Dining - Oct. 28, 2009
Milwaukee's best Middle Eastern, 2009: Casablanca
What began as a family-owned restaurant on Mitchell Street evolved into a Brady Street emporium of Middle Eastern delights. Following in their parents' footsteps, brothers Alaa and Nasser Musa opened the second generation of Casablanca, serving traditional kabobs, falafel, stuffed grape leaves and shawarma.
Tags: casablanca, abu's, sharazad, shiraz, aladdin, shah jee's, 2 sweet, mona's, sahar, tuplip, middle eastern, hookah, vegetarian buffet, falafel, shawarma

Marketplace - June 8, 2008
Knuckleheads plays the smoke shop game smartly
Knuckleheads, an East Side smoke shop, features more than 100 hookahs and 160 types of rolling papers, but owner Michael Kesselman has one rule for his massive stock: "It must be legal."
Tags: Knuckleheads, smoke shop, head shop, tobacco, tobacco products, hookah, shisha, Michael Kesselman, State Street, freaks

Dining - Oct. 25, 2007
Best Middle Eastern, 2007: Casablanca
Casablanca joined the Brady Street dining family in late 2005, after long stints at 730 W. Mitchell St. and on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood.
Tags: casablanca, middle eastern food, kebab, lamb, hookah, lunch buffet, vegetarian

Dining - March 27, 2006
Shi Chai fires up Mediterranean comfort food, hookahs
Shi Chai opened quietly in Riverwest last week, and thanks to a cozy-yet-spacious atmosphere, stellar menu and "shisha" smoking, it's the most promising venture to open in the area since African restaurant and nightclub, Club Timbuktu.
Tags: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, hookah, 2 Sweet, Two Sweet, Sharaz, tea, marijuana

Dining - May 26, 2005
2 Sweet brings food, drinks and hookahs to East Side
With a bunch of hip living room-style furniture and a plethora of hookahs for the hitting, Michael Hemeid has created an environment that he hopes will serve as a neighborhood meeting place. He even lets his customers play their own music.
Tags: 2 Sweet, Hemeid, hookah, falafel, hummus, tabouli