3 of 26: The Jihad Next Door

I'm like a turtle, slowly crawling along on my '26 books in 2011' journey. Slow and steady wins the race...right?

My third book was The Jihad Next Door: The Lackawanna Six and Rough Justice in the Age of Terror by Dina Temple-Raston. As ye faithful readers will remember, I saw Dina Temple-Raston speak at the University of St. Thomas last year, subsequently purchased her book and finally finished reading it a little over a week ago (even more timely given the May 1 Osama bin Laden announcement).

The Details
NPR counterterrorism correspondent Dina Temple Raston provides an inside look at the case of the "Lackawanna Six" - six Muslim American kids who grew up in the town of Lackawanna, N.Y., near Buffalo and traveled to Afghanistan in the spring of 2001 to attend a jihadi camp. The six young men were arrested on the first anniversary of Sept. 11, considered to be a sleeper cell of homegrown terrorists plotting the next attack.

Temple Raston traveled from Yemen to Afghanistan to Pakistan to Lackawanna in an effort to share this story, offering perspectives from the families of the young men, the FBI agents involved in the case and others with connections to the case. Throughout, she focuses on this idea of 'rough justice' following the Sept. 11 attacks and how that day forever altered the American justice system.

My Take
The Jihad Next Door serves a valuable purpose: it makes you think. Were the boys would-be terrorists? Would they have committed the next terrorist attack on American soil? Did they merely think they were strengthening their Muslim faith in a time before most Americans even knew what jihad was or who Bin Laden was? Was the American justice system - and the media for that matter - guilty of exploiting this case to make it look like a counterterrorism victory?

No matter what side you ultimately fall on, Temple Raston presents facts and details that expand your critical thinking set, opening your mind to different perspectives.

What I Liked
I liked that Temple Raston truly told a story. One of the hallmarks of a good reporter (from my perspective) is the story-telling ability. To bring the people, the facts and the events to life. From the very first pages of the prologue, "Mukhtar's Big Wedding," readers find themselves in a hotel room in Yemen, where the first of the six men was arrested.

She also does a great job of setting up the key players - Lackawanna and its roots, a look at the local Yemeni community, an understanding of life in Yemen, brief histories of key law enforcement officials and the attorneys of the accused.

What I Thought Could Have Been Better
The only thing I can think of that would have made the book easier to follow is a timeline of key events. There were a few instances where I got confused about when things took place and would've appreciated an easy reference point.

My Takeaways
As was the case with the first book I read, I read The Jihad Next Door with a slight feeling of regret that I hadn't really been paying attention when the Lackawanna case first came to light. I don't really remember watching the news and hearing about the details in real-time. Instead, here I am in 2011, getting an in-depth look at something that happened nearly 10 years ago now. It's like I'm in my own mini history class, learning about the events from the first part of this century. At least, it's an interesting journey.

Cheeky Monkey Brunch

Oh, man. Seems I've found myself on a bit of a blogging sabbatical (again). Please bear with me as I use these next few posts to catch up...For what it's worth, I have tried a number of new restaurants recently. I've just gotten a little caught up in other things (like my new obsession with yoga at Corepower). Regardless, I'm (again) going to renew my commitment to blogging with more regularity, starting now :)

My last brunch visit with the girls was to Cheeky Monkey Deli on Selby Avenue in Saint Paul. For those who haven't been, the Cheeky Monkey - part deli, part full-service restaurant - took over the former Zander space in the Selby-Dale neighborhood.

We went on an early Sunday afternoon and sat in the dining area, which was both brightly lit and cozy at the same time. The atmosphere was relaxing and low-key, and the staff was very pleasant.

My favorite part about brunch came right at the beginning: $1.50 mimosas.

I went with a traditional breakfast: The Homestead, which consists of two eggs, smoked bacon, hashbrowns and flax seed toast.

The breakfast was very good and served in just the right portion size to feel satisfied without leaving stuffed. It also wasn't drenched in grease (which can sometimes be a welcome change in pace for breakfast food). I most liked dipping my toast in the eggs, which were cooked just right. The hashbrowns also struck my fancy with their fluffy texture.

Overall, Cheeky Monkey is a great casual brunch spot - whether you're meeting up with girlfriends or taking the family out for breakfast. The prices are also hard to argue with.

A New Dining Experience: The Pizza Ranch

It is rare for me to write about chain restaurants, but a few weeks back, I had a memorable experience that seems too good to go unwritten...

