KPlow & The Fork #1: The Amsterdam Bar & Hall

The First Date...

Biased on the start…I’ve been pretty Minneapolis-centric with my eating out habits in 2012. So when I was over in St. Paul for some musical happenings a week ago and saw an enticing food list at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall, I figured I’d give Minneapolis’s quirky twin another go. So here you are Minnesota, food review numero uno. KPlow and Fork visit St. Paul.

The Findings:

BEWARE! Biking to St. Paul from Minneapolis via Summit Avenue is shockingly entertaining. Sorry Mpls, St. Paul has you beat!

First, there were hordes of graying half-century plus men in bike gangs dressed in overly tight fitting spandex. Note: bulges accentuated in all the wrong places.

(Photo via Metro)

Think this guy, but more grey and and mid-thigh tights!

Round two, smoking weed in farm trucks with your boys before hitting up the wedding party, dressed in your finest formal wear has migrated from the rural areas and is now all the rage across the river. Remember, keep your windows down too so you can really give the cops the thumbs up when you see them! Finally, do make sure to attempt to bike in St. Paul, near the Xcel Center when a Friday night Coldplay concert start time is in t minus one hour. Screw Mall of America, the people watching crown has moved to the streets pre-Coldplay concerto.

Alright, enough with transportation ramblings, onto the food.

As I had previously mentioned, the menu really had me excited. See here. A charcuterie plate, fried Danish starchy goodness, a salad with cured salmon…sadly however the descriptions created high expectations that unfortunately, did not measure up.

To begin, the food arrived in cardboard trays save for the charcuterie platter.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they save hordes of money and are saving some unfortunate soul the horrors of having to be a dishwasher (oh yes, I have been there) but really people? Cardboard is for food trucks. If I’m going to pay you money for a sit-down meal, at least give me some cheap Corelle dishes. Thank god they opted out on the plastic fork, knifes and spoons.

What did arrive was decent but by no means worth the money spent when I could have paid the same price for grub of higher caliber and on a plate, for certain, back over the river. The sliders my dining cohorts ordered were fine, and there were a variety of appealing morsel to fill the fluffy little potato buns, but it was just what the menu said and nothing more. The prosciutto was just prosciutto, the cheese, just cheese. There wasn’t a balsamic onion reduction with rosemary and freshly cracked pepper with the cheese. Or for that matter, a red wine infused fig compote to accompany the prosciutto. Come on people. Get with making scrumptious little morsels even more delicious. White Castle was made for a reason, crank it up a notch!

The charcuterie plate (which, if you are unfamiliar with the term 'charcuterie,' is cured meats, sausages, pates, terrines, etc) was generic.

The prosciutto was dry and well aged but there was some form of bone sliced into the meat, which is something I have never encounter eating prosciutto before. The summer sausage was generic in taste and in the visual department as well. I probably think it was bought from Costco. The terrine was overly spiced with cloves while the bacon wrapped around the outside did not help with the flavor. Olives…generic. Pickled onions overly sweet with no acidity. Blah.

The gem and shining moment both times I have been to the Amsterdam has been the fries.

If you are in the area do swing by for these bad boys. They are thick cut, loaded with salt and pepper, properly fried and come with a wide array of dipping sauces to further delish them up. They also work perfectly in the cardboard tray. Attention Amsterdam, just stick with the fries.

Well, folks, there you have it. KPlow’s endorsements for today: If the Amsterdam were a first date, I don’t think they'd deserve a round two. Save your time, and money for that matter. Head for a sit down meal at a gastro pub/bar like Pat’s Tap where you can get some food on an actual plate that had more than a few minute prep time and will excite instead of de-light your taste buds.

However, if I met the Amsterdam again I wouldn’t be opposed for getting a cheap drink if I was in the area. And if you are there and have the munchies I would encourage you to fork out the few bucks for the fries.

Nice to meet you Amsterdam. Maybe I’ll see you around, but don’t expect a call back.

Big thanks to KPlow for making her inaugural contribution to Newest Industry. For more of KPlow's views on food, be sure to check her blog Nettlefetter. Always an intriguing read.

As always, this blog is on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) and on the Facebook. Stop by and give us a 'like' if you have a chance.

