West Side Stories

“This is GREAT. Let’s come here every Wednesday!”

That was an unsolicited pre-review that one of my lunch companions exclaimed when we visited Tosa’s new Le Reve Patisserie & Café the other day. And that was even before we got our food!

Here’s the deep, dark secret of Tosa’s SAHMs (stay-at-home moms): One of our greatest treats is going out to lunch or breakfast…and we’re not talking McDonald’s. Moms all over Tosa are always looking for somewhere fun, light, close and not overly expensive to grab a bite and share tales of motherhood with friends. With this in mind, thank goodness that Le Reve has arrived in Tosa…and not a moment too soon.

Loosely translated, Le Reve means “The Dream” and for many who “love to lunch,” Le Reve is a dream come true.

Located at 7610 Harwood Ave. (up the hill from Noodles and Bartolotta’s), Le Reve has carved out a charming and surprisingly spacious place in The Village. (Where they found TWO floors of space, I’ll never know, but when you walk in the door, you’ll think it’s been there forever.) The décor features exposed brick accented with dark wood and artsy photos. Overall, the ambience is warm and simple without being overly chic or trendy.

Step up to the counter and you have your first problem: You planned to try a light salad, soup or baguette but the desserts…oh, the desserts, look ridiculously good. (I managed to not give into temptation, so I can’t comment on them. But they just have to be good because they look amazing.)

I chose the Pan Poulet, which is sliced chicken with parmesan, red onion, tomato, romaine and a roasted garlic sauce on a baguette. It was good… really good. The baguettes are worth the trip alone. Crunchy on the outside and light and airy on the inside. One of my dining companions had the tomato, brie and pesto on a baguette which she said was excellent. Both of us opted for pommes frites (fries) with the sandwich. The fries are served in an adorable little paper cone. Here’s one tiny complaint, they look cute, but they’re really nothing remarkable. Just fries, perhaps a little too salty. At any other restaurant, we’d love them. It’s just that Le Reve raised the bar and we expected a little more. My other friend had a crepe and salad and raved about those as well.

Like so many Tosa eating spots, the deal at Le Reve is that you place your order at the counter and they bring your food to you. The service is not fast. We weren’t bothered because we were so busy chatting, but if you’re in a hurry, this probably isn’t the place to go. (Others have told me that their food took a while to be served.)

Another teeny complaint: if you sit on the second floor, grab napkins and to-go boxes before you go up because they aren’t available upstairs.

Oh and here’s an interesting twist that may be a challenge for some: If you go to Le Reve, leave your soda addiction at home. There’s not a Coke or Pepsi product in the place. That’s right. You’ll have to try one of their gourmet bottled sodas, ice tea or lemonade. This threw me for a loop, but on second thought, I kind of like it. I can have a Diet Coke anywhere, but I can’t get one of Le Reve’s baguettes anywhere.

I will definitely go back, perhaps for a breakfast selection – a croissant, a quiche or a brioche? Oh and I must try those desserts…those tempting desserts.

Le Reve is open Monday through Saturday, 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

I have heard that retirement, like many major changes in life, is tough. One day you’re an important cog in the wheel. The next, you’re spending your mornings at Walgreens waiting for your prescriptions, at a time of day when you used to be in meetings.

My father and my late father-in-law spent decades on their careers. And although their jobs took different paths (my dad in marketing and my father-in-law in medicine), they had one thing in common. They dreaded retirement. How would they define themselves without a job title? They eventually figured it out, but it took years.

Now, we Packer fans have a front-row seat for Brett Favre’s own late career crisis. The player most likely to create drama on the field has brewed up a perfect storm of controversy pitting himself and his legacy against Packers GM, Ted Thompson.

Brett, I know it’s tough to retire, but you should be ashamed of yourself.

Let me back up and tell you that I am one of the biggest Brett Favre fans there is. When everyone else in my house booed his interceptions, I continued to cheer him on. We all have bad days on the job, right? I was continually impressed with his team-first attitude, despite professional and personal challenges. Oh and one more thing: I do not blame Favre for the NFC Championship loss to the Giants. Sorry, no. It takes an entire team to lose.

Today, my feelings have changed. (About Favre, not that frigid game.)

Favre has single-handedly put the Packers in a no-win situation. He points the finger at the team administration for asking him to make a decision before the draft. Can you blame them? The team’s job is to look to the future and prepare for the upcoming season. It is not their job to look out for Favre and twiddle their thumbs while he rides his tractor and mulls over his choices.

He has changed his mind several times since his retirement press conference. And rather than answer to the rumors swirling about, he allowed his brother and his mother to talk to the media. C’mon Brett. Do your own talking.

What bothers me most is that everything Favre has done demonstrates that he feels he is more important than the team. The good ole boy from Mississippi apparently has a sizeable ego. He doesn’t want to be traded, he just wants to be released. He won’t be a backup ($12 million for holding a clipboard - nice work if you can get it) and he doesn’t feel like he should have to compete for the starting job.

