Marketplace - Nov. 18, 2009
When was the last time you saw these around the office?
Since starting OnMilwaukee.com in 1998, life has gone increasingly digital. And even within the digital realm, it's moved in a different direction. Looking around my office, I see old relics and wonder when the last time I used them.
Tagged with: zip drive, phone book, film camera, obsolete

Travel & Visitors Guide - Nov. 17, 2009
Vibrant Mexico City bustles with life, strains under controlled chaos
Getting invited to a destination wedding is a bit of a mixed blessing. This month, OnMilwaukee.com Publisher Andy Tarnoff traveled to Mexico City for the nuptials of a college friend. While he never expected to take a vacation there, he's glad he went. Here's a recap.
Tagged with: mexico city, the killers, Zocalo, Xochimilco, Teotihuacan, Coyoacan

Marketplace - Nov. 16, 2009
Advertising strategies that go in one ear and out the other
I'm probably more impressed than the average Joe when I see or hear good ads, and I'm especially puzzled when I see companies blowing their money on bad ads. For every excellent ad in Milwaukee, there must be 10 terrible ones.
Tagged with: commercials, tv, radio, billboard, teeth whitening

Sports - Nov. 13, 2009
Talking Twitter with Brewers pitcher Seth McClung
Brewers pitcher Seth McClung spends his winters doing a lot of the same stuff his fans do: playing video games, changing diapers and taking a short vacation. But McClung also spends a lot of his free time on Twitter, keeping his almost 1,000 followers abreast of his daily comings and goings.
Tagged with: seth mcclung, twitter, social media, west virginia, relief pitching

Dining - Nov. 12, 2009
The best of the best burgers?
I finally ate lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries today, and, you know, they make a mighty fine burger. But Kopp's doesn't have much to worry about. Others have raved and raved and raved about Five Guys, which makes me wonder if Milwaukee really is the home of the world's best burger?
Tagged with: burgers, five guys, kopp's, sobleman's, aj bomber's

Travel & Visitors Guide - Nov. 10, 2009
Back in Milwaukee: so quiet, clean and orderly
I just got home from a long weekend in Mexico City, an unusual but thrilling place for a friend's destination wedding. For now I'll just say this: for all of its shortcomings, Milwaukee (and America, in general) is a quiet, clean and orderly place to live.
Tagged with: mexico city, smog, noise pollution

Dining - Nov. 3, 2009
What to expect when a waiter screws up
When a waiter tells you he doesn't have the ingredients to complete your order, then brings you the wrong dish after you order your back-up meal, should you be miffed? Or should you at least expect a few bucks off the bill?
Tagged with: breakfast, waiter, service

OnMilwaukee.com News - Oct. 30, 2009
Embracing our inner Halloween child
Other than April Fool's Day, today is one of my favorite days of the year at OnMilwaukee.com. As our office does every Halloween, every employee dons a costume and hams it up.
Tagged with: halloween, costumes

Dining - Oct. 28, 2009
The "NonMilwaukee.com" review: Old Country Buffet
Don't freak out. There's a reason we're reviewing the Old Country Buffet, and it's not to make fun of it. The verdict: Other than a tasty Caesar salad and well above average desserts, dinner was institutional quality, at best.
Tagged with: old country buffet, ocb, all you can eat

Dining - Oct. 26, 2009
Rapid review: Benji's Deli
Nothing stays the same, even the venerable old Benji's Deli in Shorewood. Benji sold the iconic Milwaukee deli years ago, and the place has been sanitized quite a bit. But the quality of the food stays the same, and along with Jake's, is one of the two totally legit Jewish delis in the Milwaukee area.
Tagged with: benji's, deli, rapid review, corned beef

Kids & Family - Oct. 24, 2009
Swine Flu vaccine clinic is surprisingly well-organized
I owe a partial apology to the City of Milwaukee after ripping its Swine Flu vaccine clinic mobilization earlier this week. Though I stand by my assertion that the City's communications regarding the H1N1 vaccine clinics have been confusing, contradictory and incomplete, as I found out today, the execution actually went more smoothly than I expected.
Tagged with: h1n1, swine flu, vaccine

Kids & Family - Oct. 22, 2009
Could the Swine Flu vaccine process be more complicated?
I hoped it wouldn't go down this way, but I feared it would. After hearing about an initial vaccine clinic all week, this morning, we received a fax (yes, a fax) from the City of Milwaukee Health Department will all sorts of new and confusing information.
Tagged with: swine flu, h1n1, vaccination

Movies & TV - Oct. 21, 2009
Milwaukee Talks: Channel 12 sports reporter Stephanie Sutton
WISN-TV's Stephanie Sutton has worked in the deep South and San Jose, but missed Milwaukee the whole time. Now, the mother of two can follow her Packers and Badgers professionally, balance her career and family -- and even find time to do radio work on the side. We caught up with Sutton for this latest Milwaukee Talks.
Tagged with: Stephanie Sutton, WISN-12, sports reporter, milwaukee talks

Dining - Oct. 19, 2009
Rapid review: Real Chili
Real Chili opened in Milwaukee in 1931, but technically speaking, the recipe goes back even further. Founder Francis Honesh worked at Chili John's in Green Bay, which opened around 1910 and is still in business. Now, there are two Milwaukee locations, one near Marquette, and another off Cathedral Square.
Tagged with: real chili, rapid review, chili

Dining - Oct. 15, 2009
Wrap your buds around flavor-bending miracle fruits
Miracle berries are for real. They contain Miraculin, extracted from a shrub native to West Africa. What they do is fairly unbelievable: they make sour things sweet. They're the catalyst for "flavoring-bending parties," and it being Dining Month, we held one in the OnMilwaukee.com editorial office just this week.
Tagged with: miracle fruit, miracle berry, flavor bending

Living - Oct. 13, 2009
The slippery slope of slip-on shoes
I don't own a ton of shoes, but the last three pairs I've bought have been of the slip-on variety. What other time-saving, no-hassle fashion choices can I make before I devolve into the guy who wears sweat pants outside the house?
Tagged with: slip on shoes, lazy, velcro, pajamas

Dining - Oct. 12, 2009
Rapid review: Yen Ching
Back in the day, hungry North Shore diners would think nothing of taking the short trek to 76th Street and Good Hope Road for a good meal. But as dining options in the area thinned, only Yen Ching still packs 'em in, with outstanding Chinese cuisine than stands the test of time.
Tagged with: yen ching, chinese, rapid review

Milwaukee Buzz - Oct. 12, 2009
Monday muses, revisited: Fall follow-up edition
What a difference a week can make. Looking back on a blog of random thoughts I published exactly one week ago, I realize that I have a few more additional points to make on each of my musings.
Tagged with: the office, al's run, fall, playoffs, brett favre

Living - Oct. 9, 2009
A bevy of Bay View happenings
The unofficial mayor of Bay View (and my good friend) Bill Rouleau is at it again. Bill has obviously been busy, because three of the best events the neighborhood puts on all year go down over the next few weeks, and I plan on being at each.
Tagged with: dog day afternoon, biketoberfest, pumpkin pavilion, bay view, bill rouleau

Bars & Clubs - Oct. 9, 2009
One club, born, reborn and born some more
Wednesday night, we held a client and reader appreciation party at the new Whiskey Bar. You might recall that 788 N. Jackson St., is the same building that once housed Club Marilyn. After that, it became Metropolis, where I visited a few times, then Park Bar, where I went perhaps once.
Tagged with: whiskey bar, club marilyn, park bar, metropolis, bars of yesteryear