1. Eat at Tauro Cocina
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
My friend carries around a notebook in which he’s written all the local restaurants he wants to visit. He handed it to me the other night after I stamped the snow off my boots and slid into the passenger seat. “Pick one,” he said. OK, chief. That’s what landed us at Tauro Cocina (1758 N. Water St.) in the building better known for its years as Trocadero. Tauro’s shtick is Latin-Italian fusion so they do things like pizza topped with Oaxacan cheese, poblano peppers and tomatillo salsa. I don’t think I ordered well but the food was fine. I had a burrata cheese salad with grilled peaches and beets and a margarita pizza that was a little too soggy from all the cheese on it. Next time I’d order what my friend had – a skirt steak sandwich with buffalo mozzarella, macha salsa and arugula on a crusty bolillo roll.
2. Spend a Saturday Afternoon at Bilda’s Friess Lake Pub
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
I spent Saturday afternoon and evening bar-hopping out past the northwestern outskirts of metro Milwaukee, and it was wonderful. It’s an exceedingly scenic area through which to drive from watering hole to watering hole (with a DD, of course), especially with the lovely snow-flocked trees of last week. (Boo, rain!) Bilda’s was my group’s first and favorite stop: wonderful food, a fun tap list, good service even with a packed house, and super vibes in general. All of it goes down in an unforgettable setting dominated by the hundreds of sticker-festooned mugs hanging from the ceiling and walls, each stein belonging to a regular who presumably can’t wait to get back to this awesome little rural tavern. 4493 Hwy. 167 (Holy Hill Road), Hubertus, about a half-hour from American Family Field
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. See “Patterns of Meaning: The Art of Industry” at the Grohmann Museum
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
On Friday, I previewed the latest exhibit at MSOE’s Grohmann Museum – a small, curated selection of steel mill casting patterns from the late 19th century and early 20th century. A group of artists from Pittsburgh used the patterns to create paintings, ceramics and glass works that celebrate the scale and collective ingenuity of industry in America. Unaltered patterns accompany the artwork as historical context. As someone with little direct experience with the industrial world, the exhibit left an impression of great power. Scenes of factory workers evoked early humans discovering fire – a controllable yet unpredictable force that changed how people lived. The exhibit goes until April 28.
4. Read Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
This book isn’t new and it isn’t a local author, but I loved it so much that I need to give it a shout out anyway. Disorientation follows a Taiwanese American graduate student as she navigates her degree and a shocking revelation about the poet she’s studying for her thesis. Throughout the book, she comes into her own voice and has to confront a lot of parts of her life, including within herself. The novel was satirical, smart and full of shocking twists that kept me engaged throughout. I learned a lot and was entertained – what more can you ask for in a good book?
5. Listen to i was mature for my age, but i was still a child by grouptherapy
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
Every January, I look over music critics’ best albums of the previous year list for any gems I may have missed. Last week, I found this one through Anthony Fantano’s 2023 list. Grouptherapy is a trio made up of former child actors who’ve since left TV and movies to make music – and they’re really good at it. This album bounces between a panoply of genres and tones from track to track – smooth R&B, jazzy hip-hop, aggressive, bass-heavy cyphers, acoustic singer-songwriter-type cuts – each one executed remarkably well for such a young crew. The wide breadth of styles remains cohesive, with the group’s vibrant personality shining through. I’ve had the album on repeat for a week now – you should give it a shot.
