Gastro Non Grata: Nordeast

For four years now, an event called "Gastro Non Grata" has brought together local bands, chefs and breweries from the Twin Cities area for the common folk to enjoy for a meager price. Now that I am back in the area, I was finally able to attend one of these great little events. All procedes from this two-day Nordeast edition of GNG go to support the Ritz Theater, a charming little venue in NE MPLS. Read more about it here.


Before the show, Macaroni & Cheese with cauliflower, Widmer cheddar, ham,
herb bread crumbs and truffle oil from GNG supporter Modern Cafe. Pair that with a bottle of Milk Stout from the Left Hand Brewery and you've got a meal that says bring on that 12" of predicted snowfall tonight.

Magic Castles, psychedelic rock that makes you feel like you're surfing an endless wave.


Time to sample the wares:

Hard cider from Crispin Cidery and sweet onion and scrambled egg mousse with brioche and smoked salmon roe by chef Erik Anderson of Sea Change Restaurant blatantly displayed in front of the Gastro Non Grata merchandise table.

See, I didn't get that degree in advertising for nothing.

MEAT RAFFLE! (Honestly, it's a Minnesota thing.)

My buddy Craig, co-founder & co-host of GNG, raffling off some bacon, chive and goat cheese bratwurst from Clancy's Meats while performing artist Tyler Burkum patiently waits in the background. I did not win the brats, but not from lack of want. Nor did I win the rabbit, nor the pork belly. ==sigh==

Me and My Arrow closed down the house with their wonderful hard-hitting symphonic rock.


Take a look at their appearance on MPLS.TV 's weekly live performance series, "City of Music":

City of Music: Me and My Arrow from MPLS.TV on Vimeo.

And if you like that, check out Phantom Tails, featuring four of the members of Me and My Arrow. This is the essence of what I like to call indie-electro-power-punk. Fantastic stuff:

They were just voted one of the top new bands in the Twin Cities and will be playing GNG Nordeast Saturday night along with Marijuana Deathsquads (ranked #7) and Pink Mink (ranked #1) among others. I am already cursing the 90% chance of snow/rain mix guaranteed to hit the metro area within the next 12 hours for making me miss this great line-up tomorrow.

If you're in town, check it out -- great music, great food, supporting the local scene/s: Gastro Non Grata Nordeast : A Two Day Goulash of Good Times