Songs Of The Week #1: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma

Angus Stone, Antibalas, John Mark Nelson, Fawn, & Cjell Cruze...

Hey music fans!  Welcome to the inaugural edition of Songs Of The Week in which we ask a couple of our contributors to give us a brief review of the previous week's 'Song Of The Day' tracks provided by The Current.

If you're unfamiliar with the 'Song Of The Day,' it's basically a free song given out each weekday.  To check it out for yourself, follow this link to The Current's Song Of The Day page.  As an added little bonus, a local artist is spotlighted with each Friday post.

This week TCDroogsma & MinneSarah had a go at the tracks and gave them scores out of 5.

So if ya don't know, now ya know.  Let's get to the reviews:

01.  Angus Stone - Wooden Chair (from the album Broken Lights)

MinneSarah:

     The whistles and handclaps and your friend letting out a little "hey" in the studio has got to stop, people!  I mean right now.  This song was a perfectly vanilla song recounting the age old realization that time passes and things change.  The singer's voice sounds young, making me think that this is what Ben Lee's solo stuff would be like were he fifteen years younger.  As the embellishments really date this song - the highest praise I can give it (besides that comparison to Ben Lee, that was free, Angus) is that I might invite this song to any pity party I have before it expires in the next five months.

TCDroogsma:

     According to Last.fm, Angus Stone is half of a folk duo with his sister Julia.  Could you imagine being a sensitive, bearded Australian guy singing these sweet, emotional songs with his sister to a crowd full of women with that accent?!? Dude must have crazy amounts of easy sex.  Of course, he probably cries during most of it, but still... Good gig.

     Anyway, this song had me with the strumming and, 'Hey!' bit at the beginning, but once he started singing about how he used to be in love I checked out pretty quickly.  I did perk back up when the whistling started as nothing annoys me more than whistling in songs.  When did we decide this was OK, America?  I'm going to pistol whip Andrew Bird next time I see him.

Final Score:  MinneSarah - 1/5
                   TCDroogsma - 1/5
 
02.  Antibalas - Dirty Money (from the album Antibalas)

MinneSarah:

     Hit me!  This song makes me imagine I'm in a club on sunset strip in the sixties experiencing an African cultural revival, that was hip, right?  The intro is groovalicious, but lasts forever.  Lyrically, I'm not trying to knock any cultural heritage, but song lyrics about mangoes falling from trees in this day and age makes me wonder how much Harry Belefonte's banana lyrics influenced the group while they were growing up.   I do enjoy how many instruments are included, as soon as I get sick of horns, the organ kicks in vying for some attention.  Overall, if afrobeat ain't your scene (and if it is, you may well be in the minority), you probably won't want to listen to this song through again.

TCDroogsma:

     Afrobeat?  I'm fucking out.  Squeaking horns?  Bland organs?  No way.  Where do people even listen to shit like this?  Driving?  At home?  I feel like only Dave Sitek could listen to something like this and actually enjoy it.

     During the call and response bit, I thought the background singers were yelling 'New Order!' after the lead guy said the 'dirty money' bit.  For a second I thought this was a beef track between Antibalas and Bernard Summer, which is genuinely the only circumstance that will get me to listen to an Antibalas track.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 1/5
                  TCDroogsma - 0/5

 03.  John Mark Nelson - Reminisce (from the album Waiting And Waiting)

 
 MinneSarah:

     This song starts out like the theme from a 1950's movie - a sweet basic repetitive melody, Polynesian beat accents behind a gradual increase from a string ensemble, and soft vocals.  However, the lyrics to this song sound more like they would be on a brat pack soundtrack.   The song adds a few handclaps for good measure, but falls short of anything but bittersweet background music.

TCDroogsma:

     Honestly, there was a lot of things to like about this song.  The strings/marimba bit was a good start.  The verse builds into the chorus nicely.  Unfortunately, the lyrics sound like they were written by the bastard child of Conor Oberst & Justin Vernon except they never bothered to teach him what a metaphor is.  And he has a learning disability.  And he's been drinking.

     The lesson, as always, don't trust people with three first names.


