Aaron Landry

Monthly Archives February 2008

Omphaloskepsis - 26 Feb 08

Courtney, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

I’ve been pretty ill for the last week or so. I’ve had that crap that everyone seems to have. Co-worker Nick and I have been going through it at the exact same time and we can’t figure out who gave it to us. For the last few days now it’s mostly been just regaining energy back and shaking off this lingering cough.

Anyway, here’s been a bunch of stuff that I’ve wanted to post about but haven’t. Here we go in short form:

My friend David Harris stars in a little video for Ergotron Healthcare as “Tester Guy.” (YouTube version) It’s love. Go Digg it.

My pal Stacy reminded me the other day that if you want to perform at the Stone Arch Festival for the Arts, you can. Sign up. The deadline is March 15th.

The contest got extended over at Punch Pizza. March 1st is the new deadline. They have a Flickr Group now as well. One thing I’ve noticed is that many people do not have their tags correct for the contest. Fix ‘em up yo. Thank me later with pizza and wine.

I’m going to pick up some honey from my favorite bee blog in about a week. If you want me to pick you up a bottle, let me know. Maybe I can have Jim put his autograph on it for you too.

I’m speaking at the 2008 Nonprofit Technology and Communications Conference hosted by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Strongly recommended if you want to hear me blather on about Web 2.0 for an hour. It’s March 27th and there’ll be a lot of other speakers throughout the day with various backgrounds on new media, online marketing, and social networking and how it applies to nonprofits. Locally, in my opinion, nonprofits overall are not “tapping in” nearly as much as they could be. Let’s change that.

I’m a delegate to DFL Senate District 62 convention on March 8th. I’m strongly supporting Al Franken and am trying hard to become a delegate to the State Convention in Rochester. If you’re also a delegate, I ask for your support!

Nick Busse reminded me recently of some of the services he works on at the Public Information Services with the Minnesota House of Representatives. Did you know you can see what is met and voted on every single day? You can subscribe to it via email but the RSS feeds aren’t full feeds for some reason. As a taxpayer, I demand full feeds! Honestly though, this service would be fantastic if you could subscribe via RSS.

I skipped the MPR / MNSPJ / Blogger “Ethics” forum that a bunch of folks in the local blogosphere were buzzing about. Why? It boils down to is me being tired of all this us vs. them stuff. I wish media and bloggers operated more like baseball: There’s major leagues, minor leagues, pick-up games, and groups of friends who play. There’s different audiences and different different levels of adherence to rules. Some people just sit in a park and hit balls out to center field alone. Some people train their whole lives and are some of the best players in the world. Either way, it’s all baseball. Embrace that we’re all players and understand each other’s capacities and benefits to the big picture. I’m not going to bother with another forum on the differences between bloggers and the mainstream media, because there isn’t a line anymore. I’ll attend and participate in a forum regarding how we all can move forward in exploring more ways where media and journalism of all types can be more relevant, local, accountable, accessible, quick and overall more trustworthy for people. Sign me up for that one.

¶ Posted 26 February 2008 § Miscellaneous ‡ Comments (5) °

Tasty Pizza, Hilltop, MN

Tasty Pizza’s Pepperoni, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Seth and I wandered down to his neighborhood pizza joint, Tasty Pizza. It’s located in a strip mall just north of Minneapolis and east of Columbia Heights in a small little corner of Anoka County called Hilltop. It’s been recommended to me by many in the area and it’s a favorite for many in Northeast Minneapolis. Personally I don’t see what the big deal is.

Our service was very friendly and prompt but the pizza was messy, greasy, sloppy and overall too wet for my taste. The crust was soaked and drippy. The pepperoni wasn’t all that special and each bite tasted a like I was chasing it down with grease.

I’ve been more satisfied with lower end frozen pizzas. I wasn’t bad pizza, but I can’t see going out of my way for it.

