I'm in a nostalgic mood of late--and sitting by a fireplace, which always seems to coax nostalgia--so here are some memories of the local independent coffee scene. Those who are relative newcomers to Milwaukee might be surprised to learn that Stone Creek started retail stores at roughly the same time as Alterra (Spring 1993) and, as I recall, was ahead in retail operations out of the gate, maybe until about the time Alterra opened their Prospect Ave. store. In my estimation, the present dynamic began when Alterra began to offer the menu of soup, salads and sandwiches--what I think of as the "Heinemann's business" that is so wildly popular in Milwaukee. I also have to admit I don't remember exactly when, or at which location, the expanded food menu was first offered. It may have been Bayshore, but it may have even been as late as the opening of the N. Lincoln Memorial Dr. location in 2002.
It's important for me, I think, to keep this in mind. Stone Creek often strikes me as très 1990s--the now out-of-fashion dark roasts, the relatively large volume of liquid in a double espresso--but this is to be expected. I actually think it's a fun throwback on many occasions, especially when the A-Team baristas are on duty as they were at the original location in Whitefish Bay this morning. I haven't had the same job since 1993, so it's impossible for me to imagine what that kind of longevity or continuity entails.
