Travel - Sweetphi

East Austin Eats…and meeting Noah Kagan

Oct 5, 2019 · 6 Comments

I recently visited Austin, TX and was in the East Austin area, so today I’m sharing East Austin Eats…and meeting Noah Kagan. Whenever I visit a city I always love checking out the food scene. Let me tell you – East Austin is where it’s at if you’re looking for a thriving food scene full of tacos/iced coffee/and bbq. I was in Austin on a business trip meeting Noah Kagan-more on that below.

Breakfast/Brunch:

El Chilito – I would legit go back to Austin for these breakfast tacos! They had an extensive menu and each taco was more delicious than the next. I stopped here my first morning in Austin, it was 95 degrees outside (like it was seemingly every day) and they had delicious iced coffee. It was the perfect way to start the day. Highly recommend.
Paperboy – The East Austin location is a food truck (we did not know that and walked there and were surprised, so just a heads up). They had great food – definitely the must get item is their cheddar hashbrowns with carrot habanero sauce.
Blue Dahlia Bistro – Ok, not gonna lie, I’m not quite sure why this place got such great rave reviews…I would say it’s good breakfast/brunch food but nothing great or special. I got a frittata and it tasted like it was just a frittata that had been microwaved. My friend tried their homemade granola and said it was good, but again nothing super special. This place has great reviews, so maybe we just ordered the wrong thing.
Cenote – the best chilaquiles I’ve ever had! The food and atmosphere was just perfect for a breafast/brunch cafe. It’s in the part of East Austin that’s still being developed, so I’d say go with a friend if you’re walking there (even my Lyft driver had no idea where it was). The entrance is tucked away-but very cute when you find it!

The best restaurants and food in East Austin — El Chilito|Paperboy|Cenote {clearly my love of iced coffee comes across}

Tacos & Other Food:

Quickie Pickie – this place is a grocery store and a restaurant, it was like a place imagined in my dreams. The store was so cute and the food, omg so good! We stopped in because it had started raining and we were going to just grab a quick water and snack. Tacos, iced coffee and a guacamole platter later (all huge portions at super reasonable prices) it ended up being our dinner. Their salsas have some heat, but man are they delicious!
Licha’s Cantina – Mexico City soul food – all I can say is this is some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. It was so authentic and delicious. Go here and order the guacamole (comes with pumpkin seeds on it) and the alambre (chimichurri marinated flank steak, bacon, queso asadero, onions & peppers).
Franklin BBQ – lines around the building and down the street! This place is authentic delicious bbq, just make sure you arrive early or have time to wait!
Zilker Brewery and Spicy Boys Chicken – a super neat brewery and tap room that has a food truck outside (Spicy Boys Chicken) and the food truck serves Asian inspired fried chicken, wings and sides. You have to get the wings and try all the sauces, its just so damn good…I could have spent hours at this location – the atmosphere of the brewery and outdoor seating area and food was super ‘cool’ – it had a very hipster-Austin vibe
Prohibition Creamery – if you’re looking for a sweet treat, definitely stop at Prohibition Creamery. It felt like it would be a perfect date night spot or place for hanging out with a friend. Their flavors are awesome and they let you try all the samples you want. Also – the espresso fudge…you cannot leave without trying it. It was so good I feel like I need to recreate it here at home.

The best restaurants in East Austin to visit — Quickie Pickie|Me|Blanton Art Museum

Worth a mention from my Austin trip (not in East Austin) is the Blanton Art Museum – it is so gorgeous and has such beautiful exhibits, definitely worth a trip there.

Now, on to the reason I was in Austin in the first place…I won a trip and got to meet Noah Kagan (as I mentioned in a Catching Up With The Kelnhofers). Back in April I entered a small business challenge giveaway Noah Kagan of okdork.com was doing. Noah shares business advice and has a podcast I enjoy – and he started AppSumo (which is a site that is basically Groupon for geeks and business owners-I’ve gotten several amazing tools through them) and Sumo (website tool to automate growth-I use it for my pop ups here on sweetphi.com) – he’s a very smart guy! Anyway, five winners were chosen and I was one of them!

So I won a trip!! I don’t talk a lot about the business side of things, because my business is about sharing recipes and other tips and tricks to help you out (not sharing business advice), but the truth is, I have turned sweetphi.com into a business that I am super proud of.

Meeting Noah Kagan in Texas — Winners|Cool Office|Noah Kagan holding a copy of my cookbook!

We (the five winners/small business owners) got to spend the day with Noah at one of his offices (located in East Austin) talking through different parts of our businesses. You never know what to expect when meeting other business owners (or people in general) and you never know if you’re actually going to have any real take aways from retreat type situations, but man-o-man, this meeting? It was different from things I’ve done in the past and it was so beneficial and insightful for moving my business forward.

Just watching Noah work and think was a thing in and of itself. The guy is super smart, but not conceited about it and knows how to make light of himself and other business ‘theory’ type things. He knows when to ‘keep it real’ and break it down or when to congratulate someone on even the small things. Also, watching him fly through typing and computer work in the meeting made me feel like I need to go take some kind of computer class somewhere.

It was fascinating to see him type and truncate complex information at lightening speed!