Disagree? Please chime in. I know a lot of people really dig Tasty Pizza. I like supporting the locals too, so if you haven’t tried them out please give them a shot if you’re in town.

Tasty Pizza
875 45th Ave NE
Hilltop, MN 55421
763-571-2722

¶ Posted 25 February 2008 § Minneapolis § Pizza ‡ Comments (14) ° Tagged: Pizza

Sammy Perrella’s Pizza & Restaurant, Coon Rapids, MN

Sammy Perrella’s™ Pepperoni Pizza, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

After reading about Sammy’s Pizza having a couple locations in the Twin Cities, Andy and I decided to check out the location in Coon Rapids.

If you’re familiar with Sammy’s Pizza from around the Iron Range, this is the same group except it’s “Sammy Perrella’s” instead of just “Sammy’s.”

Andy and I were both surprised when we walked in: the exterior looks like a regular suburban strip mall but interior was very large and roomy. Decor was a bit silly at times with all the fake fencing, a strange tree and the mix of random and sometimes unrelated stuff on the walls.

Service at first was a bit humorous: I was asked if I’d like anything to drink and I asked for water initially and he came back with a Coke. Otherwise service was without any problems. They have four beers on tap: Michelob Golden Draft Light, Blue Moon Belgian Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale and Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss. They have a few beers in bottles too and list Molson Canadian and Corona under their “Premium” bottles. Not much for selection but we didn’t complain about $4 frosty pints. Their location in Brooklyn Park apparently has a full bar.

Our pizza was exactly what I expected: just like Sammy’s up north. Brick oven pizza with crispy crust cut in squares, generous but not an overbearing amount of cheese and, well, a lot of grease. The crust is a bit floury, almost crunchy on the edges and is hand shaped in a way that’s somewhat unique in the area. The overall consistency is chewy and it’s definitely a no-surprises pizza. It’s a pizza type that I many times crave: to the point and pulled off well with no frills. It’s certainly above average and likely the best pizza in Coon Rapids.

The slices came apart well enough but required a bunch of touching. Silverware is limited to a single fork per person. Andy and I didn’t ask for a knife but we asked for extra napkins. We then each got one. We chatted about the pros and cons of this situation and we agreed that we appreciated the conservatism opposed to having silverware we wouldn’t use and a pile of napkins that’d be trashed.

Overall we enjoyed our pizza trip to Coon Rapids. If I lived in the area I would consider getting some of their frozen take-out pizza as well. It’s roomy enough to throw a very large pizza party there too. The environment pretty kid-friendly.

It’s certainly much better than any of the chains around and if you like keeping business local, this is some great pizza in the north metro.

Sammy Perrella’s Pizza & Restaurant
445 99th Ave NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
763-786-8400

Also check out the rest of my photos, a bit on Sammy’s history as well as the history related to the Coon Rapids location.

¶ Posted 17 February 2008 § Pizza ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: Pizza

Señor Wong, Saint Paul

Drink at Señor Wong, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Andy, Brian, Amber, Ang, Jeremy, Lesley, Ian and I stopped down at Señor Wong in Saint Paul. They opened earlier this month in Kellogg Square. ~~The owner apparently is the son of the man behind the Red Dragon in Minneapolis.~~ Co-owner Lam Truong’s brother owns N’Gon on University, and his father was the original guy behind Caravelle. The bar manager’s father owns Red Dragon in Minneapolis. (Thanks to Dave Parker for the correction.)

Speaking of Red Dragon, the menu is a bit similar but the “Señor” bit adds some tacos to the menu. Apparently the famous Wondrous Punch is secretly there as well under another name. But don’t think this is anything like Red Dragon. It’s much more laid back, a lot more roomy and they have a decent pool table and darts in addition to their restaurant, bar and lounge areas.

Our wonderful waitress Jill handled our larger group well and served us some sake that they just got in and wasn’t on the menu yet. Brian, Ian, Lesley and Andy went off to shoot some pool on the other side of the bar and she kept all of us straight.

