Out & About

This Saturday, May 9, Bake For Hope is hosting its Minneapolis bake sale just outside of Corner Table restaurant. Bake for Hope is a national non-profit organization committed to raising money and awareness to fight breast cancer. Here's what it says on the Bake For Hope site:

The Mill City Farmers Market is one of my favorites in the Twin Cities. Smaller and more manageable than the Minneapolis and St. Paul farmers markets, the Mill City Farmers Market features a terrific variety of artisans, farmers, demonstrations, and amazing local, sustainable foods.

I'm not sure how to describe what I've recently tasted from Minneapolis' Rogue Chocolatier. I'm not used to eating chocolate that's as complex as fine wine or beer, as satisfying as a cheese plate, or as rich as King Midas. I know that I'm prone to superlatives, but here I go again: Rogue Chocolatier's Sambirano (the only kind I've tried so far), single-origin chocolate from the Sambirano Valley in Madagascar, is as good as any chocolate I've ever had.

For a city its size, Minneapolis is home to an impressive number of great restaurants, with amazing chefs focused on providing seasonal, local, sustainable Minnesota-and-Wisconsin-grown food. Add in St. Paul (which you really should, especially given the existence of Heartland, named St. Paul's best restaurant in the City Pages 2009 poll), and the number becomes almost shocking. Restaurant Alma has been quietly delighting fans of local food since 1999.

Please join us for another amazing meal this month! The May local, sustainable Simple, Good, and Tasty dinner will be held at the Birchwood Cafe, whose praises I've sung several times here already. Openings for the meal are filling up fast - please email me at lee@simplegoodandtasty.com as soon as possible to reserve your spot.

Twin Cities mega-garden store Bachman's (no relation to Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, thankgoodness!) is hosting a "grow your own" event at all of their floral, gift, and garden stores on Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3, from 10 am to 4 pm. The event is mostly a sale, of course, and includes the following discounts and activities (summarized here from the

Quick post, with thanks to Tracy from the Birchwood. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) is hosting an event about local food and farming in Minneapolis tonight. Here's the information from their website: Be part of an important conversation about urban agriculture, food policy, city planning and food access. Learn from national experts about how urban food systems can improve health, strengthen communities and grow local economies. Speakers:

Two and half years ago, in the fall/winter of 2006, a new eating and drinking establishment opened on the border between Park Slope and Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Called the Flatbush Farm, it won over locals almost immediately with its friendly bartenders, inventive drinks, hearty daily specials, rustic interiors, and enormous candle-lit backyard.

Finally! Thanks to Sustainable Table, my wife and I can converse again. According to their website: Sustainable Table was created in 2003 by the nonprofit organization GRACE to help consumers understand the problems with our food supply and offer viable solutions and alternatives.