An Insider's Day in Shorewood: Wi-Fi, Soup and Takeout Tips

Patch has just launched in Shorewood, and with it, a weekly column by yours truly, Jenny Steinman Heyden. I grew up here in Shorewood, left here vowing never to return, so naturally I'm back and with my husband whom I convinced Shorewood was the place, are raising our two children here. I am a happy resident of this mile-square village that votes blue and has a lot going on, inside and out.

Sprinkle nutmeg on your eggnog, hug your mug in close, come along to Shorewood, I shall be your host!

A day in Shorewood: Ah, December! Let us spend a day in the life this short work-week of December, when there is excitement in the air and not just a fear of falling on the ice. The day starts for many at 5:30 am at the Shorewood Fitness Center (formerly the technical arts building at the high school), and it's an active crew.  Better write your time on the clipboard that is tethered to your bike or someone will come at you with a full-cheeked tsssking.  Luckily, City Market is open at 6:30, so if your timing it right, you and a friend can sneak into the warm café for a coffee from Stone Creek Coffee Roasters and a cherry oatbran muffin. They were not serving French roast coffee for a while but now have it again! Pick up a loaf of pumpkin cranberry nut bread (not the roll, the loaf, as it's laced with brown sugar), or the signature cinnamon rolls and mint chocolate brownies for a friend.  Then, if you have time before your day takes off on its own, it's nice to come to the lake just before dawn and check out the sunrise through the new Plensa sculpture (article link courtesy of Shorewood Ripples, the SHS Newspaper). Watch in awe as bike commuters and enthusiasts head out on the winter-spiked tires from warm homes to face the icy paths through their balaclavas.

Head to the Shorewood Public Library at 9:30 to return those overdue items, enjoy the Wi-Fi, check out a laptop for in-library use.. or even a book!  Don't miss the whimsical sculptures in the permanent collection – the Lois Ehlert (Shorewood resident) alphabet draws parallels to the Plensa at the Lake.  

Wi-Fi lunch: Speaking of Wi-Fi, Shorewood has many free spots, and some places you'd think would have it, don't (cough-Einstein's-cough). If you take your laptop to lunch in Shorewood, make sure it's fully charged. Choices in Shorewood are Culver's (free refills on coffee mugs at your table if you dine in, and do say "hi" to Peter and George, the owners who support Shorewood schools), Stone Creek (a good working location, generally a hush on a weekday, not a lot of food but free latte with pound of coffee), Village Pub and Grill (cumbersome password process, but you can have beer with working lunch), City Market, Bakers Square, the Anaba Tea Room (now with a new kitchen – and Facebook!) and Starbucks. More? Send them to me and next week we'll post them!

Lunch sans laptop: There are a many wonderful places in Shorewood to cure you from the December chills.  This week we focus on soups and two special takeout options.  Soups at Benji's Deli, which is really reasonable now/again, and still has those bumpy red plastic cups and crushed ice for Dr. Brown's (or fountain) sodas! The matzo ball tops our list, with slices of rye bread and those little butter packets (or a half order of Super Hoppel Poppel will get you through any kind of shoveling you've gotta go home and do).  East Garden Chinese Resturant's hot and sour soup will restore warmth (also check out the bubble tea with, my friend Kari's favorite entrée, vegetarian sesame bean curd). Other favorite soups are the war bar soup at William Ho's, and the French onion at the Oakcrest Tavern (also a great $5 Bloody Mary with beer chaser on Saturdays).  For takeout, there are two little-known local favorites:  tuna casserole, with crunchies from Sendik's hot, prepared-food counter (Sendik's is where Lois Ehlert did all her research for Eating the Alphabet), and my favorite – the Italian salad at Mama Mia's on Oakland.

Last month to catch it?  If you are wondering what to do next, this December one drives carefully (still) on Capitol Drive but do check out the new Oak Leaf Trail bridge at Capitol and Wilson Drive. Impressive, giant, and.. a little dangerous looking! Continuing Eastbound, we are given our annual reminder to "Earth on Peace," at Shorewood High School.  They are hard at work trying to gather funds to build bleachers (buy a family seat!) – maybe a nice gift this year? Savor the construction..the last of the orange blockades will be bidding you adieu in the new year. And welcome the first week of the working stop light at the corner of Capitol and Maryland!

Dinner plans: For tonight, let's take the casserole home, heat it up and snuggle in and read the book from the library. Oh, wait, you say you'd like to meet for a drink? Hang on!

Happy hour and beyond: Happy hours abound in Shorewood – 4-6 shows many specials all over town. My current refreshment of choice ties the village together from end to end on Oakland: Harry's at Oakland and Edgewood presents the Milwaukee Mule and at the other end of Oakland at Kensington, the North Star Bistro offers a Moscow Mule. Toast Shorewood local attorney and writer, Lisa C. Paul, on her new book, Swimming in the Daylight, which ties Moscow to Wisconsin!

The Bistro offers a kids' room (with a view of bustling Thief Wine), where you can either send your children to play or you can join them at a nice table. It's a perfect place to take the relatives who are done with your children, who like a nice cocktail, a beautifully prepared meal (though my entrée arrived sooo late I kind of expected at least a free dessert? No? Ok, well thanks…), and a high-end murmur of children that look like they're on a backup set of a Pottery Barn Kids shoot. There's a bartender there who is a hoot – she and her husband tag-team different nights, and she also doubles as the amazing Recreation Department registrar (and we've come full circle back to the Shorewood Fitness Center)!