Final Score: MinneSarah - 1/5
                  TCDroogsma - 2/5

04.  Fawn - Hurricane Fire (from the album Coastlines)

 
MinneSarah:

      I honestly had to look up this band just to make sure that Thurston Moore didn't kidnap Franz Ferdinand and make them record this song. While I personally don't enjoy female/male vocal harmonies, it is a defining aspect of this song, there's no escaping it.  I did enjoy the layering of the guitars - I appreciate anything that combines shoegaze with poppiness.  Reverb can be your friend, and Fawn sure does embrace this idea.  This song didn't really do it for me, but I wouldn't discount what the rest of this album may hold.

TCDroogsma:

     You can plug in guitars and "amplify" their sound with electricity?!?  After those first three songs I had totally forgot that you could do that.

     It's possible that this song only sounds so good because of the three songs before it, but I really liked this one.  I've always been a sucker for the boy/girl approach to vocals.  It catches a real nice groove.  When it all comes together in the last third of the track with the girl doing one bit, the guy doing the 'people keep on talking' bit and then meeting up for the 'oohh-oohh-ooh-oohh' was pretty fucking stellar.

     Plus, let's be honest, this is a song about how haters gon' hate.  Of course I like it.

Final Score: MinneSarah - 1/5
                  TCDroogsma - 3/5

05.  Cjell Cruze - Train Song (from the album The Ropes)

 
MinneSarah:

     Harmonica...tambourine...overstressed vocal harmonies...this does not bode well.  The feigned dopey vocal delivery creates an effective droning that pushes the song through harmonica and guitar solos. The vocal delivery mirrors the story told through the song, an onerous journey through the Midwest, a hard cross to bear on his way to a new life in California. We don't know that he makes it, but can tell that he obviously thinks something better awaits him.  I have that hope as well.  As for me, I'll take my chances on the Empire Builder without my headphones.

TCDroogsma:

     So this is what we're doing this week, Sota?  Sweet fucking Christ I hate music like this.  Harmonicas, lyrics about 'the conductor' and shit...  Are you really hopping fucking trains?  Are you trying to find a job picking fucking lemons?  Will you tell me again about the rabbits?  Fuck this song.

Final Score:  MinneSarah - 1/5
                   TCDroogsma - 0/5  

Well there you have it folks.  Thanks to MinneSarah & TCDroogsma for taking time out of their busy, busy lives to break down this week's tracks for us.

Obviously, the opinions posted here are merely the opinions of the contributors.  This site and its contributors are in no way affiliated with MPR, The Current, or these artists.

For more of the always charming MinneSarah she can be found on Twitter (@MinneSarah) and on Instagram as MinneSarah.  She'd like to pet your cat, if you don't mind.

For more of the seldom charming TCDroogsma he can also be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma), Instagram (TCDroogsma) and on his own blog Caffeine & Obscenities.  He would rather you didn't try to pet his dog, if you don't mind.

Of course, this blog is on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) and has a Facebook page.  Be a pal and give us a 'like' if you, errr... like what we do here. 

Meal Time !#2: TCDroogsma at Ping's Szechuan Bar & Grill

Oh, we got Ping...

Oh, hello again my hungry friends. It was getting a little late Sunday night and I was tired, hungry, and a little drunk. So I decided to take a stroll down to the neighborhood Chinese spot, Ping's Szechuan Bar & Grill (which will be shortened to just 'Ping's' for the rest of this post).

If you're unfamiliar with Ping's, it is somewhat of a staple in the Stevens/Nicollet Mall community. It's located at 1401 Nicollet, just at the southern edge of Nicollet Mall.  Check their website here for more info.

I've been there once or twice before and I honestly have no idea how this place makes enough money to stay open. I turned up around 8 and this is what the place looked like.

As you can see, it was a packed house. Big ups to the 18 for photobombing this shot though. Score another one for Metro Transit. I mean, do you know how big a bus is?!?  Timing is everything in life.

I came to the conclusion that Ping's must make all it's money with their lunch buffet.  I could totally see some Target Whore-porate (copyright: SwervinTaters) employees deciding to stroll down the mall and stuff their sexy faces with crab legs and lo mein noodles before heading back downtown and working on new ways to get a little dog to sell me socks.

So, as is my style, I posted up at the bar, which was equally bustling.