My friend had been talking about this pizza buffet that I'd never heard of for quite some time, and eventually I decided I just had to try it. So, on one fine Saturday afternoon, she and I ventured over to the St. Cloud location where I soon discovered that I just might be the last person on earth to experience the wonder that is The Pizza Ranch (indeed, a Google search shows that there are more than 100 locations across nine Midwest states).

When we arrived at The Ranch, there was a line spilling out the door and onto the sidewalk (again I wondered what kind of rock I must live under to not know of this place's mysterious powers). While there is a menu you can order from, there was no question we'd be taking in the full buffet experience.

One neat offering when you pay is that you can request a pizza type be brought to your table for the first slice straight out of the oven before it's placed on the buffet for all to share. That way, you know you'll get your favorite kind if it isn't already featured on the buffet.

You quickly learn that The Pizza Ranch has much more to offer than just pizza. In fact, my first plate had no pizza on it. I tried to start off healthy (sort of) with the salad bar. I then added some chicken fries, waffle fries and potato wedges (not so healthy).

My second (and third) plate hit the pizza jackpot. I tried multiple kinds: Bacon Cheeseburger (beef, onions, pickles, two cheeses, bacon pieces), Chicken Broccoli Alfredo (chicken, broccoli, two cheeses, zesty alfredo sauce), Texan (beef, lettuce, tomato, two cheeses, taco sauce, onions, taco chips) and more.

Each time, I loaded up on more chicken fries. I was crazy about them. And, based on real-time suggestions from friends on Facebook, I went with the Cactus Bread dessert, which was also fantastic.

It's impossible to call The Pizza Ranch one of the best restaurants I've ever been to...it simply isn't that caliber of dining. I will say though, that I thoroughly enjoyed nearly everything I had and I left STUFFED. That's a good sign, right?

2 of 26: Friday Night Knitting Club

Slowly but surely seems to be the name of this game...

My second of 26 books for 2011 is The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. While I'm pleased to have completed my second book while on a flight home from NYC last week, I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I did so while tears streamed down my face. Yup, it's a book that tugs at the heartstrings alright. With that:

The Details
Friday Night Knitting Club is about a single mom named Georgia, and her pre-teen daughter Dakota, making their way through life and all it has to offer in the big city. Georgia is the owner of a relatively successful knitting shop in New York City, and the story follows her and the surprising friendships she forms with a group of women who come to her shop every Friday night as part of a knitting club. The story also brings in some antagonistic characters, including Georgia's ex-boyfriend and father of her child, James, and an estranged high school best friend named Cat.

My Take
As I called out above, this book did a great job of getting the old waterworks going (though not too difficult in my case, since I tend to overly relate to or empathize with characters...both real and imaginary). That's one thing I both like and dislike at the same time. On the one hand, I love being able to relate to characters and feel what they're going through, but on the other hand, I sometimes feel that it's unnecessary to cause your readers that much emotional turmoil while reading your books (hello, Jodi Picoult and My Sister's Keeper...arguably the saddest book I've ever read).

Despite some of its emotional moments, The Friday Night Knitting Club is touching and heart-warming. It drew me in from the start, and I found myself wanting to read more every night. The true hallmarks of a good book.

What I Liked
My favorite part about the book was the time Jacobs' dedicated to character development. I love when authors shift perspectives to offer thoughts from other key characters and really delve into them as people. Throughout the story, I became invested in all of the characters individually, not just Georgia and Dakota.

What I Thought Could Have Been Better
Without giving away too much, I'll just note that as it got closer to the end, I wanted things to slow down a bit.

My Takeaways
1. Maybe I should take up a hobby like knitting.
2. Never underestimate the power of friendship.

Switching gears entirely, the third book will be The Jihad Next Door: The Lackawanna Six and Rough Justice in an Age of Terror.

Dinner at Haute Dish

Haute Dish in downtown Minneapolis was named METRO magazine's 2010 "Restaurant of the Year" in December. And I finally had the opportunity to try it this month during a night of merriment with co-workers.

The restaurant is surprisingly spacious, and we walked the entire length of it to our large table in the back. It was the perfect spot for a large group, where we could converse loudly and not annoy the other diners. The architecture and the art-filled walls are quite lovely; I found myself stopping to stare at some of the paintings above the booths in the photo above.

Immediately after sitting down, I knew it was going to be an evening of many firsts for me. The group was adventurous, which meant we'd be trying some fun items to share.

