To ensure that you put your best foot forward this year, this 13th year of the millenium, I will dedicate the Fresh Forkin’ Friday to bringing you luck. Who knew all it took was crunching a few egg shells and abstaining from sniffing basil to win?

• Don’t hand peppers directly to someone in the kitchen—put them on the table and let them grab them. This will avert discord and argument with others.
• Don’t wash a bread knife on Sunday and don’t cut off both ends of a loaf, otherwise you’ll free the devil to fly around your house. Duh.
• But DO eat the corners of bread to ensure a good relationship with your mother-in-law.
• Super crush your egg shells after cracking them, because otherwise a witch will gather them and make a boat and do some badass sailing, and no one wants that.
• Apparently when you see bubbles in your cup of coffee, you should get them on your spoon and eat them before they burst. If you win, you might get money from an unexpected source. And no one will look at you funny with your spoon and coffee. Promise.
• Spinsters beware, if you put milk in your tea before sugar, you are crossing the path of love and might never get married. Yeah, that’s why.
• Oh, and smelling basil will bring a scorpion into your brain. You fool.

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CLOSES

D’Amico Kitchen is closing in the Chambers on Jan. 13. That place never really seemed to hook into the food set, and it’s a tough lunch draw with no skyway access. But something else has to go in, there are rooms to feed, and I’ve heard rumors (surprising rumors) but nothing concrete as of yet. Hmmmmm, pretty sure it won’t be Parasole or Kaskaid.

Origami has closed at Ridgedale, just as today it was announced that Nordstrom will be coming in 2015! Alas, that mall needs some better eats. Origami will re-open in the Mozaic building in Uptown sometime soon.

Just to round out the Mall-eating topic, Macy’s will be leaving downtown St. Paul, taking the venerable River Room with it. They will continue serving lunch form 11 a.m.-3 p.m. through Feb. 1.

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There seems to be a lot of menu planning around the Downton Abbey premier this weekend, if you haven’t tuned in you have two days to catch up, cheeky monkey. Surdyk’s is all decked out with dishes for feasting in front of the telly (I do like a bit of Wensleydale now and again). Brit’s of course will be screening it on the big screen in The Long Room (the Brit burger has Stilton, just saying). And if you’re feeling ambitious, here’s a little menu that you can have the staff put together in your downstairs kitchen.

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The OTHER big telly event this weekend might be the Vikes/Pack game on Saturday. Victory 44 has got a sweet gig for you couch eaters . . . Order the Korean BBQ feast that serves six to 10 people and comes with a nicely spiced hunk of pork shoulder, jasmine rice, lettuce for wrapping, kimchi, ginger sauces and fun stuff, and 24 oysters! The $225 feast has to be ordered 24 hours in advance, so your game-time deadline is tonight.

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So, The Today Show and Travel & Leisure think we are a top top travel destination for 2013. We are Nordic, therefore we are dead sexy bastards.

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It’s time again for the Slow Food’s Tales of Terra Madre potluck! January is the perfect potluck month, no? Well this one on Jan. 13 features the stories and observations of the kids who went to Italy for the international Slow Food conference so it should be good chatter. Don’t forget to ask Brett Olson about his BFF Alice Waters.

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