Outside of the ghost drinker, I pretty much had the place to myself.  Although I was a bit skeptical of that shady guy sitting by the window.  Come find out, son. Come find out.

Of course, there are a couple of regulars at Ping's.

 Damn! Koi fish like a motherfucker!

So, what to get?  Admittedly, I was craving some tofu, but all the tofu dishes on the menu had that stupid little pepper next to them indicating 'spicy.'  If you didn't know, I have the spice tolerance of a toddler who was raised on grapes & Enfamil.  However, there was one tofu dish on the menu that didn't have the pepper next to it:

(Cue the horns)

I present to you: Ping's Sesame Glazed Fried Tofu!

That's right!  A second straight Meal Time! featuring tofu & sesame seeds!  I didn't even plan this shit!  It's possible that I secretly love sesame seeds and don't even know it.

So, here's where we're at:

Location: Ping's
Time Of Day: 8:00 Sunday night
Ambiance: Non-existent, save for the Olympics on mute and stereotypical Chinese restaurant music
Level Of Sobriety: Medium
Level Of Energy: Like a cat in a sun room
Meal: Sesame Glazed Fried Tofu
Main Ingredient: Tofu
To The Side: White rice
Beverage: Tsingtao
Menu Price: $10.95 American for the tofu/rice. $5 American for the Tsingtao.
Total Price: $18 American (w/tip)

As you could imagine, I was pretty fucking psyched to see that small mountain of tofu sitting in front of me.  However, my enthusiasm was short-lived since, as you can see by the picture, there is not a vegetable to be found. Not a one.  I mean, I would've been pretty pissed off if there were mushrooms involved, but some onions or green peppers would've been nice.  Or better yet, broccoli.  Although adding broccoli almost certainly would've bumped up the price another $1.50 American since, as we all know, broccoli has the highest IQ of any vegetable.

I decided to have a Tsingtao with this meal because, well, when in Rome, etc...

(Pro Tip #1: Don't get Tsingtao. If you want to know why the Chinese are so ruthlessly efficient, look no further than this beer. You'd have to drink something like 30 of these things to get a buzz.)

As the picture above shows, the tofu cubes were large. In fact, I actually cut a couple of them in half. They were also cooked perfectly, with the outside being nice & crisp and the innards chewy.  When I find myself craving tofu, I'm craving that kind of texture.  Well played, Ping's.

Unlike the B-LB scramble (where I couldn't figure out why the sesame seeds were involved), the sesame seeds actually provided a nice little kick to the tofu.  Crunchy seeds + crunchy outer tofu + chewy inner tofu = delicious.  I'm coining the phrase 'Ping's Theorem' for that equation.

However, since there are not vegetables, the deliciousness of this meal hinged almost entirely on the sesame glaze.  Let me tell you, it just didn't pass the test.  Unlike the typical 'brown sauce' that's found at most Chinese restaurants, this glaze didn't appear to contain any garlic to balance out the sweetness.  I mean, after five or six cubes, the glaze was just overwhelming.  I'm talking Mandy-Moore-Fronting-The-Lightning-Seeds levels of sweetness.  Frankly, it's just too damn much.

I managed to get through about half the mountain of tofu before I hit the wall.  As I've mentioned before, tofu is not particularly filling and this held true at Ping's.  Unfortunately, the glaze was just so fucking sweet that I thought my thyroid was going to come out of my throat and push the plate off the table.  I boxed up what was left, finished my beer, and headed home.

(Pro Tip #2:  We all know that nobody can go more than 90 minutes without digging into their Chinese food leftovers.  This is a two-way street with tofu, as the longer it sits in the fridge the more the flavor is absorbed by the cubes.  With a meal like this one it's important to go home, maybe drink some water, and then finish it off when the hunger hits.  If this sits in the fridge all night the tofu will absorb every last bit of that sugary glaze and you'll basically be eating cubed diabetes for lunch the next day.)

All things considered, this was not an un-delicious meal.  It was a disappointing one though.  This plate of tofu seems like it would be fantastic as a shared appetizer for a group of three or four people, but I'm just one man.  It's just overwhelming.