To drink, I had a Gosling's ginger beer (still fighting off illness). I'd never had ginger beer before, so it was the first of my firsts. I was initially hesitant but decided to give it a try and was surprisingly impressed.

We also shared a few starter plates, including:

The "Steak & Eggs" - a steak tartare with an egg in a hole and a bloody mary shooter. I've never been interested in trying tartare but figured since it was at the table, I might as well give it a go. It was definitely...interesting. I'm not going to say I loved it - I think it was mostly a texture thing for me - but I will admit that it had good flavor.

We also had the charcuterie plate, known as "Char-Cuts (Yar!)" - I can actually say with all honesty that I still don't know what half of these meats were...I know there was some lamb, some chicken liver and other stuff, but I don't know which was which and just tried my best to be adventurous. I would say it was good overall.

We did also order the Med Plate, which I didn't get a photo of. This was fantastic. I was a bit obsessed with the mushrooms. It also had delicious olives, hummus and cheese.

For my entree, I went with the signature dish: Tater Tot HauteDish. This is the single one thing that will likely having me coming back for years to come. It was to-die-for. The short ribs were tender and pulled apart with no resistance. Melt. In. Your. Mouth. Goodness. The tots were a potato croquette of sorts that I couldn't get enough of. And the baby green beans provided just enough veggie to make it feel truly like mom's home cookin' with a new twist.

I will be back. If only for the HauteDish.

My Own Style: New Bag

In line with my 2011 commitment to blog more regularly, I figure I might also infuse a little more personality into some of my posts. While this blog will maintain its overall integrity as a reflection on my adventures in MSP, I'll also throw in a random mix of other topics (as evidenced already in my 26 books in 2011 series...an area where I'm still seriously lacking, and the sporadic home improvement/travel/cooking posts). My reasoning is simple: I'm not insanely wealthy or cool enough to eat out/take in the city every night. This post falls within the random mix and may be something I write about from time to time.

I have a strong interest in style, though that's not to say I'm a stylish person. But, I do love accessories, most notably shoes (which I'll write about soon). Today, I'm just going to share a couple of photos of the new bag I've been carrying lately.

I stumbled across this bag just before Christmas when picking up gift cards at Express. I took an instant and keen liking to it, deciding I had to have it.

But then I just let it sit in my apartment and only finally started using it last week. At first, I wasn't crazy about the way it droops in the center (though that was one of the things that first attracted me to it in the store), but now it's growing on me more and more.

On a totally unrelated note: I've become completely obsessed with this song by Dessa:

A Birthday Dinner at Nick and Eddie

Nick and Eddie has been on my list for a long time. So I was very excited when we decided to celebrate a friend's birthday there recently. It's another member of a stellar line-up in Loring Park, and I've only ever read good things.

The atmosphere is cool. Dark and chic with lots of black - a skull painting on the wall, black circles in a vertical line, etc. - and the main entrance heads straight toward the bar, serving as the main centerpiece. When we were there, the bartender was eclectic, much like the clientele. He seemed to carry on great conversation with everyone.

Our server was friendly and helpful. She was attentive and teased us like an old friend. We all ordered glasses of house wine and started with two appetizers to share:

First, the pizza. It's made with olive tapenade, tomato, smoked mozzarella and parmigian. It's fantastic! It's the first time I've ever had tapenade on a pizza, and I was delighted by the interesting twist. It also scores major points for presentation. I loved the sprouts, too.

Second were the ham and cheese croquettes with bacon emulsion and garlic confit. AWESOME. Melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

For my entree, I went with the fish and chips with a gribiche sauce (mayonnaise-based, cold egg sauce). This was also delicious. The French-inspired sauce was a new take on the old standard tarter sauce, which I really enjoyed. The fries were tasty and the fish flaky.

Since it was a birthday dinner, we also splurged on dessert :) We tried/shared two:

The butterscotch pudding (yes, it's as good as they say), and

Some kind of flourless, nutty chocolate cake of sorts. It's probably no secret which was my favorite. I actually hate flourless desserts and am not much for nuts either.

But I swooned over that butterscotch pudding. Rich and creamy and amazingly cool - every bite was better than the last.

It's pretty easy for me to say that I loved N&E. I was impressed by everything we ate and appreciated the interesting take on a few of the more traditional items. To top it all off, it's ridiculously well-priced. For a glass of wine, shared appetizers, dinner and shared dessert, plus part of my friend's birthday dinner, I still spent less than $50. That's hard to beat any way you look at it.

Bonus: apparently Nick and Eddie frequently has dance parties.