As we started the meeting, we went over rules/expectations for the day. I’m sharing these because it was so interesting to see not only how someone else runs meetings, but how to set a course for meetings and get everyone on the same page.

Be real – don’t look at Noah like he’s going to save you
No rules – don’t let it be too structured
Be straight – tell the person if something isn’t right or if you’re hurting their feelings
“Rathole” – if you’re talking to someone and they’re droning on and on about something or they’re zoning out, say “rathole” to just stop the conversation, no explanations needed
Be respectful – of people and time, don’t hog all the time
Engage – have someone be the ‘engager’ so if someone is not paying attention you can gently nudge them
Vulnerability “go all out”
You’ll get out what you put in

The biggest takeaways and things I’m actively working on:

Bulletize information
Simplify things -“how do I play a game I can win?”
If you do anything for a year, you’ll be successful – consistency consistency consistency!
What you do with the framework is what makes you successful
Example I will never forget “you don’t get into a car and wonder where you’re going, you have a pre-determined location in mind.”
Set specific goals and how you’re going to reach them

I came home and was super:

excited to see my babies, god did I miss them (it was the first time away from them! I did get to read Ben his bedtime story every night though – thank you facetime)
thankful and honored for the experience and all that I learned
invigorated and inspired about my business and the future of sweetphi.com

Other posts you might enjoy:

2 part question for you I’d love to hear from you in the comments below:

have you ever been to East Austin – any fave “eats”?
have you ever been to a business meeting that had wonderful and positive outcome?

Overnight Getaway to The American Club in Kohler, WI

Mar 26, 2019 · 4 Comments

Less than hour outside of Milwaukee is one of my favorite luxury destinations, Destination Kohler, home to the five star, five diamond resort: The American Club. A few weeks ago after having been inundated with work and life business, my husband and I took a quick overnight getaway trip to the American Club in Kohler, WI, and per usual, it was beyond amazing.

Life has been very busy lately. With the upcoming release of my second cookbook and the upcoming arrival of twins this summer, time is just flying by with opportunities to get away becoming less and less feasible. So when my we had an overnight babysitter lined up for Ben (thanks grandparents!) we took the opportunity to plan a last minute getaway road trip to Kohler, WI. We called it a “babymoon” and birthday celebration, because my birthday was two days prior to the trip!

I love road trips with Nick, he is my forever favorite travel companion.

For this road trip we test drove a Mazda6 Signature and really enjoyed the car. The car was super comfortable and I loved the center console (perfect for hand holding), it was the perfect height and width and I loved all the features of the car: the sound system was amazing, the dashboard display was something super neat I’ve never seen before (the speed limit and your speed shows up on the windshield) and it has really great traffic sensors. Overall we enjoyed test driving this car for our weekend road trip.

Before even arriving at The American Club, I can tell you one of my favorite things is that you can call to book a room or spa service or meal, and the same person can walk you through everything – no transferring to a million different places. I love that, and it’s so efficient and a great customer experience. We literally decided we were going to go on a Friday night two days prior and that same day were able to book our hotel room, a spa service, and make reservations for dinner and within minutes I had an itinerary emailed.

When you arrive and check in at The American Club, top notch customer service is experienced – you’re offered a drink while checking in, they give you an itinerary of your stay and go over all the amenities (like afternoon tea and other fun offerings).

Since we were there for literally 24 hours, we just had time for a spa service and a dinner. The Kohler Waters Spa is my favorite spa I’ve ever been to. First off, it smells SO good (they have a signature scent that is relaxing and beautiful) and the spa itself is gorgeous and luxurious and welcoming. I got a pregnancy massage and at the end of the service, the staff gifted us two little rubber duckies dressed in spa gear. I started crying because it was so sweet (poor Nick, he was like ‘honey are you ok?’ lol, it was so nice!)

The spa also has a new cafe area where you can get food – I swear, I had one of the best smoothies and sandwiches of my life there!!

Then we went relaxed in our room which is so gorgeous in and of itself – I could spend forever in one of their rooms. The beds are incredibly comfortable and the bathrooms are state of the art and have the most beautifully big bath tubs in them. You’re also welcomed with a hand written note and fancy waters and treated to turn down service at night (they made two little towel elephants – I felt so celebrated with this twin pregnancy!)

We went to dinner at the Black Wolf Run Restaurant. To get to the restaurant from the hotel there is a shuttle service provided which is so nice and convenient. The views at Black Wolf Run restaurant are spectacular, we even saw deer milling around outside. We’ve eaten at Black Wolf Run before (when I shared this post about a relaxing weekend getaway two years ago) and we love the rustic American grill featuring regional cuisine, and were equally impressed this time around!

The food is so good – they even have a Friday fish fry (fish fry’s are super popular here in WI) which I got and thoroughly enjoyed! Everything was delicious!

Before leaving in the morning, we ordered room service breakfast. It was the perfect ending to our super relaxing overnight getaway. This is not a sponsored post, we paid for our own stay and services, I just really love everything at Destination Kohler, it’s one of the most relaxing and beautiful and luxurious places on earth.

The overnight getaway was exactly what we needed to feel recharged and ready to tackle everything coming our way in the next few months. I’d love to hear from you in the comments, have you ever gone on an overnight getaway?

