Culture to consume
Make this:
Thai curry
Craving Thai food but don’t feel like making the trek to St. Paul for the authentic stuff? Hit up United Noodles just south of campus. The establishment has all the ingredients that you will need to make authentic curry at home. Unlike most stores, it carries a myriad of varieties of curry powder and paste, so you can venture beyond the reliable yet common standbys of red and green curry. Pick up some dried shrimp on the way out the door, too, to add extra funk to the spicy summer treat.
Drink this:
Lil’ Ray Ray at Urban Bean on Lake Street
Urban Bean’s new Lake Street location is quickly becoming the most Instagrammed coffee shop in town, in part due to the stark minimalist digs but also thanks to the beautiful, delicious drinks. The star of the menu is the Lil’ Ray Ray, a latte with orange simple syrup and a hint of anise. This match made in heaven — plus top-notch Four Barrel and Intelligentsia beans — makes for the best coffee drink in town.
Follow this:
@SartoriallyInc
Lawrence Schlossman is perhaps the most irreverent man in fashion. He’s the Editor-in-Chief of menswear website Four Pins. But more importantly, he’s a second-to-none pop culture commentator. Check out his Twitter account (@SartoriallyInc) for off-the-cuff Fire Tweet streams and dank memes, including the glorious absurdity of “It Me Papa John.”
Culture compass
Friday
Cantus (“Covers: A Pop Concert”)
Even if choral music is not your thing, the men of Cantus redefine the genre. The Minneapolis-based vocal ensemble is considered one of the top groups of its kind in the country. (It even did a Tiny Desk concert for NPR, which is atypical for a choral group.) The singers are kicking off two weekends of covers at the Cowles Center on Friday, where they’ll bring their magic touch to numbers by artists ranging from Harry Belafonte to Feist to Stevie Wonder.
Where: The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, 528 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
Hours: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $10-$35
Saturday
St. Paul Summer Beer Fest
If you need another excuse to drink craft beer, hit up the St. Paul Summer Beer Fest at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. The affair features more than 100 breweries and introduces the concept of VIP beer tastings. The people who pony up more cash get access to exclusive beers that are otherwise unavailable to those who won’t pay the exorbitant $70 VIP fee.
Where: Minnesota State Fair International Bazaar, Underwood St. & Judson Ave., St. Paul
Hours: 2 p.m.
Cost: $45-$70
Sunday
Clerks
After the inevitable hangover from Saturday’s Beer Fest, you’ll want to take Sunday easy. Though staring at a screen might not sound like the most optimal option, hit up the Trylon microcinema for a showing of “Clerks,” a 1994 black-and-white cult classic that puts a modern spin on Dante’s “Inferno” but focuses on the lives of retail clerks. At the very least, it’ll make the “inferno” you’ll inevitably be experiencing seem a little less bad.
Where: The Trylon microcinema, 3258 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis
Hours: 5 p.m., 7 p.m.
Cost: $8
