Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/jeremy-iggers/page/3/)
Jeremy Iggers recently retired as executive director of the Twin Cities Media Alliance. His newest project is a website called www. GlobalTwinCities.com. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife Carol and two cats.
Mac’s Fish & Chips reminds me just a bit of Tin Fish – a favorite of mine – only without the spectacular view of Lake Calhoun, and without the wait. Okay, the menu is pretty limited, but, like Tin Fish, what they do, they do very well. You get your choice of halibut, walleye, cod, shrimp, clam or chicken strips, breaded and deep-fried, available as a sandwich, a basket with fries, or just by itself.
Ten bucks buys a lot of tasty food at Boolaay Somali restaurant – not to be confused with Bouley, the upscale French restaurant in Manhattan. At Bouley, the appetizers start at $22 at lunch for the Porcini Flan with Alaska Live Dungeness Crab and Black Truffle Dashi. At Boolaay, ten bucks gets you a big plate piled high with savory rice pilaf and diced chicken or beef suqaar, plus vegetable soup, salad, fruit drink and a ripe banana – easily enough for two. A variety of other entrees and baked goods are also offered, to dine in or take out.Here’s a YouTube video of Boolaay from Liban North America’s Somali TV Channel – I don’t know what they are saying, but it looks like they are enjoying the food:Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the restaurant’s name. It has been corrected to ‘Boolaay Restaurant.’ Continue Reading
Do you have a favorite neighborhood cafe, bookstore or community garden? Or a shop that repairs watches or shoes? Or maybe a church or mosque or synagogue or temple you want to tell the world about?If it isn’t already in the Daily Planet’s business and attractions directory, we want to know about it.We’re especially interested in lesser-known businesses and attractions that reflect the cultural diversity of the Twin Cities.If you send us a photo and a description of a Twin Cities discovery, and we publish it, we’ll pay you $25. Some entries will also be featured on our homepage – and you’ll get full credit.Submitting entries is as easy as 1-2-3:1) First check our business and attractions directory to make sure that we don’t already have a listing for your discovery.2) Sign up as a registered user of the Daily Planet. It’s fast, free and easy.3) Click here to create your listing. Continue Reading
Looking for food adventures this weekend?Flow Northside Arts Crawl and Dinner on the Farm are having an Underground Dinner Party on Friday at the Minneapolis Photo Center, 2400 N. Second St., Minneapolis featuring food from the West Broadway Farmer’s Market, prepared by chef Serge Kogan of Pimento Jamaican Kitchen. Cost is $70 per person; for details and more information, click here.There are still tickets left for Eat4Equity’s Wild Things Festival, this Saturday and Sunday at Lily Springs Farms near Osceola, WI. Music, camping, kayaking canoeing, yoga, homebrew, woodfire pizza and more. “All ticket sales support Eat for Equity and our work building a community of generosity through sustainable community feasts.”On Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m., WInes of South Africa is hosting From BBQ to Braai, a wine tasting and South African-style barbecue at the Depot, 225 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. Continue Reading
The weekend buffet brunch at the Tea House, 2425 University Ave., Minneapolis is still pretty new, but word seems to have gotten out in the local Chinese community – we arrived around 1 p.m. last Saturday, and every table in the place was taken. But what we got was well worth the $13.50 price and the 10 minute wait. Tea House’s weekend brunch is very different from the standard Chinese buffets (which are mostly pretty awful) or the dim sum brunches at places like Yangtze, Mandarin Kitchen and Pagoda in Dinkytown (which are pretty good).
So many new restaurants opening up on Nicollet – especially south of Lake Street – that it’s hard to keep up with them all – Kyatchi, the new sustainable sushi restaurant at 3758 Nicollet Ave. S., and the bricks and mortar version of Hola Arepa at 3501, and the new location for Corner Table at 4537. You have probably read about those already – but my latest discoveries are a couple of little take-out locations at in the 3700 block that have actually been around for a while – Apho, at 3752 Nicollet Ave. S., and Cinco de Mayo Mercado, across the street at 3733 Nicollet Ave. S.
Ramadan, the Muslim month of prayer and dawn to dusk fasting, runs through July 28. The faithful break the fast each evening with a festive dinner, and a number of local Middle Eastern restaurants mark the occasion with well-stocked buffets. These are so popular that some of the restaurants set up special outdoor tents to handle the overflow. Top local spots for Iftar buffets include the Marina Grill and Deli (2424 University Ave.) and Big Marina Grill and Deli (4755 Central Ave., Columbia Heights and 128 W. Lake St., Minneapolis) , Marhaba Mediterranean Grill (2801 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis and Crescent Moon Bakery (2339 Central Ave., Minneapolis).The menu varies a little from place to place, but you can expect to find some of the same dishes at nearly all of them: lamb shanks, roast beef, kofte (ground spiced meat), roast chicken, rice pilafs, baked fish, tabouli, hummus, baklava and other pastries, and some of the same items that you might find at an Old Country Buffet – roast chicken, chicken wings, spaghetti and more. The going price seems to be around $14, for all you can eat, beverage included. Continue Reading
Does Amazon’s new phone threaten Twin Cities independent businesses? And what can local independent businesses do to fight back against predatory online competitors? Amazon’s new Fire smartphone has a feature called Firefly, that, according to the company, can recognize over 70 million products, including “household items, books, DVDs, CDs, video games, and more. It’s easy to (a)ccess product details, add items to your Wish List, or order on Amazon straight from your Fire phone.”Members of the Metro Independent Business Alliance had a lively conversation recently about the impact of Amazon and its new Amazon Fire smartphone on local independent businesses. The conversation took place on MetroIBA’s members-only list-serv.Chris Hanson, CEO of thedatabank, sparked a lively conversation by calling the Amazon Fire “one of the most unethical devices to come out in a long time and… a big affront to building local economies. Continue Reading
We’re celebrating the Daily Planet’s 8th birthday Thursday, May 15 with a party, and you’re invited! It’s happening from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Honey, 205 E. Hennepin in Minneapolis (in the basement below the Ginger Hop restaurant.) We’ll take a little time to look back on past accomplishments and talk about future plans, but mostly it will be a chance to celebrate and socialize. The appetizers and birthday cake are on us; there will also be a cash bar with happy hour pricing. May is also the month for our annual membership/fundraising drive, so we are asking for a suggested donation of $10 – or whatever you can afford. But even if you can’t make a donation, please sign up to let us know that you are coming. Or just send me an email at jeremyiggers@tcdailyplanet.net. Continue Reading