Other posts you might enjoy:

Thank you to Mazda for letting us test drive a car for this road trip and to Destination Kohler for a meal and spa treatment. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with which make the SweetPhi blog possible.

Northern Michigan Family Vacation Travel Guide + Video

Sep 10, 2018 · 16 Comments

I could not be more excited to share this Northern Michigan family vacation travel guide with you. Not only because it was such a wonderful and beautiful place for our first family vacation with baby Ben, but also because this post was written by my husband Nick! Hope you enjoy:

Around Milwaukee you’ll occasionally spot a sign for the lake Michigan Circle Tour. Whenever Philia or I saw these signs we would always say that we would love to take that trip someday. Over the years some our favorite trips have included mini-road trips and exploration whether it be searching for lighthouses in Maine, driving up the Oregon coast, or exploring the Valley of the Sun around Phoenix or the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska on our honeymoon.

Therefore, when it came time to take our first vacation with Ben the choice seemed obvious, there was no way he would sit still on a plane and we didn’t want to try and fly with all his accessories, so why not take a road trip we’ve been talking about for years and take an opportunity to explore the Grand Travers Bay region of Michigan.

This past July we packed up an SUV with all Ben’s stuff (Pack and Play, Stroller, a Metric Ton of Diapers…you know the basics) and a few things of our own and set off for a trip around our local Great Lake to explore the opposite shore. The first leg of our journey took us around the southern portion of Lake Michigan.

We quickly made our way through Chicago, a familiar trip for us as Phi is from Chicago and we make frequent visits to the Windy City, and around the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Since our previously mentioned trip to Maine, almost 8 years ago now, I take every opportunity to sneak at least one lighthouse visit into our trips. Lighthouses always have interesting history and make for striking coastal pictures. This South Haven South Pier Lighthouse was no different.

The pictures and the view of the light from a nearby overlook at North Beach were absolutely worth our barefoot scramble over burning hot sands. We were disappointed we didn’t have time to enjoy some swimming at the beautiful and sandy shores of North Beach as we set back off on our journey after letting Ben run around a bit to stretch his legs.

Our destination for the week-long vacation was in Torch Lake on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay. We spent the rest the day driving up Michigan’s lower peninsula with a brief stop at an old Midwest favorite, a Big Boy restaurant, for lunch. As far as I can tell, these only exist in Michigan now, but used to be a favorite of my parents in Milwaukee. We grabbed a few silly souvenirs for them and hit the road again.

By late afternoon we arrived in Torch Lake and pulled into our cabin (we rented a little cottage via Home Away). We spent a good portion of the first night baby-proofing the place and taking pictures of the beautiful sunset on our own little stretch of beach on the bay. The sunset was especially exciting for Phi and me as we’ve both spent our lives on Lake Michigan’s western shore, only able to watch sunrise over the lake.

We spent an amazing week in and around the Grand Traverse Bay region of the Northern, Lower Peninsula of Michigan. There are many cute little towns, farms, restaurants and other activities to enjoy. At one point during our trip I told Phi that all the little towns felt like those impossibly idealistic small towns from Hallmark movies. I’m convinced some of the below were the inspiration for those
movies.

Things to do in Bellaire, MI: Bellaire was the first little town we visited, with a cute downtown just off Bellaire Lake. We had lunch at Short’s Brewing Company Pub. Phi enjoyed their Strawberry Short’s Cake specialty beer (she said it was super summery), and Ben got a kick out of the extra tall high chairs for use at their pub tables.

After we lunch we stopped at Ruthann’s Bake Shop where Phi oohed and aaahed the beautiful cookies, she got one that was shaped like Lake Michigan and was beautifully decorated-with sand and wave details that looked so real! We also made a quick stop at Little Treasures Toy and Gift to get a little toy for Ben. They had an amazing wide selection of toys for all ages, I even caught myself eyeing up a few board games.

Things to do in Boyne City, MI: We stopped in Boyne City on a drizzly afternoon. Located on the southeastern end of Lake Charlevoix, this was the perfect stop considering the weather. There were a lot of little shops to explore on the main street. We ate at the lovely Café Santé, a European-style café with French influences. Ben’s favorite food is blueberries so it was especially exciting that it was blueberry week at the café, he especially enjoyed the blueberry bisque. We stopped at a bookstore and bought these buttery delicious pretzels at Boyne Country Provisions (it’s a liquor store and a cafe-the food looked amazing-and they sell snacks!)

On the way out of town (not too far outside of Charlevoix proper and in Boyne city) is the Lavender Hill Farm. It’s certainly worth a visit as the striking purple fields make for gorgeous views and pictures.

Things to do in Charlevoix, MI: The city of Charlevoix may have had our favorite little downtown area. Situated on Round Lake/Pine River (which connects Lake Charlevoix to Lake Michigan) the main street is full of little shops and restaurants on one side and a lakeside park on the other. The park had a bandshell that hosts various movies, speakers, and musicians and there’s a weekly farmer’s market every Thursday. Also, downtown you can book a tour of the city’s well-known Mushroom Houses (houses shaped like
mushrooms!). Additionally, we really loved a tucked away Mexican restaurant called The Cantina that we found just off the main street. The food was so good, if we had been there longer we would have gone back multiple times. Phi loved all the shops and the American Spoon (jams & spreads) store best (we bought cherry jam for family to bring home).

