Brasserie Zentral: Delicious, elegant and now open in Downtown Minneapolis

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I’m constantly looking for delicious new restaurants to entertain friends and clients, ideally within spitting distance of my law firm’s offices in downtown Minneapolis. This week I struck gold. TC Jewfolk Editor Bradley Machov and I ate a luxurious lunch at downtown Minneapolis’ new relaxed fine dining restaurant, Brasserie Zentral, located in the Soo Line Building on 5th and Marquette, which just opened for lunch and dinner last week. Continue Reading

Andrew Zimmern on Rye Deli’s closing: Assimilation, lack of commitment to blame

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On Monday, March 31, Rye Deli in Minneapolis closed its doors, proving to be just another one of the many recent delicatessen failures in the Twin Cities. Minnesota chef, restaurateur, and TV personality Andrew Zimmern has never been shy about his passion for seeing a successful Jewish deli in the Twin Cities. He also now seems prophetic in claiming that Rye would not be the one—initially giving the deli an F grade, then upgrading it to the still lackluster C+ a year later. Immediately upon the news of Rye’s closing he took to Twitterwith his thoughts. Continue Reading

A convert’s Passover: Lutefisk out of water

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As a convert to Judaism, there is a part of me that will always feel a bit like Lutefisk trying to be Gefilte fish. My first Passover Seder was no exception as I tried, desperately, to fit in. There are a few things that would have been good to know: Continue Reading

Losing Rabinowitz and becoming Mrs. Palmer

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Like many young women, I couldn’t wait to get married. I met my spouse in college when we were both 19, and we had been together ever since. We got engaged just a few days shy of my 24th birthday. We will celebrate nine years of marriage this summer. Continue Reading

Update to our Gasthof’s coverage: These are hateful people

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First, I want to thank everyone for the feedback on the article I published yesterday, “About the Gasthof’s Nazis, We’re Talking About the Wrong Thing.” The feedback has been largely positive, and the response to this article (both good and bad) has been truly overwhelming. I wrote the bulk of the article on Tuesday afternoon, when the only report was the initial City Pages article and the subreddit thread. Continue Reading

About the Gasthof’s Nazis, we’re talking about the wrong thing

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Monday morning, City Pages published a photo and accompanying developing story about a party at Gasthof’s showing what appears to be men dressed in SS uniforms and Nazi swastika flags hanging on the walls. Photos of swastikas hanging in a Minneapolis bar is a big deal, and as a news and culture magazine for the Jewish Twin Cities, TC Jewfolk wants as much as possible to be a place for interaction on Big Deal stories. Continue Reading

How to be Jewish on Purim

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Let’s get something out of the way immediately: I’m a convert to Judaism. I can give you a dozen Christmas cookie recipes and tips and tricks on dying Easter eggs with homemade vegetable dyes, but I have no idea how to be Jewish; that is, I have no idea how to create Jewish culture. I wonder if culture is even something one can make. Continue Reading