Food on the Run

Nothing much to detail about the food while running Ragnar. I did bring some humus and pita that gulped down in installments after each one of my legs, but outside of that and a few nuts, there wasn't anything of particular interest. The only exception perhaps was our stop at one of the exchanges on Friday just around 7:00 PM. Very close to the exchange there is a little ice cream parlor/cheese shop/sandwich place. The same one we visited last year. Honestly can't remember the name.

Turns out, the place usually closes at 7:00 PM, or at least thats when they stop serving food and ice cream, you can still buy cheese. We get there at 7:00 PM sharp and are told we are too late. Mel somehow sweet talks her way into ordering four Turkey Sandwiches, the last that will come out of the kitchen (mine pictured below).

The attendants and the owner were caught entirely by surprise by the race (for the second year). They tell us that had they know the date, they could have arranged to have staff available to stay open until at least 9:00 PM. They could have also increased their inventory of certain products. It looks like the chocolate milk (which has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles, research shows), to my disappointment, run out fast.

Ragnar Vigil

The Ragnar race goes over 24 hours (in our case 31:41), and in most cases there is little to no sleep during the race. When you are not running, you are driving or serving as the safety officer (new role this year that must be fulfilled from the passenger seat of the van and fully awake). If you are not filling one of this roles, you are either getting ready to run or just came for running and are all pumped up. The result is that even if you try to catch a few zees chances are you won't.

A funny thing happened to me (twice now, since I came back from the race. I wake up in the middle of the night and, in the haze of the night, I think that I am in the middle of a Ragnar-like race. I feel I cannot go back to sleep, because I am either next to run or need to take over for the van driver. So I do my best to stay awake. The interesting thing is that I now I am in my bedroom and I know that knowing this makes the race story so much more difficult to be true, however, that doe snot stop me from believing that somehow, I am still in the middle of a race. In the middle of the night haze, it takes me 5 to teen minutes to convince myself that there is no need to stay awake and I can go back to sleep.

While I am awake, however, I have some of the same excitement I have during the race. It sure is a fun event. Here is a picture of the Ragnar van where we didn't get to sleep :-)

Supergirl at Ragnar

That's right, the one and only Supergirl made it to Ragnar in no less than three incarnations. I, a big fan, was quick to get photographic proof and promised to add it to my blog. So here they are... three beautiful Supergirls, all posing and in the middle of using their super powers in order to conquer the three required legs for every Ragnar runner.

A new menu with no surprises at Brasa - Thank God!

Brasa Minneapolis changed their menu, but fortunately there is little change in the content. Now all sides are a la carte, but the options seem to be pretty much the same. A Tuesday trip with John and Clark proved that it is still one of the best values in town. We shared a bottle of white Rioja, a pound of roast pork, two sides (yellow rise and black beans and fried yuca with mojo) and four pieces of corn bread and still got away with a $70 for all four before tip. Not bad.

Consistent Taiko

Another work lunch at Taiko proves what we already knew. Excellent Sushi at a very good price.

Located in an old donut shop on old Highway 10, Taiko is a very unexpected site (in fact, if you come early and the parking lot is empty, it totally looks like an abandoned building. The inside still looks like a donut shop, but now has some cheesy Japanese blinds and decoration (not much either). Service is sort of slow (took us 45 minutes from order to meal even though we were the first customers there.

Never mind all that. The Sushi is very fresh, good quality, terrific presentation and lots of options. The Small Sashimi is plenty for one and costs $20. That is my usual order. This time I decided to try some of the Maki rolls. I didn't regret it. Picture below (from top to bottom) are Spicy Hamachi, Crab and Shrimp and a Eel roll.

You can see some other reviews for Taiko here.

Ecuadorian in Minneapolis

On a recommendation from Daniel, Patti Mayonnaise, Sharon and I visited Chimborazo on Central and 28th. With the name of an inactive volcano in Ecuador, this small but colorful restaurant has a great menu and excellent execution.

I recommend the Empanada de Carne (beef turnovers) or the Sanduche de Cerdo (Pork Sandwhich with plantains) or the Chaulafan (Ecuadorian fried rice with pork, chicken, shrimp, and egg, although I could not find the egg anywhere). I am sure there are many other delicious courses, but with just one visit we couldn't possibly eat anymore.

Their website has a full menu if you want to take a closer look. Thanks Daniel.

Minette's Japanese Eggplant Fries

Attending Minette and Buzz's Gumbo party we knew we were up for something special.

We have tried their Gumbo before (Buzz's family recipe from many generations ago in Louisiana, perfectly executed by Minette), so we were looking forward to this dinner. What we didn't expect was the appetizer. Don't get me wrong, the Gumbo was definitely the star of the night, but that we knew that coming in. The appetizer (pictured) were Japanese Eggplant Fries. Here is how Minette described them to me... Cut the Japanese eggplant in the shape of fries and soak them for a while in water and salt. While they soak, mix cornmeal, paprika and cayenne. Then coat the eggplant in the mixture and fry them in vegetable oil. I know... no egg or milk, amazing! More so when you see the result. A crispy exterior with lots of cornmeal and a soft and delicious interior. This was served with a mayonnaise with some cayenne and (can't remmeber, but I will guess) some herbs and lemon juice. Thanks Minette and Buzz. Awesome night.

Ragnar Update

We are a week away from R-day. The team got together for a last minute planning session, training run and to discuss van decorations and approve the matching shirts Mel created online. We also wanted to thank the volunteers that will provide us support and save us some dough on race day (not having found the three required volunteers would have cost us $360).

Next time we get together will be on race day at 5:45 AM to drive the van to the start line. There I plan on meeting Dick, the race director for the Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon.

This very interesting and unique Marathon is held annually at Tostrud Field House on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Because of the size of the track the race is closed to just 40 runners. I hear the entries usually double that, so a lottery will decide who runs. For runners that try to run a Marathon that start with each letter of the alphabet (yep there are some), this is is a coveted one. Not many Marathons start with a Z.

Yesterday I sent an email to Dick, the race director, with some questions. For some reason he run into problems emailing back so decided to call instead. As we got talking, I found out he will be at Ragnar and will be starting at the same time our team is. So we arranged to meet there and exchange press the flesh, as they say. If selected Zoom! Yah! Yah! could turn out to be my 12th after this year's Twin Cities and Rails to Trails.

Outstanding on the Terrace

A small semi-formal event was a good opportunity to get together with some friends and neighbors.

The event was co-hosted with Mike and Anita who did an outstanding job themselves making their house look awesome for the party. Their terrace proved the perfect place for a late summer get-together.

As always the best part of the company. John and Clark looked adorable in their tuxedos and matching hats. Birdie and Anita looked lovely in their night gowns and Sharon was both beautiful and totally in with her wush wush pants.

The menu included:

Mixed Green Salad with Chèvre and Zucchini BlossomsChilled Tomato and Avocado Soup
Seared Scallop with Carrot Oil
Red Bell Pepper Sorbet
Grilled Marinated Leg of Lamb with Roasted Beets and Ginger Rice
Wild Berry Tartlets with Crème Anglaise
Anita’s Home-made Cookies
Assorted Chocolates

Aquatennial Fireworks…. Ooh! Aah!

OK, so this entry is neither about food nor about running, but last Aquatennial I did an online search on how to take pictures of fireworks and took my good ol’ Canon Rebel and took a few shots. I was surprised at how easy it was to get impressive pictures following just a few hints.

Here is a small sample…