What to do in Elk Rapids, MI: On a warm afternoon we happily wandered into Elk Rapids during a summer street fair, loaded with shopping booths, games, music and food vendors. We tried some ribs at the fair then stopped into Cellar 152 a wine shop/bar for some classier fare. Phi also made sure we stopped into Wildflower Soapworks for some handmade soaps. On the way back to our car we noticed Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor, and took a leisurely walk around it to see all the big lake boats before heading home. Later in the week we made another stop in Elk Rapids at Ethanology, a cool little distillery on the edge of the downtown area. The had an ultra-informative tasting and tour that we enjoyed, including a spirit made from honey. Phi loved their cocktails while I found their barrel aged gin to be excellent. Absolutely wish we lived near this distillery because we’d be regulars. Also, the water in Elk Rapids was so striking and beautiful – it was turquoise!

What to do in the Torch Lake Area: Our cottage was in Torch Lake Township, but on Lake Michigan rather than Torch Lake
itself. There was no little downtown like I’ve talked about in the other entries, however, Torch Lake itself was quite beautiful. The lake was very beautiful with plenty of opportunities for fishing, swimming, and other water sports. A great secondary option if nearby and want to avoid the rougher waters of Lake Michigan. We did have dinner one night at the nearby Torch Lake Café and especially
enjoyed their pizza. Also, make sure to check the calendar on their website for nightly live music, little Ben certainly enjoyed dancing in his high chair. Additionally, nearby is Mammoth Distilling in Central Lake. They have a cute little tasting room and we both enjoyed their bourbon. While travelling in and out of our cottage, it became quickly apparent that cherries are the crop of choice in the region. You can enjoy picking your own or tasting delectable cherry treats. We especially loved cherry picking at King Orchards and on the way home discovered cherry donuts at Friske’s Farm Market.

I think I ate about 6 donuts for breakfast on our drive home. We wish we would have found out about the donuts sooner because we would have gone every morning, we heard they’re made fresh every day- ours were still warm!

What to do in Traverse City, MI: Traverse City is the true city of all the little towns we visited, even sporting a regional airport with some
reasonably priced flight if you wanted to fly into the region. You could certainly spend a whole week here, a beautiful beach and loads of shopping and restaurants. Unfortunately, with all of our exploring we only spent a brief afternoon here. Talking a walk down the main street and then heading over to The Filling Station for dinner. A converted train station turned family friendly pizza restaurant and microbrewery. We really enjoyed their creative pizzas, with our favorite being the Cannonball, loaded with ingredients including kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, red onion, feta, rosemary, and spinach.

What to do in Mackinaw City, MI: We didn’t think Ben could swing the wait and ferry ride over the more famous
Mackinaw Island, so we only made it as far as Mackinaw City. However, we still had a lot of fun exploring little shops and then letting Ben wander around the park at Old Mackinaw Point. He especially enjoyed running around a little gazebo we found in the park. Bonus points from me for getting to visit Old Mackinaw Point Lighthouse and bonus points from Phi for still being able to find Mackinaw Fudge in
Mackinaw City after missing out on going to the island for it.

What to do in Petoskey, MI: We almost never stopped in Petoskey. On one of our other jaunts we passed through and frankly the town didn’t look like much from the highway, which skirts around the downtown, between the city center and Lake Michigan. However, we were getting hungry on the way back to our cottage and decided to find somewhere for lunch. We settled on the Twisted Olive, to scratch Phi’s itch for Mediterranean Food. Once we made our way into town we treated to a large cute downtown with lots of shopping and restaurants. The Twisted Olive had great food and amazing views of Lake Michigan. After eating we wandered up and down the streets, Phi spent a lot of time in Cutlers of Petoskey, a kitchen store, and bought a Petoskey stone ornament at a different store, and we grabbed some ice cream (Petoskey stone flavored-mint, dark cherries and Oreo bits-which was SO GOOD) and enjoyed letting Ben wandering around Pennsylvania Park in the heart of town. The whole town as so idyllic, it was gorgeous and had so many little stores and restaurants. This was the town that made me think of Hallmark movie settings. We Phi and I wished we could have spent more time in Petoskey.

As the week drew to a close we headed north and crossed the massive Mackinaw Bridge and took scenic highways back home through the Michigan Upper Peninsula and Northeastern Wisconsin.

Overall, we were wowed and charmed by the entire region. There were loads of opportunities for hiking, swimming, shopping, dining, and exploring. Hopefully we can go back some day to check out some of the things we missed and revisit our favorite spots!

Have you ever been to Northern Michigan or to any of these places? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section!

Burlington Vermont Weekend Travel Guide

Jul 16, 2018 · 8 Comments

A big thank you to Vermont Tourism and Cabot Cheese for coordinating this incredible media trip. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the SweetPhi blog possible.

If you’re looking to spend a wonderful weekend in a super picturesque locale that has a Northeastern town vibe, is super walkable and has amazing food, I’d recommend Burlington, Vermont.

