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Restaurants get together to 'Fork the Fire'

In an unprecedented show of support from their peers, more than 50 Twin Cities restaurants are coming together on March 14 to benefit Blackbird and Heidi's Minneapolis following the Feb. 18 fire that destroyed both southwest Minneapolis businesses.

For "Fork the Fire," dozens of local restaurants will offer specials at brunch, lunch and/or dinner that day, with proceeds benefiting the two restaurants. The list of participants is long, but includes Victory 44, Spoonriver, Sea Change, Il Gatto, Craftsman, Pierre's Bistro, Prima, Grand Cafe, El Meson, First Course. Vincent and Sen Yai Sen Lek. Capping the day is a pair of special events at Mission American Kitchen and Cafe Twenty Eight. More information is at www.forkthefire.org.

The reason behind the event? Peace of mind. "Insurance is designed for specific, tangible needs," said co-organizer Elli Ansari of Hemisphere Restaurant Group. "But this benefit is meant to help fill the gap during the months ahead, and those needs that can't be addressed by the parameters of insurance. The money will be collected and pooled and then split evenly between the two restaurants."

"Fork the Fire" came together quickly. "This effort has really taken on a momentum," said Molly Broder of Broders' Cucina Italiana and Broders' Pasta Bar. "It's been unreal. No one that we've approached, from the biggest to the smallest, has said no. So far we've signed up 55 restaurants, and that number is growing by the minute."

For Modern Cafe co-owner Jim Grell, pitching in was a no-brainer. "We had a fire in 1995, and we were closed for six weeks," he said. "It was a difficult time emotionally, and it's especially hard for the employees, who are left in a weird spot. When I got the email, I immediately thought, 'Let's do this.' It's so nice to see the city coming together like this. It never used to be this way."

Diners unable to attend an event on the 14th can make a donation to the Blackbird and Heidi's Benefit Fund at Central Bank (2120 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., www.centralbnk.com).

  • Rick Nelson

Original Kieran's to become 'Old Pub'

With Kieran Folliard moving his namesake pub to Block E (opening March 16), you might be wondering: What's happening with the old space (330 2nd Av. S., Mpls.)? The answer: It's staying in Folliard's hands, but he's giving it a new name. The pub mogul said he has a lease commitment through July 2012 and plans to honor it. So what's the new name? Folliard said he will call it The Old Pub. "I'm quite amused by it myself," the Irishman said. "There's no point in spending too many brain cells on this." The original Kieran's will shut down at 4 p.m. on March 16, with the last pint paraded over to the new Kieran's at that time. After giving the space a "good spring cleaning," it will reopen May 3 with its new name. The Old Pub will be open from 11:30 to 7:30 p.m., just for lunch and happy hour.

  • Tom Horgen

One funny weekend

If Jimmy Fallon doesn't move your funnybone (he's at the Orpheum Saturday night), might we suggest a couple comedians with a little more bite? New York-bred talent Dave Attell is often called your favorite comedian's favorite comedian. Known for his lacerating wit and multiple TV shows ("Insomniac With Dave Attell," "The Gong Show With Dave Attell"), Attell will do a five-show stand at Rick Bronson's House of Comedy at the Mall of America.

Another indie comic, the very funny Ross Brockley, practically attained TV commercial sainthood with his starring role in a string of popular Holiday Inn commercials in the early 2000s. Today he's raising llamas in Nebraska between gigs. He'll emerge from his farm life for a show at Nick and Eddie (10 p.m. Fri 3/5. $8.)

  • Tom Horgen

It's a Sitch at Bootleggers

"Anything involved with the Situation is a phenomenon." Yep, those words actually came out of Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino's mouth Saturday night in Minneapolis. The breakout star of MTV's smash hit "Jersey Shore" was in town for a paid-to-party gig at Bootleggers. Management said about 2,000 people funneled through the bar to get a peek at the buff reality star, who wore a muscle tee, a rhinestone-encrusted trucker hat and some blinged-out chains.

Sitch, as he's called by his most devoted fans, got ready beforehand at the swanky Graves 601 Hotel. For dinner, a stretch limo took him and his entourage to Seven Sushi & Steakhouse -- one block from the Graves.

As for the party, it was almost like the TV show's savage craziness had infected the crowd at Bootleggers. Whenever the Situation would simply stand up in his roped-off booth, people went absolutely bonkers. Fans pushed forward, jostling for the best view through their camera phones. From his perch, the Situation was happy to mug for their tiny flashbulbs. Women rubbed his abs. Dudes shook his hand. At one point, he jumped on top of the bar, where he proceeded to pour shots of liquor into screaming mouths. Then he showed his abs again. Amid the madness, the Situation (who was halfway to a drunken oblivion) sat down for a quick interview.

Q: You host these nights every week. Do you get tired of all the people grabbing you?

A: I don't get tired of people loving me.

Q: How does Minneapolis rank with other party cities like Vegas and New York?

A: I'll be honest with you, Minneapolis is pretty wild.

Q: Tomorrow is your day off. What does the Situation do when he isn't "working"?

A: On my day off, I do GTL -- gym, tanning and laundry.

  • Tom Horgen

Auto-didactic?

Overheard at last Friday's After Hours party at Walker Art Center: a curatorial type 'splaining to some visitors, "We decided not to use wall tags for this exhibit, because we wanted people to be absorbed by the art, instead of spending their time reading." Well said. We always feel bad about all the time we spend poring over those wall cards, and seeking, among other things, to learn the date and the names of the artists. In the Walker's defense, there are booklets in the gallery that can be carried around for the kind of info often carried by wall cards. Often carried by the cards, that is, in days before this latest brainstorm.

  • Claude Peck