food and music stuck in my head

Saturday night I had the pleasure of joining a friend’s birthday celebration.
Act 1:
We started the evening at duplex, a charming house on Hennepin Ave turned into a restaurant. We were seated on the second floor, in a sunny corner of the upper dining room. Our server, Daisy, called us her “darlings” and was knowledgeable, witty and attentive without hovering – rock star service in my book. We opted for a couple of glasses of tempranillo, figuring that splitting a bottle would have us both too sleepy to enjoy the next part of the evening. We split the spinach and roasted apple salad that had a tart goat cheese croquette and the most delicious bits of applewood smoked bacon in it, accompanied by hot-from-the-oven baguette and melty herb butter. My dining companion selected the chicken saltimbocca which was fantastic but got overshadowed by my meal. I had wavered between the house made spinach ravioli and the night’s special. Daisy struggled to make her recommendation, settling instead to warn me that the special is only served once or twice a year, while I could always return to try the ravioli. So, I ordered the Paposso. I’m not sure that’s how it’s spelled; Daisy pronounced it pop-OH-so. I can’t find anything like it online. It’s a very thick stew, sloppy joe filling thickness, made of shredded beef, lots of pepper(s) and magic. The chef pours it over a big slice of grilled ciabatta bread and tops it with a glorious lattice of shredded parmesan, melted without losing its integrity. I think I smelled it being carried up the stairs to me. I took a few deep breaths before I sliced into the bread. The spices were just right, they hit strong and kept dancing on my tongue long after I swallowed my last bite. We finished the meal with a very nice lemon tart and coffee. Next time, I think I’ll have to try the peanut butter cheesecake – Reece’s Pieces bits between the cheesecake and the brownie crust…. It’s still hard to believe we picked the tart, but Daisy had told us she was saving her favorite for last on the list and we didn’t want to be overstuffed.

Paposso, dear readers – find me a recipe and I’ll make it for you. I might even call you 'darling' when I serve it.

Act 2:
Next, we went to see the sold-out performance of Rent at the Orpheum. Believe it or not, I’d never seen the show or the movie and had only heard a bit of the music. I really enjoyed the show overall. At first a few production issues (Mimi’s mic was acting up and there’s no way to hide the larger-than-an-insulin-pump transmitter in her skin-tight costumes) kept me aware that I was in a theater, watching something on a stage. I didn’t get sucked into the story the way I had hoped to. So, I figured it would be a kind of fluffy sort of show for me. But somewhere along the way, I got pulled in and when Angel died, I felt like I’d lost my best friend.
No kidding that show wormed its way in. I had all sorts of odd dreams that night; every time I turned over, I’d realize that a song from the show was looping in my brain. And I can’t turn it off. So, I loaded up the soundtrack and have been playing it on my iPod ever since. I’m not getting sick of it either. That’s a hell of a hook.
only thing to do is jump over the moon... only thing to do… only thing to do...