Today I’m so excited to share with you a Burlington, Vermont weekend travel guide. I’ll admit, when I discovered I was going to be traveling to Burlington, Vermont for a few days, my first stop was Google Maps, to see where it was!

I saw that it was nestled on the shore of Lake Champlain in Northern Vermont. I was immediately excited because Vermont has always been on my travel wish list.

Although I went to graduate school in Ithaca, New York (I went to Cornell University), I did not get the chance to travel around to neighboring states as much as I wanted to.

As soon as I arrived in Burlington, I was struck with how welcoming the small airport was, and by how green the scenery was. Very fitting that Vermont’s nickname is “the green mountain state.”

Burlington is a small town, with a college town vibe and a brick-paved pedestrian mall with gorgeous buildings and scenery all around, and Lake Champlain as a backdrop and everything is super walkable!

One thing that really stood out about Burlington was the artsy feel. There were the most gorgeous murals on the walls. Seemingly around every corner I’d stop and stare at the beautiful murals (like I shared in this picture from my Instagram)!

Where to stay in Burlington Vermont:

Hotel Vermont: When in Vermont, would you stay anywhere else? This hotel was modern and stylish, yet rustic at the same time. The rooms were simple and gorgeous with beautiful touches (like a flannel blanket and wooden and leather décor) and everything felt very ‘Vermont’ (even the soaps in the bathroom were from a Vermont company). The hotel had all these wonderful activities for guests. For starters, they have bikes for guests to use. In the hallways they had espresso machines and in the afternoon a cheese plate. Side note here – the cheese in Vermont, oh my goodness, the sharp cheddar is incredible, especially Cabot Cheese (I brought some home for my family, and yes, I got stopped at security lol…but the cheese made it through!) I also saw an ice cream cart in the lobby where they were giving guests ice cream! The view from my hotel room out onto Lake Champlain was so beautiful, one afternoon instead of doing work, I just sat there staring.

Where to eat in Burlington Vermont (aka best restaurants in Burlington Vermont):

Hen of the Wood |dinner: Vermont dining at its best! Hen of the Wood highlights local ingredients to showcase the region. The food was so incredible. I loved that when we got the menu, the server highlighted the date of the menu because she said it changes so frequently based on what is seasonal. We had an incredible cheese plate-let me tell you, Vermont has some excellent cheese-and then had a variety of small plates. The highlight for me though, I must admit, was the dessert. I had a salted honey tart that was so so so good. Salted honey is where it’s at these days (remember my salted honey latte that can be made at home?).

Revolution Kitchen |dinner: If you’re looking for fresh local Vermont vegetarian food that is super good, I’d highly recommend this place. They told us that everything on their menu was sourced from Vermont, even their tofu. I had an amazing coconut curry tofu dish. Their appetizers were incredible – I’m still thinking about their salad wraps!

Penny Cluse Café |breakfast/brunch/lunch: Breakfast and lunch served all day. Their portions are huge. The food was perfect for a hearty breakfast to fill you up for a day of exploring ahead. I will say that their breakfast potato game is on point. They have a menu item called ‘bucket-o-spuds’ which are basically loaded nacho breakfast potatoes, definitely recommend!

Tomgirl Juice |juice bar: if you’re up for a little bit of a walk from downtown, Tomgirl Juice has an array of freshly pressed juices and smoothies. I will say that they are a little on the pricey side, but if you’re into juices, I’d definitely go! I was so happy to continue my summer of smoothies and salads on my trip to Burlington!

Monarch and the Milkweed |breakfast/brunch/lunch: Oh my goodness, I cannot recommend this place enough for breakfast/brunch. First of all, the small bakery has this amazing Parisian vibe with little marble tables with just a few single fresh flowers on the tabletop, and every bite of food was better than the next. On the way out, I got a cookie to enjoy later, and that was incredible too.

Leunig’s Café & Bistro |lunch/dinner: Right in the center of Church Street Marketplace sits Leunig’s Café which serves a Parisian inspired menu. They have a little street vendor spot, almost like a little food truck where they sell fresh fried beignets which are definitely worth stopping for.

Barrio Bakery |breakfast/brunch/lunch: This bakery is perfect for a light lunch of pizza/focaccia flatbreads. After a day of walking around, it was great to get a quick bite to eat, and it was light and not heavy.
Onyx Tonics |coffee bar: If you’re in Burlington, you absolutely must make a stop at Onyx Tonics for their iced maple lattes. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know what a huge fan of iced coffee I am. Even in the winter when it’s snowing, I go for iced coffee. There’s just something about the coldness ice adds to coffee that I absolutely love. I like coffee with a little bit of sweetness and cream. The maple latte, oh my goodness, it was so good. It wasn’t overly sweet, and was really a fantastic flavor combination, something I just might have to recreate for the blog. Onyx Tonics is a coffee tasting bar, so if you’re into coffee tastings, definitely stop at this place.

What to see & do in Burlington Vermont:

Take a bike ride or walk along the lake. There are tons of bikes available for rent – either via city bike rack rentals on the streets, or via the hotel.

Take a boat ride on Lake Champlain – make sure to pack some Cabot cheese so you can have a cheese board on the boat ride. Cabot cheese makes these amazing “cracker cuts” –already cut cheese slices, so it’s super easy to transport them and have cheese on the go!

