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Notes From the (e) Mailbag:

Subject: Ban Thai.

"I went to the most wonderful Thai restaurant in White Bear Lake last night," wrote Julia Barton recently. "I live in White Bear Lake and I found out it's been open and I'd never even heard of the place. I talked to the waiter/husband of the chef/owner and he was telling us that the restaurant has received the Thai Select award from the Thai government that certifies the food, hospitality and atmosphere is authentic...They said they've never been reviewed. I know I sound like I'm advertising for them but I'm really not. I was just amazed at how good the food was. I'm a former chef and love finding places where the chefs care about their food. They have a website http://www.banthaionline.com/ if you're interested."

I plan to check it out soon, but if any readers get there before I do, please drop me a note (Iggers@rakemag.com) and tell me about it, or just post a comment on this blog.

Subject: Viva Victor's! 

"We kicked off the summer with a visit from the Food Network!" reports Niki Stavrou of Victor's 1959 Café. "You may be familiar with the show called Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri. Well, he visited and cooked with us at Victor's 1959 Cafe back in early June and our episode will air some time in September. I'll be sure to let you know when I learn the exact date so you can watch! ...

We have also started a happy hour with drink specials from 4:30pm-6:30pm Tuesdays - Saturdays. We feature a different red, white and rosé by the glass each week so you can try some different wines for $4 a glass, or beer for $3 a bottle, or a tropical mimosa for $4. We also are featuring a special bottle of rosé at half price during happy hour. I'm on a bit of a personal campaign for rosé wines this summer. My motto is DON'T BE AFRAID OF PINK WINE!!

Also, we are now open on Mondays for breakfast and lunch. We haven't changed the sign yet so I wanted you to know. Our hours now are: Sunday and Monday 8am-2pm; Tuesday thru Saturday 7am-2:30pm and 4:30pm-9pm.

We have a Bombazo scheduled for Tuesday August 19th at 6pm. This will be a fun music and dance event and a portion of the dinner sales that evening will go to El Arco Iris, to help them continue their work with Caribbean dance education and performance. I'll send more info about that soon, but you might want to mark your calendar now!

Last but not least, we have a dinner special for Friday and Saturday night this week. It's called Potajé and is red beans cooked with Spanish chorizo, smoked ham, potatoes - it's a savory, hearty red bean dish served with white rice and plantains, accompanied by our ensalada completa on the side, for only $11. Make your reservations now!

Victor's 1959 Cafe, 3756 Grand Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-827-8948

Subject: Get Beyond Winey.

Cathy Simonson, former owner of Willie's Wine Bar, reports that she is now teaching wine classes at the new Indian restaurant, Dancing Ganesha, that occupies the space at 1100 Harmon Place, Minneapolis, where Willie's once operated. We had a mediocre dining experience at Dancing Ganesha when we visited recently, but the next two classes combine wine tasting with Indian appetizers, so you probably can't go too far wrong.

Aug 3: Get Beyond Winey 102: Everything That Really Matters About Wine But You Were Afraid to Ask. Indian Appetizers. 1:00 p.m. $45

August 10: Get Beyond Winey 101: How To Be a Wine Snob. Indian appetizers. 1:00 p.m. $45.

Get Beyond Winey 102 is repeated on August 17, with appetizers only, for $45, and Get Beyond Winey 101 is offered again on August 24, with a full Indian dinner for $59.

To sign up, send Cathy an email at GetBeyondWiney@comcast.net.