Staff Archive

December 2, 2014Magazine Perspective

No Goodbyes

he front doorbell rang. Through sheer white curtains, I could see two female police officers standing on the porch of my bungalow. Were they fundraising, I wondered? Were my neighbors OK? I welcomed them into my home. “Would you like something to drink?” I asked the officers. “No, thank you,” one officer replied. “Could you sit down please?” My heart started pounding, as if it wanted to drown out whatever I was about to hear. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this…” started one of the officers, “but your daughter has died.” It was March 6, 2012, a day after…

December 1, 2014Brew City

Foaming at the Mouth

Photo via Shutterstock Draft & Vessel The small storefront of Draft & Vessel (4417 N. Oakland Ave.) sits unassumingly among retail spaces in the heart of Shorewood. Inside, it’s a cozy haven for beer lovers and a great place to spend time. A small bar, made from reclaimed wood, sits in front of 16 taps, and small tables allow a couple dozen drinkers to cozy up to a brew. The well-chosen taps rotate constantly…

November 26, 2014Sports Nut

Quick Bucks- Thanks for Progress

It would be very easy to write about all the things Bucks fans should be thankful for in this space. Frankly, there’s a lot to write about, but I wouldn’t be doing my job as a consumer and purveyor of all things Bucks if I allowed the masses to enjoy their happiness peacefully. The Bucks’ great start to the season is going to come to a screeching halt in December. As many have noted, the Bucks have a ridiculously difficult December schedule. The schedule: Dec. 2: at Cleveland Dec. 3: vs. Dallas Dec. 5: vs. Miami Dec. 7: at Dallas…

November 24, 2014Brew City

Giving Thanks for Beer

Photo via Shutterstock Foamy Thanks Beer lovers have plenty to be thankful for this week. Black Friday is synonymous with bargain-shopping miscreants slugging it out over fleece blanket specials at department stores. But it has also become a big day for beer. In Milwaukee, there’s plenty to do for most of the week. The Milwaukee Beer Society kicks things off with a bottle share on Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 26). From 6 to 9 p.m.…

November 21, 2014The Daily Mil

Braise to Serve Thanksgiving Meal to Local Homeless

Photo courtesy of Braise On Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27), Braise Restaurant (1101 S. Second St.) is serving 40 residents of Hope House Milwaukee, a homeless shelter located three blocks from the Walker’s Point restaurant. Members of Braise’s staff – as well as family members and friends – are part of the volunteer cooking and serving team. The menu includes turkeys from Yuppie Hill Farm, squash gratin, creamed leaks, and pumpkin pie made with freshly roasted pumpkins.…

November 20, 2014Sports Nut

Quick Bucks- Kidd’s Novel Approach Minute by Minute

The Bucks’ insane triple-overtime victory last night featured big games from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, clutch baskets from Brandon Knight, an offensive boost off the bench from O.J. Mayo and big-time contributions in the extra periods from Khris Middleton and Ersan Ilyasova. When Brandon Knight missed a layup that would’ve won the game at the end of the second overtime, people around the Internet lauded his teammates for coming to pick him up after the tough miss. Throughout the season, everyone has talked about the chemistry of this Bucks team and how great this team plays together. Everything mentioned…

November 17, 2014Brew City

Beer Therapy

Photo via Shutterstock Lakefront is Big in Europe Last week, the winners of the European Beer Star competition were announced. A fair amount of craft brewers from the U.S. took home medals from the big international competition, including Lakefront Brewery. Eastside Dark landed Lakefront a gold medal in the Bohemian-Style Schwarzbier category, and Holiday Spice Lager (one of my favorites) claimed a silver in the Herb and Spice Beer category. Winning a pair of medals at the competition that includes more than 1,600 entries isn’t easy.…

November 13, 2014Sports Nut

Quick Bucks- Mayo’s Second Chance on the Second Unit

McDonald’s All-American. First-team All-Rookie. Blossoming Star. Talented Malcontent. Rejuvenated Scorer. Overweight Bench Player. Sixth Man of the Year? Throughout his career, O.J. Mayo has played many different roles, but the last one on the list might not be as far-fetched as it may seem. Mayo has come off the bench for all eight Bucks games this season and scored 12.1 points per game, making him just one of 21 players averaging double-digit points primarily off the bench. He’s been consistently attacking the basket and not settling for mid-range jumpers. According to basketball-reference.com, Mayo is shooting a career-high percentage of his…

November 10, 2014Brew City

On the Growl

Growler Gallery After just five months of operation, it’s clear that the guys at Ray’s Growler Gallery (8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa) are onto something. Tap takeovers and unveilings of proprietary beers have become events, a fact clearly illustrated recently during the introduction of RAY-ley’s Comet a few weeks ago. When the doors opened at 11 a.m., a crowd was waiting and ready to fill empty growlers with the new stuff from Karben4. A solid beer selection is part of the draw, but the proprietary beers, created by area breweries especially for Ray’s, are what makes the place unique. Ray’s beer…

November 6, 2014Insider

Grand Design

Milwaukee’s Downtown mall, the Shops of Grand Avenue, describes itself as a historical landmark. But unlike other highly visible city landmarks – the Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum addition or the Miller Park dome – the little-advertised mall seems in danger of becoming more of an urban legend than a destination. Adding insult to injury are the various proposals to tear down Boston Store, or the entire mall, to make room for an arena. Once heralded as the key to reviving Downtown, the 32-year-old mall struggles, despite an overhaul that added offices, apartments and a YMCA. All downtown malls aren’t dying,…