Take a walking tour of Burlington

Go to the farmer’s market – with all the fresh produce that Vermont has to offer, there is definitely something for everyone: maple syrup, fresh produce, cheese, honey, booze.

See some art: Flemings Museum -they were putting up a beautiful art installation when I was there, it went from the outside of the museum through the windows and into the inside. If you’re looking for a more casual experience, I’d suggest Frog Hollow – a place where local artists sell their work, so you can take a piece of Vermont home with you. It’s along Church Street Market.

Go to one of the many breweries or craft cider makers in the area
Walk and shop along Church Street Market – stop to get some chocolate from Lake Champlain Chocolates-I’d suggest their chocolate maple toffees, sooo good, they’re dark chocolate and in the center there’s maple toffee

You know it’s a wonderful place to visit when you come home and your legs and feet hurt for several days after because of all the walking you did!

One of my favorite things about Burlington was how walkable it all was. In one instance you could go from shopping along Church Street and then turn around and 10 minutes later be at the waterfront of Lake Champlain!

You also know it’s a wonderful trip when you bring home Cabot cheese for your family dinner cheese board and there are only crumbs left.

Other posts you might enjoy:

Have you ever been to Vermont?

The Best Milwaukee Restaurants Guide

Apr 20, 2018 · 10 Comments

It’s no secret I love Milwaukee – just take a peek at the ‘Travel‘ section of my site and you’ll see half the stories are Milwaukee themed . When I moved to the area in 2010, I immediately felt a sense of home. The food scene in Milwaukee is amazing, and the question I get asked most is “where should I go to eat?” So today I’m sharing the best Milwaukee restaurants guide with you. This will be an evolving list, and if you come across something special not included on the list, please leave me a comment below the post- I love checking out new places.

This Milwaukee restaurants list is a long time in the making. Starting back in 2011, my husband and I started doing “sibling dinner” where once a month we go to a restaurant with his siblings (he has two sisters, one brother in law) and we go somewhere no one has ever been. My husband had a crazy spreadsheet which included rankings and ratings, but everyone’s tastes are so different, and some places we went before the list or even after the list which have closed wouldn’t be relevant to include on the best Milwaukee Restaurants guide, so that is why the spreadsheet isn’t included in this list.

These restaurants are places we love to go. I get a lot of inspiration for recipes from restaurants, so if I’ve created something based on a restaurant, I’ll link to it. The list is in alphabetical order by section. If there’s a place that great for brunch and dinner, I’ll note that, and I’ll note if there’s something special I order.

Breakfast/Brunch:

Black Sheep – What I love most about Black Sheep is that we’ve always been able to get a table, and the food is good. The portions are HUGE, and the drinks are strong, an overall great brunch spot, they have a range of healthy and indulgent options too. They also have a dinner menu.
Cafe Baveria – Serving German inspired dishes, they have a great brunch and dinner menu, their beer list is also very extensive. This restaurant is in Wauwatosa (I did a guide for what to do in Wauwatosa with a baby). Here’s what I order the Pretzel Benedict for brunch, The Wurst Dish for dinner (definitely share with someone).
HoneyPie – Great local Midwestern themed diner. They serve a great brunch and dinner (recently went for dinner and it exceeded expectations, it was so good). Here’s what I order: whatever you do, you have to get the Breakfast Casserole, all your favorite breakfasts in a casserole, SO GOOD, and leave room for dessert, finish your meal with a slice of their incredible pies! Located in Bay View.
Palomino – In Bay View, great brunch and cocktails, they also have a dinner menu. Here’s what I order: the chicken and waffles is super tasty. I’ve also taken a pie class from Honey Pie which was done at Palomino, which was totally awesome. I believe Honey Pie and Palomino have the same owner.
Rocket Baby Bakery – This is where I go when I want a good croissant or French macarons! They have amazing croissants and bread. This cafe is in Wauwatosa and has other locations, I mentioned them in my guide for what to do in Wauwatosa with a baby. There have been many occasions where my husband and I will pack up baby Ben and go here for breakfast. You can sit on their patio if the weather is nice, or if baby is sleeping, you can send one person in to pick up some baked goods and eat/walk/push the stroller around the cute neighborhood.

Story Hill BKC – This brunch spot has really good espresso drinks and cocktails, as well as local farm-to-table inspired food. Here’s what I order: Burger on the hill. It’s one big and delicious brunch burger. Story Hill fills up pretty quickly. There have been multiple times we’ve eaten at the bar, and it’s really a great spot wherever you’re sitting. If you’re on the bar side you can see them preparing the food which is something I always love seeing.
Tre Rivali– I’m hesitant putting this on the list because I love it so much lol. It’s one of those spots that seems to hasn’t been discovered by the crowds for brunch, so if you’re looking for a table, chances are they’ll have a spot for you. Tre Rivali is located inside the Journeyman Hotel – we discovered this gem when I shared a guide for a relaxing weekend in Milwaukee. It’s a little more on the upscale side with tablecloths (not ‘diner’ like like some places). Here’s what I order: their Wisconsin cheese plate is just a must, their pull apart monkey bread is soooo good, and their breakfast pizza is a favorite. I also love their breakfast sandwich – their breakfast potatoes are sooo yummy!

