1. Have a Cold One at the War Memorial Beer Garden
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
This Thursday marks the season opening of one of Milwaukee’s great beer gardens – the one outside the War Memorial Center on the lakefront. As for as local beer gardens go, this is one of the best views you’re going to get. I for one enjoy both lakes and beer, so I’m pretty excited that this place is back for the season. Unfortunately, Thursday’s looking a little on the cold and rainy side right now because we live in Wisconsin and mother nature is cruel. But we’re a hearty people, and I am confident we will enjoy the beer garden nonetheless!
2. Go Swimming at Tosa Pool at Hoyt Park
CAROLE NICKSIN, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
I love a good pool, and the Tosa pool at Hoyt Park is one of my favorites. On warm days it gets pretty crowded, but with a little patience I can usually find a chair to lounge in and a lane to swim some laps. This Saturday is opening day, and while I’m not intrepid enough to jump in when the air temperature is supposed to only hit the high 50s, you can bet I’ll be there soon. Added bonus: The beer garden is steps away – the perfect reward for a good aquatic workout!
Tell us who you’d pick to be a Betty this year!
3. Eat Lao Food From SapSap
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
Thursday, May 22, is gonna be big at Zócalo Food Park (636 S. Sixth St.). It’s opening day for SapSap, the Lao food concept created by local Lao-American chef Alex Hanesakda. He has been doing pop-ups around Southeastern Wisconsin for years and for a short time, operated a restaurant in Mount Pleasant. This is his first permanent residence in Milwaukee, and with his well-deserved following, I would expect it will be busy. Be patient when visiting! The menu looks so good, from the smoked brisket fried rice to the SapSap platter featuring lemongrass dill Lao sausage, Lao fried chicken wings, sticky rice and two spicy Lao dipping sauces – jeow som and jeow bong. Hours starting May 22: Tues-Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Hanesakda is also part of a casual five-course dining experience June 1 at Pilot Project Brewing (1128 N. Ninth St.). The event, “Hidden Flavor of Asia: A Culinary Journey,” combines Lao, Filipino and Taiwanese cuisines and features the cooking Hanesakda, Alexa Alfaro (co-owner of the former Filipino food truck Meat On The Street) and Judy, the Taiwanese chef owner of MKEeeeEats. Read more about the event, including ticket info, here.
4. Drink in Fellowship at Lager & Friends
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Beer festival season in Milwaukee officially begins with a bang next weekend with Lager & Friends, which I dare say in just its fifth iteration is the best beer festival in the city. It’s because it’s relatively small, so not too crowded. It focuses on lagers, which have a ton of range and diversity but are almost universally balanced, easy-drinking beers. And – a key point – the brewers who come to this fest want to come, eager to spread the love for this family of beer styles that have been bringing people together for centuries. If you go, look for me so I can pour you a glass of Dachsbier, a Vienna lager that my colleagues and I at Badger Beer Report made in collaboration with the festival’s host, Gathering Place Brewing. We’re very excited to share it with you! Tickets $40-$50, noon-4 p.m. May 31 at Gathering Place (811 E. Vienna Ave.).
5. Hear Present Music’s Baroque Pop! With Julia Holter
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
Julia Holter makes gorgeous, swirling music that flies in the face of any genre one might ascribe it to. Is it pop music? Jazz? Avant-garde classical? Does it matter? The season finale of Present Music has some fun with these questions and invites the Los Angeles-based musician back to her birthplace, where she’ll be also joined by her partner and experimental composer Tashi Wada. I’m excited to hear Holter’s voice – a powerful one that soars and tumbles – and the Milwaukee Art Museum is a stunning place to catch a concert.
6. Day Trip to Burlington and Low Daily Beer
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
We’re well into outdoor drinking season, and one brewery I’m really excited to revisit is Low Daily in Burlington (700 N. Pine St., Burlington), about a 45-minute drive southwest of central Milwaukee. The taproom is lovely and welcoming, but even during my visit in March, the spacious patio overlooking the Fox River and Echo Lake was calling me. The Low Daily menu is filled with hits, but its standout beers – fruity sours and hazy hops – are particularly well suited to outdoor imbibing. Don’t miss Pit Stop Pop, a cherry-almond sour ale with lovely woody-nutty notes accented by the light tang of cherry. Adding to the ambiance is a Friday night concert series that sets up outside when weather permits.
