A Thousand Laughs

 

A few years ago, Chris gave me a gift certificate to Acme Comedy Company for Mother's Day. I finally redeemed it for our 31st anniversary dinner and an evening of good comedy. The club is in the heart of the Minneapolis warehouse district.

We got a prime corner table in the Sticks restaurant dining room, a very pleasant and airy space in an open space, with minimalist décor. Our server was pleasant and competent, and our drinks were served quickly. It's hard to go wrong with Johnny Walker Red, and the house Pinot Noir was surprisingly delicious. Bread and house salads were nicely presented and very good.

Sticks Restaurant

I can't say the same about Bob's sirloin steak (tough and decidedly well beyond the requested medium rare), or my seafood linguini. I picked out the clams, mussels and shrimp, which were passable removed from the strong, soupy tomato sauce and tired linguini. Bob's sides (green beans, spiced potato chunks) were fine.

No matter. The entertainment was great! We were ushered into our front row center seats in the adjoining club. Emcee Brandi Brown kept things moving along through the amateur comic contest (5 contestants, 3 minutes each) and the performances of featured comic Erik Allen and headliner Mike Winfield. We were very aware of being the oldest attendees, by at least three decades.

Bob had warned me before the evening began that I wasn't to raise my hand, under any circumstances. However, early on Erik Allen identified us as "old" and asked how long we'd been married. After a little sparring, Bob told the comic it was his job to entertain us! A very funny guy, a recovering alcoholic somewhat uncomfortable with sobriety. He has that edgy personality so often found in comedians and today, I found myself worrying a little about him.

Mike Winfield was side splitting funny. His act includes a lot of "black guy" and male-female relationship stuff. I laughed a lot and was totally spent by the time we left the venue shortly after ten. My abdomen is still sore today, and I laugh every time I think about our evening.