By Wini Moranville

  

Whether you're looking for a hostess gift, a stocking stuffer or just one more sweet little something to add to a larger gift, here are three choice items. All are available at locally owned stores, and each is something I either own (and cherish!) or have personally given as a gift:

• Aceto Balsamico di Modena di Famiglia from Vom Fass: Like wines, balsamic vinegars vary greatly in quality. Give your favorite foodie a bottle of this dense, velvety elixir as a reminder of everything a true-to-Modena balsamic vinegar can be. This isn't for vinaigrettes; rather, it's meant as an opulent finishing touch to drizzle over roasted meats and veggies or swirl (sparingly!) into pan sauces, pastas, risottos and more. $19.99 per 100-ml bottle at Vom Fass (833 42nd St.; 515-244-5020).

• The Original Cheese Knife: This knife was created in the 1940s specifically to cut through -- of all things -- Velveeta. Turns out, what worked well for Velveeta works splendidly for cutting today's popular semisoft cheeses, from Brie to havarti. The secret is in the FDA-approved resin blade, which keeps the cheese from clinging to the knife when you cut it. $19.99 at Kitchen Collage (430 E. Locust St.; 515-270-8202). 

• Cat Studio Geography Collection Dishtowels: Remind someone of home -- or of somewhere else they might rather be! These colorful, beautifully embroidered towels come in all kinds of geographically themed designs. Choices include nearby states and favorite international destinations, like Paris or London. $18.50 at Accents and Interiors (Westmark Plaza, 2701 86th St., Urbandale; 515-276-7201).

Wini Moranville covers food and dining for dsm. Follow her at All Things Food - DSM Wini Moranville.     

An innovative instrumental trio from New York City, the Bad Plus, performs two shows tomorrow evening ( Wednesday, Dec. 21, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.) at the Des Moines Social Club.

  

With a piano, drums and upright bass, the Bad Plus brings a deft jazz sensibility to its arrangements of popular music. The trio's sound is uniquely their own, as they continue their search for musical rules to break and boundaries to cross, bridging genres and techniques.

If you've heard enough holiday fluff from retailers' in-store sound systems, this group promises a refreshing reprieve -- live, lively and cool. From here, they move on to extended engagements in Minneapolis and New York. Tickets are $14 if ordered today, $17 tomorrow. Get tickets and more information here. 

The long-running "Triple Espresso" sailed past show No. 750 recently without even slowing down. In the beginning, the show landed at the then-new Temple Theater in 2002, scheduled for eight weeks. It ran for more than a year. Repeat runs have kept it a staple of comedy in Des Moines, where two of the cast have married and become local residents.

  

Remarkably, the three cast members have never had an understudy and never missed a curtain call. One did have to leave one night when he became ill, but the remaining pair got the audience engaged, ad-libbed some bits, and pulled off a memorable evening of theater on-the-fly.

  

With so much local history, Triple Espresso has its own micro-culture. Actor John Bush recalls noticing a brother and sister at one show, both in their 20s. "They sat right at the front table and laughed hard through every moment," as if anticipating the next line, he observed. "We later found out that they came to the show in past years with their now-deceased father who loved the show. They said that this experience was like being with him again."

  

That's not uncommon with this production, which brings audience members onstage as part of the fun, says actor Patrick Albanese. " I brought a guy up onstage once, and after the show a woman approached me crying. I had brought up her dad. She told me that he and her mother were married for 63 years, and that her mom passed away six months earlier. He hadn't smiled or laughed since -- until that show."

 

To make your own connection, click here for tickets and info on upcoming shows, including New Year's Eve at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., and a matinee at 3 p.m. New Year's Day. The last show will be Jan. 7... or so they claim.