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Awesome Local Dinner at the Craftsman

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." -Unknown, possibly Frank Zappa or Elvis Costello

I'm at a loss for words when it comes to describing last night. Suffice to say that there was no place I'd have rather been than at The Craftsman. If you're a foodie who was anyplace near Minneapolis (we hosted guests from as far away as Des Moines, IA and Sunnyvale, CA), you were either there - or you should have been. We were thrilled to see The Birchwood Cafe well represented!

Chef Mike Phillips wowed us with a 4 course meal (the first - a charcuterie plate - was a terrific surprise, featuring Phillips' own cured meats and handmade sauerkraut) that included a choice of local, sustainable lamb, chicken, or vegetables, the world's creamiest polenta from Riverbend Farm, an amazing cabbage salad (with the best blue cheese I've ever tasted), warm beignets and salted caramel ice cream for dessert, and an optional wine or beer pairing. His brief discussion of the foods he was serving and where they came from showed him to be thoughtful and incredibly knowledgeable when it came to our meal.

Best of all was the company - 30-plus friends and allies, foodies, chefs, and farmers - people who took the time out of our busy lives to think about food and community. I was blown away. Y'all totally rock. Thanks for a fun time.

Check out all the pictures on Facebook.

Or join the Facebook Group "I Joined a CSA/Farmshare."