West Side Stories

“Uh oh. I sense a new blogpost coming,” said my husband during a recent dinner out.

And although I denied it as we were dining at Tazza Pizzeria – Pizza at the Cup, I couldn’t help but consider the possibility. And so, here I am, writing about Tazzo and another “nearly” Tosa dining spot.

First Tazza. I have a confession, I miss The Milwaukee Coffee Company, the former identity of that tiny retail front at 50^th and Vliet. The food, the coffee and the artsy metallic interior were very hip. Plus, it all fit with the infamous giant cup that is perched on the roof. Alas, they went away and were replaced by a bagel restaurant and then some non-descript sandwich place.

Now, it’s Tazza. They’ve completely redone the interior with cute and clever pizza symbols. (Don't worry, the cup is still there.) The front window, which can open in nice weather, sits behind a tiny outdoor eating area. With Wick Park directly across the street, this place should be bustling.

The pizza is quite good. Not amazing, but definitely worth the trip. The salad was quite fresh - better than average. The meatball sandwich was gigantic and very tasty. The beer selection is pretty good and each table offers a bottle of wine. They also offer delivery in an adorable three-wheeled vehicle that probably stops traffic…and saves gas.

Just up the street, Meritage, across from The Times Theatre has generated lots of buzz since it opened last year. When my husband and I first tried it, just weeks after its opening, we walked in without reservations and practically had the place to ourselves. Now, you would be hard-pressed to have that kind of luck. Meritage has arrived, and for good reason. On a Friday night, the place was packed and we saw a couple of walk-ins turned away. Too bad for them.

Meritage features both seasonal and locally grown dishes that are both creative and tasty. The menu changes regularly and the wine list is terrific. And, even better, on a very busy night, the service was absolutely excellent. A night at Meritage is reasonably priced and certainly worthwhile for a special evening out.

Although neither Tazza nor Meritage are Tosa businesses, I still think it’s in our best interest that they are successful. Judging by our recent visits, the future looks bright.

So...I know this college kid from Tosa. And he’s doing a project this summer. No, he’s not painting the house or fixing a car. He’s creating a musical.

That’s right. I said a musical. And to do it, he’s writing and recording one song a day for 40 days. He wants you to come along on this tuneful journey. Bookmark his website and get a front row seat to this local creation. You can comment or maybe even give him some ideas. I’m in…are you?

OK, full disclosure. I know this kid really well. I still think it’s worth checking in on his progress. It could be fun…..

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to see Lisa Ling speak as part of the Journal Sentinel’s Smart Talk Series at the Marcus Center. My season tickets to the series are an annual gift to myself. It’s a great excuse to create a girls’ night out with a friend – dinner, followed by an interesting talk by a prominent and/or successful woman. (I’ll explain later why this will be my last year as a subscriber.)

I’ve always been a fan of Lisa Ling. Her down-to-earth journalistic style is a far cry from the overly dramatic and sensationalistic methods used by other reporters. To me, she’s always seemed like someone you could sit down and talk to, without feeling intimidated.

In her talk, Ling made a comment that resonated with me. She talked about the deterioration of television news and how little “real” news is really being reported. Newscasts filled with stories about Brittany and Anna Nicole and Paris Hilton. With the proliferation of all-news networks, that should be no surprise. It’s virtually impossible for networks such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox News to fill their broadcasts, without adding “filler” – opinions spouted by so-called experts, reports on everyday dangers and puff pieces that are basically just gossip.

For me, this is especially true with our local news broadcasts. At the risk of biting the hand that hosts my blog, Channel 4 (owned by Journal Communications) is the worst offender. This week, their big news promotion is “The Meat We Eat,” a behind-the-scenes expose on meat gone bad. They seem to have made a conscious decision to gear their newscasts to the sensational and the scary.  Their “local news” is nothing more than investigative reporting gone over-the-top. No wonder Mike Gousha left.

This is exactly why I made the decision long ago to stop watching television news. It used to be a habit to turn on the 10:00 pm news before I’d nod off to sleep. Night after night, our local television journalists would alarm, scare and depress me before I fell asleep. It did absolutely nothing for my daily attitude.

And so I stopped – cold turkey. If I need to flip on the TV before I go to bed, it’s The Daily Show. Nothing ends the day better than a chuckle over faux news. Unless there truly is a big story on the news, I don’t miss it a bit.

I’m now a habitual daily newspaper reader. I love starting out the day by reading a well-written story. Sure, the Journal Sentinel covers many of the same stories that I might see on the news, but there’s so much more. And nobody is shouting at me, making idle chit-chat or adding a dose of dramatic music to the news. It’s all there. And I can choose to skip the filler.

And, no, I don’t agree with everything the Journal Sentinel covers or their editorial stance. But I prefer my news written, not stirred. I think I get that from our daily paper.

Back to the Smart Talk Series. They’re losing me as a subscriber because like local TV news, the series has become a bloated series of talking heads. I pay for my tickets. And yet, time after time, they insist on parading corporate vice-president after corporate vice-president past us to “introduce” the speaker. And we’re supposed to applaud for each of them after their little introductions. Seriously? It takes THREE vice-presidents to introduce one speaker? I’m not dumb, I know it’s marketing. But we’re getting less speaker and more vice-president. The speakers only talk for 45 minutes, max. Then there’s a question and answer period. They ask for questions from the audience, but the moderator generally has her own agenda and her own questions. To me, it’s not a great buy for my entertainment dollars. Too bad, it was a great idea.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, grandmas, aunts, godmothers and special women in all of our lives!