New Minnesota Cookbook
Does anyone remember Joe Huie’s Cafe and his incredible fried shrimp? I’m finding more and more interest in Joe and the Huie family history, and over the years I’ve searched for his “secret recipe” that I remember as a kid (so many claimed to have it, but of course no one did). Just today in searching yet again for any recipe that may be similar I came across this book from an article in the Duluth Herald.
It just came out in October and there are a large number of great reviews about it, but best it includes Joe Huie’s famous fried shrimp recipe, another family member’s recipe(s) (I haven’t ordered it yet so I’m not sure how many) and a lot of other well-known Asian restaurant recipes from over the years, plus a history of how the Asian influence changed Minnesota. I can’t wait to get it!
Last year in searching I came across a Joe Huie’s Cafe menu on eBay, in brand new condition. The seller lives in California and I live in Vermont, but we are both originally from Duluth. What a small world, and it was so cool to “talk” about the old days. Joe Huie’s is one of those iconic memories that brings me back to when I was a kid on Lake Superior. Great times.
Updated, move-in-ready home for sale
Updated, move-in ready 1,500+ sq. ft. home for sale by owner, located on a tree-lined street less than a block away from beautiful Miller Creek. Features include: Original woodwork and natural maple hardwood floors throughout; built-in hutches; large newly remodeled kitchen with breakfast bar; formal dining room; three bedrooms all with walk-in closets; updated full bathroom with heated floor; secure fenced yard; and alley access to 1 car garage with additional off-street parking spot. More pictures and full description on Craigslist To take a look call Patrick at 218-722-2205 or email patrickandlaura2006 @ yahoo.com. Serious inquiries only please.
Berlin’s Bon Voyage
At the Lake Superior Zoo, we know that the news of Berlin’s move to Kansas City is undoubtedly a shock to our friends and supporters. We understand that this development is difficult, concerning and confusing. We know that you all love and cherish Berlin as a symbol of our community and our zoo, and we know that you want her back. Trust us; we do too. But we hope that you also understand that the decision to move Berlin is completely and totally in her best interest. (more…)
Casting call for Duluth film
Minneapolis-based director/producer Michael Forstein and his production crew will be in Duluth from Dec. 7-10 to shoot a film written by Duluth East alum Colin Thomsen.
The principle cast is comprised of actors based out of the Twin Cities and Los Angeles, but there is a casting call for Duluthians interested in playing roles that fit the following descriptions:
Very old lady
Mom and small child
Boy age 6-13
Teenage girl
Man age 40-60 with mustache
Middle-aged man
Bartender
Older woman with two small children
(more…)
Kids Bicycles and Parts
My rapidly growing daughters have outgrown numerous bicycles and I am wondering what to do with the collection of bikes cluttering up our yard.
Any better suggestions than donating to Goodwill etc? Wasn’t there a bike shop in the Hillside at one point that might take this stuff? Or anyone know how these could go to bikeless kids?
Matt O., Brian P. and Brad N.
I used to think comedian Brian Posehn (center) would be the perfect actor to play the role of local musician/tattoo artist Matt Osterlund (left), but now I’m seeing a resemblance to local musician/restaurant propagandist Brad Nelson (right).
922 percent tax increase? Really?
I moved to Duluth 18 months ago to take a great job with a great company and raise my family in a great city. I bought a modest house that sits on three very small lots within the city limits of Duluth. (My three lots would equal one “Hermantown” sized lot).
Well, the city raised the property tax on the two vacant lots by 922.2 percent! I now have to come up with an extra $752.26 per year in taxes.
Now I know why everyone kept telling me not to buy within the city limits of Duluth! Between the insane tax increase and the bizarre school redistricting red plan nonsense, I would have been better off in one of the surrounding suburbs.
Thanks. Rant over.
Duluth Pipe-smoking Trend
While my data collection process might be flawed (data gained mostly by conformation bias) there sure seems to be a recent uptick in Duluth pipe smokers.
I am talking about the briar pipe, burley and latakia type of pipe smoker not the glass and green type. While pipes are a distant third to cigs and cigars, I have run into 6-8 pipe smokers just in the past two months and many more over the past year. Usually 35-45 types, all who appear to have penises.
While this might be borderline PDD topic material I am interested if anyone else noticed or is paying attention. Duluth in general has been a pretty bare place for pipe tobacco since the shop on First Avenue West shut down. Buttes in West Duluth is the only shop that sorta has real pipe tobacco that I know of. Maybe add it to your business plan to make a buck or two.
Any smokers the way of the briar out there in PDD land?
This week: nutcracker, nutcracker and nutcracker
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
Today you can hit two art openings (Tom Rauschenfels and the Duluth Entrepreneur Fund) at the Zeitgeist.
If you type in “Nutcracker” into the PDD Calendar search engine you are going to get three different events. The traditional seasonal ballet is being performed this weekend by the Minnesota Ballet at the DECC and by the Reif Dancers at the Myles Reif Center in Grand Rapids. Further, Renegade Theater Company is producing a theatrical production of the story featuring battle over ballet.
Katie McMahon returns to Mitchell Auditorium with her Celtic Christmas show on Friday.
Rubber Chicken Theater offers up its annual sketch comedy revue A Flood of Christmas Cheer, or, What Seal is This? at the Fitger’s Spirit of the North Theater starting Friday and running through New Year’s Eve.
