West Side Stories

Woohoo! At long last, Wauwatosa’s beloved 4th of July Fireworks Show returns to Hart Park. I, for one, am thrilled! I remember last 4th of July – sitting on a less-than-scenic hill overlooking Whitman Middle School, straining to see the colors, but really only hearing the explosions mixed with traffic sounds from Highway 45. It was less than ideal, especially figuring in the hour long traffic maze just to get back to Hwy 100.

OK, I confess. I like my fireworks at Hart Park because I can walk there. I have no parking hassles and I can sit in the middle of the football field and chat with friends and neighbors and actually have a chance of glimpsing my kids hanging with their friends. For me, it feels more like home. I hope you’ll join me this year.

As you’ve probably heard by now, one of our local swanky restaurants, Bjonda, is no more. That’s the bad news, at least in my opinion. As I’ve mentioned before, we’ve visited Bjonda several times and have had wonderful meals there. It was a great place to bring out of town guests and impress them with gourmet cuisine right in our own backyard.

Alas, not enough people felt similarly and we were always a little sad to see the restaurant rather empty on most visits.

The good news is that the owners of Bjonda, Marija & Vesna Madunic, have transformed this unique location into a brand new unique restaurant, Firefly Urban Bar & Grill. It’s a decidedly casual atmosphere, complete with wide-screen TVs in all dining areas and down-to-earth wooden table tops instead of tablecloths. Further good news is that Chef Ryan Whitman is still running the kitchen and an integral part of Firefly. My family and I visited last night for dinner and although the atmosphere is obviously a work-in-progress, I predict that Firefly has a bright future in Tosa.

The best and most important part of Firefly is the menu. If you want bar food and burgers, go to the Chancery, Colonel Harts or Leff’s. If you want casual dining with a fun menu that is truly one-of-a-kind, definitely visit Firefly.

Be forewarned, you’re going to have to make some decisions at Firefly. Right off the bat, you’ll have to choose cocktails. The list of beers can be overwhelming but intriguing. We might be in a Miller town, but Firefly is offering much more than our local brew. The drinks and martinis are also a twist on the tried an true, including the “Firefly,” a mango-ey Mojito or a White Cosmo made with White Cranberry Juice.

After settling on drinks, you’ll need to spend some time with the menu. Although some of the old favorites are still there, such as Crunch Salad, Micro Burgers or some of the best fries (frites) in town, you’ll find a wonderfully varied yet reasonably-priced selection sure to please any palate.

The most unique part of the menu would be the meats cooked on the smoker and wood burning grill, accompanied by warm flat bread, two sides and 18 sauces from which to choose to accent the meats. The fun part is that you can order the same meat on your next visit, but get an entirely different taste experience by choosing different sauces.

Unlike the trend at many chain restaurants, the portion sizes are manageable and not ridiculous. Still, having ordered salads, an appetizer and entrees, we were plenty full by the end of our meal, unfortunately leaving no room for one of our favorite Bjonda desserts, Warm Chocolate Bombe. Maybe next time.

If you were a regular at Bjonda’s Skylight Room, the classy and hip cocktail lounge appears to be largely untouched by the restaurant change at least for now.

Right now, this is a dinner and drinks only establishment – no lunches at this time. However, I would assume that that might change if Firefly gains in popularity. Last night, the second official night of being open, there was a decent-sized dining crowd checking out the new digs and the new cuisine, which does include a kids’ menu, although we did not get a chance to look at it.

Further good news is that the owners are considering the possibility of rebirthing Bjonda in a new location. I truly think that would be worth doing. Perhaps in Brookfield at the now closed Sticks & Stones on North Avenue?....I can dream, can’t I?

It’s been 17 years since we’ve seen these little buggers – pun intended. My relatives in the suburbs north of Chicago have been calling me for weeks: “Have you seen them?” they ask. “They’re disgusting!” Oh, great. I can’t wait.

We’re talking cicadas folks, and much like our Illinois friends from the south, they’re headed our way.

According to an article in the Journal Sentinel, cicadas have been spotted in Lake Geneva. They won’t harm us, except perhaps to drive us a little batty with their persistent noise. Still, as a board-certified Entomophobe, or person that fears bugs, I am definitely not looking forward to these winged visitors.

The good news is that like the occasional long-term houseguest, they’ll only be here for about six weeks and then we can welcome our annual infestation of bees and wasps and humidity.

Like I said: Oh great. I can’t wait.

So....has anybody spotted any in Tosa yet? Wait. I'm not sure I want to know....