Let's break this thing down:

Flavor: 4/10 - Initially delicious, but much like sex that goes on longer than 45 minutes, it just had to stop.

Filling: 3/10 - Tofu just isn't filling.  Anytime you have to stop eating a meal for a reason other than a full belly, you're probably getting a low 'filling' score.

Price: 2/10 - I paid $18 American for this?!?  I mean, I could've picked a better beer.  That's on me.  But $10.95 American for the type of tofu I could get at any shitty wok in MPLS.... sorry, Ping's.  That's just not happening.

Ambiance: 7/10 - I suppose this ranking depends on how you feel about people.  As I dislike pretty much all people, I'm bumping it up.  Since I also like sports on television, it gets a 7.  Admittedly, though, it is a little odd sitting in that big restaurant with nothing but smug fish & servers looking at you while you eat.  And that one guy.  Fuck that guy.

Service: 10/10 - I dealt exclusively with the bartender called Spencer.  Spencer has clearly been doing playing this game for a long time.  He was super prompt (though, again, I was the only person there), friendly, chatty, and mildly handsome in an ugly sort of way (like David Schwimmer).  Frreal, this guy's killin' it.

If This Meal Was A Simpsons Character It Would Be: Nelson Muntz.  Nice when deployed in the right setting (i.e. appetizer for a large group), but far too one-dimensional to carry a whole episode (or meal).

How Many Times Would I Eat This Per Month If I Could Afford To: Zero. Sorry, Spencer.  It's not your fault.

Overall Score: 3/10 - Just not getting the job done as a meal.  I think I spent the night sweating out that glaze.  $18 American to sweat out a meal is unreasonable.  It just is.

That's that.  I'll leave you with this:  I was given two fortune cookies at the end of the night.  I was not with anybody else.

First of all, cookies, I'm a chronic procrastinator. It's never a good time to finish up old task.  Second, if you're willing to classify student loan officers as 'fortune hunters,' then yeah, you kinda nailed that one, thanks for reminding me. Smart ass cookie...

For more TCDroogsma, he can be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma).  He also maintains his own blog, Caffeine & Obscenities which you should check out if you've finished up reading every other thing on the internet.

Of course, this blog can be found on Twitter as well (@NewestIndustry1) and we now have our own Facebook page here.  If you dig what we do check it out and give it a like.  I mean, we like you, y'know? Fair is fair.

New-Newest Industry!

This Is Gonna Get Worse Before It Gets Better

Hey everybody!

Just wanted to drop a line and let everybody know that the tentacles of Newest Industry have latched on to even more social media.

We've created a Facebook page here. If you have the chance, hit that up and give us that oh-so validating blue-and-gray thumbs up.

If you're curious, here's where you can find more stuff from the regular contributors.

MinneSarah (Instagram: MinneSarah, Twitter: @MinneSarah)
Justin Meyers (Instagram: BadSequence, His label Tone Filth)
TCDroogsma (Instagram: TCDroogsma, Twitter: @TCDroogsma, his blog Caffeine & Obscenities)
SwervinTaters (Twitter: @SwervinTaters)

Of course, we're still hopelessly addicted to Twitter. The blog can be found @NewestIndustry1.

Pimp, pimp, pimp... promo, promo, promo...

Later.

Ryan's Record Of The Week #5: 'The One And Only' OBN III's

Ryan presents: 'The One And Only OBN III's"

Hey, rock n rollers. Our good friend Ryan is back to talk about what's hot in the streets. Believe it or not, it's not his taxes.

Take a look while Ryan talks about the new album from The OBN III's, "The One And Only OBN III's."

Boom! Out of Austin, Texas, sounding like The Stooges, Dead Boys, Dictators... That sounds like a winning combination.

For a look at just what The OBN III's are all about, watch this clip of them playing, "No Way To Rock And Roll."

Damn! Wish we'd known about that St. Paul show...

Speaking of which, if you were at that show in St. Paul last month and weren't able to cop that new LP or if you're just looking for one last album to soundtrack your summer, well, get down to Extreme Noise and give it a spin. Ryan's down there, looking even more handsome than he does in the videos.

For more on The OBN III's, check out their Facebook page here or their Bandcamp page here. 

For more on Extreme Noise, check their website here.

