1. Go See Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret
ALLI WATTERS, DIGITAL AND CULTURE EDITOR
I had the good fortune of being in the audience for Present Music’s French Connection concert paired with the movie La Belle et la Bête this weekend at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Paired with the film-concert combo was one of MAM’s latest galleries, Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret. I could’ve spent hours soaking in these darling French posters, but unfortunately, I had to rush through to get to my seat before the show started. The highest compliment I could give this gallery is that I will be going back to give it the proper time, and I highly recommend others do the same. It is thoughtfully curated and displayed with French touches that set the mood.
2. Chow Down at Downtown Dining Week
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
If you’re a person who likes food that tastes good, then this is a great week for you. (If you’re a person who doesn’t like food that tastes good, I respect your contrarian ways. Don’t let anyone change you. Keep eating those Hot Pockets, my man.) It’s Downtown Dining Week in Milwaukee, which means dozens of restaurants are serving up prix fixe meals at can’t-beat prices ($15-25 for lunch, $35-45 for dinner). A bunch of joints are participating, like Aria, Onesto, Mader’s and Stella van Buren. Check the full list at the link here. I for one will be posted up at Blue Bat downing taquitos faster than my doctor can say, “You seriously have to stop. It’s not funny anymore. No man can live on taquitos alone.”
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Catch a Comedian’s Set at the Laughing Tap
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
Over the weekend, I went to the Laughing Tap for the first time to see comedian Emma Willmann. The show was great, and I’d argue that a large part of that was due to the amazing venue and experience that the Laughing Tap has to offer. It’s a small but open space with a stage, twinkling lights and a bar. Because it was a more intimate venue, you could see the stage clearly no matter where you sat, and being that close, it felt like the comedians could better interact and engage with all of the crowd and not just the front row. Throughout the show you can go up to the bar and get drink refills, and there are convenient little tables by every pair of seats to put your drink on. Definitely check out their upcoming lineup because this is a great place to have a laugh and a drink on a night out.
4. Read a Tana French Novel
ANN CHRISTENSON, SENIOR DINING EDITOR
I wouldn’t say I seek out crime novels. But if I happen to read a great example of crime fiction and there are other books by the same author, I tend to stick around for a while. Such is the case with Tana French. I first read her 2007 debut, In the Woods, earlier this year and couldn’t put it down. I’ve since read the follow-up to that book, The Likeness, which is also the second book in French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. Those two books are meant to be read in order, but the other murder squad books (there are currently six) are considered stand-alones and can be read in any order. Now I’m cruising through The Trespasser, the sixth book in the series, and am feeling that same sense of investment in French’s characters as I did with the first books. The dialogue, the setting, the plot – all combine to pull you far away from the mundanities of life, which, to me, is what good fiction is about.
5. Watch a Game at Champps Brookfield
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Time and place conspired nicely: The youth sports outing in Waukesha ended in time to catch the fourth quarter of the Badgers game at Champps Brookfield (1240 S. Moorland Rd., Brookfield) on the way home. The football did not go well, but for my money, there’s no better place to watch bad football than Champps. Screens encircling the huge, meandering bar allow good vantage points from any seat for your game (and plenty of others as well). The broadcast sound is on for big games, with a DJ taking over with music during commercial breaks and occasionally interjecting pump-up music before or after big plays. And the beer is always exceptional, with multiple “dang, I gotta have that” options on tap. Know that the beer prices are not posted on the menu – and at least for the high-end “banger” beers, they are pretty high. But Champps’ combination of good food, great drink and an awesome game viewing experience is tough to match.
