For some reason on Saturday night, I had visions of luscious buffet tables, an ice sculpture or two and prawns so big you'd actually mistake them for lobsters. Cheese cubes and mushrooms are what I got instead.

Don't get me wrong. The Minnesota DFL inauguration celebration was a lovely fundraising affair. Set at the eclectic Graves Hotel in Minneapolis, the fifth-floor ballroom was brimming with politicians, past and present.

While the wait staff circled the room with trays of tiny but tasty hors d'oeuvres, in the far corner of the room two DJs wearing up-do's and dresses spun vinyl LPs from back in the day. Michael Jackson's "Pretty Young Thing" coaxed a few rhythmically inclined couples out onto the dance floor.

Meanwhile, I had a nice chat with recently announced gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton. He's staying in town this week, even though he could be in Washington. He gave his two tickets to one of the official inaugural balls to his 6-year-old nephew.

Rep. Keith Ellison told me his wife, Kim, and their children were already in Washington and he'd be joining them Monday. I bumped into Ellison as he was leaving the DFL bash and heading over to the Human Rights Campaign party at Jet Set. I decided to check it out as well. After all, the night was still young and I could only eat so much brie.

Here's the video.