As always, thanks to Ryan. Puttin' the scene on his back, doo.

Of course, this blog is on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Check it out, give it a follow.

Purple Prognosticating With Mike Otto - Pt. 1: The Offense

Movin' the chains, movin' the chains...

Mike Otto is Newest Industry's resident expert on both the Purple and all things NFL. As the season progresses we'll be seeing more posts from him.


With Vikings training camp moving to full-pad workouts this week, Mike just couldn't wait to get started on this year's version of the Vikings.

He decided to break down the offense position by position and move on to the defense next week.

Position By Position: What Needs To Change? What Should Stay The Same?

Offensive Line: This unit has the most important job on the field:  Keeping Christian Ponder upright.

On paper this is a vastly improved group.  Drafting Matt Kalil allows Charlie Johnson to switch back to left guard, a position he is more physically acclimated to playing.

John Sullivan is suddenly a veteran on this group, and a solid one at that.

Right guard, however, is a competition between 3 guys you've never heard of: Chris DeGeare, Brandon Fusco, and Geoff Schwartz.  Remember, though, there was a time when no one had ever heard of David Dixon or Randall McDaniel.

This is a big year for Phil Loadholt.  He needs to improve his footwork and speed to show he is worthy of his draft position three years ago.  If he has a good year, he's gonna get paid.  If not, he won't  be in purple much longer. (Ed. Note: Unless he signs with the Ravens. Fuckin' McKinnie...)

Quarterback: Last year Christian Ponder came out with a bang in the home game against the rival (fudge) Packers. He stuck a couple nice passes on a good Packers' secondary, most memorably a one-on-one touchdown to Michael Jenkins against future Hall Of Fame cornerback Charles Woodson.

Even though the Vikings lost, they put up quite a fight against and much better team and CP7 showed tons of promise.

Unfortunately, that may have been his best game.  You can't say you had a good season as a quarterback when your best play comes in a loss.

Game by game, CP7 seemed to grow more timid, more likely to panic in the pocket & take off running, and more likely to stare down a receiver for an interception.  I even started to see a little bit of the dreaded "Tarvaris Jackson Happy Feet" in the pocket.

Part of this may be tied to poor offensive line play (see above), but great QB's make a marginal O-line look good and he made a marginal O-line look awful.

A 50% completion rate simply won't cut it. He needs to complete at least 60% of his passes this year.

The Vikings will go as CP7 goes. I think he'll get over the rookie jitters and improve in his 1st full year.

Running Back:  All eyes on Adrian Peterson.

I know #28 will come out with the same passion he has always had. While this prospect excites me, it also frightens me.

The fact is, Adrian is one more major knee injury away from being a Toby Gerhart and we already have one of those.  My hope is the training/coaching staff hold him back until he is 100%.  If that means missing the first 6 games, that's fine with me.

Toby Gerhart was impressive filling in for #28, showed lots of heart, broke a couple of nice runs... but he's still no Adrian Peterson

Tight End: Another position this team will need improved production from in order to compete in the NFC North.

Ponder-to-Kyle Rudolph showed flashes of promise last year, but the two had trouble connecting with any consistency week to week.  So far in camp Rudolph appears to be CP7's favorite target, with the two looking in sync and connecting on touchdown after touchdown.

With the signing of John Carlson, the Vikings have two good pass catching tight ends.  I'm excited for the first time we line up in a two-tight-end set, showing run, go play action with All Day, watch those linebackers bit, then watch Kyle Rudolph go 30-20-10-TOUCHDOWN!! CALL IT PA! Yeah!

According to reports our boys have been watching tapes on the New England Patriots and how their tight ends roll.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?

The Vikings have five tight ends in camp & I wouldn't be surprised if we kept four of them.  With Jim Kleinsasser retired, we need a blocking TE.  Look for third year man Allen Reisner and big rookie Rhett Ellison (USC, 6'6", 260 lbs.) to round out the tight end corps.

Wide Receiver: For the Vikings to improve this season, they'll need much better production from their receivers.  That makes this one of the more interesting position battles to watch in camp.

Barring injury, Percy Harvin & Michael Jenkins will be the Week 1 starters. After that it gets much more muddied.

