Bars & Clubs - Feb. 9, 2010
Wisconsin's "BYOB" laws cause controversy, confusion
Despite rumors you may have heard, it is illegal to bring your own beer or wine into a Wisconsin restaurant. However, as a customer service, a few local restaurants allow their customers to carry in, which causes great controversy in the local dining scene among restaurant owners.
Tagged with: BYOB, BYO laws, carry-ins, bruce schrimpf, hinterland, tess, sandy d'amato, sanford

Kids & Family - Feb. 8, 2010
Wild Canine gently transforms pests to pets
A lot of people are fond of dogs, but Jennifer Digate -- the owner of the dog training business "Wild Canine" -- has a special connection with these four-legged friends. Wild Canine's tagline is "training the canine brain" which accurately describes Digate's work.
Tagged with: wild canine, dog training, wisconsin humane society, central bark, jennifer digate

Bars & Clubs - Feb. 5, 2010
Rapid Review: Cafe Corazón
Cafe Corazón opened at the end of 2009, and already garnered a reputation as a cozy bar and restaurant with consistently good food and a creative drink menu.
Tagged with: cfe corazon, latin, mexican, riverwest

Arts & Entertainment - Feb. 4, 2010
Shift Switch: Magician's assistant
My "shift" as magician David Seebach's assistant didn't go exactly as planned. My original goal was to get sawed in halves on stage, but because I am a tad too tall for the trick, Seebach levitated me instead. Now, I can't shake the words of Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines" out of my head ... "get higher, baby, and don't ever come down."
Tagged with: shift switch, david seebach, illusions, magic, milwaukee lutheran college, levitation, tricks

Bars & Clubs - Feb. 3, 2010
Brew City's BYOB law needs refreshing
Wisconsin state law prohibits bars and restaurants from allowing customers to bring in their own wine or beer. Personally, I believe that BYO-friendly restaurants would encourage people to dine out more often. In this economy, it seems like any incentive to seat people at tables is a good idea.
Tagged with: BYO, BYOB, corkage fee, wisconsin law

Kids & Family - Feb. 2, 2010
Henna provides artistic outlet for local mom
Anita Reed, a trained artist and mother of three, is creating one-of-a-kind body art that is to "dye" for -- she's a henna artist. A fixture at local festivals and fairs, Reed's services also are available for private parties and now at the Karma Spa.
Tagged with: mendhi, henna, anita reed

Dining - Feb. 2, 2010
Trocadero to close ... but not permanently
Trocadero Café will close its doors following a weekend of special Valentine's Day-themed events to undergo a major renovation. The restaurant, known for its outdoor dining and weekend brunches, will reopen sometime later this spring.
Tagged with: trocadero, diablos rojos restaurant group, mike eitel, eric wagner

Dining - Jan. 29, 2010
Pizza Man to reopen with salvaged items
Co-owner Deanna Amidzich says workers were able to salvage a portion of Pizza Man's bar, a few booths, a decorative archway and a lot of bricks. "We're going to incorporate these items in the new locale," she says.
Tagged with: pizza man, fire

Kids & Family - Jan. 28, 2010
"Yo Gabba Gabba!" tour to stop in Brew City
"Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There's A Party In My City" -- based on the popular kids' show "Yo Gabba Gabba!" -- hits the road for a multi-city tour and will stop at Milwaukee's Riverside Theater on Sunday, March 14 at 2 and 5 p.m.
Tagged with: yo gabba gabba, riverside theater, biz markie

Living - Jan. 27, 2010
Former Wheel House site to become natural landscape
Since its final curtain call five years ago, longtime restaurant Melanec's Wheelhouse Mystery Dinner Theater has sat vacant along the Milwaukee River. The property's new owner, The River Revitalization Foundation, recently announced its plans to let the site go natural.
Tagged with: river revitalization foundation, melanec's wheel house, milwaukee river, kimberly gleffe

Kids & Family - Jan. 25, 2010
"Hoarders" crew digs out local dad
An upcoming episode of A&E TV's "Hoarders" -- a series about people with compulsive hoarding disorders -- will feature a Milwaukee single father of two adopted, special needs kids and the eight local professional organizers who volunteered more than 100 hours to help him get a handle on his home.
Tagged with: hoarders, professional organizers, a&e, pack rats, NAPO

Kids & Family - Jan. 25, 2010
Panhandling is a complicated issue for this parent
My kids have an ongoing interest in panhandlers. We encounter them weekly, sometimes more, and it always inspires conversation that, quite frankly, I can't answer in a cut-and-dried fashion.
Tagged with: panhandling, poverty, kids

Movies & TV - Jan. 20, 2010
Spice up a movie with an alcoholic beverage
Back in the day, if you wanted to drink alcohol in a movie theater you had to smuggle in a flask to spike an overpriced soda. Luckily, for the love of cinema soaks everywhere, more and more theaters are adding alcohol to the menu along with the usual popcorn-and-Junior Mints fare. Here's a list of local theaters that serve alcohol.
Tagged with: rosebud, oriental theatre, times cinema, majestic cinema, iPic entertainment

Kids & Family - Jan. 19, 2010
How Pizza Man made me a parent
From the title of this blog, you might think I became a parent after an evening of consuming way too much wine at Pizza Man. Sorry to report, that is not the case.
Tagged with: pizza man, guatemala, adoption, parenting

Kids & Family - Jan. 18, 2010
DIY ice rinks rally families, neighbors
Flooding your yard with water to make an ice skating rink isn't practical. Unless, of course, you, your kids and your neighborhood are really, really into hockey. Such is the case for Riverwest's Jeremy Prach and Franklin's Mike Barber.
Tagged with: ice skating, ice rink, backyard rink, DIY, hockey, jeremy prach, rw24

Marketplace - Jan. 17, 2010
Blue heats up West Allis
Blue, the "gift shop for grown ups," is a friendly one-stop boutique for tobacco-smoking and sex-toy needs. This might sound similar to the windowless buildings squatting next to freeways, but actually, Blue is quite different.
Tagged with: blue, tool shed, a woman's touch, sex shop, adult toy store, imports, incense, lingerie, bachelorette party

Dining - Jan. 16, 2010
The truth about stale Peeps
I ate a marshmallow Peep today that was more than a year old. Although I have declared my love for the stale Peep on many occasions, I learned an important lesson.
Tagged with: peeps, marshmallows, stale peeps

Bars & Clubs - Jan. 14, 2010
Drink slingers needed for Bartender Olympics
OnMilwaukee.com will host the second annual Bartender Olympics at the end of February -- the exact date and location will be announced shortly -- and we're searching for fun, local bartenders to compete.
Tagged with: bartenders, bartender olympics

Movies & TV - Jan. 11, 2010
Oriental Theatre now serves alcohol
During the holidays, the Landmark Oriental Theatre expanded its vending area and it now features a bar. The Oriental's spirit selection includes bottles of local and imported beer, wine by the glass or the the bottle and a variety of mixed drinks.
Tagged with: oriental theatre, movies theaters

Kids & Family - Jan. 11, 2010
Mother and son find solace in painting
Three years ago, Malachi Schmidt, now 8, was diagnosed with autism, and painting is the one thing that soothes and inspires him. Currently, Malachi and his mom, Nina, are collaborating on a series of paintings.
Tagged with: autism, painting, kids, nina schmidt, malachi schmidt