Best of 2008: Homegrown in COMO

In order to make this place tolerable, I've had to search out local merchants and producers that fill my many wants and needs. I prefer local to corporate anything and COMO has a lot to offer in that department. So, here is my list of the best local businesses of 2008 (most likely not to change in 2009).

Best Farmers Market Vendor: (Tie) Show-Me Farms and Susie's Grass-Fed Meats
I was able to justify giving up my vegetarianism (7.5 years) once I realized you could buy locally meat that was not force-fed corn. Show-Me has been a staple in our household since moving here. We still have a bunch of meat from the cow we shared with friends. Plus, Show-Me makes a mean breakfast burrito and we always buy their eggs. We shared a lamb with neighbors from Susie. The lamb is fine, but her friendly nature is what sells the meat.

Best Ice Cream: Sparky's
This has been a hotly contested topic at other blogs, but the choice is clear. No other ice cream shop provides the same flavors and local color as Sparky's. Also, they serve alcohol.

Best Brewery: Flat Branch
This is easy since it is the only brewery in town (for now - look for the co-op by the Root Cellar), but it is a solid brewery. Sure some of the beers lack the characteristics you'd expect from particular brews and most of the wait staff don't know the difference between a porter and a Hefeweizen, but the beer is good overall and the food is among my favorites. (I'm currently obsessed with the stout meatloaf.)

Best Beer Selection: Sycamore
Sycamore has really improved as a restaurant since moving here, but the beer selection is what sets it apart. Sanford does an amazing job bringing in beers one does not normally find in Mid-Misery. New Belgian puts out several keg-only releases, and somehow Sanford always gets his hands on them.
A Close Second: The Ragtag - Barry has put together a solid, yet accessible selection in a short amount of time.

Best Restaurant - Dinner: Wine Cellar and Bistro
This is the home of R's favorite chef. We had our first date night since Lucia's birth at Wine Cellar and Bistro. Someone describes their food as "one-ingredient-too-many," but I would contend that it's better to have one-too-many than not enough. Plus, they hosted a fantastic beer dinner with Bells.

Best Restaurant - Breakfast: Cafe Berlin
When Cucina Sorella closed, we were fearful that we would never have a non-diner/bakery breakfast again...Then Cafe Berlin arrived. At first, the food was so-so, but the little family joint has prospered over the last year. The highlight for me is the pancake burrito. It's filling and satisfies both my salty and sweet desires simultaneously.

Best Restaurant - Old Stand-By: Murry's
Nothing about Murry's is spectacular. It's located in a strip mall. There's always a wait. But what Murry's is is consistent. I know that I can always get the steak "sandwich" when I'm in-need of some iron and protein. They have also been a great employer over the years, giving many in the COMO restaurant scene their first start.

Best Chocolate: Patric Chocolate
I'm not talking about confectioners and their bite-sized morsels in heart-shaped boxes. I'm talking real, from-the-bean-to-the-bar, artisan chocolate. And it exists in Columbia, Missouri. Alan (a beer-tasting buddy) makes the most intensely complex chocolate I've had. Seriously, buy his chocolate. I'll wait...

Best Indie Label: Emergency Umbrella
Sometimes, like Patric Chocolate, COMO doesn't realize what they have. EU is on the rise. Let me run down the label's roster...Sinkane's Ahmed Gallab just toured as Of Montreal's second drummer and has done some recording with members of TV on the Radio and Yeasayer. Now there's word that Merge might be interested in Sinkane. Gentleman Auction House have a ton of buzz swirling around them with interest shown from Polyvinyl. Bald Eagle just secured a spot opening for Cursive on an upcoming tour and recently had a song picked up by Microsoft Zune for a marketing campaign. Drew Danburry is a favorite among the indie elite, including members of Death Cab for Cutie. Finally, there's the Foundry Field Recordings who have a record and tour on the horizon. FFR has been featured in numerous magazines and websites over the years, just Google them. Look for the label to possibly have a showcase at next year's SXSW.
Best Place to Take Visitors: Booches
If you want the best hamburger in the world, go to Booches. Need I say more? I order mine as "2 E, GRO" (everything, grilled onions).

Best Coffee: Kaldi's
This might be a cheat since Kaldi's is technically a STL product, but the best coffee in town was roasted by Kaldi's before they set up a shop in COMO and it still is now that their on 9th and Cherry.

Best Video Shop: Ninth Street Video
For whatever reason, I've never been a "regular" anyplace. If I have or will ever be considered a "regular," it will be at Ninth Street Video (now on Hitt St.). Almost everybody who works there knows that I'll return the movies late and that the account is under R's name. I've been let off the hook for so many late fees that I might be able to pay for my child's first three years of college. Besides that, the selection is second-to-none.

