In honor of what is clearly Milwaukee County's busiest coffeehouse, I've started a separate page for the 24-hour Starbucks on Hwy. 100 & 1-94 in Wauwatosa. The location has become a regular hangout for me, and I note that just in the last week or ten days, they've upgraded to the new Mastrena espresso machines.
I'm sitting at Le Reve nursing a cappuccino that's reminding me why I became a coffee lover. For dinner, I had the crepes with poulet (chicken), which was one of the more expensive items on the original menu at $9.50, but now is a bargain. It exceeded even the sandwiches and other items I've had here, which were fantastic in their own right. They've recently introduced more expensive dinner entrees, and expanded their hours accordingly (looks like they're open until 9 on weekdays and 10 on Saturdays). Co-owner Therese Hittman has been here every time I have. I think that's awesome.
I'm at the 24-hour Starbucks (there's only one in Southeastern Wisconsin that I know of) on Hwy. 100 and I-94 in Wauwatosa. I purchased a $15 Starbucks card at Walgreens this afternoon, and this is my second SBUX visit today. It occured to me that I'd perhaps been shutting out Big Green to a greater extent than deserved, though this store was always in a league of its own in my view. Earlier today, I was at the Shorewood store, which is at the opposite end of the continuum.
The AT&T Wi-Fi service--two hours of which are free per day with a registered Starbucks card--is truly revolutionary. Even more so is the current appearance of the Shorewood store, now that it's been stripped of CDs and other extraneous merchandise. As I've noticed on earlier visits, this is one of the more "meat market-y" coffee houses in the area. I might add, heterosexual meat. There are folk here that I'd peg as gay or lesbian, but also many who aren't. My usual haunts are a little too stereotypically lesbilicious. As the old saying goes, that and a (buck and a) quarter will get me. . .a cup of coffee.I've "bookended" the week at Le Reve, as I've now returned for a breakfast of a cappuccino and a chocolate croissaint. They've evolved into kind of a hybrid of counter service and table service that works surprisingly well. For instance, I ordered my breakfast at the counter, but not long afterwards someone came around to ask if I needed anything. Then, after I declined, he brought a glass carafe of ice water and a pint glass without being prompted. That's much appreciated.
The double cappuccino is generously sized and was easily over half dense foam. It didn't rock my world, but that would probably be asking too much. I still find that perhaps the most impressive thing is the professionals in the kitchen. It must be tempting to goose profit margins by hiring (pardon the political incorrectness) illegal immigrants, and the stereotypical short-order cooks in the kitchen are a common sight, even at pricy places like City Market.
Random tip: when drinking ice water from a pint glass, you have to use a straw, as otherwise the water leapfrogs the ice cubes and ends up on your shirt. Glad I'm not on a date.
I'd left Starbucks feeling pretty charitable, but when leaving, I figured I was probably supposed to go out the drive-thru, and (of course) was behind someone in an SUV being passed a couple of whipped cream-laden Fraps. That engenders a similar feeling of outrage in me as would seeing someone perform some unspeakable act of sacrilege. Ugh. Compared to that, the Caribou a few blocks down the road seems like a temple of coffee snobbery. Heck, I can't even drink Starbucks' drip without adding half-and-half and honey. (I almost never use sweetener.)
One bugaboo remains: censored Internet. The image here is from a screenshot of what you see if you attempt to access the virtual red-light district. I didn't come here to surf teh pr0n, honest--having learned of Caribou's policies over the last year, though, I was curious to see what kind of message would come up. I see it's gotten more Orwellian. Love that passive voice!
Tonight's ramblings began at Le Reve, where I took advantage of the relative peace and quiet of a Friday evening to reacquaint myself with the Pan Bagnat ($8.50) and this here cappuccino ($3). (Note to POS system programmer: "Pan Bagnat" looks better next to "$8.50" than "Tuna Sand"!) I've noticed that the side salad portion has been trimmed a bit; it was fun to come here in this place's first weeks and experience some extra helpings! The capp was a killer, hiding some seriously strong espresso under an igloo of dense foam. The espresso had a different, though not at all disagreeable, taste to it and took quite a while to be served (my food actually came up first), so I wonder if there was some improvisation. Whatever the case, the results were very good, definitely well suited to power walking, writing or. . .who knows where my ramblings will take me?
A hidden gem for Christians is surely Northwestern Publishing House in Wauwatosa. The warehouse and retail store are located just off of 113th and Watertown Plank Road in Wauwatosa (next door to Empire Fish, about a mile south of Mayfair. I stopped in today to pick up a copy of Christian Worship-Supplement, presumably hot off the presses (the order link just went live in the last week or so).
-I'm at Pizzeria Piccola in Wauwatosa. I've just come from La Reve. Piccola has Wi-Fi now (either they didn't before or failed to notice it). The culinary highlight of my day was, no doubt, the Reve almond croissaint pictured here. I'd asked for a plain croissaint; as has happened every time, they were out. As for Piccola (not Le Reve), this would be an amazing, European-style restaurant if they canned the teenage waitstaff. So far from being an anti-immigration bigot, I wish there were far more--but more diverse--immigration. I wish enough foreigners would come to displace older teenagers and young twentysomethings from FOH duties in the service industry. I'm sick of every restaurant and coffee house being their little playground. Anyway, the food quality here is quite high for the price.
-Today (Saturday), I was suprised--mostly pleasantly--to arrive at Le Rêve to find a line that reached almost to the door. Ever since, a steady stream of patrons--mostly groups of nicely-dressed women--has come through. However, I'm pleased to report that the rush was handled with dispatch, and the coast is now clear (just in case you were thinking about coming).
-I'm currently enjoying some of Alterra's Guatemala Pampojila. When I typed "Guatemala Pampojlla" into Google, it asked me if I meant "Guatemala Pimpzilla". So, when I create my own blend based on the Guatemala, I know what to call it.
During today's brief rainstorm, I used the time to drive out to Le Rêve (*****). (NOTE: I accidentally gave them **** instead the last time, not remembering that five stars is my superlative. Sorry! I've corrected the previous blog entry.) Today, I dined on the Pan Bagnat ($8.50) and accompanied it with a cup of their superb drip coffee ($1.50). The Pan Bagnat is actually a tuna sandwich. From a cursory glance at the menu, I'd expected a twist on the usual Chicken of the Sea on a croissaint. Little did I know that I would be presented with a tuna steak sandwich!
The entire experience at Le Rêve bespoke food and drink as something, if not quite sacred, then deserving of respect and attention. I sat in along the front window, in a direct line over the counter with the kitchen. Instead of a stereotypical short-order cook, the kitchen featured what looked like an entire chef line, with three chefs in neat white uniforms. They worked at a methodical, unhurried pace. Though carry-out is available, I didn’t see any plastic or paper plates, cups or tableware being used in the café or leaving with customers other than a couple cold drinks. Soft music played in the background. All of this for food and beverage at a price point equal to fast casual restaurants, a lower category.
