Well, I never thought I would live to see the day when Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Benicio del Toro, Jonah Hill, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, and I would all write the same film-centric blog post, but here it is . . . . More intriguing to me was something I read in a Kate Rogers blurb in the current issue of our magazine writing about The Green Room. She wrote:

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When the Guthrie's new restaurant re-opens (the eatery formerly known as Cue) under new management (Tim Mckee and Josh Thoma), it will have a new point of view and a new chef. The modern seafood restaurant's kitchen will be helmed by Erik Andersen, formerly of Porter & Frye.

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Adrienne Odom, formerly of Aquavit Minneapolis and La Belle Vie (she was tapped by food maven Marcus Samuelsson to lead his NYC-based pastry team more than a year ago), has moved back to the Twin Cities and is offering a five-course dessert tasting menu with wine/beer/coffee pairings at the Armitage Room at Cafe Maude for $45 on Sunday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. Call 612-822-5411 for reservations, space is extremely limited.

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So here’s a fun idea for local restaurant owners: One of my fav eateries in Portland, Maine, is selling seats, literally. Back Bay Grill is selling seats. You put down a grand (or more if you like) and get 150 percent on account, plus reservation privileges, etc. It’s going gangbusters. BBG serves superb fare in a casual bar setting with some hip touches in the dining room. Reminds me of Levain when it was good. But it is not a precious or spendy place. And the seat sale is a great idea. Restaurant gets the cash upfront, customers saves 50 cents on the dollar for the duration of their scrip splurge, and it’s fun.

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Michelle Gayer’s baked goods are the best in the Twin Cities—there is no doubt about it. She recently made this cake for my son’s, Noah, fourth birthday party. The cake featured Italian butter cream, vanilla bean genoise, and it was all encased in a serious rocket ship. Holy crap . . . amazing! And for the adults, Gayer made sandwiches with prosciutto, roasted tomatoes, and mozz; brioche-olive-tomato pies, brie and orange turnovers, blue cheese and caramelized garlic croissants; and, last but not least, Rice Krispy sushi. Peg, Rita, and the rest of the staff did an awesome job, but Michelle is the queen of the rolling pin in my book.

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