Soup to Nuts 08/09/2011 12:18pm

First a quick heads-up: It's "Anything Goes with your Turn Signal Day" in Minnesota. Adjust your travel plans accordingly. Hate: What's with all the hatin', haters? I understand that every show is not going to be to everyone's taste, but I don't understand the petulance. There are plenty of situations in the world that deserve a little self-righteous disgust, but a Fringe show isn't one of them. Give zero or one or two kitties if you wish, but keep the finger-wagging for financial experts and your sad, awful family members. And speaking of aggrieved petulance - I've got some for the person who punished my show because she felt I'm essentially playing the same character that I played in a Fringe show last year. This is OUTRAGEOUS! That character had a goatee! People are stupid. Love: I actually did my blogly duty and ate out. I had a beer and fish tacos at Republic. After just one meal, I can't really rate the food. Well, I guess I can - the fish was overcooked and dry, but have you tried to cook thin fish fillets? It's tricky! That's why you wrap them in a tortilla with vegetables and salsa, a squeeze of lime and a little cheese. The flavor was good and I felt happily satisfied. There's an impressive selection of beers (I had the daily special - no idea what it was) and the rest of the dinner menu looked great - dishes that are creative enough to be interesting, but simple enough that the kitchen should be able to provide consistently good quality. Compared to the usual bar food, Republic is far, far better. I sat outside with a few friends, enjoyed my dinner and talked Fringe Festival. Great. On a scale of Colley Cibber to Aeschylus, I give Republic a solid Moss Hart. (The server, however, never really committed to his role. I never felt like he really WANTED me to enjoy my meal. On a scale of Adam Sandler to Philip Seymour Hoffman, I have to give him a Larry Storch.) TIP: When you're sautéing or grilling your thin fish fillets for tacos, try brushing them with a little annatto seed oil! Here's a recipe from the irritating Emeril Lagasse.