Snapshot: Wauwatosa Dreamin'

My lunch at Le Reve, already in progress.  After yesterday's discussion of the American blandscape, it occurred to me that this is the exact opposite.  One reason is the distinctiveness of the space.  It'd be hard to replicate this atmosphere if they were to expand to multiple locations a la City Market.  Another reason is that the space is inviting enough to be worth a visit even if you spend little or nothing (which I'm not advocating--let's keep these guys open!).  Last Saturday, however, I waited in line at least twenty minutes for a cup of drip coffee, and was happy to do so.  The American blandscape environment is engineered to create a feeling of discomfort that can only be stilled, however temporarily, by buying something.