Dressed for: a Bucks game

camel sweater, green pants, phone case , boots tote bag , Bucks hat, boots

When going to a NBA game, you have two sartorial options: dress like you're going to a club or dress like you're at a basketball game. I guess it depends where your seats are as to which way you lean. I like to dress in the middle - dark skinny jeans and a nice top or colored or patterned pants and a warm knit sweater. Fun wedge booties or polished riding boots are nice footwear options because you'll inevitably have to walk outside in January. Instead of doing the traditional graphic tee to support the team, I often look to add subtle details like team earrings, a fun hat to wear into the building, socks, or iphone cases to support the team in a more controlled fanatical manner. After all, I'm not in tryouts for Squad 6 or anything.

Now, let's talk shop. I know the Packers lost last week and that's depressing. It's gonna take a while to shake that off. But it does leave lots of extra time to watch more Bucks games. Wisconsin's pro basketball team has a winning record and a season that goes into April. And if you go to a game, you don't have to wear long underwear. I see this as a win-win.

Local Top 5: Coffee Shops

I've often been asked for recommendations on where to go/eat/stay around Milwaukee so I'm creating a few posts called "Local Top 5" and I'll run down the lists of my favorite places around town. Up first, caffeine, of course! In no particular order, here are some places that won't disappoint. My recommendations may change over time, but these are some good ol' standbys.

ALTERRA on Prospect: This became a daily visit when I used to live across the street from here. I love the sidewalk tables, the hanging plants inside, the lovely latte art, and the steamy squeals from espresso machines. There are numerous Alterra cafes in Milwaukee, but this one I call home. Info here.

ANODYNE in Bay View: As much as I love Alterra, their coffee is hella strong so if I plan to have more than one cup, I go to Anodyne. Their coffee is nice and smooth, balanced and bright. It has a great neighborhood feel and I never feel pushed out the door. I like the nice sturdy tables and natural light. Lulu the dog likes the dog water dishes outside.

BREWED on Brady: If I'm out and about on Brady St. during the day, I'll skip the Starbucks and head to Brewed. They have good food, lots of organic options, and a boho coffee house feel. They serve up Anodyne coffee so best of both worlds!

FUEL CAFE in Riverwest: No sissy coffee here. This moto racing themed spot is worth the trek . It was one of my regular lunch spots when I was working on the north side. They have great sandwiches. And fast and easy service. And the rock turned all the way up.

BIRDIE'S in Highland Park: On the border between Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, Birdie's is homey and smells like pies. Perfect, because pie is really good with coffee. I like the cozy atomostphere here a lot. Info here.

morning walk

This is Humboldt park in Bay View. When I have time I try to tag along with Lulu the dog and the husband on their morning walk. The leaves are almost at their peak and the park looks gorgeous.

Fall, I've missed you.

A Milwaukee Home Tour

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this home tour of Milwaukeeans Scott Johnson and Maureen Post featured on the blog, Home Again (follow the link for more photos HERE). It's a nice change of pace to see a home that is actually lived in and is unique to the couple living there. I'm getting tired of flipping through the pages of Decor and House Beautiful, myself. So I"m excited to see a project/blog right in my own backyard. Three cheers for their awesome home tours! And maybe someday (when I actually pick up all the laundry baskets in my living room) my home might look blogworthy, too.

Fun Times at Blogs & Books

A big thanks to all those who came out for Blogs & Books last weekend! It was so much fun meeting fellow bloggers (Karis, Lisa, Elena, Colleen, and Marisa) and talking about books. Made my week.

We had some great local business giving us a hand: Treat Bake Shop provided some goodies, , fresh design for the flower arrangements, and Monograham paper for the fun notebook giveaways and of course, the wonderful Pabst Theater for letting us hangout!

I can't wait to do it again - I think we'll do four books a year - one for each season. There was a lot of response for Julia Child's 'My Life In Paris'; so let me know what you think. I've been on a real Julia Child kick, myself....just watch this video to see what I mean. My hope is that through this event we can discover new places in the city, discover new local businesses, discover new blogs, support the blogging and blog-reading community, and learn some new stuff. Hope to see you at the next one!

See you Sunday!

We're getting ready for the Blogs & Book event on Sunday. Colleen made this polka dot awesome table cloth.

Some of the highlights will be.....
- book club discussion on "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin
- Summer lemonade demonstration and tasting
- Snacks from Treat Bakery
- DIY tutorial "How to gift wrap a book"
- Fun summer flowers from Fresh Design
- Smock notebook giveaway from Monograham


We'll mingle, we'll learn, we'll discuss, we'll have fun! See below for the event flyer. The more the merrier, so bring your friends!

