Milwaukee Specialty Food and Coffee

Snapshot: Mocha

I decided to give Mocha another shot, and I'm glad I did. I've decided I really like the atmosphere. The reasonably-priced medium hot chocolate ($2.91 including tax) was delicious, far better than the standard Starbucks version at the same price.  Isn't this the same building as the Riverside?  In a week and a half, Yes will play there.  I wish Mocha and Mo's opened to the Riverside so that you could half-watch the concert if you wanted.  I've heard that some of the club-like venues Yes is playing on this tour have balconies where you sit and relax on comfy couches.  Even as a rabid fan, I think I'd welcome the opportunity to experience a concert that way, especially after the kind of year it's been. 

East Side/Riverwest: Snapshot: Wacky Tobacky

I'm at Alterra on Humboldt, which is becoming an increasingly infrequent destination.  I'm enjoying a grab-and-go Blue Chicken Salad--probably the last $6.95 salad I have in a good while, as my self-imposed austerity program is kicking in--and a mug of the Turkey Trot seasonal coffee.  It tastes like nothing so much as pipe tobacco, which is not at all bad in my estimation.  Especially in half-and-half, it's delightful.

The most recent issue of Milwaukee Magazine (not yet up on the website) contains a couple of interesting articles.  In one, UWM Professor John Koethe writes at length about Milwaukee's rich variety of Mexican restaurants.  In the other, Tom Bamberger contrasts the new and old Alterra headquarters.  While Bamberger's opinions are pretty much the opposite of mine, he writes them well.  

Snapshot: Starbucks (Third Ward)

Last night, I did something I haven't done for quite a while--I took a long, mostly aimless walk downtown.  A lot has happened in just the last several months. I was at the Milwaukee Public Market a little over a year ago, but it looks like many stores have turned over.  The new organic neighbor, goodharvest, looks promising.  I see that El Rey will be opening a taqueria at the Public Market, which is good news indeed (if it weren't for the Market's limited hours and inconvenient--at least to me--location, it would be great news).  If you haven't had the authentic experience at one of the El Rey grocery stores, you haven't lived.  How authentic?  The last couple times I went to the 35th & Burnham location, I was having a hard time communicating with the servers due to the language barrier, which kind of made the experience a little too authentic for my taste.  The workers are unbelievably efficient, probably each getting as much work done as ten Anglos would, but there's no system.  Presumably these things won't happen in the version offered to the Public Market audience. 

I'd been told that the Third Ward location was the "least like a Starbucks", but I can't say I quite agree.  I'm not even quite sure what that's supposed to mean, but if it's supposed to mean the best, I wouldn't agree.  (In terms of atmosphere, I'd say the Mequon Starbucks is the best; in terms of drink quality, the Whitefish Bay location.)  I don't know that there's a cause-effect relationship, but the best Starbucks are the ones that have the Mastrena.  I think, on some level, the company knows at which locations the new machines will go to best use and is deploying them accordingly. 

Snapshot: The Monthly 'Bligatory 'Bux-Sucks Post

I'm at one of the more, ahem, underachieving Starbucks stores I've been to, the one on N. Oakland Ave. in Shorewood.  I love reading Starbucks Gossip while at Starbucks.  Tonight, I saw one of the best posts I've ever read on the site:

Darleen,

I used to care. I used to be the one partners would turn to when they were feeling jaded and used. I used to lead my shifts from a position of teamwork and pride in what we were doing. And it worked out beautifully when upper management were leading from the same place.

Around the 2005-2006 timeframe, a cultural shift came about, at least in my region. Upper management began leading from a place of ego and "Cover Your Ass" micromanagement. Passion and dedication became passe, replaced by daily phone calls, email followup, corporate doublespeak and, above all, speed of service.

East Side/Riverwest: Snapshots: Stone Creek Shorewood

I'm at Stone Creek Coffee in Shorewood, drinking a small Americano ($2.10 including tax).  Prepared with two shots of Green Bike Espresso, it makes for a not-at-all-strong cup of coffee.  This one is rather good, having been made with perfectly timed, 20-second shots.  The Americano might actually be the preferred option for older folks and others who want mild coffee, even over the regular drip coffee.  If you like it strong, you're better off asking for three shots.

Glendale/Whitefish Bay: Snapshot: Mastrena @ Starbucks Whitefish Bay

As I mentioned earlier, the Whitefish Bay Starbucks store has been outfitted with the new Mastrena espresso machines.  I just had my first double espresso made with the machines.  It was really good.  It was on a par with the better Stone Creek shots I've had. I'm hoping the Mastrena will be deployed at other nearby stores by winter, when I'll be spending more time on the North Shore. There are some regular customers (read: residents) here that get on my nerves, and in any event, the place just doesn't have much atmosphere.

East Side/Riverwest: Snapshot: Alterra on Prospect

I've been spending more time at Alterra's N. Prospect Ave. location lately.  Due to the overwhelming success of the Riverwest location, this is now the mellow Alterra.  The noise level, for instance, tops out here at about 88 decibels.  Moreover--and more importantly to me--the Wi-Fi seems to have been converted to all-day free Ethostream service, same as on Humboldt.  They don't roast here anymore, but if you're lucky (as I was tonight), you might catch a contact high from a pound of Blue Heeler being ground for a customer. 

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?!" ;-)

East Side/Riverwest: Snapshots: Pizza Shuttle

This picture is five years old now--time flies!--but I had to dig it up because I'm sitting next to one of these machines at Pizza Shuttle. I mentioned the noise level here when I was at Alterra. It's actually a little quieter, if we except the guy announcing the ticket numbers over the intercom. Otherwise, it's topping out at about 89 dB. (This is geeky as all get out, I know, but if I said "it's loud in here," that would be completely meaningless. How loud is loud? Loundess is, by definition, perception. Also, I think noise level is something that tends to be left out of restaurant reviews and the like, even though it's important to many people.)

Snapshot: Mocha

Mocha might not have what it takes to be a regular hangout for me. It's easy--and popular--to focus on the deficiencies of Starbucks and other corporate chains, but independent operators have their own annoying habits. One of my least favorite is a mismatch between for-here and to-go cup sizes. If you have three paper cup sizes, why not have three glass or ceramic sizes? Though it seems petty, I hate being told that I'm ordering the "wrong" size. Here's a radical thought: it's not my job to be familiar with your menu. It's your job to accomodate my request. Here's another radical thought: considering the ten cents or whatever I'm saving you by ordering my drink for here, give me the flippin' next larger size and shut up about it.