40 thoughts on “May 3, 2016: Winners All Around”

    1. "Somnamulist Chaser": More Coil references, I think.
      The live Coil album, ... And the Ambulance Died in His Arms, a recording of their last concert (though it wasn't known to be so at the time, has the song "The Dreamer Is Still Asleep — The Somnambulist in an Ambulance":

  1. Morning game alert: Cedar Rapids at Clinton is starting right about now. You can listen to the game by going here and clicking on either the home or away feed.

  2. Thanks everyone for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers yesterday, it was a really rough day.

  3. I see the chef from Bachelor Farmer won the James Beard Award for Best Midwest Chef. Both times I have eaten there, the food was exquisitely prepared... and incredibly bland. I realize it's Scandinavian food, but it always leaves me disappointed.

    Meat, I saw that Shaya was chosen Best New Restaurant. I really need to get there soon. I had Alon Shaya's Passover Seder at Dominica a few years ago and it was ridiculously good. Plus, he provided the in-laws with his recipe for gourmet matzah so it was the gift that keeps on giving.

    1. Because you're talking about restaurants, we went to Marin this past Friday. The food was pretty beautiful, but I was not super impressed. It's probably not a good sign when your favorite bit was the drinks and the charcuterie, though they were both pretty good. It did make me regret the amount of money we spent there. It certainly wasn't bad, but at that price level my expectations are incredibly high.

      1. It's probably not a good sign when your favorite bit was the drinks and the charcuterie

        I know what you mean, so we've taken to ordering the charcuterie and drinks and then leaving.

          1. That would be on the cheap end of dinner in New Orleans. It's stoopid expensive to eat out here which is why we don't do it very often.

            1. I had to look at the Marin menu, since I tend to think that prices in Seattle are pretty whack. One thing I notice about their entrées, which I appreciate, is that you don't see many places have such a variety in prices for the entrees--and they have 2 options $21 and under, plus two options $74 and up.

              1. I found Seattle expensive because I had no money. I find New Orleans expensive because the same.

                1. I can't pretend to be poor, but I feel like over the last 12 years, decent beer has gone from $4/pint to $6/pint and cocktails from $8ish to $12ish. Food has roughly followed that, and paychecks have not.

                  1. This is why we get married: so we can drink at home without being pathetic.

                  2. I can speak to that. Cost of Goods continue to go up. The cost for soda, beer, liquor and food have all gone up significantly in the past 12 years. Also, taxes, insurance, other services go up as well. Wages (in restaurants) have also gone up. In Minnesota, especially, with no tip credit (or sub-minimum wage) for tipped employees, there are even more headwinds. Now, as an owner of a restaurant, I want to pay a fair wage. However, I know many servers and bartenders who are making more than most restaurant managers make. The margins are get tighter and tighter every year. I can't imagine the headwinds a MN border town faces, as all neighboring states do have a tip credit.

                    In the end, we are all forced to raise prices in order to maintain a very modest profit. I think the tough thing (as ubelmann is alluding to) is the middle class has not seen wages increase. The answer is really volume. Most places can only make it on higher volume of sales. This squeezes out the ma and pa places, and shortens the life of many restaurant concepts in the industry. Data all points to more and more people eating out than ever before, but I wonder if we will someday hit a breaking point. Without treading deeper into the forbidden zone, I wish our state would consider proposals that are out there. It has been proposed to the legislature and governor that restaurants need a tip credit in Minnesota and would be willing to assume a burden of proof that wages + tips equal a number significantly above the minimum wage requirements. The proposals have fallen on deaf ears. So, when the next bump in minimum wage happens, expect your pints and burgers to go up again.

    2. Still my favorite meal in town. Shaya has a bit of a negative reputation in certain circles, but I'm never going to deny that my man knows how to cook. The bread alone is worth the price of admission.

  4. Speaking of restaurants, I'm in Cleveland. Anybody have any thoughts? I'm also on the company dime...

    I'm headed to the jake tonight as well to see the native Americans take on the Tigers.

    1. They have a rather Great (Lakes) Brewery down there with bars/restaurants nearby. Walking distance from the stadium, if I recall.
      Correction, there may have been a bus involved in getting to the stadium. This was after the brewery, so, you know, details.

      1. I think there was a bus, but I don't know if there had to be? A bit late to chime in, I suppose, but that was a nice brewery tour. There was a good amount of sampling, if I recall correctly.

    2. I'm way late on this, but I did get a free mug at the Winking Lizard. The wings were all right, but the beer selection was quite good and extensive. That's all I got, though, since it was right behind the hotel we were at and no one wanted to walk any further.

        1. In terms of atmosphere, the name was the most interesting thing. You'd think it'd be an awesome English pub in downtown Cleveland, but it's a pretty run of the mill American bar. Beer list is legit though.

    3. Where could one find information about beer in Cleveland? Hmmmm. Archives, anyone?

    1. Is it as much fun watching Verlander get knocked around in person as it is on TV?

    2. Aye. Probably 3rd favorite of the ones I've ever been to (behind Camden Yards and Target Field), not that I've been to all that many.

        1. I saw a heck of a game there, on a beautiful night, with great friends, so that probably helped. But sitting in the bleachers looking in... It felt like a real nice park, that right balance of open and intimate.

  5. Cabrera has a whole lot of ego. A line drive was caught and the throw back to first was close ish, and he spent a bunch of time posturing to the right fielder about the throw. Ego.

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