And to add to the drama, Favre is supposed to be in town this weekend to help induct Frank Winters into the Packer Hall of Fame. Poor Frankie Bag O’ Doughnuts. His big day of celebration just became a media circus all about Brett. Way to go, gunslinger.

I heard former Packer wide receiver Don Beebe on the radio the other day. He had a great suggestion: Favre shows up at training camp and proves that he is humble enough to get out there with the rest of the guys and compete for his position. This will force the Packers’ hand and make him look like the all-around great guy we thought he was. They’ll either have to reinstate him as a starter, trade him or release him.

For those who have said that the Packers owe Favre his release or his job back, I disagree. Favre has always been paid handsomely and, in turn, has performed commensurate to his salary. Both sides upheld their ends of the bargain. That’s it. Favre gets the endless accolades for ever and ever. But to bow to his every whim, at the expense of the future of the franchise, is just plain foolish. To let him go and get nothing in return would be, in my opinion, a poor fiscal decision for the team.

There are no winners in Favre’s self-created soap opera. His legacy has been forever tarnished. The Packers are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. It didn’t have to be this way. If Favre had just left us wanting more and moved on to pursue other hobbies, I think we’d all be happier. I would much rather remember him in that last heartbreaking game, leaving it all out on the field, than hear him whining to Greta Van Susteren on Fox News. (What? Was ESPN’s Chris Mortensen busy or just tired of the theatrics?)

Now, we’re just left with the name of a popular Tom Petty song:

Brett, “Stop draggin’ my heart around.”

As I began writing this, I was on hold for 25 minutes with Time Warner. The irony is that I was calling about my high-speed internet service, which doesn’t seem to be very high speed at all.

What they should have said on that recording would be a line from Dante’s Inferno:

Here are my two initial thoughts as I sat there on hold:

1. If my call were important, they would have staffed sufficiently to be able to answer my call in less time, which is what I would have liked.

2. Not sure who thought that repeating the above message every 30 seconds would make me feel even more valued or less irritated.

And so began my descent into what could be best described as the tenth circle of hell (Dante wrote about nine, but he didn’t have Road Runner) – Time Warner Customer Service.

Look, I understand that when a company becomes successful, they grow. And when they grow, it’s tough to continue to offer truly personal customer service. But during my odyssey (a total of about 3 hours on the phone), I spoke to no less than six people – six! I started out patiently explaining my problem and just when I felt like the person to whom I was speaking understood my dilemma, they transferred me somewhere else.

Each time I was transferred, a seemingly nice person would listen to me, apologize for my troubles and express empathy for my frustration. But then, every time, I would have to repeat the same information that I gave the person before them.

Along the way, my patience diminished and the follies multiplied. For instance, the first tech support person told me to reboot my modem by unplugging the power cord. Great idea, except that we also have digital phone (All the Best!) and that small action disconnected my call. My dog Millie cowered in the corner at that moment as I shouted at the now non-working phone: “Are you kidding me?! Are you KIDDING me?!”

It seemed like every person I spoke to contradicted the person before them.

After numerous rebootings and multiple speed tests, it was determined that I’m only getting half the typical Road Runner speed. Um, yeah. I kind of knew that. That’s why I’m calling!!!

So, next week, I get a personal visit from a Time Warner truck to, pardon the pun, try and get me up to speed. My expectations are rather low. Yes, I have already abandoned hope.

It’s not perfect, but I think Summerfest is one of the very best tourist draws to our city. Based on the amount of Cubs and Bears apparel I saw wandering the grounds, lots of folks agree. I have always been a huge fan of Summerfest. Growing up in and around Chicago, Summerfest was one of my first introductions to the city of Milwaukee. After moving here, I fondly remember being pregnant and sitting on the rickety wooden plank benches of the old main stage watching Stevie Ray Vaughan. I’ve never been one to dance on picnic tables but I’ve almost always enjoyed my ‘Fest experiences.

Here are some of my random Summerfest musings:

- I much prefer any of the smaller stages to the Marcus Amphitheater which has, in my opinion, some of the worst acoustics of any venue in town. And that includes The Bradley Center.

- This year’s lineup of bands seemed refreshingly diverse – something to please almost everyone….at least in our house!

- I have only experienced human gridlock twice in my life. (The phenomenon where you’re walking and then suddenly nobody can move.) The first time was at Epcot Center on New Year’s Eve. The second time was July 3rd at 11:30 pm outside the Miller Oasis Stage. Pretty scary.

- Note to self: The base of the Miller Oasis sign is possibly the worst meeting place in all of Summerfest. Why? Because 10,000 other people are meeting at that exact same spot at that exact same time.

- I’m all for introducing young kids to the joys of live music, but I’m almost to the point of suggesting that no children under the age of 10 should be allowed after 8pm. For example, I can’t begin to count the number of infants I saw at 11:30 pm. 11:30 pm. Seriously. What were those parents thinking?

