Last night hubby and I went to the Minneapolis - St. Paul International Film Festival Opening Night event. Hubby’s work is a sponsor of the film festival so we had free tickets. It was not the sort of thing we usually do (we rarely get to the theater to see blockbusters, much less independent films), so it was a fun change. The night started at Block E to see the featured film, “The Visitor” – which is a very good film. If I was the sort of person to recommend films I would recommend it highly. Great cinematography, great acting, touching story. After the movie there was a Q&A session with the writer/director, which was very interesting, it really added a lot of depth to the movie. (more…)

A few weeks ago the hubby and I went to dinner at Crave in galleria in Edina.
A quick overview from the Rake

“Crave is the stylish new restaurant in the Galleria space formerly occupied by Sidney’s. Warm metallics and pleasing shades of brown and gray lend this dramatic dining room a sense of coziness, despite its polished design. The glass-walled wine chamber is especially lovely and sets an elegant tone for diners and bar patrons alike. The menu is heavily Mediterranean influenced, featuring hearty pastas and pleasing flatbreads from the brick oven, but there are a few culinary surprises, such as an Asian-inspired tuna tartare dressed in a tangy sauce. Crave also sports a full sushi bar, though, to our tastes, it seemed a little disjunctive from the rest of the menu.”

Night visited: Friday

Atmosphere: Something I would call casual elegance. We were seated at a table near the kitchen, probably the worst table in the restaurant. But the people watching was good. They had live music that night, it was a bit too loud for easy conversation - we had to shout to be heard. Very typical Edina patrons - we were among the youngest there. Highlight of the night was when a large group of women seated near us accidentally started a fire on their table.

Drank: White cosmopolitan (one of their featured drinks). Not bad, a bit too sweet for my liking, but that is typical of cosmos.

Ate: Chef’s platter of sushi - amazing. Every piece was fresh and wonderful. A little spendy for sushi, but I would rather have good sushi than cheap sushi. We also ordered a pasta dish - Sea Scallop & Shrimp Fettuccini - very tasty. Not a huge portion (if you are used to TGIFridays-style huge meal you will be disappointed), but very well seasoned, not overly salty. I love the idea that you can get great sushi and hot dishes like pasta all at one place. I think it make a nice, balanced meal.

Dessert: Pumpkin cheesecake. To die for. Not too pumkiny, not too cheese-caky, just perfect.

Overall: I would go back, hopefully be seated somewhere more comfortable and inviting. it is also on my list for sushi take-out.