Welcome to the first "OMC Recommends" of 2007. This recurring feature allows us to share with you things that we like and think you should know about.
Use the Talkback feature to let us know what you think of our picks and if you'd like to add some of your own, e-mail them to omcrecommends@staff.onmilwaukee.com.
The MVP haircut at SportClips -- When Gordon Logan launched the SportClips chain a little more than a decade ago, he based the company on two major principles: Men love sports; Men don't like getting haircuts. The combination of these two tenets has created more than 300 stores across the country where a typical, no-appointment barbershop intersects with a sports bar (without booze), a gymnasium and a locker room.
The combs and scissors are stored in lockers. The walls are filled with pennants, sports posters and flat-screen TVs tuned to ESPN. The stylists wear warm-up suits, greet you with a friendly handshake and, if you order the MVP treatment (for $20), will wash and cut your hair, massage your scalp, apply a hot towel to your face, work over your neck and shoulder muscles with an electric massager, style your hair and send you on your way looking and feeling better than when you came in.
In a stroke of brilliance, the shampooing -- which takes place in a darkened room labeled "Showers" -- actually takes place after the cut. You can actually go to another appointment without having 10 million tiny hairs on your shirt.
The people are friendly, the vibe is comfortable and the cut is quick. What more could a man ask in a barbershop?
"We want guys to feel like Norm walking into 'Cheers,'" Logan told Newsweek Online earlier this year. "And we're a no-appointment establishment, because we know guys don't wanna make appointments. They just wanna walk it and get it done on the way back from the Home Depot." -- Drew Olson
Swiss Miss Cocoa and Dr. McGillicuddy's Mentholmint Schnapps -- The Wisconsin winter has been mild of late, but you know the weather is bound to become miserable sooner or later. What more delicious way to be a winter warrior than to combat the cold with a mug full of hot chocolate and liquor? Invite your buddies over, bust the board games out and let the warm, fuzzy feelings commence. (Word to the wise: Start with one shot of McGillicuddy's per mug of cocoa; add more if you wish, but be forewarned that anything much more than that starts to resemble warm, chocolaty mouthwash.) -- Julie Lawrence
Anomaly on Brady St. -- This new boutique is hard to pass up and hard to leave once you go in. It's tiny, but jam-packed with the cutest things. I love their luggage tags with cute phrases that basically say "Keep your hands off my bag." -- Heather Leszczewicz
Esquire -- I admit I still get a few print magazines at home. Esquire is one that I always look forward to. It's smart, political (but not too political), edgy and always creative. It's not one of those Stuffed-out men's rags, but it does provide ample female fodder to please the "typical male" urges in every guy. They also put all of their content online, making it easy to forward pieces and refer to editor's picks and former issues. Guys, subscribe to Esquire. You'll like it. -- Jeff Sherman
Old school games -- Even though gaggles of parents are all fired up about the new hook-up-to-your-television "electronic learning system" called V.Smile, I consider it to be the gateway to the Xbox. Not that there's anything wrong with video games, but I feel my kids spend enough time in front of the telly. Hence, I just bought them -- I mean "Santa" just bought them -- a bunch of games that I longed for as a kid, but didn't own, like "Don't Spill the Beans," "Don't Break the Ice," "Ants in Your Pants," "Chutes & Ladders" and "Hungry, Hungry Hippos." These oldies are indeed goodies and got me psyched for our board game future, which will no doubt include "Life," "Stratego," "Sorry" and, of course, "Monopoly." Hope they let me be the shoe. -- Molly Snyder Edler
oplusd.com -- It took me a while to figure out what the moniker meant, but I've come to discover that the name of this design company comes from the names of the two designers who make it happen: Olga Krigman and Daniil Gubarev. Hence, O Plus D. Anyhow, with the power of teamwork the duo creates greeting cards (as well as furniture, but let's focus on one thing at a time here) that run the gamut from cute and kitschy to loaded with F-bombs. One thing they've all got in common is that they've all got that off the cuff sense of humor that Hallmark could never achieve. Brady Street's new Anomaly Design Shop's got them in stock for just about any card-giving occasion you can think of. Life is short, laugh it up. -- J.L.
Triscuits with Rosemary and Olive Oil -- I always considered the Triscuit to be a utilitarian cracker. It was good for holding cheese, sausage or dips, but never really stood out on its own. While rummaging the pantry in search of a crunchy snack, I came across a box of the flavored Triscuits with Rachel Ray on the box. I decided to see what Rachel was endorsing and, to my surprise, the crackers were quite tasty. I didn't even need to hunt for the Cheez Whiz. -- D.O.
Moderne-aire - This cool store, perched atop the Alterra Coffee (170 S 1st St.) in the Fifth Ward, is full of cool gift ideas, old Milwaukee stuff, retro furniture and the kind of things that will make you say, "How did I ever live without that?" That's it. No further explanation needed. I liked this place when it was at Bayshore, I love it now that it's closer to home. -- J.S.
The Riverside "dog park" at 6 p.m. -- Occasionally, I make it over to the Riverside dog park to hang out with the "after workers" who informally meet at dusk to walk their pups. Even if I'm not feeling chatty and choose my iPod over people, it's always a good vibe and the area is secluded enough to feel like I'm outside of the city. Plus, my decade-old dog, Clay, frolics around like he's a good five years younger. -- M.E.