I didn’t eat much - only having their sweet potato fries - but they were some of the best I’ve had. I have a problem with sweet potato fries being just too sweet but the ones here hit the mark. Our party ordered a bunch of other food and everyone enjoyed what they got. Andy had been before and had a full dinner and spoke highly of the food.

They had a good selection of beer and mixed drinks but their taps weren’t operational yet. Not a problem for me considering all the sake I drank.

With the amount of space they have, the great happy hour specials and friendly staff, I’ll be back soon. I think their biggest problem right now is that I’m not sure anyone knows they exist. Works for me though as this place is great if you want a laid back atmosphere. If you’re in Saint Paul, check them out.

Señor Wong Restaurant and Lounge
111 Kellogg Blvd E (Enter on Robert Street or 4th Street)
Saint Paul, MN 55102
651-224-2019

Check out the photos on Flickr.

¶ Posted 13 February 2008 § Saint Paul ‡ Comments (3) °

The Art Shanty Projects

Giant Robot, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Anna and I, after picking up a few of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had, wandered out to Medicine Lake to visit the Art Shanty Projects.

We spent three hours out on the ice, and there was more yet we could have done. Photos tell a lot more than words. (We had a ton of fun playing the piano on ice, mailing post cards, going inside a camera, playing percussion while people sang karaoke, visiting the project’s radio station and a bunch of other stuff.)

Everyone we talked to there was extremely friendly and welcoming. If you haven’t been, check out their calendar. There’s a lot of fun happening, and they’re out there until February 23rd.

See my Art Shanty Projects slideshow.

¶ Posted 09 February 2008 § Art, Music and Film ‡ Comments (5) °

Pizza Nea, Minneapolis

Local Quattro Formaggi at Pizza Nea, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

I know some other Neapolitan style pizza has been getting a bunch of blog buzz lately so I went out of my way to make sure I visit Pizza Nea. Went out with my friend Brendan and his co-worker Matthew, both in town for business from New York.

I chose their current featured special, a Quattro Formaggi with locally farmed cheese. It includes Stickney Hill Goat Cheese and Northern Lights Bleu Cheese from Minnesota as well as Edelweiss Creamery Eiger Mountain Cheddar and FenceLine Manhattan Provolone from Wisconsin. I haven’t had a more fantastic pizza in a long time. It’s definitely many notches better than their regular Quattro Formaggi which is excellent to begin with. Chewy crust that was just crispy enough on the edges and just wet enough without it becoming sloppy. The cheese flavors were definitely strong but you could pick them all out easily. At times I’d chew it really slowly just to take in all the tastes. At a point it felt like I was eating cheese art.

Brendan and Matthew each ordered the Pizza Napoletana and they both loved it. At Pizza Nea, it’s just a tad bit more raised than many Neapolitan style pizzas I’ve seen and they pull it off well. To seal the deal my guests both commented on the great balance of garlic under the cheese. Before we left they both strongly thanked me for taking them to Pizza Nea. They repeated the gratitude the rest of the night — I’m not kidding.

We split a bottle of Piane di Maggio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo which was a great compliment to the pizza. The service was good and owner Mike Sherwood stopped by our table to ask me if the pizza was photogenic. Ha ha. He seemed to know who I was already. We had a good conversation about local pizza blog buzz. Very nice guy.

Many times when I go to Pizza Nea I leave with the feeling that the pizza is just spot on. This was no exception.

There’s a lot more on their menu and wine list so I’ll be back soon. I’ll have a hard time not ordering the Local Quattro Formaggi if it’s still a the special though.

Pizza Nea
306 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414-1016
612-331-9298

¶ Posted 08 February 2008 § Minneapolis § Pizza ‡ Comments (8) ° Tagged: Pizza

Caucus Tonight

Sanford Middle School (my caucus location), originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Go out and Caucus tonight.

As many of you know, I’m a long-time supporter of Barack Obama. I won’t go on about why I am in this post but a mix of Ed Kohler, Matt Martin and Adam Platt’s comments end up hitting pretty close to my point of view.