Dinner

AJ Bombers – They have fantastic burgers that are huge and mouthwateringly delicious, it’s a Milwaukee staple that you just have to go to. They have peanuts you can snack on, it’s one of those ‘ok to put shells on the floor’ type places. Here’s what I order: the ‘shroom burger – there’s a cheese stuffed fried portabella on top of a burger, it’s crazy, it’s delicious.

Braise – One of my all time favorite restaurants in Milwaukee, they serve farm-to-table meals with whatever is in season, I’ve been here SO so many times, it never disappoints. Several of my recipes come from things I’ve had there: my favorite iced salted honey lattes, and these roasted carrots with quark). Here’s what I order: whatever you do, get the steamed pork buns, they are perfection
Balzac – A wine bar that serves small plates, one of my all favorite places, the ‘atmosphere’ is fantastic and the food is so incredible (Here’s what I order: get the Sac Mac, I’ve even tried to re-create the dish because I love it so much with my Blue Cheese Bechamel Mac n Cheese). I posted this pic on insta of a typical spread- makes me want to eat on their patio in the summer!
Brown Bottle – serving old world pub fare (aka – German food!) This place is super cool, we’ve eaten dinner here several times, they have a really expansive beer offering and it was one stop on a walking food tour we did which is covered in this how to see and tour Milwaukee post.
Bavette La Boucherie – A restaurant and butcher shop. Their sandwiches are insanely delicious, their meats are phenomenal. Here’s what I order: the cheese and charcuterie plate, and their Cuban sandwich (my husband LOVES Cuban sandwiches and theirs was one of the best he’s had in Milwaukee).
Bucchus – Upscale fancy and incredibly delicious. Definitely worth dressing up and the expense if you’re looking for Italian, French, seafood and more. Splurge and get their Chef’s Menu. We did this for my 30th birthday and it’s one of the most memorable meals of my life. Also, my sister got me hooked on their spinach salad. Here’s what I order: the spinach salad, it’s a salad with a poached egg, house-cured pork belly lardons, grainy mustard on top of a bed of spinach. It sounds simple, but it’s incredible. I make a poor mans version of this salad in my spinach salad with soft boiled eggs, bacon, and a mustard vinaigrette – it’s a salad I make for others the most.
Capri Di Nuovo – Milwaukee pizza!! A little drive out of the city – it’s just at the edge of Milwaukee and West Allis, but the garlic bread that will make it worth the trip…it’s dipped in butter (submerged in butter)! They have Milwaukee style pizza, this is where we get our pizza delivered from.
Company Brewing – This place is in Riverwest, we really liked their overall menu variation, beer selection, and the fries are legit!
Crafty Cow – Burgers and more burgers. Honestly though, beyond the burgers, their apps are insane. Here’s what I order: their poutine fries are amazing, as are their wings.
Crazy Water – this place is super small space wise, but manages to pull off amazing seasonal dishes with big flavors. Everything I’ve had here has been a winner.
DanDan – Modern American-Chinese twists on street food. We went when it first opened and instantly fell in love with the unique menu. We’ve been back several times, and now it’s so busy you definitely need a reservation if you want a table. Save room for the desserts!
Easy Tyger – Described as an Asian Gastro Pub, but I’d describe it as modernized meat street food served in a restaurant. They have specials, I once had this Jamaican jerk chicken over plantains and coconut rice that was like nothing I’d ever had before.
Fixture Pizza Pub – Super unique pizza flavors that work. Grab a group and go here to try different pizzas. It’s from this place that I learned to put cream cheese on a pizza (like in this jalapeno enchilada pizza). Here’s what I order: the Walkers Pint is basically a taco pizza. Taco pizza? yup, it’s a thing. I’d never had anything like it and I was hooked, definitely need to recreate this and make it at home.
Hot Head Chicken– Best fried chicken in Milwaukee. They share a kitchen with the Crafty Cow. They have this spicy fried chicken that’s really hot, but also so flavorful. If you like spicy food, please do yourself a favor and go get the spicy fried chicken.
Joey Gerard’s Supper Club – A classic Wisconsin Supper Club. Going to a supper club is definitely an experience, and a must if you’re ever passing through Wisconsin. They serve the best steaks ever. This is where my green goddess dip recipe idea is from.
Goodkind – Meat forward farm to fork restaurant with a really extensive drinks offering. I’ve heard they have a secret vegetarian menu that one can request, definitely want to check that out.
La Merenda – Small plates, tapas restaurant. I’ve been here many times, everyone loves it and for good reason, everything is delicious. They are very local focused and the food always tastes amazing.
Maxies – Serving southern food and oysters…AND…they just so happen to have locations in Ithaca (where I went to grad school) and here in Milwaukee (where I now live) and I’ve been to both! How cool is that?
Movida – This place! They’re relatively new and they serve Spanish food and sangria. Their sangria is so darn good it’s not even funny. Nick jokes that he’s only seen me a little drunk after we go here. They serve their sangria by the bottle and say ‘if you don’t finish the bottle you can take it home’ … want to guess how many times I’ve taken any home? lol, you’d be right if you guessed zero. Their food is really tasty too. Here’s what I order: their sangria, their paella, and any of their apps…basically everything lol…but the sangria!
Odd Duck – Small plates withe an ever changing, local inspired menu. We went here the first week it opened and again a few months after it opened years ago and were just ‘meh’ about it. But we kept seeing crazy reviews. One night last month we had a babysitter and Nick and I decided to go here for a date night. Opinion totally changed. It was sooo good, it made it on my favorites list! I got an order of beet pickled eggs and loved them so much I got another order to go lol. Everything is really good, I will note that this place is a little on the pricey side.
Red Lion Pub – British pub food done right on this side of the pond. Love their fish and chips.
Riviera Maya – Authentic Mexican cuisine, they have delicious food and strong margaritas. Nick and I had our very first date at Riviera Maya, it holds a special place in my heart but it’s also the place I want to go for tortilla soup or good chips and salsa and margaritas.
Rumpus Room – The Rumpus Room is across the street from the Center for Performing Arts theater, so anytime we go to a show, this is where we go to eat beforehand. Here’s what I order: this post the schnitzle is perfection. It comes with a fried egg on top (I was preggo when I took the picture below, so I had to have them ‘ruin’ the egg, but it was still legit). I talked about going here when we did a little staycation/babymoon in .