Next week, I'll post some highlights of the book discussion and the DIY tutorial! So stay tuned.



*top photo: Colleen, Artwork: Marisa

Backyard Discovery: Vintage Rentals

In addition to serving some pretty rad catering, I just found out that Ball 'n Biscuit also rents some pretty rad vintage place settings -- like old plates, napkins and silverware. And if you want to decorate, they'll rent out decor items like old doors, wooden crates and suitcases. For a big dinner party or small event, this would add a ton of originality to the decor. It would probably cause some audible OMGs and jaw drops. And at a dollar or two per piece, what's not to love. If you live in the Milwaukee area, you can pick it up or they can arrange for a larger order to be delivered most anywhere. I'm really loving this business concept.
Time to get my vintage dinner party flair on, I'd say.

*Photos by Kat Schleicher for Ball 'n Biscuit

Milwaukee Faves: Friday Fish Fry

On Friday I tried the "Damn Good Fish Fry" at Maxie's Southern Comfort. I love their po'boys, mojitos, and shrimp 'n grits, but now I can add their fish fry to that list. Friday Fish Fry is pretty popular in Wisconsin and they all vary a little bit. Maxie's serves beer-battered cod with french fries and coleslaw. I'm a big fan of beer-battered cod...and potato pancakes. What kind of fish fry do you guys like??

Backyard Discovery: Trail of Crumbs Pop-Up Restaurant

You get a date and time and thats it. That's how Milwaukee's pop-up restaurant ....And you will know us by trail of crumbs (aka Trail of Crumbs) works. The location is a secret until the day of the dinner event, then emailed to you. You arrive at a pop-up restaurant either in someone's home or an empty building or a business. It's all about the surprise. The next pop-up restaurant, with a Vegan-friendly menu will take place on August 5th. I have been wanting to go this but seem to always be busy the day it takes place. Wouldn't this be fun?

Check out their Facebook page here and their website here.

photos: via trail of crumbs

The Weekend: Firkin Fest

When you're in the midst of finals and its crazy town hot outside (see the lack of grass above), you should just give up go to a beer festival.

Milwaukee Firkin Fest was this past Sunday in Cathedral Square. There were 36 breweries/microbreweries/brewers guilds sampling a few of their beers, one of which was a firkin. What's a firkin? It's a quarter barrel keg of beer without the negative pressure which allows for a beer that harnesses full flavor but doesn't preserve like a normal keg. So some beers taste better from a firkin because there's less foam. My favorite find was the Halcyon Daze from Tallgrass Brewery- oh man. good. Although the best find may have been the beer schwing for $5. There's another beer tasting on the lakefront next weekend - Milwaukee Brewfest.

It was a nice break from studying and getting all stressed out and schtuff. Who needs that?! Now, back to life, back to reality.

Backyard Discovery: Boone & Crockett

Welcome to my new hangout, Boone & Crockett. I love the theme - a turn of the century hunting parlor with a Sconnie twist. Deer trophies line the wall, plaid tufted benches, art deco brass lamps over the mohair couches, and a picture of Teddy Roosevelt above the bar. We were there the other night again - I think I just love the antiques, but the drinks might be the reason, too. They serve great mixed cocktails like cucumber collins and a gin bramble (gin with lemon and blackberries). It's a great place to visit if you're in Milwaukee and of course, hangout if you live in Bay View. They also have a patio for these hot summer nights. Hurrah!

Boone & Crockett Facebook page 2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee, WI Open from 3pm - 2am

Milwaukee Faves: The Oriental Theater

We saw Moonrise Kingdom - and it was awesome. Very quirky, very clever, very well written. Have you seen it yet?

The Oriental has got to be the perfect backdrop to a Wes Anderson film. I love the moorish architecture, the giant buddhas with glowing eyes along the main theater walls, and of course, the brewers yeast to put on your popcorn. Heck yes, we're in Milwaukee. They only play select movies, two or three at a time, mostly independent or foreign films (which means I'll have to venture out to the iPic to see my Tyler Perry movie this weekend. not kidding).

The Oriental Theater
2230 N. Farwell Ave.
Milwaukee, WI
website: http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/milwaukee/orientaltheatre.htm

Beach yoga

photo: Amber
This looks so fun. And in summer, I want to take everything outside, especially to the beach. But I'll probably skip South Shore Beach in Bay View. It showed up on a recent list of top dirtiest beach in the US. So, we'll be skipping that one. Luckily Bradford and McKinley are just up the shoreline in Milwaukee and get water samples are tested daily. Bradford Beach also has a "Beach Yoga" class on Saturdays and Wednesdays offered through Elite Sports Club. Classes are $5 a session.

