I am officially 1/4 of the way into my 12 in '12 list; Time for an update.

#3. Have a drink made by all the bartenders in book Northstar Cocktail by Johnny Michaels.  I suppose I should list them so I can cross them off as I have one of there stellar cocktails. So for tracking purposes here is the list (I will highlight who had made me drinks):

Johnny Michaels	Chad Larson
Megan Arts	Tim Leary
Jourdan Gomez	Garrett Nitzchke
Birk Grudem	Dan Oskey
Pip Hanson	Michael Rasmussen
Adam Harness	Richy Rivera
Jesse Held	Christat Robinson
Rob Jones	Jeff Rogers
Shawn Jones	Sonya Runkle
Gina Kent	Peder Schweigert
Nicholas Kosevich	Thea Sheffert
Ira Koplowitz	Geoffrey Trelstad
Collin Lace	Andy Truskolski

Jeff Rogers

As a member of the North Star Bartenders Guild I am privileged to spend time with some of the bartenders who contributed to Northstar Cocktail. The Guild has hosted two events in the past three months that have allowed me to enjoy cocktails by some of the bartenders above.  I could technically cross off, Jourdan, Adam, Jesse, Rob, Shawn, Nicolas, Ira, Chad, Richy, and Jeff.   I think, however, I will still visit them at their bars. It is nice to chat with them and then have them sign the book. (The things I will do to cross items off my list) 

Adam Harness

I have enjoyed drinks from behind their own bar with Jeff Rogers (The Lowery) and Adam Harness (Cafe Maude). The drink Jeff created was not on the menu and is called "Moon Bear." Adam used me as a guinea pig for a drink that is coming out on his new drink menu.  



#4. Run 12k - I bought myself a pair of running shoes and have been walking and doing a little running on my treadmill.  With the weather turning nicer I am excited to get outside and hit the payment. 


#6.Lose 30 lbs. (and not find it again).  When I started the year I was 208 lbs.  As the of post of this blog I am at 195 lbs.  My goal is set at 2.5 lbs per month.  I am happy to say I am exceeding that goal. I think the combination of using my treadmill, giving up meat for Lent, and be conscious what I eat has all contributed to being 13 lbs down.

#8. Try 12 new restaurants - I have had no trouble finding new places to try.  I will be adding posts and photos from my experiences.

Chicken & Waffles from Hash House

1. The Lowry (Minneapolis, MN) -My Visit -The Lowry
2. Swirl (Afton, MN)
3. Hash House A Go Go (Las Vegas, NV)
4. Eat Street Social (Minneapolis, MN)
5. The Town Hall Tap (Minneapolis, MN)
6. Create Catering (Minneapolis, MN)
7. Porter & Frye (Minneapolis, MN)
8. Cafe Maude (Minneapolis, MN)

#10.  New Job - It's not for lack of trying, but I have been sending out resumes and cover letters.  I try not to let not getting a response back frustrate me; unfortunately it seems to be the norm with companies to not respond.  I did however start doing some contract work  for Bob Curtis at the Bob Curtis Agency in Lakeville, MN. 


#11.  Meet up with 12 people I know only via Facebook, but have never met.  Wow!  I am surprised I have only crossed one name off on this list.  Yet there has been  communication via Facebook in the last 3 months.  I should do a quick recap of the names: 

1. Nate Anderson     
2. Chris Hawkey
3. Adam Vickerman 
4. Leslie Davis
5. Tim Kanaley
6. Dave Sniadak
7. Nick Koppy 
8. Scott Pampuch     
9. Jeff Roemhildt 
10. Rick Reichert     
11. Danny Klecko

I met Tim Kanley, he is a friend of my friend Mitch Nelson. We have chatted a few times on Facebook Chat but never have met.  I figure if he knows Mitch he can't be all bad.  We decided to meet for dinner and a cocktail at Porter & Frye in Minneapolis.  I found out during my conversation at dinner I think I know Tim better than Mitch does.  The evening was fabulous and the conversation flowed like we had been friends for years and dinner was a regular occurrence. 

#12. This will be the Year of the Kitchen!  I am going to say this now...There have not been enough people in my kitchen!  I have been fortunate to have friends stop by. My guests have included an evening of gross cheese (Ross believes I was trying to kill him...hmm...hasn't he heard of murder mystery dinners?), wonderful wine & cocktails,  great conversation and an impromptu dinner with Ross Sveback & Mitch Hildman.

You know it was a good time when the kitchen a mess!

Adam Warner came by for another impromptu dinner that got cut short due to other schedule conflicts.  Even though we had about an hour we enjoyed a healthy meal of Sauteed Vegetables with Soba Noodles and a touch of Parmesan cheese. 


What is next? Get through #11 Meet up with 12 people I know only via Facebook, but have never met.  I am already working on a list of more people to meet that I know only via Facebook.  As with any of my lists like this there may be things added....ok, that is pretty much a guarantee.  I will continue to update my blog with how I am doing with the 12 in '12 list. Sign up to follow my blog and you can be kept up to date on how it is going.