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Brewed
Awakenings
- Brady Street
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My
favorite! The coffee is awesome, the location is
great, they've got the greatest name,
& the bathroom is really colorful and
roomy enough to fit me and both my kids! Small
wooden tables, usually some type of art on the
walls, friendly service, nice front window view
looking out to Brady (plus a bench and steps to sit
on if you're hangin' outside). The clientele is
varied and interesting, from all age groups and
backgrounds. Their menu is fairly big (the
vegetarian chili is wonderful), and they sell
HUGE Rice Krispies Treats!! And much of the
time, someone is outside with a really great dog
that you can give some lovin' to, if you're so
inclined. What could possibly be better?
:-)
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Fuel
Cafe
- Center Street, Riverwest
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I
really love the Fuel, and although I always
feel like I should be intimidated by
the sort of biker/punk/rebel culture when I walk in
there, I'm not. It's cool. (and yes, I'm easily
intimidated!) Last time I was there? 2
men in Scottish garb, one with a very loud drum,
and one with bagpipes, decided to stroll in and
play a tune. I'm not sure why, but it
was really cool! :-) They've got a nice menu
with vegetarian options
(tomato & cheese sandwich is
wonderful, served on some amazing bread!), some
really strong coffee, and a really slick web
site. They also have THE best marketing in
town. FUEL bumper stickers and "gear" can be
seen all over the place, including my car (had to
cover up the previous owners Packers sticker!!).
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Comet
Cafe - Farwell Avenue
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Smaller
than it's sibling the
Fuel
(above), Comet
is
a wonderful place to sit outside and read your new
used book from the Constant Reader (next door - see
"Shops
-
Books") in the summer. Before my first visit there,
I always smiled when I would drive down
Farwell and see their colorful lights dangling
outside, looking like my grandparents indoor patio
with the hanging fruit lights! Inside
is
uncomplicated,
with
a great gold wall with small "symbols" (pinup girl,
moon, bowling pins, etc...) painted in black
throughout. The south wall is covered with the work
of local photographers. (I'm assuming they're
local!) The only problem with putting great
photographs on your walls is people want to look at
them. This becomes a problem because, as you're
sitting, you're staring at the wall, which makes
those sitting against the wall nervous, thinking
it's them that is being stared at. :-) The
current b/w photos adorning the walls at Comet are
of musicians, playing in clubs, hanging out, etc...
that really captured the essence of what music and
rock n' roll is about. Energy. I was pretty
much ready to ask "where can I buy these!?!"
(thank to Brian Jacobson, photographer and
worshipper of the Comet, for use of his
photos)
The
Comet is smoker friendly, but that's about where
the friendly ends. To want to hang inside, you have
to have "attitude" (usually leaning toward the
tattooed-pierced-faux-negative). The coffee is good
and strong. The food I've had, so far, is not worth
the "price." The veggie chilly is to be avoided at
all cost unless you like beans floating in a
pathetic, flavorless liquid. Save the cash and get
your food at Brewed.
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Beans
& Barley
- Farwell & North
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I
debated... do I put this under restaurant or cafe?
Since I primarily go to
B & B as a deli, I put it
here. :-) B & B is known
for it's "vegetarian friendly" menu, but don't
let that veggie aura fool you. There's meat there,
if that is your thing. Organic, most likely. For
the record, though, if you're diabetic, bring your
own sugar substitute. Only "Sugar in the
Raw" served there! (I guess it's a whole
"health" thing.)
If
you are hungry for lunch, in the area, and are
looking for something quick but off the beaten
path, head to the deli counter!! For under $5.00
you can get a couple nice-size portions of any
number of items. I love the rice & peas in
cumin, or the sautéed zucchini, or glazed
carrots. Hummus, Spinach Salad, chicken,
pasta salad, etc... Grab a water or juice and
you've got lunch. And if you have time, shop a bit!
They have a nice little grocery and their greeting
cards are awesome!!
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ReJo's
- Oakland Avenue
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I
seem to like everything that was in this building.
First High Wind New Age Books in the 80s
& 90s. They moved and then I loved
Rory's Coffee Shop. It was a nice, dark little
coffee shop primed for poetry readings (even though
I've never been to one) and they made an awesome
veggie burger!! Well, ReJo's is not
Rory's - I believe it even says so on
the door!! It's brighter, with more of a
musical flair upstairs, and by now they may have
opened their outdoor garden seating!! (up the
stairs, out the door and toward the back.) Coffee
related paraphernalia adorn the walls downstairs,
while music related items are upstairs, with
brightly painted tables and large dark wooden
chairs with red vinyl seats that must have come
from a neighborhood Italian restaurant that closed.
Very cool. There's a small stage where I imagine
owner Joey Leal has performed on occasion and has
others do so as well. ReJo's serves primarily
Mexican style food. At first I was a little
disappointed, hoping for more coffee shopish fare
(chili, sandwiches, etc.). I decided to have a
veggie burrito and sit out front. The burrito was
wonderful - big, warm tortilla
stuffed with black beans, red and green pepper,
green onion, corn, and cucumber, topped with a
non-overwhelming amount of cheese and a little
"strip" of sour cream. On the side was a
delicious "salsa." This is not the "pour on" or
"chip dipping" type salsa, but rather a scoopable
fresh, light, mildly spicy mix of finely chopped
chilled tomatoes, onions... it was really unusual,
really delicious, and a great choice for my first
"al fresco" dining of the year! :-) Oh... and the
mocha I had with it was excellent as well,
although mochas and Mexican don't always mix. :-)
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Alterra
- Prospect Avenue
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By
far the coolest exterior design (click on tour on
their site, then the first pic), outstanding and
standout, they have a beautiful interior as well!!
It's a wonderful place to sit outside in the
summertime, as well. Alterra Roasters is local
coffee made good, and like a micro brew, a lot of
shops around town use their coffee. I can't,
however, let this opportunity pass without saying
that if you're sick, sore throat, cold coming
on??? The Dragon's Breath Tea is
wonderful and will kill your ills!!!!
While
I haven't been to the other Alterra locations,
I do know that they have recently acquired a
small historic cream city brick building off of
Lincoln Memorial Drive and are planning on opening
a coffee/cafe that will also serve as a venue for
artwork in some capacity, given its proximity to
the Milwaukee Art Museum and various galleries.
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LaBoulangerie
-
Broadway, Third Ward
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On
the healthier, more "trendy" side, I guess, is
LaBou (pronounced LaBOO). I've only been to the
Third Ward location, so I can only speak for that.
:-) I love this place. The location is really cool
- it's below street level but has lots of windows
to give it light. Currently they're remodeling the
whole building so it will be interesting to see
what they do with it!! They have a small but
interesting and "healthy" menu, great great coffee,
and their deli counter has this beautiful and fresh
mixed fruit by the pound from Sendik's that I can
never resist getting even though it's pricey -
served with a LaBou hard roll. They have great
salads, sandwiches, soups, and "reheatable" items
to go on one side, a dine-in cafe on the other.
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