Firebox BBQ (or Firebox Deli, depending on what sign you are looking at) has some of the best 'cue in the cities.

Great India in Brooklyn Center is solid, and the takeout buffet is a good cheap lunch option.

Banana Blossom and the adjoining Asian grocery store are both worth a visit. Bangkok market often has some interesting items in their deli, though I can't recommend ordering from the menu.

I am not a fan of Broadway/Eagle's Nest. Their pizza rates among my least favorite in the cities, and it's expensive, as are apps and beverages. It's a guilty pleasure, but I like Scoreboard (cracker crust style) in Brooklyn Center for half the price.

Mai Thai is pretty ordinary, and it's tough to resist the temptation to head north to Lemongrass, but if you are Jonesing for Thai and don't want to drive, it's an option, if not a destination.

50s Grill is pretty decent if you are looking for old people food. Their pies and bread are homemade, and they actually commit pretty solidly to the 50s theme.

As far as Americanized Mexican goes, El Loro does the job better than most.

There are some duds. Nonna Rossa is blah. Slim's in BC fails to execute a pretty simple menu. Oishi, Que Viet (except for the egg rolls) and Hiep Thanh (also all BC) are all pretty bad.

We went for a birthday celebration. They do some nice touches, including cotton candy for the birthday boy, house made apple cider for anyone waiting for doors to open, and a greeting by the entire staff for 5 o'clock resos.

The space is really perfect. Refined, but not pretentious. It incorporates the structure without seeming bare-bones. Bit of an East Coast vibe, and that's fine by me.

This place has the details hammered down. Right amount of visits and refills per table without being overwhelming, knowledgeable wait staff.

The plating (as seen on Twitter) is gorgeous. These dishes are remarkably well composed. They are also refined. I got the sense we got exactly what the chef intended.

On that score, the menu is a bit safe. The dill-cured salmon looks spectacular, but aside from nicely cured salmon (topped with roe, which I liked) there wasn't a lot to really fall in love with. It was paired with beets, including unseasoned, uncooked beet slices. Pretty on the plate, but who wants raw beet slices?

The soup was nicely done and, again, beautiful. The coffee brioche sets as a donut shaped ring above the stuff itself. The soup was a bit too thick and lacked nuance, but the brioche was pretty brilliant.

Goat pappardelle was solid. Kitchen has a very sure hand with pasta, and the goat wasn't dry at all (which, IMO, is the best that can be said for goat... this was my wife's dish).

Pork with papaya salad struck me as an exercise in underestimating the audience. After being warned by our waitress that it had a lot of kick, the dish arrived with little discernible spice. It comes with a pork rib and cracklin on a side plate, which again: this place has the plating part down (they were both tasty). The papaya salad (seemingly infused with plenty of pork grease and bacon bits) was a great idea, and the pork very well prepared. It just needed more papaya salad to match the generous portion of meat. The cabbage wrapped rice rolls were a great idea in need of seasoning.

The cotton candy was honestly the best cotton candy I have ever tasted. That's just pretty cool.

The desserts are great. The apple crisp did a particularly good job of using textures to create different taste experiences. The chocolate banana thing was less successful, largely because the banana elements were flavorless.

Overall, this is a great start. Service is world class, and the place is getting very little wrong, even if it isn't taking a lot of chances. It's also pretty affordable, so there's that.

Don't do Nami. My last time there, my (very expensive) omakase included a healthy dose of escolar. That's symbolic of a larger problem.

A couple of ideas.

Origami is all things to all people, sushi-wise. Want uni? They've got it. Want a dragon roll? Of course.

Masu is good if the birthday girl is interested in catering to people who don't like sushi. The sushi is fine, don't get me wrong, but you can build a strong meal without it, which may or may not lose part of the fun.

Fuji-Ya is my personal favorite. They generally have the good stuff. They take the "chef's rolls" more seriously than do the other spots, without becoming a full-on fusion place. I get the sense they'd be willing to work for a party of 18-20.

"The thing that everyone in politics knows but refuses to acknowledge is that a rising tide lifts all boats. "

But there is fervent disagreement as to what policies will rise the tide. I don't think the evidence supports the notion that artificially raising wages translates into more economic activity. The reason for this is that when labor costs more, things cost more. This has an impact on both demand for things and the ability of companies to supply the things.

The economy is not a zero sum game, but economic redistribution is, by definition. Whether that makes it sound policy or not is another question.

McDonalds can't discriminate based on age even if they were so inclined. I think it's a problem where you have people in the entry-level, unskilled job market at a life stage where they need a skilled job. That isn't McDonalds' fault.

I don't think there is less money circulating for the rest of us. Median income is the same as it was 40 years ago, and fast food employees certainly didn't make the equivalent of $15 an hour then.

If fast food companies are required to pay $15 an hour, they are going to get better employees, and the strikers will be out of a job.

Quick rundown.

Craft beer battered onion rings - Some of the best I have had. Perfectly crisp batter with a boozy aftertaste, onions themselves had just a bit of crunch left. The mustard dipping sauce is fine, but unnecessary.

The bacon corn dog is terrible. Badly overcooked, with dry bacon bits and syrup.

Lemonade at West Indies Soul was very nice. Complex and large enough for sharing. The cheesy grits were really bad, however.

We always enjoy the fried green beans at O'Garas. The fried bread pudding was also really solid. It's what I always want bread pudding to taste like. Almost like french toast, but a bit more decadent.

The place we get cheese curds is hands down better than the other place you can get cheese curds. Everyone who disagrees can go eat at Olive Garden.

Comet corn is pretty fun, but for $5, doesn't offer much else. Cheesy caramel puffed corn (the hull-less kind) mixed with goldfish for some reason.

The gator on a stick is a nostalgic fave of mine, but I think it was sitting in the bin for too long, because it had that dry, but greasy at the same time vibe going on. I still like the flavor.

Izzy's ice cream is great as always, but the donut batter crunch was a bit one note for me.