They don't roast, but Fiddleheads is quickly establishing itself as Southeast Wisconsin's Number Three local coffee business, and, if current trends continue, might soon find itself nipping the heels of Number Two. I'm not sure exactly when 'Heads expanded into Cedarburg, but when I first visited the Thiensville location in 2005, it seemed like a mellow little hole-in-the-wall. During my frequent Ozaukee County forays over the past year, it's become obvious that their customer enthusiasm is intense. At least at the Cedarburg location, the barista skills are competitive with Alterra's (latte art included). The new Mequon location is nothing short of palatial. All three locations have, it seems, been tweaked slightly to create a uniform appearance. The mural here, for instance, is now no longer featured at the C-Burg location. 
Coincidentally, I just read a great article in Milwaukee magazine about Racine and Kenosha's turning towards Chicago. I think Milwaukee--both city and county--are at great risk of being blindsided by the exodus north and south. My feelings on the subject are decidedly mixed. Frankly, it pisses me off that I have to drive to the northern border of Milwaukee County for a safe and enjoyable walking experience on the Ozaukee Interurban Trail. The narrow Oak Leaf trail is congested with too many different modes of transportation, all moving at different speeds. The Interurban Trail is what brought me to "the OC" in the first place (though I also have family there). Driving back to my office today, I couldn't help to note the irony of the fact that I passed the scene of what appeared to be another shooting. Ugh.
In any event, I had the opportunity to visit all three locations in one day today. Because Fiddleheads doesn't have a website, I'm going to go into each of them in some depth over the next posts. (Thankfully for them, I'm a nice guy!)
Out of curiousity what are the number 1 and 2 coffee shops?
Posted by: | October 28, 2008 at 06:44 PM