- Although I wouldn’t want one for myself, I’ve become reluctantly accepting of tattoos. Not so much with some of the piercings that I saw. Especially the one where you create a hole in your earlobe large enough to drive an SUV through. I can’t help thinking, what will that look like when that person is 70 years old? Ick.

- I hate to give away a secret, but the Usinger’s sausage garden on the far north end of the grounds is the most peaceful place to grab an authentic Milwaukee meal. Good food, lots of space to sit and surprisingly quiet.

- The Big Bang Fireworks, which we could clearly see from the Zippo Rock Stage on Thursday night, were strangely endless. Did they have leftovers from last year? There were two finales. Two. It made me realize that there is such a thing as too many fireworks.

- One of the most entertaining stages (even if it’s not my favorite style of music) is the Cascio Interstate stage outside the Marcus Amphitheater. It’s a teeny tent with a light pole directly in front of the stage. The kids performing heavy metal and punk have more energy and enthusiasm than you’ll see on any other stage. Plus, watching the head bobs of the small audience is oddly mesmerizing.

- Good news: I do not have ADHD. That is according to the test I took at the ADHD tent near the south end of the grounds. I cannot quite wrap my head around why such an exhibit was needed, but I’m glad to know that I can cross that worry off my list.

- Summerfest Pull Tabs = Possibly the worst use of your festival dollars.

- One of the best places to listen to music is at the U.S. Cellular stage. Sure, the music is pretty good, but reading the texts that people send to the giant screen next to the stage can be just as amusing. Some of my favorites: “U R Staring at a giant screen.” And “If U R cute, look left.” (Everyone looked left after reading this.) However, this is not a place to find good spelling.

- If you have to park in Lot P on the far south end of the grounds, try to leave early. My friends and I were stuck in gridlock after leaving a 10pm show. It took us 90 minutes to get back to Tosa.

- One of the oddest promotional sights was the KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce stain removal beanbag toss (or something like that) outside the Marcus prior to the Tim McGraw concert. That’s what I’m thinking about when I go to Summerfest – stain removal.

- I was consistently impressed by the pleasant demeanor of virtually every Summerfest employee that I encountered. I cannot fathom being that friendly for 11 days.

- The new Harley stage is amazing. I can’t help but wonder if the folks at Miller are a little jealous.

Got any Summerfest thoughts? Leave a comment and share your thoughts, criticisms or quirky sightings. See you next year at the ‘Fest!

There’s a brief but interesting discussion on the Tosa Town Square about watching fireworks on TV. This is something that fascinates me, for no good reason except that I have a strong opinion on the topic.

Here’s the thing: I love fireworks. I love TV. (Sad, but true.) So, you would think that combining two of my favorite things would make a new thing that I would like even better. Not so much.

I believe that fireworks should never be shown on TV. Never. They just don’t work. To me, fireworks on TV seem like a great idea. You don’t have to battle crowds, look for a spot to sit, or soak yourself in bug spray.* You can sit in your comfy, perhaps air-conditioned, house and enjoy the show.

The thing is, there’s nothing less-fulfilling than watching fireworks on TV. Except perhaps watching taped Olympics coverage when you know the results. (Don’t worry. I’ll get on that soapbox later in the summer.) I have no interest in what Mike and Carol think about the fireworks. Zero. In fact, they annoy me to no end.

To truly enjoy a fireworks show, you have to earn it. You have to search for parking. You have to lug and carry stuff until you’re sweating. You have to try to get comfortable. And then, hardest of all, you have to wait. And if you have young children, you have to listen to the endless questions and whiny cries: “What time is it?” “When will they start?” “I’m bored!” “I have to go to the bathroom.”

But when the fireworks start…when you feel that first gigantic percussion resonate in your chest…it’s so worthwhile.

And I agree with the citizens on the Town Square. Skip the music, unless by music you mean the chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs” that you can’t avoid joining in on.

While I have your ear, let’s talk a little fireworks etiquette:

(1) Leave Fido at home. I’ve seen far too many cowering, trembling pooches at the Tosa fireworks every year. The dogs do not look happy and their owners are clearly not enjoying themselves.

(2) Leave the sparklers at home. Sparklers in your backyard – good idea. Sparklers in a giant crowd of people – very bad idea.

(3) Unless you’re joining in the Oohs and Ahhs Chorus, please don’t talk over my fireworks. It’s only about 30 minutes. Feel free to chat before or after. Definitely not during.

(4) Wait to leave or be nice. The crowds are going to be HUGE. You may as well take your time leaving or accept that it will take you a while. Honking or getting irritated adds nothing to the equation.

Here’s wishing everyone a Happy and SAFE 4^th of July! See you at the fireworks!

*In my last post, I talked about the shortage of bug spray at local stores. A visit yesterday to the Walgreens at Hwy 100 and North Ave. proved me totally wrong. They had lots of bug spray. Just in time for the fireworks!