By Kolina
If you consider bulky Northface boots and an oversized unisex parka cute, then last night was my night. In the midst of the wicked snow day, I decided to face the elements and join my friends at the neighborhood hot spot (aka the place for good food, drinks, and people).
I zipped up my jacket, made sure my red and pink striped socks were pulled up my knees, and tightened my boots before I faced the outdoors. On the way to Market Barbecue, after walking down a narrow, pre-trodden path through Stevens Square, I came upon two fire trucks blocking the road. At first I was irritated at the bright lights and what I expected to be a big hold-up, but once I paid a little more attention to what was happening in front of me, I realized that two emergency vehicles were helping a young woman out of her plowed-in car. Eight firemen took a moment in which they weren’t putting out ferocious fires to help a girl in need, and it made me smile.
Once I made it to Point B, I asked the bartender to make a drink that would commemorate the snowy evening. “No gin or rum,” I requested. Within a minute, the kind bartender placed a lowball in front of me that would later become the subject of my tkTC post: 15 Inches Under, he named it. This fiery drink was simply Wild Turkey Whiskey, Frangelico and a touch of lemon, and yet each little taste of it reminded me that I drug myself through mounds of snow — albeit beautiful, sparkly flakes — to meet up with my very best friends and enjoy an evening of good food and conversation.
If you’ve never been to Market Barbecue on Nicollet Avenue, you should probably go tomorrow. The fries are out of this world (my favorite fries in the whole city, which says a lot coming from me) and the chicken fingers I doused in honey mustard were peppery and crunchy on the outside, all the while moist in the inside. The brisket sandwiches deserve as much glory as Chipotle’s chicken burrito.
What could have been a boring, snowed-in evening turned into a night of adventure and a new scene, which all of us could use here and there. Next time you’re snowed in, I highly suggest strapping on your snow-pants and making your way to the closet dive … you’ll be sure to find some good company there.
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