While we're at 10 Hitt Street...

Best Bar/Movie Theater/Bakery: Ragtag Cinema/Uprise Bakery
Sharing the building with Ninth Street Video is my favorite hangout. The Tag has been a beacon of light in my sea of Misery since moving here. And now, they have two screens. The bar/bakery area is spacious and hip. Uprise serves the best bread in town (available everywhere these days) and the bar is first-rate with its copper top and great beer selection. Have I mentioned my love for The Tag before?

There are plenty more local businesses that get my money, but few of them would thrive in other cities like New York, Seattle, Chicago, etc. These just happen to be businesses that I would put up against any other city's. So, you should support them (and their kind) with whatever money you have left. COMO can't afford to lose such homegrown successes as these joints to economic environment in which we find ourselves.

Sure, think globally, but buy locally.

Things I Learned This Memorial Day Weekend

It's been a busy Memorial Day weekend. I don't want to bore you with a play-by-play recap of the past four days. So, I'll just share what I've learned.

George Lucas knows how to ruin a successful movie franchise. The franchise of which I speak is the Indiana Jones series with the latest addition being The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, released this weekend. I could get into the troubling colonial undertones of the entire franchise, but there's no need. Lucas continues to wreak havoc all over the movie franchises that made him rich.

The first was the Star Wars trilogy, which he completely negated with his prequel trifecta of lameness. The first episode was The Phantom Menace with "menace" being an understatement. In that film, he killed off his best character since Boba Fett, who he later ruined in the second installment.

Now, he's slowly taking apart the Indiana Jones franchise with stupid CGI animals, an annoying heir to the throne, and Harrison Ford's ever advancing age. While watching The Kingdom, it occurred to me just how much Lucas films have depended on Ford's dead-on delivery. Now with his life expectancy shrinking, Lucas will need to find a new leading man with as much charisma and charm as Ford. I do know that this replacement won't be found in his new boy-toys, Hayden Christensen or Shia LeBouf.

It's nice to be a regular at a bar. Flat Branch was super crowded Friday night. It was difficult to find a spot at the bar much less get service. (From where did all these people come?) So, we headed out to the less-crowded Ragtag, or 'Tag as I'm calling it. As I mentioned before, bartender Barry stocks some good beer, particularly Bells Two-Hearted Ale. Now, he knows me when I come to the bar. He asked if the Two-Hearted would be my regular thing. Sure. We returned the following night and Barry remembered. Nothing beats being a regular at a bar.

I can make a mean guacamole. An invitation was extended for a Memorial weekend barbecue and I needed to bring something to contribute. Chips were suggested, so I took it one step further and whipped up a batch of guacamole. My guac' is loaded with cilantro, fresh garlic and plenty of lime juice. There are no measurements. I just throw it all in the food processor and add salt to taste. I may have to make another batch...

Wii Bowling will put actual bowling out of business. Sometime last week, I was introduced to the Wii by my partner's boss' ten-year-old son. I didn't do so well. When it was shared that the barbecue would be closed with some Wii bowling, I wasn't too enthused. However, what I found is that bowling on the game system is actually better than the real thing. There were no stinky shoes. You didn't have to search for hours for a ball that was just the right weight and fit your fingers. Also, I didn't get that pain in my forearm that often happens since I bowl maybe once a year.

Besides the absence of bowling negatives, Wii had a lot of features real bowling just can't offer. For one, we were able to pick our own characters. One guy was "Uncle Bob" (aka Bob Pollard). I was Stanley from The Office. You can put spin on the ball or bowl unbelievably straight without being an expert bowler. The play was otherwise very realistic, making me satisfied that I won't have to bowl (real or virtual) for another year.

The people who work at Flat Branch don't drink the beer at their own parties. By knowing someone who knows people, I was able to crash the after-work party for the Flat Branch staff. The people at Flat Branch are a fun lot, but they have surprising taste in beer. I was thinking that a Flat Branch party would have a load of KT Trail in growlers or at least a keg of the green chili beer. Much to my surprise, there was a keg of swill and Jello shots, not exactly fine, craft beers.

We can grow grass in our backyard. For those of you who have seen the backyard, you know what an accomplishment this is. For those of you who have never seen the backyard, it is completely shaded by trees and was once a mud hill where no grass would grow. Now, I have to mow the backyard. I don't know how, but there's grass there.

