Wasted Continuum

• At work. Thinking about lunch. #
• Testing my phone set up. This is a huge waste of time, huh? #
• Lunching at Caribou… #
• Back at work. Finishing my cappuccino… #
• Listening to Sara Bareilles…I love her melodies! #
• Leaving work. Heading out to Tegan and Sara concert tonight at the Pantages. #

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I don’t have a lot of time right now to describe how amazing last night was meeting Anthony Bourdain. I’ve been looking forward to this ever since the end of September when we got the tickets. I will write more on the whole night tomorrow and upload some photos. I have a photo set created on Flickr right now, but I only have one picture uploaded. I’ll have more tomorrow.

To all those who believe that you should never meet your heroes to avoid being disappointed or even crushed, you are wrong. So wrong. If you’re not wrong, then I believe your hero may be a loser or is just not as cool as Mr. Bourdain. He is just as you imagine he’d be from watching his shows or reading his books. The only thing is that he’s taller and much funnier when he is not censored.

That is all I have to say for now. I’ll dive into the details tomorrow. I may have a surprise treat for fellow Bourdain fans out there.

Visit my Flickr photo set for Bourdain

The day has finally come. In just over 18 hours, I will be heading over to Solera in Minneapolis to see the great Anthony Bourdain. For those who know me too well, knows that he’s one of my personal heroes. Yeah, I know, not the poster boy role model, but, hell, I think he loves food for the same reasons I do and the man knows how to live a life. He’s an established writer of fiction and non-fiction. Les Halles Cookbook is hands down the most well-written cookbook I have ever read or used. I’ve cooked maybe forty percent of the recipes so far and they’ve all been amazing (especially, the Duck a l’Orange). If I’m ever on death-row, I want that duck as my last meal. Kitchen Confidential is hilarious and eye-opening at the same time. He also has his own travel show, No Reservations, on the Travel Channel. He’s also the executive chef of the Brasserie Les Halles.

It will be my first time dining at Solera. I heard differing opinions on it. I’ve mostly been avoiding it because it was over-hyped when it first opened. I should probably get over that since they’ve been open for a few years now. This is what they’re serving according to their website:

Family-Style Tapas

• Grilled Pork Belly & Morcilla with White Beans and Romesco
• Olive Oil Poached Salmon with Fennel, Lemon and Olives
• Fresh Portuguese Goat’s Milk Cheese in Mojo Verde
• Chorizo and Hot Green Peppers with SidraShrimp and Tetilla Croquetas
• Oxtail Terrine with Preserved Lemon Frita Mixta and Horseradish
• Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Herbed Goat’s Milk Cheese
• Octopus Ceviche with Hot Pepper and Cumin

I’m really anxious to try the oxtail. I’ve only had that Chinese style. I believe we’ll be served Spanish wine too. Always good. I’ll also be getting a copy of No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach. I’m hoping to get it signed. The food is by Tim McKee who has recently become the chef at Solera. Frick, I’m getting hungry just thinking about tomorrow.

They say you should never meet your heroes because you will only be disappointed.  I over-think and over-analyze the hell out of everything. I’m rarely disappointed mainly because I’ve anticipated almost every outcome in my head. It’s going to be good.

MPR has a short interview clip of Anthony Bourdain. The interview was with Mary Lucia. Tony talks a little about his Emmy-nominated Beruit episode of No Reservations. He talks a lot about travel in general. Check it out. It’s in Real Audio Media (.ram) format. I suggest getting Real Alternative to play it. It’s free and solid.

Tony will be featured on Midmorning tomorrow, November 27. It starts at 10:06am (central time zone, obviously). Don’t miss that.

So, after enjoying some delicious coffee at A Fine Grind Coffeehouse. I headed over to Shish on Grand. This is my second time there. The first time I went there, I had their chicken gyro. That was alright. Today, I had their regular gyro. I have to say, it was damn tasty. It was really just the meat that made it so great. Full of flavor. Both times I was there, the services was very helpful and friendly. Also, as a friend pointed out to me, they make good use of sconces. Shish is a great choice for Mediterranean food in St Paul.

Shish website (down at the time this was written)

Shish on Grandave.com

Today I went to A Fine Grind Coffeehouse. It’s located on Marshall Ave right next to Izzy’s. I didn’t notice it until last week when I went to Izzy’s for some delicious ice cream. I guess I’m usually too focused on getting my ice cream that I’ve not noticed A Fine Grind. I’m glad I actually went in today. First off, it’s quite roomy in there. Plenty of seating with a back room with cozier seats.

As always, I ordered a cappuccino as my benchmark same as when I order bun bo hue at every Vietnamese restaurant I try out. It was good. Great balance of froth to milk to espresso. The ambiance was awesome. Very comfortable and lighting was low but not too low that you’d call it dark. The service was great. Friendly. It was fairly busy for a Sunday evening. The customers looked to be mostly college students with there books and laptops. I’m not sure if they have free WiFi. It is definitely a perfect place to go read or study. There wasn’t any music blaring. I actually cannot recall if there was any music playing. I highly recommend A Fine Grind if you have not been already. I will definitely go back again. It’s sort of a deadly combo having a creamery and a coffeehouse right next to one another.