The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Even body sushi couldn't save Temple. I can't say I was really surprised by today's news, reported by WCCO, that Temple Restaurant and Bar has closed - it's a tough market these days. I only made it to Tom Pham's Asian Fusion restaurant a couple of times in the one-and-a-half years that it was open, but I found it gastronomically

I was pleasantly surprised by my lunchtime visit to Cat-Man-Do, the new Nepali-Tibetan-Indian café at 1659 Grand (just west of Snelling Ave.) in Saint Paul. The menu is pretty limited, compared to most of the local Indian restaurants, with their endless variations on the theme of tandoori, masala, vindaloo and jalfrazee, but Cat-Man-Do does offer some dishes that aren't often found elsewhere.

I got a press release the other day from Temple, Thom Pham's Asian Fusion restaurant, announcing that on March 8, the restaurant will hold a Nyotaimori / Nantaimori event. "Nyotaimori and Nantaimori," the press release helpful explains, "are accepted traditions in Japan of serving sashimi and sushi off of the body of a woman or a man. It has been practiced for centuries, initiated as an art by the Geisha Community."

I've been puzzling all morning over the logistics of this thing, but I think I've finally got it figured out.