Indeed, Los Andes Restaurante at 317 W. Lake St. (Lake and Grand) has been open all of two weeks. Three family members run the place. The wife seated me, but didn't speak enough English to explain the menu options, so I met the husband/cook. He's from Ecuador and she's from Columbia, and their recipes come from their homelands. The prices were about on a par for local Mexican restaurants ($10-$15, mostly). I asked for suggestions, and was led to the first Dinner option (#8), which was skirt steak with potatoes, served with a separate plate of rice, beans and a plantain. A huuuuuge amount of food that I couldn't finish. Delicious. I asked for hot sauce and was given an orangish "Ecuadoran" concoction which was tasty and very hot. We talked a bit. Maybe I'll help them with flyers/web site.
Anyway.
The Cat Came Back Two Stars
More chanteuse, please The show starts off with some okay bantering with the audience, card tricks and a nice song from the chanteuse/cat/prostitute who's adventures form the link to the rest of the sketches and her songs. The skits have a few chuckles, but mostly don't have any energy. The adult subject matter and attempt at a hard-edged ending make it unsuitable for children, despite the children's song it's based on. An interesting idea with only a few good bits.
*whew* I'm up to 25 shows, beating last year already. I feel a bit burnt out, but not so much that I'm going to skip some highly-rated shows. Tonight: Borderlines; Corncobs, Hotdogs and Other Dirty Secrets at the Mpls Theatre Garage and American Drama: Pocket Edition at Acadia, which both
dreamshark, R and hunnythistle said was not to be missed. 