The 10th Annual Rock and Roll Kamikaze, in which bands are formed randomly and each get a 15 minute set, returns to the Pizza Lucé stage on Saturday.
Step back in time with the 1943 USO Canteen Show at the Douglas County Historical Society this Saturday and Sunday.
And don’t forget our Christmas tag which you can click on to find all such happenings on the calendar.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know!
Upper Chester: Not so fast there people!
Duluth took a beating this past year. But thanks to everyone pulling together we’ve made a remarkable comeback. For proof, you don’t have to look any further than Chester Park. Thanks to the indefatigable Dan Proctor and others the Lower Chester trails are probably in better shape than they were before the floods of June, and that’s saying a lot considering the scope of the mudflows and washouts that ravaged pretty much every inch of the ravine.
Upper Chester, however, is another story. Despite good intentions, there’s been a lot of jumping the gun to clean up or improve things that one could make the argument has ended up doing more harm than good. I’m not going to run down the list, but the latest chapter seems to have taken place largely under the radar, and I think it deserves a public airing.
(more…)
Harbor City Roller Dames: Results
I was out of town: I need the score, I need photos, I need narrative description of the bout; I want a list of media and political celebrities present!
Lake Superior Debris
My wife and I noticed an unusual amount of debris on the shore Saturday morning — lots of shards of glass, clinkers, ceramic, etc. Why now? Was a shipwreck dredged up?
Duluth and Helsinki forever — and maybe Stockholm too
I attended a screening of Helsinki Forever, a 2008 montage of video clips taken by Finnish documentary and feature film makers over the past 100 years. It opens with this scene from the 1920s. (more…)
Duluth Coffee Company
Downtown Duluth has recently been bestowed with a new coffee cafe and roasterie on Superior Street. Located at 105 E. Superior St., Duluth Coffee Company is founded by owner and roaster, Eric Faust, whose passion for coffee is obvious upon walking into the elongated cavernous space. For the unprepared, all your senses will be hit with coffee at its finest.
(more…)
Duluth’s 1937 West End Baseball Team
Brian Bécotte of Edgartown, Mass., shared this 1937 photo with PDD on Facebook. His father, John Bécotte is standing, second from the left.
If anyone knows additional names of players on the team or anything about the team in general, well, that’s what blog comments are for.
Berserkon
There is a Kickstarter project running right now to fund “an entirely epic gaming convention taking place in the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center over Memorial Day weekend.” Board games, RPGs, wargames, TCGs, LAN gaming, celebrity guests and contests. Project closes December 22.
Low — The Invisible Way album trailer
There’s a new Low album coming out on March 19. It’s not titled Exceptional Peaches, and it’s hard to know how they resisted that urge and went with The Invisible Way, but that’s really no matter.
(more…)
Duluth Pest Control Recommendations
We have a lovely craftsman in Lakeside we are renting out and they just texted telling me they’ve caught nine mice in four days. Yuck! And now I’m anticipating getting screwed over by an exterminator. I’m from Duluth and yet I’m viewed as an outsider because I’m not there to deal with this and I call from an out-of-state number. I need someone to figure out the point of entry and seal it up. Help fellow Duluth folk!
Duluth Carburetor Service
I am having some trouble with my 1986 Toyota pickup. I think it has something to do with the carburetor, but diagnosing the problem is beyond my limited mechanical skills. Since carburetors are not very common nowadays, I’m not sure where I can bring it for service/beta in Duluth. Know any good carb shops in Duluth? Or grumpy old men who fix things?
Tickets for Cloud Cult in Silver Bay
I have three Cloud Cult tickets for Saturday night, Dec. 1, in the Silver Bay High School auditorium that are up for grabs. It sounds like a fun trip up the shore for you and two of your best mates! E-mail kristinebergren @ gmail.com if interested.
Armory: Love it, but would also love this
I was reading the Duluth News Tribune coverage of the Duluth Armory flood damage and happened upon this comment:
I wonder if the Armory Arts Org has bitten off more than it can chew. This place is really a white elephant but that is the regretful truth. The scale of difficulties in dealing with a place of this size, age and state of disrepair – now with flood damage and other problems – It’s just not going anywhere! (more…)
Portage “Landings”
Portage is putting out its second album today. Listen and buy at Bandcamp. Physical copies will be available Saturday at the Minneapolis CD-release show (Icehouse 11 p.m.) and earlier next week at the Electric Fetus in Duluth. Cheers!
Van Halen at Duluth Arena, 1978 and ’79
A while back we started a master list of concerts at the DECC (formerly Duluth Arena) to help people sort out their fuzzy memories of rocking out back in the day. Since the list is kind of a slap together of info submitted to PDD in comments, it contains some incomplete and inaccurate information. (We would like it to be complete and accurate, but that would require a level of diligence we are unwilling to accept.)
We received a note over the weekend from PDD user “duluthyouth” pointing out that “Eddie Money opened for Van Halen in 1979, not who you had listed.”
A search through newspaper microfilm found no review of the 1979 concert, but the advertisement above (from the Duluth News Tribune) indicates “special guests” and specifically notes the band Screams is on the bill. (more…)
Where should I get my Christmas tree?
Does anyone know of a good place where you can chop down your own tree?