It's not a good idea to use regular furniture as a work bench when cutting through wood. The dog has been getting into the cat's food, so we figured that we should cut a cat door into the laundry room door. I looked around for a place to rest the door while I cut the hole. Our old dining room table looked like as good a place as any. Wrong. As I finished one side of the rectangular hole, the saw seemed to suddenly struggle. What I found out was that I had cut about one inch into the table's edge. Oops. Not to worry. I was able to patch it up with some wood filler. Of course, this probably doesn't get me out of trouble with R.

There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men are magnificent, yet violent films. After paying yet another late fee at Ninth Street, I rented two films that have been talked about more than any films I've heard in a long time. There Will Be Blood is an incredibly smart metaphor for the state of our current economical situation with blood-thirsty oil men taking advantage of their many advantages in expanding their wealth. No Country is a great piece of noir that's actually a western and period piece. Both films are incredibly violent and feature two of the most menacing characters in film history.

The NBA playoffs are kind of a yawn so far. There's very little drama even though there are many evenly matched teams. None of these teams are likable. In the west, the Lakers have Kobe Bryant who's not exactly the nicest guy in the league. The Spurs are just plain boring and now they're old to boot. The east may even be worse. The Celtics are supposed to be one of the most dominating teams in years, but they have struggled every step of the way this post season. Their opponents are the Detroit Pistons, the eastern equivalent of the Spurs. Some are talking about how great it would be to reignite the Lakers/Celtics rivalry. However, that match-up was great because of the players involved, particularly Bird vs. Magic.

I did a few other things this weekend that weren't so memorable. The nursery is a little closer to being done, I ate a lot of grilled food, and I'm still waiting for a shipment from Insound. I head to Seattle on Wednesday and may have to go on hiatus from the blog for a few days. Actually, I have been feeling the effects of constantly typing and using a touch pad, resulting in what I believe to be the beginning signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. Anyway, I'll get back to some more interesting stuff soon enough.

Best Spot in Town: The Ragtag Complex

The problem with living in a small, Midwestern town is that there is often no way to escape the fact that you live in a small, Midwestern town. There is nowhere to have a cup of coffee that makes you feel as if you're in a Seattle coffeehouse, where you sip on a hot cup of joe, reading The Stranger in search of a cool art theater where you can simultaneously down a good, American IPA and take in the latest Harmony Korine flick. Well, that is, until now.

As many locals know, Ragtag Cinema Cafe finally moved into its new space located on Hitt Street and it's been a welcome improvement to the downtown (or The District as some like to call it). Not only has the Ragtag moved into new digs complete with a bar and two high-tech theaters, but they have been joined by Uprise Bakery and Ninth Street Video (who will keep their name).

When you walk into the new Ragtag, you notice several things that make you smile. There's the open floor design facing large windows in the front. To the left is the access to the patio and a full bar complete with a copper top on which to rest your drink. The seating is plentiful and varies from solid wood and metal tables and chairs or the the long bench that wraps around the wall to the right. In the back of the space is Uprise's counter and kitchen. All the bread and goodies once available in their Broadway basement bakery are now available at the Ragtag. Of course, there is the box office with its towering sculpture above.As mentioned before, this Ragtag doubles the old joint's theaters from one to two. The smaller of the two features the old chairs and couches that has so endeared the Ragtag to many COMO-ians. The larger theater will eventually feature fancy orange seats with retractable tabletops. Both theaters feature state-of-the-art sound systems and much improved acoustics. The best feature of the theaters may be that movie-goers can actually leave the theater to go to the restroom.

Also joining the Ragtag Complex is the beloved Ninth Street Video (now on Hitt). There is both access to the shop from the street and the Ragtag. Ninth Street somehow transported all their DVD's to the new spot. The store now features a fireplace (I'm not sure if it's working), a flat-screen TV, and tons of shelf space for expansion.

Since the Ragtag's new space opened over T/F weekend, I have found myself there on a regular basis. I have always loved breakfast from Uprise (spinach and goat cheese croissant!) but not the decor. Now I can sip on my organic coffee in a pleasant, sunshine-filled room with Belle & Sebastian playing over the speakers.

I've also made it a point to indulge the beer-lover in me from time to time at the Ragtag's bar. The bar has a nice selection of regional and national craft beers. Of course, once you have a beer in hand, it's a quick trip to the theater for whatever is playing that night.

Since moving to COMO, we have struggled to find a place that made it just a little less miserable. The new Ragtag/Uprise/Ninth Street Video complex has done that for us. Hopefully other downtown businesses will show as much creativity and forward thinking to make other parts of "The District" a little more like the Ragtag.


It should be noted that the images above were lifted from the many pics on Flickr with the label "Ragtag".