Milwaukee Specialty Food and Coffee

East Side/Riverwest: Snapshot: Alterra Humboldt

I've decided that my latest favorite example of man's inhumanity to man is talking on one's cell phone at high volume while sitting in a coffeehouse. . .for, like, an hour. Yet another reason to steer towards Fiddleheads: "What's a cell phone?!" ;-)

Late Night Coffee: Mocha

I'm at Mocha on Plankinton & Wisconsin in Downtown Milwaukee.  Even (especially) for a Friday night, this has to be one of the busiest coffee shops I've ever seen.  I'm drinking decaf drip coffee (the coffee supplier is Alterra), and not only is the coffee great, it comes in a nifty glass mug.  The only negative for me is that there's some pretty aggressive heavy metal-type music playing over the sound system.  (I'm quite certain you wouldn't hear that here during daylight hours.)  I'll have to remember to bring headphones next time.

As if to match the tempo of the music, the WEBbeams Wi-Fi Internet is blazing fast.

Late Night Coffee: East Side/North Shore

As far as I know, there's no late night coffee to be had anywhere east of I-43 or anywhere near the East Side/North Shore area.  The sidewalks get rolled up at 10 p.m.  The only exception I know of is Caribou at Bayshore Town Center, which is open until 11 on Friday and Saturday nights.

The only recommendation I could offer is this here Starbucks at 27th & Oklahoma, which is open  from 5 a.m.  to  11 p.m.  Gosh, it would suck to have a close/open here!  To reach this store, especially if you're close to the lake, your best bet is to take the Lake Parkway to Oklahoma, then go the two or so miles west to 27th.  Otherwise, take I-43/94 south to the Holt exit.

Late Night Coffee: Opportunity Knocks...or, um, Cruises

Sounds like there is an opportunity for some shrewd coffee establishment along Hwy. 100 (Caribou?) to expand their hours and do some serious business.

LiveJournal member shydescending writes the following:

the number of people converging on the 24-hour Starbucks on hwy 100 at night has reached absurd proportions. in addition to the parking problem, one can no longer get a table. therefore I need a new place to do my homework.

Heidi Spencer Sets Tone for Mellow Evening at Stone Creek

Heidi Spencer put on a great show at Stone Creek's Bay View location tonight.  The talented singer/songwriter charmed the audience with her easygoing personality and adorable mannerisms (quote of the evening: "I'm gonna take a swig of coffee now.")  She was joined by drummer Bill Curtis, and invited those present to see her with full band at the Bremen Cafe on the 27th.

The corner of KK & Lincoln is a tough one, to say the least, for a quiet acoustic concert.  However, this Stone Creek location is the only one with enough outdoor space to hold such an event, and Spencer bravely soldiered on through the ambient noise.

Here's hoping that this will be the first of many!

Late Night Coffee: Hwy. 100 & I-94 Starbucks

A night of wild goose chase-like errands for me.  I've been out on the western fringes trying to thrift an espresso machine at USA Family Thrift (no luck, but had stuff to donate anyway), and ultimately ending up buying one at Tarzhay.  It's a DeLonghi EC140B, made in China of course (their higher-end products are made in Italy) and sold at $80.  (Quite a deal, I see from a little Google research.)  I'm hoping it might perform in the same ballpark as my old Gaggia Espresso.

I'm sitting at the Starbucks on Hwy. 100 & I-94.  I've been here a few times before.  It's probably the busiest Starbucks I know of, especially at night.  The Medical College must have summer school, as two young lady medical students are reviewing their study materials at the next table.  Who knows, I might be able to overhear enough to learn something!  As an aside, I think the interior architecture of this location is the best of any I've seen--I'll have to take pictures sometime.