Gigi's Cafe

Gigi's Cafe
Address: 822 West 36th Street in Minneapolis, MN
Website: http://gigisuptown.com/

Pizza night! We stumbled in there from the cold to discover it was Pizza Night! That means you get a 12" pizza (meat or veggie) with a bottle of wine (pick from a selection of 4) for $20!! Excellent deal! I got a side salad to go with my pizza. The dressing tasted like pure olive oil to me, but luckily the greens were so fresh and tasty, I found I didn't even need dressing. There was a little confusion with the pizza also, we thought we picked the toppings from the long list of veggies on the specials menu, but it turns out you don't customize the veggie (or meat), you get everything that is listed. The pizza was piled with a bit too many mushrooms for me, but I managed. The crust was wonderful, had that homemade quality to it.

Once we finished the pizza we discovered we still had half a bottle of wine left. So we decided that to hang onto our table we had to get a dessert. Right? You just have to get a dessert in situations like that. It was agreed upon that the brownie would do. Yummy! Maybe a little dry, but I found it wasn't hard to eat.

I have also visited this joint for brunch and that was lovely. Just be prepared, this place can really fill up quick.

And take heed: After you finished off that bottle of wine and quickly left your table so the next person could sit down, did you discover you might have left something behind? Well check out the Lost and Found link online, you might be reunited there!

~posted by Ann

Recycling Fun Fact #3

Running shoes reuse:
Wore out those running shoes? Or do you want to replace your old, out-of-style running shoes, because you are really going to try running this year? Check out these sites:

www.oneworldrunning.com They distribute gently used running shoes to athletes in Africa and Latin America
www.nikereuseashoe.com They convert shoes that are beyond salvage into athletic flooring

Indecision '08

Who do you line up with??

You can take the test here, on Kucinich's website:
http://www.dennis4president.com/
Find the link on the front page

Or here is another one: www.electoralcompass.com

VIA Cafe and Bar

VIA Cafe and Bar
Address: 6740 France Avenue South
Edina, MN 55435
Website: http://www.viacafebar.com/

Well UNO underwent a bit of a change... They now spell their name with different letters (VIA), they serve wonderful food and in fact it is a totally different establishment! The inside is wonderfully decorated, chandeliers with draping crystals, nice upholstered chairs and rich, dark woods. Even on a Minnesota night with a stiff wind and probably a negative wind chill they had their fire pits roaring outside; it created a cozy, fireplace atmosphere inside.

We were greeted by a hostess wearing a stylish black dress, like the kind I wear every 3 years when I go to a Broadway show or something and I also saw a guy wearing a 3 piece suit eating near by. Needless to say I felt a little frumpy in my jeans. So fair warning, you may not want to stop here for dinner after shopping at Southdale for hours and looking to crash at a casual place.

I had a big lunch this day (at Cap's Grille, another great Minneapolis locale: http://www.capsgrille.com/), so I wasn't looking for a big dinner. Which was a good thing, because my one complaint was that they didn't have a vegetarian entree option. I ordered the Fresh Mozzarella flat bread: yum, yum. It was loaded with melted cheese, on a nice crisp flat bread. I could have used more basil on it, but I don't want to complain about it, it was great. My mom's dish was the Pork Tenderloin. She hasn't had Pork Tenderloin like this before! It was elegantly served, with a side of spiced, stewed pear and a potato au gratin side. I sampled the pear and potatoes, delish.

All in all, I am looking forward to go back!

Trivia: Via is run by the same company that operates Mission and Atlas Bar and Grill.

~posted by Ann

Recycling Fun Fact #2

“Wipe Out Wireless Waste” is campaign to recycle used wireless phones and generate proceeds for local community improvement and revitalization projects through Keep America Beautiful.

With more than 200 million wireless subscribers in the U.S. today, the need to keep used wireless phones out of the waste stream is more important than ever. The “Wipe Out Wireless Waste” campaign makes it easy for anyone to recycle their mobile phone equipment, and in turn provides funding to Keep America Beautiful that supports diverse hands-on stewardship activities such as cleanups of public lands and waterways, tree and flower plantings, and recycling activities.

Easy Instructions:
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD and PRINT a free, postage-paid mailing label
AFFIX the label to an envelope or box
INSERT your wireless phone, battery, and any accessories
DROP it in the mail!

Please be sure to deactivate service and clear all personal information from your wireless phone before recycling it. If you are unsure how to clear your information from your device, consult your technical manual or phone manufacturer for more information.

Phones, batteries and accessories recycled through the "Wipe Out Wireless Waste" program are not tax deductible. However, these contributions provide two important benefits: 1) protecting the environment through recycling, and 2) raising money for clean-up, green-up efforts in your local community.

Information provided by: http://www.kab.org/

Here is another site to check out: www.collectivegood.com
They will recycle cell phones and PDAs; some are refurbished for use in the developing world.

Recycling Fun Fact #1

Because we all use so many crayons...

The Recycling Association of Minnesota is partnering with CRAYON RECYCLE PROGRAM™ to help Minnesotans recycle crayons. The CRAYON RECYCLE PROGRAM™ recycles old, rejected, broken crayons into fresh, new CRAZY CRAYONS™! The new crayons are in all different shapes, colors, and styles.

You can ship old, rejected, or broken crayons to:
LAF Lines, Ltd.
17455 Kelly Lake Road
Carver, MN 55315

LAF Lines cannot reimburse for shipping. For every pound of crayons sent to LAF Lines Ltd. for recycling, you will receive one CRAZY CRAYON™. For example, if you send in 50 pounds of unwanted crayons, you will get 50 CRAZY CRAYONS™ in return, as an effort to "close the loop".

For more information on ordering CRAZY CRAYONS™, call 1-800-561-0922 or 952-448-9711 in the Twin Cities metro area. You can also be a collection point at your school or organization. Call for more information! You can also visit the CRAZY CRAYON™ website at http://www.crazycrayons.com/.

~posted by Ann

Pet buffalo

I just hope when I am 75 I have a pet buffalo.


Man, 75, hurt while riding pet buffalo
Tue Jan 1, 10:29 PM ET

MESA, Ariz. - A man who took one of his pet buffaloes for a ride at a ranch north of Phoenix on New Year's Eve ended up being bucked off the animal and trampled, authorities said.

The unidentified 75-year-old man was flown to a Scottsdale hospital with non-life threatening injuries after the incident in rural Cave Creek, a chief with the Rural/Metro Fire Department said.

"He saddled up, got bucked off and was mauled," said John Kraetz, a district chief for the fire department. Kraetz said he's never been on a similar call.

"People do have buffalo on their property, but it's pretty darn uncommon," he said.

~posted by Ann