1. Kick off the Holiday Season Downtown
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
I realize this clashes with my persona as a dark, miserable, lonely cave-dwelling little troll man – but I just love Christmas. The lights, the snow, watching A Christmas Story and Elf, wearing ugly sweaters, singing carols. God, I love Christmas music so much. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is an unbeatable banger. And don’t get me started on that little drummer boy. I’ll pa rum pum pum pum all night. So, per usual, I’m excited for Downtown Milwaukee’s Christmas lights kick off on Thursday at 5:30. There’ll be fireworks, treats, the Clauses hanging out and, of course, many, many lights.
2. Bake All the Spices Cake
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
Over the weekend, I picked up baker/food stylist Yossy Arefi’s cookbook Snacking Cakes at the library. I’d been eyeing this one since it came out in 2020 and though she shares some recipes on her blog, Apt. 2B, the book opens bakers up to a broader spectrum of Yossy Arefi recipes. Let me tell you, that little book is a gem. I flagged so many recipes, all for easy, one-bowl cakes. I’ve made one so far – All the Spices Cake, a delicate, beautiful little dessert that showcases spices like cardamom and cinnamon along with vanilla bean paste, which adds a lovely current of bean intensity. The vanilla bean glaze is not obligatory but adds to the cake’s moistness. Another recipe – for Arefi’s pumpkin olive oil cake with maple olive oil glaze – just might make an appearance at my family Thanksgiving.
Tell us who you’d pick to be a Betty this year!
3. Go Smell Cudahy
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
I have been to Cudahy before; as a child I visited grandparents who lived in South Milwaukee and our various day outings took us to and through that burb’s northerly neighbor. But Friday night – for a concert at X-Ray Arcade (it was great, but I’m not going to mine every metal show I attend for content) – was the first time in a good while that I’d been there as an adult, if ever. And DANG Cudahy makes a good first impression, thanks to, of course, its primary and namesake industry. Smithfield is the corporate parent of Patrick Cudahy bacon these days, but that surname and the delicious cut of cured pork are indelibly linked, and I was pleasantly surprised that the town smells like bacon. I could understand if some see this in a less positive light than I did, but hear me out. Cudahy doesn’t smell like raw meat – that would be nasty, even if you love the final product – but smoky, a little sweet. … you know, like bacon cooking. So find an excuse to do something in Cudahy – I certainly enjoyed my show at X-Ray, and the highly regarded vegan spot Twisted Plants is near Smithfield as well, if you enjoy irony with your smells – and get out and walk around for a while. And just breathe.
4. See a Show During Milwaukee Theater Week
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
It’s the first ever Milwaukee Theater Week, y’all! The new initiative is spotlighting and promoting the city’s performing arts scene now through Nov. 19, with events, deals on tickets and giveaways. I’m lucky to be seeing several shows throughout the week (stay tuned for the reviews). On Sunday, I saw Kith and Kin’s Production of Next to Normal. It was fantastic, and you should definitely catch it this weekend. I’m also seeing Skylight Music Theatre’s School of Rock on Friday, Frozen: The Broadway Musical at Tosa West on Saturday and on Sunday, Dial M for Murder at the Milwaukee Rep. So excited for this busy week of great theater!
5. Explore Beyond King Tut at the Baird Center
Beyond King Tut brings the boy king to Milwaukee with a multisensory exhibition produced by National Geographic. Walk through millennia of Egyptian history and get lost in an immersive recreation of the pharaoh’s tomb. It’s on display at the Baird Center through Jan. 6.
– From the November 2023 issue
