1. Check Out Prints from BearBear
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
I spent some time the other weekend in good ol’ Madtown, or Madison as it’s solely known as, and stumbled into Anthology, a cute, very well-stocked stationery shop on State Street. It was there I found a treasure: the 2025 calendar by local risograph studio BearBear, made up of vibrant, imaginative illustrations by Wisconsin artists based on the theme of snacks. BearBear’s prints are always colorful and community-minded, so this release had been on my radar, but alas, I truly am the kind of person who doesn’t buy a new calendar until we’re already two months into the year. But I’m not sure I could’ve found a better one. Although the calendar is no longer for sale on their website, you can often find BearBear prints in local stores, and co-founder Ben Grzenia made a zine available online about the many hotdogs of Milwaukee, which sounds right up my alley.
2. Get Tickets to The Chef Event!
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
News flash: Tickets for the foodie extravaganza of the year, Milwaukee Magazine’s Chef Event, are on sale now. Every year, we bring together an outstanding cohort of local chefs to cook for you. For our 2025 Chef Event (April 9 at Downtown Kitchen), I think we have the best lineup we’ve ever had. The participating restaurants include Amilinda, Bavette, Birch, Dandan/EsterEv, Lupi & Iris, Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993, Sanford and Sheboygan’s Trattoria Stefano. Seriously: Buy your tickets now, because I guarantee it will sell out!
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Refuse to Let the Darkness Consume You at Allie Boy’s
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
I really like somewhat desolate stretches of vaguely industrial cityscape. You know what I mean? Like, those blocks with a couple warehouses, no pedestrians, broken asphalt? Just me? OK, well anyway, I wandering down one such stretch of Milwaukee recently – East Barclay in Walker’s Point – contemplating the all-consuming and inescapable darkness that haunts this life, as I’m known to do. Then I decided to eat a bagel. This was, in retrospect, a phenomenal decision. I stopped at Allie Boy’s at the corner of National and Barclay and ordered “The Count” sandwich – a powdered sugar French toast bagel with Gruyère, dijon mustard, strawberry hibiscus jam and breakfast sausage. Now let me tell you, I’m not a big bagel guy. Never have been. One time when I was a kid, I took a big bite of a dry one and it scratched the roof of my mouth, which hurt real bad, and I’ve never forgiven bagels since. But this sandwich may have just introduced the spirit of mercy into my soul because dang was that good. Warm, comforting, with a super interesting blend of flavors. For a few minutes, my miserable contemplations lightened, and my stomach brightened. I shall return, Allie Boys. I shall return.
4. Fight the Winter Blues With Some Ice Cream
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, DIGITAL EDITOR
Ice cream isn’t just for summer. It may be cold outside but that doesn’t mean we can’t fill ourselves with a cold treat too. It’s just a different experience to eat ice cream in the winter. Picture this: You go to Joy Ice Cream Social (my personal favorite, but choose wherever you love) and enjoy the sights, smells, sounds of the ice cream shop. You order your favorite ice cream flavor (mine is PB Hearts) and get it in a dish because cones are very summer coded. Then, you go home, pile on 2-3 blankets and eat your ice cream while binging your favorite TV show. Name a better scenario for beating the winter blues… that’s right you can’t. It gets you out of the house, gives that burst of dopamine, and then you get to be a potato in bed while eating ice cream. Voila!
