Pasta Thursdays at Whole Foods -- No one needs a lunch this large, but on Thursdays, Whole Foods cuts its $6.99 price tag for a huge bowl of freshly-made pasta by a buck. So for $5.99, you get to order up your own custom pasta dish with a cornucopia of fresh veggies, meats, sauces and more. You also get a big hunk of fresh garlic bread on the side. Theoretically, you could take this lunch back to your office, eat half and still have dinner that night. Or you could stuff your face and nap under your desk. Either way, if you've got a carb craving (and you know I do), there's just one place to be Thursday afternoons on the East Side. --Andy Tarnoff
The Sun -- If I could read only one magazine for the rest of my life, it would be The Sun, a monthly collection of essays, interviews, poetry, photography, interviews and short stories. Completely independent and ad-free, The Sun started in 1974 and was founded by North Carolina's Sy Safransky. Each issue has a loose theme and bursts with accessible, intelligent perspectives. The intimacy of the magazine is like no other, especially the Readers Write section that publishes a couple dozen very short reader essays about a particular theme. Month after month, this portion of the magazine proves that the readers of The Sun are very much like the magazine itself: remarkably honest, painfully aware and able to harness some of the most powerful words and images in print. If you like NPR's "This American Life," you'll appreciate The Sun. Check it out at thesunmagazine.org. --Molly Snyder Edler
Vintage shopping on Brady Street -- Whether it's for clothing, accessories, shoes, house wares or home décor, Brady St. has become a destination for vintage shopping. Start on the east end near Farwell Ave. at Annie's Second Hand Chic, 1668 N. Warren Ave. A couple blocks west you'll find Yellow Jacket, which moved to its new home at 1237 E. Brady St. in 2006, and Vieux et Nouveau, right around the corner at 1688 N. Franklin Pl. Dragonfly Vintage Goods & Gifts awaits you another block up at 1117 E. Brady St., and Brown Fox Boutique caps the tour at 1698 N. Humboldt Ave. That's five vintage stores within about half-mile, and what's even better is they're all conveniently located on the southern side of Brady Street. --Julie Lawrence
"600 Black Spots: A Pop-up Book for Children of all Ages" -- This book rocks. A perplexing follow-up to David A. Carter's "One Red Dot" and "Blue 2" pop-up books, "600 Black Spots" is full of intricately designed paper sculptures, some so complex that you really wonder how the book even opens. These designs, all featuring black spots that you can count, are paired with fragmented text containing words in alphabetical order. It's so darn cool you just gotta see it, better buy it on Amazon (or maybe one of Milwaukee's book stores. -ed.) now. --Jeff Sherman
"Brighter than Creation's Dark" -- A lot of Drive-By Truckers 'most avid fans were worried when songwriter-guitarist Jason Isbell left for a solo career. This 19-song collection shows that the band has depth to spare. Patterson Hood continues to grow as a songwriter, which is evidenced by intriguing themes and vivid characters. The album has a Stones-like crunch, but also manages a darker, more muted feel than the band's earlier work. While losing the talented Isbell undoubtedly was a setback, this record feels like a step forward. --Drew Olson
Getting involved in the Downtown Plan -- It's your city and our Downtown is ready to continue its amazing development momentum. How can you help? Participate in the City's new Downtown master plan. Answer some questions, provide ideas and put on your city planner's hat. Check it out at http://www.mkedcd.org/planning/plans/downtown. --J.S.
Cooks Illustrated -- A lot of great cooking sites provide recipes. Cooks Illustrated (the team also does TV's "America's Test Kitchen"), a stately, no-frills periodical with a Web site, goes a step beyond. It's not just recipe recitation. The magazine, which usually features a cool still life on the cover, illustrates in tremendous detail how they developed each recipe and which steps did and did not work along the way. In a recipe for lasagna Bolognese, would-be chefs are warned that if the meat sauce is too thin it will pool at the edges, resulting in a dish with a sunken center. Thickening the ragu with some béchamel solves this problem. Cooks also are warned to use plenty of sauce to cover the dish and cover with foil to avoid drying out the dish. Cooks are urged to soak the noodles in hot water before using them. Tips like these make the difference. --D.O.
