Here in the OnMilwaukee.com editorial office, we like to eat, drink, save a few bucks while walking around in style and comfort. You can, too, if you take note of our weekly tips and suggestions.
Country Style at Benji's -- How can't you love Benji's, 4156 N. Oakland Ave.? It's just plain good. Always. Personally I love its "Country Style" item. Check this out: "two eggs any style served with slices of our famous corned beef, your choice of potato and toast." For breakfast, lunch or dinner it's a great treat. Mmmmm. -- Jeff Sherman
The Acorn -- No Ghost (Bella Union) -- A friend in Scotland hipped me to The Acorn via the band's 1997 disc, "Glory Hope Mountain," which was a great introduction to this Canadian outfit. The band's third full-length recently arrived from Bella Union (the same label that is home to Milwaukee's Stephanie Dosen and, now, Heidi Spencer) and it shows the band in better than ever form, plying its typically low-key, roots-based music. The instrumentation and arrangements are simple, and bank on dynamic highs and lows: After a trio of great, relatively quiet pop tunes, "I Made the Law" is darker, laced with electric guitar swaths. It gives way to the uptempo "Crossed Wires" before settling back down with "On the Line." This is roots music that can't really be called alt.country and certainly isn't anything like bluegrass or folk. I can't really tell you exactly what it is. And that's a beautiful thing. -- Bobby Tanzilo
Guinness at County Clare -- Recently, I ducked into County Clare, 1234 N. Astor St., to interview a bartender for an upcoming profile on OnMilwaukee.com, and ordered a pint of Guinness. Often, I enjoy a nitro-can of my favorite Irish stout at home, but somehow I forgot exactly how delicious fresh Guinness can be. According to the staff, County Clare cleans its lines twice a month, which ensures an even fresher pour. The taste, aroma and body was so pleasing I'm not sure I can look at that tall brown can with the same enthusiasm I once had. -- Molly Snyder
Room Essentials Furniture from Target -- If there is anything I've learned from my married friends, it's this: no matter how nice your furnishings and home decor may be, they will be trashed in favor of your wife's once you wed. Not that I'm planning on stumbling down an aisle anytime soon, but I did keep the thought in mind as I looked to upgrade the patch-work collection of furniture in my bedroom this week. Fortunately, Target came through. Sure, pressed-wood furniture isn't glamorous or impressive, but it was inexpensive, looked nice, matched and was just as good as the stuff you find at IKEA, minus the annoying drive and the madhouse inside the Swedish shrine to capitalism. I added two new dressers, two bookshelves, a television stand and a nightstand for under $200 -- so if I do end up making that long, slow march to matrimony, I won't be tossing much away. -- Andrew Wagner
MBT Shuguli GTX -- You know I'm a sucker for products that promise a high-tech upgrade to something usually pretty low-tech. Having seen plenty of commercials for Skechers' shoes that promise better posture, a toned butt and even weight loss, I was giddy when MBT sent me a pair of their Shuguli GTX shoes, which are like the Sketchers, but fancier. Now look, these aren't the most attractive shoes I own -- the curved bottom makes them look almost geriatric, in fact -- but unless you're looking at the soles, you might not realize what's going under the hood. And what that means is that the Shuguli sport a sole that makes walking soft, uneven and unstable, making the body use more and different muscles to stand and walk. It's not exactly uncomfortable -- in fact, it's actually nice, like walking in the sand. But you'll feel the difference in your back and your calves after just a few hours. Time will tell just how toned I get by wearing these to work, and that's a big gamble at $225-275 on Amazon.com. But with a waterproof Gore-Tex lining and antimicrobial mesh insole, it's a bit more understandable why you can find these shoes for sale at the area's finer stores. --Andy Tarnoff
