Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Tuesday Two-fer

I'm not quite sure how I missed yesterday's posting. Especially since I have so many things to tell you about. With that in mind, I'll try to keep both of my top topics short (-ish).

First topic: Movie Monday - The Princess and the Frog.

I finally got to see Disney's The Princess and the Frog last week. I have to admit that, although I wanted to see it, I didn't feel like I HAD to see it. But, wow, it was fun. And there's just so much going on in it.

The main character is Tiana, a young woman (we actually see her as a little girl, too), who lives in mid-1900s New Orleans and has been dreaming of owning her own restaurant ever since she helped her father cook Jambalaya when she was little. She has the place in mind, and she's doing everything she can to make that dream come to life. Her best friend, on the other hand, is a spoiled little rich girl whose father buys her everything she wants - but whose heart is in the right place.

Into New Orleans comes an African prince (a ukulele player named Naveen) who is more playboy than royal. His manservant would like nothing more than for the prince to settle down and start paying attention to the fact that he has no money. The prince is, in fact, going to a ball to meet and be married to Tiana's best friend.

Of course, this being Disney, there is a darker side of the story. The manservant makes a deal with a voodoo master to step in as Naveen, as Naveen becomes the titular frog. Of course, if you've seen anything about the movie, you know that when Tiana kisses Naveen to "cure" him, she - instead - becomes a frog.

The story really takes off at this point, when the two of them befriend an alligator and lightning bugs on their quest into the bayou for someone who can break the spell. It's a rollicking journey filled with great music, good friendships, some stuff that would have given me nightmares as a kid, and - eventually - a mostly-happy ending. (That's not a spoiler - after all, it's a Disney movie.) Overall: A (so much better than I expected it to be, honestly.)

Second topic: Twin Cities Restaurant Week - D'Amico Kitchen at Chambers

Okay. Since I want to keep this relatively short, let me just hit the high points... It's "Restaurant Week" in the Twin Cities. A bunch of restaurants are doing great "prix fixe" menus at amazing prices just to entice people in to try them out. (You can find the whole list at mspmag.com .)

On Sunday night, Christopher and I went to dinner with our friend Darci (you've heard of her in the past) at D'Amico Kitchen at the Chambers Hotel. The space is kind of austere and not overly inviting, I have to admit. But we were seated fairly close to the fireplace, and we were there early enough to watch the sunset change all of the colors outside, so that kind of mitigated the interior. Except for the chairs. Really uncomfortable things with too-low arms and low, slanted backs, which are too tightly packed at the table to allow you to turn even a bit to see the person next to you.

But... Anyway... the food...

The food was amazing. We started with appetizers (Crispy Pancetta, a Beet/orange/chevre salad, and Saffron risotto balls). Entrees were Braised short rib over buckwheat polenta, Butternut squash ravioli, and Hanger steak with roasted radicchio - and we split an order of Parmesan Risotto. Desserts were a Gelato trio (Key Lime mascarpone, Salted caramel, Chocolate Amaretti), Spiced chocolate cake (with olive oil gelato and amarene cherries), and a Frangipane crepe. There was wine, too, and an after dinner drink with some kind of "root vegetable" flavored liqueur in it.

Let me just say that nothing flopped. All of the food was amazing. We've decided that we need to go back for Happy Hour sometime just to have the Parmesan Risotto again. And the best part? Since it was Restaurant Week, this was all basically $30 per person (not including drinks and extras).

So... There you go. A movie and dinner, all in one. If you're near a theater that's still showing The Princess and the Frog, I strongly suggest going to it. And, if you're in the Twin Cities, I'd strongly suggest taking advantage of it.

Either way, I suspect you'll be in for a treat.

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