Wednesday, May 18, 2011
"Ask Me Anything" heads Down in the Valley.
"Vinyl records sound better, and it's been scientifically proven," said Adam Welle, manager of Down in the Valley. He has been collecting records for his entire life, amassing a collection of nearly 5,000 records. In addition to a hobby, he's made it his work and is the go-to guy for vinyl records at the local record store. Welle led us through a few key things that anyone needs to start collecting vinyl records. He noted that it was less expensive to purchase vinyl then CDs or other digital media, and you often get a great piece of art at the same time. Current releases can include digital recordings, so you don't have to buy the same music twice. In addition to being "just much cooler," Adam emphasized that vinyl requires more …
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A new neighborhood tournament was held Saturday.
On May 14, Southwest Minneapolis hosted the inaugural Southwest Neighborhood Invitational Dodgeball Tournament at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park and Recreation Center. Four teams from several southwest neighborhoods took part, each vying for the final prize of free beer and bowling at Bryant Lake Bowl. The Kingfield Royal Tenenballs looked to dominate from the beginning. The evidence? Several players were pulled from local dodgeball leagues, they wore a full set of costumes and crowns and all of them had an unusual determination to hurl Nerf balls at their neighbors. Organized by 6th District Park Board Commissioner Brad Bourn, the event was a success. By the end of the event, many players were planning ahead for a rematch next year.
Monday, May 16, 2011
In this week's "Fish out of Water," clock repair is on the agenda.
This week’s Fish out of Water took me to Blackstone Manor Clock Repair in downtown Hopkins. When I first arrived, the "tick-tock" of all the clocks instantly transported me back to the sitting room in my grandparents’ home. Suddenly I was 10-years-old, sitting on the "Davenport," dressed in my fancy clothes (trying, per strict order from my Swedish grandmother, not to mess them up) and waiting for it to be time to go to church. The tick-tocks of the big clocks placed throughout the room kept me company. And owner Mark Purdy said many of his customers are into their clocks for that reason—because of the nostalgia and memories that they evoke. But once the shop opened, gone was the quiet that brought memories flooding back. The place was …
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Spasso's bacon-wrapped scallops are a gourmet appetizer.
Chuck Laster, sous chef at Spasso Italian Restuarant in Minnetonka, took some time recently to show us one of their delicious specialty appetizers. Bacon-wrapped scallops are quick to prepare, simple to cook, and offer big, complex, flavor in a small package.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Bike expert Rich Sherman gives a quick lesson.
For more than 15 years, Rich Sherman, store manager for Epic Grind Bicycle/Coffee Shop in Wayzata has been helping people buy, maintain and fix their bicycles. He took a few minutes to demonstrate some key techniques for changing a bike flat on the road. In addition to the basics of removing the wheel, tire and tube, Sherman emphasized how important it is to carry a bike repair kit with you while biking, especially a replacement inner tube. During the replacement process, it is critical to examine the inside of your tire for objects or damage, as this can cause the replaced tube to flatten immediately. Examining the wheel after reinserting the inner tube for areas where the tube is bulging out from the tire can also save you from …
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Johanna Thill placed sixth at February's U.S. National Juniors Fencing Championships.
Seven years ago, Johanna Thill was playing pirates with her brother’s friends and couldn’t understand why they were so much better than her. When the boys explained that they took fencing classes at Minnesota Sword Club, Thill decided to check out the sport for herself. The Chanhassen student’s swordsmanship has come a long way since then. This February, she placed sixth in the under-20 division at the U.S. National Juniors Championships. Thill, now 17, said she enjoys the speed and intensity of saber competition, her chosen form of fencing. She also likes that smaller athletes can use superior skill to beat larger opponents . “If I’m fencing boys, I try to hit on the wrist a lot because it’s a closer target and I’m shorter than most of …
44.91712
-93.262608
4744 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota Sword Club
/articles/video-slicing-her-way-to-the-top-3
/locations/4281546
Monday, May 9, 2011
The "Fish Out of Water" tries her hand working at a meat shop.
I love to cook. I love cookbooks. I love cooking shows. I have dreams of Viking Ranges and KitchenAid stand mixers. I think Ratatouille is quite possibly the best movie ever made and that Williams-Sonoma is a little piece of heaven right here on earth. I have the world’s biggest crush on Jacques Pépin and would run away with him in a heartbeat. I could go on forever but I think you get the idea. And while I enjoy cooking/food preparation/food shopping very, very, very much, I don't do it as often as I like—mostly at my family's request. You see, while I feel like Julia Child in the kitchen, my food doesn't taste like the work of a culinary master. It—my ridiculously lousy cooking— is actually a family joke. “Stick to the eating,” I’ve been…
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The St. Louis Park restaurant gave Patch a glimpse of some new dishes.
Wondering why exactly your favorite restaurant decided to wrap that bacon-wrapped pork chop in another helping of bacon? We paid a visit to McCoy's Public House to see what goes into a successful test kitchen menu change. Owner Marty Collins said it all begins with "going to our competitors and copying everything they do." Chef Josh Carrol served up everything from thrice-fried French fries (exactly what you'd imagine) to a new bravo burger, combining a sun dried tomato spread with two types of cheese and an all-natural ground beef patty on a brioche bun. Don't forget to feast your eyes on the Kobe beef meatball sliders, topped with marinara sauce and hand-stretched mozzarella cheese. "We come sit around a table and talk about what we like…
44.93422
-93.340269
McCoy's Public House
3801 Grand Way, Minneapolis, MN
/articles/mccoys-makes-menu-magic
1463839
/locations/4237066
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
William Hill, of the National Karate School in Eden Priairie, demonstrates how to defend yourself and how to break a board.
Ask Me Anything returns to the National Karate School this week, where we meet southwest metro director William Hill, who heads up the Eden Prairie location. A former sparring champion, Hill was ranked No. 2 in the country in the light heavyweight division before a self-imposed retirement. Why the retirement? "I became a father," Hill said. Now, Hill is a lead instructor for the National Karate School, and he walked us through one of his favorite moves—a palm heel strike. "It's an effective defense technique," Hill said, with minimal risk of injury to the person who is delivering the strike, versus a closed-fist punch. "You can generate a lot of power," he added.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Patty Korkowski's unconventional style has worked for the last 30 years.
Patty Korkowski is the first to admit that she doesn’t have a classic tennis form. She swings at the ball with unconventional strokes. Yet that can also work to her advantage when opponents don’t know where her shots are headed—as occasionally happened at this weekend's Sandy Dyer Open Tennis Tournament in Fridley. Korkowski started playing tennis with her sister and never took any lessons. Yet her ranking has climbed in the 30 years she’s been playing. She played in nationals in 2010. After this past summer, her U.S. Tennis Association rating climbed from 4.0 to 4.5. She now plays in two leagues and is a captain in one of them.
45.081349
-93.239959
1200 Moore Lake Dr E, Fridley, MN
Life Time Fitness
/articles/self-taught-player-becoming-a-tennis-standout
/locations/4213031
Heather G
9:23 am on Friday, May 13, 2011
Ooh...pretty. more ›