications at Land O'Lakes , where I worked until I retired (in 2013).  At Land O'Lakes, we had cake (For those who don't know, Land O'Lakes is a farmer-owned cooperative. So my job was to manage the communications to keep the farmers (i.e. co-op members) informed about the company, the industry, and things that affected them as farmers. I felt that we could use a blog and social media...

 I like to garden. For me, it's quite satisfying to walk into my backyard and pick something ripe and fresh to eat.  The trouble is, my yard is not very conducive to growing a prolific garden. My yard is blessed with an abundance of tall, leafy trees. But they cast so much shade that it stunts most garden plants that I'm trying to grow. Example: tomatoes. I can't resist trying to grow tomatoes. But because of the shade, the plants put all their energy into trying to grow tall, and I end up harvesting just a couple of handfuls of small tomatoes. If they didn't taste so good, I'd quit trying.  The other problem is wild animals. We have deer, raccoons, squirrels, and rabbits galore. They like to feast on my vegetables as much as I do.  So each summer, I plant a few tomatoes and other items and just hope to be able to harvest enough to make it worthwhile.  First batch of ripe serranoes There are a few things, however, that usually thrive in my yard. Herbs, for examp...

I see the world differently now. I don't mean psychologically. It doesn't have anything to do with the COVID pandemic or the Black Lives Matter protests. I mean physically. I had cataract surgery and am amazed by what a change it's making in my vision. I have bad eyes. My ophthalmologist says "very bad eyes." I got glasses when I was about 10 years old. My school teacher must have told my mother that I couldn't read things on the blackboard. So we went to an eye doctor. He checked my eyes and confirmed that I am very near-sighted. He put on a pair of sample glasses that approximated my prescription. I looked out the window and saw people walking by. "Am I supposed to be able to see people on the sidewalk?" I asked in amazement. Before cataract surgery So I wore glasses for about 8 or 9 years. During my freshman year in college my parents agreed to let me get contact lenses. I wore contacts for a long time. But eventually, probably about 20 ...

When the coronavirus pandemic struck America, and we all retreated to the sanctuary of our homes and practiced social distancing, it seems that a lot of people took up home baking. I've been a baker for a long time, really since I got my first apartment in my sophomore year at the University of Minnesota. That would be in 1972. I grew up eating homemade bread, so it was natural for me to try my hand at it when I was on my own. I'm sure that my mom gave me bread for the apartment when I'd go home for a visit. But I also started baking some on my own. I liked it. My roommate liked it. And probably more significantly, my girlfriend (now my wife) was impressed. After college, and when we got married, I continued to make bread for our home. It became a ritual and something of a family tradition. I used to make bagels very often. But since our kids are grown and it's just the two of us, I haven't made bagels in quite a while. I have a handful of recipes that I turn to...

I quit studying French and Italian. My wife and I were planning a trip to France and Italy for this summer. As of today, we still haven't cancelled our reservations. But it seems highly unlikely that the coronavirus pandemic will subside enough for us to safely embark on that trip. We will still go. Just not this summer. Now I have some extra time on my hands. Hmmm. What to do? Ever since I retired (in 2013) I've thought about retrieving my trumpet from the basement and start playing again. I did play in the school band all through high school and at college in the University of Minnesota Football Marching Band! After the U, I played in an alumni pep band for a few years. But gradually work and family and other things took over my life, and I quit playing. Spoiler Alert: If you came to this post looking for the recipe, it's at the end. If you want to skip all the blather about my trumpet, just scroll down for the Nutty Oat Bar recipe. Playing my trumpet has always bee...

In May 2016, we took a really wonderful trip to Italy. We were gone for almost a month. Our itinerary included Milan, Piedmont, Cinque Terra, Umbria, Amalfi Coast, and Rome. We were planning a return trip to Italy this June. That seems quite unlikely now with the coronavirus causing such devastation there. GATTAVECCHI VERNACCIA We, of course, are in the midst of social-distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders. So on Saturday night, we made a special meal and opened a bottle of wine that we had brought back from that remarkable trip four years ago. Here's the story ... We were staying at an agriturismo in the tiny little town of Civitella D'agliano outside of Orvietto. The weather wasn't so great. On the last day of our stay the forecast was for rain. We had planned to drive around the region and do some wine tasting. According to the forecast, the weather looked less threatening farther north. My wife suggested we go to Montepulciano. That was a little furthe...

In my last post, I wistfully anticipated spring weather when I could get outside to do yard work or gardening or biking. So naturally today is cold and rainy with slushy snow predicted overnight. According to the Farmer's Almanac , spring is supposed to arrive tonight. But it's still March in Minnesota. The dismal weather today is distressing for two reasons. First, the weather adds to all the other bad news about the pandemic and the economy and just makes it worse. Second, no morning walk and no afternoon walk to get some fresh air. I spent the whole day reading and staring at my computer screen ... and I didn't see anything to cheer me up. In fact, mid-afternoon I began to feel dizzy and clammy and I worried that maybe I was coming down with the coronavirus. I took my temperature, and it's still normal. So I think it was just nerves. As I wrote in my last post, cooking provides a creative outlet for the tension and is helping keep me from getting totally stir-cra...

At first, I didn't think that " social distancing " would be difficult. After all, I'm retired. I don't really have any place I have to go. I've had a few meetings and events get cancelled. I thought it wouldn't be much different than daily life for me. It's only been three days since the CDC recommended that Americans practice social distancing for eight weeks. The goal is to slow down (and perhaps reduce) the spread of the coronavirus, also called COVID-19. But I'm already sensing this isn't going to be as easy as it sounds. Maybe it's the psychology of it. Knowing that I can't or shouldn't get in the car and drive to a store or to a bar or to a restaurant makes me feel restless. So far, my daily routine hasn't changed too much. Get up. Take a walk. Have breakfast and read the paper. Read some more. Have lunch. Read some more and/or work on my computer. Take an afternoon walk. Read some more. Make dinner. Watch TV. I...

One of the things my wife and I like about travel is tasting (discovering) new foods and food combinations. (Well, new to us anyway.) And it's always gratifying to be able to recreate those items in our kitchen when we return home. The back-story for this recipes starts in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. Earlier in June we were in the City for a few days. (More about our trip later.) One of our favorite things to do in SF is to walk through Haight-Ashbury. Sometimes we shop; sometimes we just enjoy people-watching. (Side note: Now that marijuana is legal in California, I half expected the Haight to be engulfed in a permanent haze of smoke. It wasn't. In fact, I think I smelled more marijuana on the streets before it was legal.) This time, we were there around lunch. So we kept an eye out for a nice place to eat. That's how we happened to wander in to the Sparrow Bar & Kitchen . It was friendly and clean. It had an attractive patio in back, and the...