Minneapolis executive hangs with the queen

MagicCom prez Dan Witkowski was hanging in Queen Elizabeth's private box recently at the Royal Ascot Racecourse.

Witkowski, whose Twin Cities innovations company develops patents and then licenses them all over the world, is in the UK doing business with the British government and some work related to the Olympics. And, typical Minnesotan, Witkowski was unnerved that "one of the wags" had tipped me off about his brush with royalty.

"I know some people who know some people, so they said, Come on out to Royal Ascot. We'll get you into the royal box. I thought, 'Oh, sure.' Then sure enough," said Witkowski when he called Monday from England. "I'm about as amazed as everybody else."

Despite repeated exposure to "The Queen" -- which while it's really well done is my current fall-to-sleep DVD -- I couldn't remember what the Tony Blair character was told to do first when he met the queen.

"Bow slightly and she does the talking," said Witkowski. "You just kind of nod and say, 'Your Majesty.' I had to brush up on protocol. And you know, they said Her Majesty is about as easy-going as C.J. is, maybe even a little more so."

C.J. who?

"They did. You are a celebrity over here," said Witkowski. "You know, we both lay it on pretty thick. You are charming; you laugh and giggle."

The lady in a photo with Witkowski, who was dressed to a T, is "Anne Winthrope-Spencer. She's a very, very nice lady," he said. And a relative of the late Princess Diana? "Probably not. Would a Diana Spencer root go out with a fellow with an 's-k-i' at the end of his name?" Ah, Princess Diana was dating an Egyptian, Dodi Fayed, at the time of their unfortunate demise, I reminded Witkowski. "Oh that's right," he said.

More than 20 years ago, I believe I announced in print that you were engaged? I mentioned.

"Sadly, now I'm divorced," said Witkowski.

That's too bad, but Witkowski can worry about North American matters later. While in Europe, he's too busy bowing to Queen Elizabeth and checking out Wimbledon -- all while working. Hard life!

Wisdom in that gray?

Berkus sighting

A Linda Finley tells me she saw Nate Berkus dining at Minnetonka's Bacio with his mom, Nancy Golden, "and someone else."

"I was too Nate-struck," Finley wrote, to closely examine the other person with the TV show host/designer and his mom, also a designer.

"Celebrating my 50th birthday, walked out and there he was, sitting on the patio in all his lovely, blue-eyed, tousled-hair glory... yum :))). I was a complete dork and walked up to him, touched him on the shoulder and muttered, 'I watch you on TV every day. Oh, and I grew up in Minnetonka, too.'"

A Bacio staffer could not confirm the sighting. Berkus' PR person did not get back to me.

An open-faced knuckle sandwich became the unexpected owner's special Thursday outside Market Bar-B-Que on Nicollet Avenue.

Steve Polski went after a guy who repeatedly stressed that he was from New York during a minor skirmish (viewable at startribune.com/video) that featured spitting, a slap to the face and F-bombs littering the sidewalk.

I was there with my camera and had just made the remark, That's not healthy, to Polski as Mr. New Yawk was walking by the restaurant. Mr. New Yawk thought the comment was directed at him and would believe neither me nor Polski when told he had misconstrued the situation.

Mr. New Yawk said he knew when a woman was speaking to him, and "I'm going to say something back. I'm from New York, baby." Polski later claimed he was defending my honor (even I laughed); I maintain the situation didn't turn into a confrontation until the words "baldy" and "old man" were hurled at Steve.

It was just a lot of F-bombs and outstretched arm gestures until Mr. New Yawk spit in Polski's face and the ex-Golden Glover in the restaurateur reacted with a smack to Yawky's kisser. A couple of civilian peacemakers soon arrived on the scene to calm things down, and we all went on our way.