Regardless of whomever you are supporting, it’s important to go out and caucus tonight. In some ways one could argue that you have more influence on who becomes president today than you do on election day.

Even if you don’t know how to caucus or how it works, go. Instructions are given throughout the process. If you haven’t been, the short of it is that it’s a meeting with neighbors. You have a presidential preference vote and votes on some minor party positions and resolutions such has proposed amendments and proposed changes to the party platform. You also choose who will represent you and your caucus in the senate district convention later on. Sometimes it works with a raise of hands and everyone who wants to go, gets to go. If there’s more people that want to go than your precinct can send on, check out this video from the Franken campaign on subcaucusing. It may seem confusing and chaotic at first, but once you start doing it it makes a lot more sense.

The people at the senate district conventions end up doing the same thing to decide who goes on to the state convention. Then it’s the state convention where it’s voted on who will be on the ballot for the Minnesota races. Even if you’re not interested in moving on, it’s good to help a friend or neighbor that has the similar points of view as you or supports the same candidates to move on. It’ll make more sense when you’re there. I promise!

Every time I’ve caucused at the precinct level, everyone that wanted to move on to the senate district level could without the need for subcaucusing. It was really easy.

By the way, the presidential preference voting is separate from all of the subcaucusing and such. It just works like a regular vote.

Some presidential campaigns have suggested coming between a certain timeframe, because technically you can skip the majority of the caucus and just come in and do a presidential preference vote at any time during the caucus. I don’t really recommend this. I think it’s worthwhile to show up before 7pm and actually attend the caucus. It’s up to you and your schedule though.

And really, if you don’t want to get that involved but want to have your voice heard, you can attend and simply vote. It’s not hard.

Either way, go.

DFL Caucus Finder (By the way, independents can vote in the presidential preference voting with the DFL and stay independent - as long as you’re not a registered member of another party.)

All parties: Minnesota Election Caucus Finder

¶ Posted 05 February 2008 § Politics, Government and Policy ‡ Comments (2) °

Clicquot Club Cafe, Minneapolis

Formagio Quarttro at the Clicquot Club Cafe, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Brian and I decided to have lunch at the Clicquot Club Cafe today. For those that have been following awhile, I’ve been frequently since they opened in January 2006. If my records are accurate, 17 times.

The Clicquot Club Cafe is pretty convenient to my home in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. They’re in the “Orange Crush Building” and do indeed serve Orange Crush.

For a café, they have an extensive menu but naturally my favorite is their Formagio Quattro pizza. Their pizzas are individually sized with a crispy “Napoli style” crust. You can taste most of the cheeses pretty well and none are all that overpowering. They’re a bit light on the sauce, which for this style of pizza, great for me. I think it’s a rather unique tasting four cheese pizza and every now and then I’ll crave it, causing me to go back to the Clicquot but not exploring much more on the menu.

Brian had the Gorgonzola Frittata, liked everything a lot but didn’t think the egg part was that great. We both left satisfied though.

One caveat about the Clicquot Club Cafe is that they are not speedy. If you want to have a relaxing brunch, lunch or evening snack and chill out for awhile, it’s a fantastic place (the WiFi is strong and fast as well). Just don’t go if you’re in a big rush. It seems like they have one or sometimes two people waiting tables that also have other responsibilities behind the counter. They keep busy but attention gets spread thin when the Clicquot Club Cafe fills up. It’s not a problem for me but it might be frustrating if you are expecting café speeds when their timing is sometimes more like a larger restaurant. Ordering pizza every time might be part of my problem.

I’ve also talked with co-owner Bryan Maher numerous times while I’ve been there in the past and he’s extremely friendly. At times he’s subtly hinted at dreams of starting other places around town. I hope he does because I really dig the Clicquot Club Cafe.

Clicquot Club Cafe
2929 25th St E
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-724-4700