Summer 2017 Recommendations
Summer is here. Emily and I have been lucky enough to attend and travel to some incredible weddings, family gatherings and have welcomed visitors to MSP. We are feeling good about how the house is coming together and looking forward to enjoying my (our?) favorite month in Minneapolis - August. Here are a few things that have caught my attention this summer, that hopefully you can enjoy before the season is over!
WEAR / BUY
Sarah Kersten Fermentation Crock -
Recently, Emily and I were in Oakland for a wedding and were lucky enough to be able to spend a morning wandering around Temescal Alleys. While going through one of the shops, we saw this awesome fermentation jar. Seem like it would make a nice gift for someone in our lives :)
Bonobos Summer Weight Shirt -
You may have seen recently that Bonobos was purchased by Walmart. Here's to hoping this doesn't change Bonobos too much. Their summer weight shirts with fun patterns are perfect. They've also introduced a "short" sizing option, which allows these to look great untucked, especially if all your shirts are generally a little too long (5'9" and under guys stand up).
Santa Fe Stoneworks -
Might have to buy this for those cool August nights. Also just a sucker for a blue summer stripe. The Marine Layer vibe started off a bit too 70s California for me, but recent updates have been great.
Match Jar - Pharmacie
Now that we have a backyard complete with Tiki Torches, obviously stylish matches are a must.
Read / Listen / Watch
House of Carbs - The Ringer
My favorite of Bill Simmon's podcast pals, Joe House, gets his own show on the Ringer network. Really enjoying his discussions of food trends and his genuine passion and love for chowing down.
Don Winslow - The Force
Really excited to read this new Don Winslow book. In an interview, I heard him acknowledge that he was trying to move away from solely writing novels about the drug war and drug economy. But then he decided to write a novel about NYC cops. So, I don't think he was able to stray too far from his usual drug topic, and that's fine with me. Sometimes, when you've found what works, it's just hard to get away.
Gender Representation in Comic Book Characters - Pudding
Interactive data viz is a tricky thing. As many new publications are moving back towards static infographics, the Pudding is showing the power of interactive data visualization as a storytelling tool. The mix of applied analytics, data visualization and interactivity is always inspirational.
Amazon's New Customer - Stratechery
Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods is pretty interesting when you have someone as smart as Ben Thompson from Stratechery to put it into perspective. In his argument Amazon has just opened up to a whole slew of new customers - Restaurants, Delivery and Whole Foods (Grocery). While many point out that Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods is a really about having delivery centers in areas of concentrated wealth, I think this is more of a long term play. Right now, Amazon is positioned to become the service layer for food delivery to a whole slew of new customers.
Terrace House - Netflix
Turns out watching Japanese young people live together in a house and date is pretty fascinating. Some of the most interesting story lines come up towards the end of the series, so prepare yourself for 40 episodes. It is really fun to compare dating on a cultural level. Now I want to watch dating reality shows from more countries. Who is in?
Eat / Drink
The Lynhall
Yes, it's that pretty, and yes, you can get work done there. I was really impressed that something with ambitions this high has pulled off everything nearly flawlessly. So happy to have the Lynhall in the neighborhood!
Lucette Brewing and Pizza - Menomonie, WI
Let's say you've just spent a weekend in the Wisconsin Dells or are driving back from Madison or Chicago. You know you don't have food at home, but you've left after lunch and want somewhere to stop for dinner. This is where you should stop. Crispy Neopolitian style pizzas out of the pizza oven, good beer (try the Farmers Daughter), and a farmhouse setting that has just the right amount of finish. This place is so good it might just be a destination from MSP, and not just a pit stop.
Temescal Brewing
Have you noticed the Oakland theme in this post yet? Have you noticed that many breweries have a branding that is hyper-masculine? With extra hopped up or ABV beers and heavy metal blasting in the background? This a perfect antidote for that. A California dream that really has a powerful trifecta of polka dots, succulents, and graffiti. Oh, and the "Where's my Hat" Kettle Sour with Passionfruit, Guava and Mango is pretty special.