Time Travel

Photo credit: DJ Ronny D (Ronald Ramsdell)

An exciting restaurant opening occurred this month in Minneapolis.  The interior of The Forum, named for its first dining title Forum Cafeteria, is an art deco masterpiece.  I've seen it change management over the years, but the aesthetics remain constant.

If I could time travel I would return to the summer of 1985, when Scotties on 7th inhabited the space.  My roommates and I dressed in our best and headed downtown on the 6 (bus).  We sat at a center table and I do not recall what I ordered.  But I remember well what the server placed before KD.  "What's that?" I pointed to her sad plate of sliced Granny Smiths, bread, and white wobbly goo.  "Brie cheese," she said.

Cheese?  It wasn't yellow.  It wasn't square.  It didn't come in a cellophane wrapper.  KD allowed me to dip an apple wedge into the soft warm Brie and as I bit into the tart and savory, crisp and heavy combination my life changed.  It was one of those spiritual food experiences when time stands still and you know your life will never be the same.

After dinner we pooled our remaining cash and bought a bottle of white wine (christening it in the pool outside of the insurance building on Hennepin Avenue), and walked home to share the wine and complete our last evening together as roommates.

There were other food firsts from that decade that I would time travel to re-experience: Tokyo street vendor yakisoba, St. Anthony Main Pizzeria's pesto and clam pie, Guadalaharry's guacamole and chips, and yes I'll admit it, LeAnn Chin's appetizer sampler.

Summer arrives soon.  With it, T and I will return to the 80s as we do every year.  Our Back to the Future summers are vacations in time as we surround ourselves with all things 80s.  This month or next we will also make a trek to visit The Forum.  Likely there will be no unfashionable brie on the menu, but if there is you can place a sure bet that I will order it.