Without a doubt, Jerome Simpson will have a roster spot, but he is suspended for the first 3 games.  This opens the window for one of 2 rookies to make a splash early and never look back.

Let's have a look at their college careers year-by-year:

Greg Childs (Arkansas):

Freshman: 12 games, 0 starts, 18 receptions, 273 yards, 2 TD
Sophomore: 13 games, 8 starts, 48 receptions, 894 yards, 7 TD
Junior: 8 games, 8 starts, 46 receptions, 659 yards, 6 TD before suffering a season-ending Patella tendon injury

Greg Childs is fully recovered from his devastating injury and holds a size advantage on most NFL cornerbacks. At 6'3", 219 lbs. and sporting a 36" vertical, he's a big boy.

Childs clocked a 4.55 40 yard dash at the combine, so he is a bit slow.  He needs to work on being an excellent possession receiver.  I could see him becoming a competent wide receiver in the NFL along the lines of Jake Reed or Mike Williams

Jarius Wright (Arkansas):

Freshman: 12 games, 0 starts, 19 receptions, 348 yards, 2 TD
Sophomore: 13 games, 9 starts, 41 receptions, 681 yards, 5 TD
Junior: 13 games, 13 starts, 42 receptions, 788 yards, 5 TD
Senior: 13 games, 13 starts, 66 receptions, 1117 yards, 12 TD

Jarius Wright is smaller (5'10", 182 lbs.) but faster (a 4.4 40 at the combine). at 38", he also has a 2" vertical leap advantage.  He started the last 35 games of his college career, indicating strong durability for a guy his size.

In his senior year at Arkansas he broke school records for receptions in a year, receiving yards in a year, receiving yards in a game, and career receptions.  Not to mention the school record for receiving touchdowns in a season (12).

I  believe he will be 3rd on the depth chart Week 1, playing in the slot.  With hard work and a little luck he could turn himself into a Steve Smith-type of receiver.

Receivers last year left a lot to be desired. On paper, this group is better. At the very least they're a million times more exciting.

Boom! How's that for some offense! Thanks to Mike for breaking this side of the ball down for us. As mentioned, he'll be back next week to break down the defense.  Until then, you can get his thoughts on just about everything from the Vikings to the travails of biking around Minneapolis on Twitter (@SwervinTaters)

Of course, this blog is on Twitter as well (@NewestIndustry1) doing its best to do the Twin Cities proud.

SwervinTaters Bar Review #6: Brit's Pub

SwervinTaters: Doesn't care for the British, willing to drink they drank...

Heelllloooo, Twin Cities! Sorry it's been a minute since we did the old bar review. If you couldn't tell, Swervin is a busy, busy, suspicious man and tends to disappear for extended periods of time.

Fortunately for everybody involved, we caught up with him on the rooftop patio of Brit's Pub the other day.

If you're unfamiliar with Brit's, it's a downtown bar that, if you can believe it, is British-themed. You can always judge books by their covers. Located at 10^th & Nicollet, it features two levels (actually three if you count their up-upstairs lounge, and a rooftop patio that overlooks 10^th Ave & the Souteastern skyline.

They have a nice selection of beers, both English & local. They also have drinks that are, “dark, go in your belly, make ya warm,” which is always a nice combination. Also, they have a happy hour that runs from 4:30 to 6:30 and Midnight to 2:00 AM Sunday through Thursday.

Anyway, Ol' Swervin had a thing or two to say about Brit's. Check it: (do yourself a favor and bump the quality up to 360p. This camera's shit)

Damn! 4 Swerves for Brit's Pub! Let's check the big board and see where that leaves us:

CC Club: 4 Swerves

Brit's Pub: 4 Swerves

Loring Kitchen & Bar: 3.5 Swerves

Liquor Lyle's: 2 Swerves

Mortimer's: 2 Swerves

Tied for first place! You limey bastards!

 Alright, thanks for joining us this time. For more on Brit's Pub you can check out there website here.

As always, SwervinTaters is on Twitter (@SwervinTaters) and we can say, without hyperbole, that deciding to follow him is the best decision you'll make all year. 

Of course, this blog is on Twitter as well (@NewestIndustry1). Follow it. Frreal. Until next time...