Check out the Bradford Beach Yoga info here.

Out to Lunch: Smoke Shack

I seriously love southern food so I was really excited to check this place out. Smoke Shack in the third ward serves up BBQ done right. The place is small, you drink out of mason jars, and the country music is ON. If there were ever a place in Milwaukee that didn't feel like Milwaukee, this is it. My husband and I split the four meat combo (a sampler of their pulled pork, sliced brisket, house made sausage, and pulled chicken. Then, we split dessert -- a bacon bourbon brownie usually served with Purple Door vanilla ice cream, but I had them substitute with their whiskey ice cream. Three words: Oh Lordy Moses.

Check out their website here. Check out their menu here.

Window Shopping: ReThreads in Bay View

There's a new addition to the stores in Bay View - ReThreads! located at 2671 Kinnickinnick Avenue. I am so, so excited to have a cool clothing store just blocks from my house. They just opened a couple weeks ago and are adding to their selection daily - I know because during my usually fast-paced walks with the dog, I find myself slowing down to a crawl as I walk passed their display windows, trying to peek inside, then picking it right back up when we hit the next building; I feel like a cartoon. The other week, I picked up a fuchsia and yellow caftan for backyard lounging this summer. I'm a big fan of caftans, but I worry it's a slippery slope to donning a moo-moo. So moderation, I guess.

If you shop at ReThreads a lot, you should check out the Shepherd Express Store because they sell 'groupon-like' coupons for 50% off for ReThreads and many other local stores like Actaea Works, The Brass Rooster, The Pedal Tavern, and Sobelman's. I have been telling everyone about this.

Listening to: The Head and the Heart

"Down In The Valley" ranks high on my list of best road trip songs. Not only is it about traveling, but the rhythm builds and barrels on like an anthem for a lonely wanderer.

AND....did you notice TURNER HALL BALLROOM in the music video?? There are some clips from set up, soundcheck, and bits from their show this past spring. Don't you just love the burnt out wooden beauty of Turner Hall - it's a great music venue so I'm not surprised this band filmed there. I'm a big fan.

I even had my wedding at Turner Hall.

Hi Mom.

I got my Milwaukee Magazine in the mail this week and was surprised to see.....my mom! She was interviewed for the "Fostering Flea: What's Old is New Again at Area Markets" by Maureen Post. She runs the Elkhorn Flea Market in Elkhorn, WI and talked about the shift in buyers and collecting. The issue should be out on newsstands this week.

Happy Monday

It just occurred to me that most grocery stores outside of Milwaukee don't have a "sausage section" - a whole section of the meat department in the summer that is just bratwurst/kielbasa/weiners/sausages. You're missing out, America.

The Weekend: Rockabilly Chili

The annual WMSE Rockabilly Chili Contest offered up some good surprises yesterday. I got to try about a half dozen amazingly different chilis - from chicken masala chili to beef brisket chili - and I liked them. Then the biggest surprise - mad heartburn. Seriously. Heartburn. (Listen body, I'm 28, not 78) Thankfully, The Wicked Hop had a dish of Tums sitting out. I dug in like it was M&Ms. I guess that's a sports related injury in the food contest world.

There were 3 that really stood out to me:
no. 1) The Bel Air Caintina chipotle chili with shoestring tortilla strips and avocado crema
no. 2) The Wicked Hop tomatoey-brisket chili with tons-o-toppings (shot of whiskey optional)
no. 3) Braise Restaurant's bean chili with bacon on top

None of these won the official contest. For those results, go here. Just bring an arsenal of antacids next year if you plan to try the ghost chili pepper chili from Ball 'n Biscuit. Or else.

Engagement Photos in Aisle 5

On Monday, my friends Colleen and Mike were featured in Rock 'n Roll Bride for their quirky engagements photos taken at nearby http://www.koppas.com/">Koppa's Fulbeli Deli by my friend CJ Foeckler.  They both love Koppa's, and who wouldn't - how many groceries stores can you sit and play Atari - and they live nearby so it was a perfect location.  During the photo shoot they really got to ham it up and show off their bright and fun-loving personalities.  Which, for engagement photos is perfect.  It's nice to see a fun (and authentic) couples photo instead of the ho-hum "day in the park" photos.

You can see more of Colleen over at her blog, Flee Fly Flown and more of Mike at his blog Wizconsin.