1. Eat a Sweet Treat From Midwest Sad
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
Midwest Sad soft-opened last weekend in its corner storefront space in Walker’s Point (601 S. Sixth St.), and they were doing gangbusters business. The business started back in 2023 as a pop-up offering baked goods that press your inner nostalgia button. Founder Sam Sandrin knows the meaning of the word “hustle.” She soon moved into the food court level space in the Jefferson Street building Downtown, where, at her walk-up window, she’s sold everything from banana pudding to savory rolls to cake jars under the name that references SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder. (What better way to combat that seasonal depression than a sweet treat?) Midwest Sad also provides the savory food menu at Gathering Place Brewing’s Tosa taproom and bakes for wholesale accounts like Crafty Cow restaurant.
The Walker’s Point space – most recently a plant store – is the realization of Sandrin’s third space/café/hangout dream. Opening weekend, they offered an abbreviated menu of baked treats, coffee and other bevs, and their fine hospitality. I hear a larger menu will be rolled out later this week. Check out their Instagram for additional updates. And if you stop in, get an almond matcha cookie – man, are they good.
2. Celebrate the Art of Typing at QWERTYFEST
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
My life, in many ways, revolves around the QWERTY keyboard. I spend pretty much every workday with my fingers poised over one for, I would guess, at least seven hours, give or take some bathroom breaks, the occasional call, etc. I’m using it right now, as I type my weekly Editor’s Pick far later than it was due. (Sorry, Evan!) After years of typing, my fingers fly across the completely unintuitive layout without a second thought, despite the key placement being intentionally designed to be slow, so as to avoid jamming up typewriters. Well, I have Christopher Latham Sholes to thank. Big Chris is the Milwaukeean who invented the QWERTY keyboard in 1874. Sholes, and all things typing, are celebrated annually at QWERTYFEST. This weekend, Oct. 3-5, there’s a stacked lineup of talks, tours, parties and more, including The Typewriter Ball Friday night at Turner Hall. Give the event calendar a look and see which keyboard-loving event appeals to you. Now you’ll have to excuse me, but I’m all typed out for the day.
Tell us who you’d pick to be a Betty this year!
3. Catch a Show at Vivarium
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
I was once a relentless concertgoer. If any band I remotely liked came to town – or even within 40 miles of town – you’d better believe I was there. But then something really annoying happened called being an adult and having responsibilities. Apparently, it’s unwise to drop all of your discretionary income on tickets.
Anyway, that’s a long-winded way of saying that I only just now made it back to Vivarium since its opening in February of last year. My partner won tickets to see Nourished By Time, who released one of our favorite albums this year. I noticed a few upgrades since my last visit, like a taller stage and new bathroom sign, but mostly I was reminded that this is still a great place to catch a concert. It’s intimate but not claustrophobic. The greenery is inviting, and the sound is quite solid. If you’re looking for a reason to visit, Destroyer (Oct. 3) and local mainstays Collections of Colonies of Bees and Field Report (Oct. 4) aren’t bad choices.
4. Taste One of the World’s Best Cuisines at The King and I
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Remember The King and I? The Thai restaurant Downtown that opened in 1988, once a clear, singular note of “ethnic” cuisine in this city, has been joined by a cacophony of options in world cuisine. But if you haven’t been there in a while, you really should revisit it; it’s excellent. The food is flavorful but nuanced, with hits in both mainstream dishes like pad Thai and tom kha soup and deeper cuts like crispy squid and pud prig pow. And the dining room has swung around from a maybe-dated take on luxurious to retro-cool. The service is great, too: One member of a recent dining party is going deep on Southeast Asian cooking at home, and our server (after some initial wariness) enthusiastically talked shop, even showing us photos of key ingredients for sauces she snapped in the kitchen for us. I can’t wait to go back. 830 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
