1. Eat at Nessun Dorma
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
In the latest installment of “Sunday Night Dinner Dilemmas”… I end up at a little bar in Riverwest called Nessun Dorma (2778 N. Weil St.). It’s a dark place but I’ve got a back table near a warm, Tiffany-like shaded lamp and I’m enjoying one of their signature panini. This place is known for pressed sandwiches. They’re also known for nightly food specials that shake things up. On this particular occasion, that means homemade pizza, which I can’t resist ordering. The one I get (along with the panino!) has chicken, cheese, sweet chile sauce and banana peppers. The flavors are good – tangy, sweet, zesty with a sliver of heat. My quibble: The bottom of the crust is covered in flour. More than a little dusting. It’s a little distracting but does that stop me from eating the pie? Nope. Some of it comes home with me, too.
2. See Janelle James at Milwaukee Film’s Cultures & Communities Festival
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
Milwaukee Film’s Cultures & Communities Festival kicks off this week Thursday! The full lineup of events and films looks amazing, but I’m particularly excited about seeing Janelle James at the Pabst Theater this Sunday, Oct. 8 for her Newly Famous tour. I think she’s brilliantly funny in her role as Principal Ava on Abbott Elementary, but I’m particularly excited to see her outside of that role, because I’ve heard she’s incredible at standup. Tickets are available online.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Sip Like Sinatra With a Visit to At Random
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
I know I’m not breaking any news here, but I just want to say that At Random in Bay View is very cool. I’ve never been before, despite having heard many good things about the cocktail lounge, and I finally paid it a visit last week. For those of you who haven’t seen it, the place is bathed in dim, red light, with leather booths and photos of Frank Sinatra on the walls. Our associate digital editor, Brianna, described the vibe as “’70s basement,” and I think that about sums it up. At Random is known for its fancy ice creams drinks, but needing to maintain my girlish figure, I went for the traditional cocktails instead – and they were delicious. As I sat at the bar, I could almost fool myself into thinking I was a modern-day Frankie, hanging out with the guys and dolls after a show.
4. Enjoy Lucky Bakery’s Mooncakes
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
Last Friday – Sept. 29 – was the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also called the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival. And the moon very much takes center stage. This festival coincided with our recent Harvest Moon. One of the traditions is to share and eat mooncakes, which are thick, gelatinous treats encased in a thin pastry. I have never eaten a mooncake and took the chance that Lucky Bakery (11078 W. National Ave.) would still have them. They did! I bought two – one in the traditional round shape that signifies family unity, the other one square. What a treat! The round one had a pineapple filling that was just mildly sweet and fudgy. The other one – green tea with an egg yolk baked inside – was almost savory, not quite as chewy as the pineapple. The yolk represents the full moon. Give Lucky Bakery a try this week. You may get lucky! They’re closed on Tuesdays but are open every other day of the week from 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
5. Watch Marty
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
I have mixed feelings about this 1955 movie, which won Ernest Borgnine an Oscar, but I like parts of it so much that I still think it’s worth a recommendation. The titular Marty is a 34-year-old butcher who lives with his mother. The opening scene sees him at work cutting a chop for an older woman who berates him for not being married yet. As the movie continues, we see kind-hearted, awkward Marty suffer yet another rejection, and when his mother pressures him to go out again and find a girl, Borgnine delivers a heartbreaking monologue – “There comes a point in a man’s life when he gotta face some facts, and one fact I gotta face is that whatever it is that women like, I ain’t got it. … I don’t wanna go to the Stardust Ballroom because all that ever happened to me there was girls made me feel like I was a bug. I got feelings, you know. I had enough pain.” Being … uh … frighteningly similar to Marty myself, I found this scene killer. It’s an absolute high point for the film. After that, the plot devolves into a heartwarming tale of love found late, which I didn’t find nearly as compelling as the first act, but despite that, it’s still a great watch.
