La Crema

So after an adventurous morning at Walmart (a man jumped out of a car,  assaulted his girlfriend,  intentionally tipped over her cart *with their baby inside* then fled) Lisa treated me to breakfast at La Crema in Cudahy.  

It's primarily a breakfast place,  although they do have a lunch menu.  

Lisa ordered avocado toast

As my norm,  if I see it on a menu, I'm gonna test out their egg Benedict.

The verdict was mixed.  It was all good,  but I would not grade any of it as exceptional.  The avocado toast is merely a smashed avocado, without garnish or flair.  The Benedict was tasty but unimpressive, and the American potatoes lacked seasoning.  

It was my first visit,  but Lisa has had several positive experiences there, so maybe this meal was an outlier.

I would try the place again,  but I am in no rush to do so. 

Why?

Restaurants will give you a basket of bread for free but charge you for a slice of toast.  Make it make sense 

Tacos El Norte

For lunch today at work we tried Tacos El Norte. 

Located in one of the crappiest strip malls you've ever seen,  we were surprised by the well appointed, clean,  and spacious interior. 

Chips and salsa were complimentary, with the salsa having just enough kick to keep you interested. The guacamole was an upcharge.

Eladio was slumming it elsewhere,  so we were down one of the crew. 

My choice was a beef chimichanga with rice, beans, and guacamole, hold the sour cream. It was quite good and well worth the menu price.  (Note from the picture the size of the drink cups!)

This place was a winner and will get our business again in the future. 

The Annual Work Conference

This past Thursday and Friday I found myself in my hometown, as the state conference brought everyone downtown for the annual event. It was, as expected, largely a boring collection of lectures of dubious value to the job, but whatever. It was something different than the normal 8 to 5 we all experienece. 

Thursday evening I met Seth and Eladio at Carini's, an Italian restaurant on the East Side. Lorenzo had been invited, but declined, the bum. 

The shared appetizer of Arancini Piccolo (rice balls) was quite good, and so was the bread they bought out with the oil. 

As it was my first time there I wanted to sample their menu basics, so I ordered an excellent fettucine alfredo with homemade Italian sausage. Seth got veal, Eladio the chicken parm. 

It was a fun time and a great meal. 

On Friday we listened to a lecture by Rick Jones - who would tragcally pass over that very weekend, may he RIP- and then Seth gave me a ride home, stopping for a quick dinner at Classic Slice. 

Current Sitch at Midnight, Saturday/Sunday

Church in the Park

Back on September 8th, at the request of my Mother-In-Law, Lisa and I attended a multi-denominational Christian service in the park . 

(I had already gone to Mass the evening before). 

 

It was gorgeous weather, the turnout was good, and the crowd was friendly.  During the Eucharist someone dropped a plate of the bread and no one moved to pick it up from the ground, during or after the service. That bothered me, even if it was just symbolic of Christ. Other than that, it was a pleasant experience. 

Afterwards, we stopped and had breakfast at Landmark Restaurant, sitting in Team Slap's old booth. 

Moody's Subs

For lunch my friend Seth invited me to join him at Moody's, which bills themselves as a sub shop. In reality, it's a Middle Eastern restaurant that happens to also serve subs, albeit ones with an unconventional flair. 

Case in point, the cheesesteak I ordered:

Premium Roast Beef, Grill Onions, Portobello Mushrooms, Mix Bell Peppers, Drizzled in Dijonae’s, Melted Mozzarella Cheese, Kaiser Roll

The half pound of meat was too much,  and I took half the sandwich home where it served as my dinner.  

The avocado soup in the picture was very good by the way. 

Not the most affordable of lunches, but very tasty and with ample portions.  I'll be back. 

Just a Bit Outside

Lisa and I ventured up to Cedarburg, to the familiar atmosphere of the Rivoli, to see Just a Bit Outside: The Story of the 82 Brewers.

The Brewers, of course, captured their only pennant to date in 1982, then fell in 7 games in the World Series to the Cardinals. I have great memories of the time, but fuzzy: I was only 8, and not very into baseball at the time. So the documentary not only filled in the gaps in my knowledge, it clarified some faded recollections too. 

It's a great documentary, even if I kept hoping the ending would somehow, magically change. 

(afterwards I tried to convince my Dad to go with me to see it, but he demurred due to illness)

Afterwards Lisa wanted Real Chili: 

 

Then we ventured down to Discovery World, to pick Junie up from her new job. To our surprise, we were greeted with a fireworks display - in September! - and got out of the car to watch it. 

A great evening with a great lady.

Joey's Yardarm

 After attending a training session in Racine I looked up the "Best Fish Fry" in the area and was directed to Joey's Yardarm by Google. 

It was a gorgeous day, so I took a seat on the patio and ordered my meal. $12 for three pieces of cod, fries, rye bread, and coleslaw. What a deal. Now, I found the rye bread a little too soft for my liking, but otherwise, A++. 

By the way, they also give you the option of "sand dollar" potatoes, thin sliced potatoes coated in parmesan - if that's your thing. 

I hope to return there with Lisa soon. 

Real Chili at 1130PM

Sometimes you just need Real Chili. I order the medium marquette with everything (including vinegar) and the lemonade. I'd share a picture but it went down way too quick and easy. Lots of construction at the East Wells location, but worth the walk from where you have to park. Exceptional service! - Lisa

Breakfast at Sabrosa

Definitely a happy place for me. 10/10 again. I need the check to have a spot to tip the pianist tho as I never carry cash and she adds so much to the experience! - Lisa (author)

Grandpa's Day 2024 Pt 1

Friday was the 41st anniversary of Grandpa's Day,  a day trip I took with my Grandpa only two weeks before he died.  To celebrate,  I took a much needed day off of work. 

Late in the morning Lisa and I drove down to Kenosha for lunch, taking the scenic route down Hwy 32. We ate at the Union Park Tavern, at the recommendation of a co-worker.

I will say that there sides were grand.  The jalapeño poppers featured red jalapeños and had a delicious kick to them. 

The potato wedges were on point,  and Lisa enjoyed the cheesy hashbrowns. 

The restaurant bucked tradition and in place of rye bread provided a thick slab of Italian bread.  I found this to be an abomination,  but it was much to my wife's liking. 

The fish tho . . . this was my 3rd fish fry in Kenosha and I just don't think they've got the knack for it. The batter was light and had almost no crisp to it,  the cod itself was average, and the seasoning was meh.

Sigh. 

Oh, and look at this egregious error in the 'newsletter' they have at each table:

"Wayne Cochran"????????? Do you mean the late, great EDDIE Cochran sir?????

Still a nice lunch.

Afterwards we drove home and enjoyed a nice nap before being awoken by Lulu constructing a new garbage cart for our kitchen. 

Then Lisa headed to work and I stopped by the cemetery to pay my respects and say another thank you for that great day we had together so long ago.