Smoke Shack – Some fantastic bbq served in their intimate and cool ‘shack’ themed building
Tenutas – Great Italian food!
The Noble – My all-time Milwaukee fave!! It’s suuuuper small (only 6 tables) and they don’t take reservations, but the wait is always worth it here. The menu varies daily but I’ve never had something I didn’t LOVE! Here’s what I order: get their Trio of Spreads…it comes with freshly baked grilled bread! My hot cheesy blt dip recipe was made after having a version here
Transfer – Amazing pizzas of all kinds that are super good. My mother-in-law’s favorite pizza – version we made here – is based on a pizza from Transfer, the Roasted Potato Chicken which is garlic cream sauce, cheese with chicken breast, and pan fried potatoes – yum!
Wy’east – Woodfired pizza amazingness located in Milwaukee – right on the Tosa border. Lately I’ve been sending Nick to get pick up from here because their pizzas are so good, if they ever have a special with honey on their pizzas, get it!
Van Guard – specializing in house-made sausages. Very unique sausage combinations and the menu offers drink pairing suggestions. This is a very cool spot with delicious sausages. Here’s what I order: the Jamaican lamb currywurst – (no bun) Jamiacan Curry / Carmelized Onion / Scotch Bonnet Jam / Served over Fries or the Thai Breaker – pork/lemongrass/ginger/cilantro with Peanut Sauce / Carrot / Lettuce / Crunchy Bits.

Cocktails/After Dinner:

Blu Milwaukee – Located in the Pfister hotel, this bar has incredible Milwaukee views. It’s a little fancier so it’s a great ‘adult’ place to go and get a cocktail.
Bryants Cocktail Lounge – This place is a must visit. It’s like taking a step back in time, and it really is, because it’s Milwaukee’s oldest cocktail lounge. You tell the server what kind of drink you’re feeling like, what flavors or things you like and they concoct a drink and bring it to you. I’m a sucker for their old timey boozy ice cream drinks.
Boone & Crockett – Old meets new and cool vibe, this is a great spot for drinks in Bayview. They have a great patio for warmer weather and a taco truck now! I heard they were moving, so I’ll update that info when I hear about it.
Branded – Located inside the Iron Horse Hotel. I love this bar, it’s right inside the Iron Horse Hotel and always smells nice (lol but true).
The Outsider – Rooftop bar, located on the top of the Journeyman hotel. Their cocktails are so unique and always spot on, and they have a stellar snacks/bites menu. The Milwaukee views are incredible.

I’d love to hear from you! Did your favorites make the list? Let me know in the comments below!

How To See And Tour Milwaukee

Oct 24, 2017 · 6 Comments

Milwaukee is such a beautiful city, and I often get asked “what’s the best way to see Milwaukee?” so today I’m going to share with you three different ways how to see and tour and experience the amazing city that I am lucky enough to call my home: Milwaukee.

1.) Tour Milwaukee on foot – Milwaukee is a very walkable city, with many different walking paths through the city. But where to go or what to see, where to even start? So I have a few really neat suggestions for you.

Take a walking food tour. Milwaukee is known for it’s cheese, sausage and beer. Seriously, we have some of the best food I’ve ever had, so naturally something really fun to do is to take food tour. Milwaukee Food & City Tours offers a bunch of fantastic tours. To get a feel for Milwaukee’s history and culture, I’d suggest the Old World 3rd St. Tour/Foods of Milwaukee.

The tour starts off in Schlitz park and goes along Milwaukee’s River Walk, and includes the culture, history and foods of Old World 3rd Street. Those traditions are just the beginning on this tour where Milwaukee’s old German traditions meet delicious new delights!

Since the tour is on foot, we took baby Ben along with us, it was such a beautiful way to see Milwaukee. On the tour, you’ll get to sample lots of beer, German food, and see the city.

Take a historical building/architecture tour. I have visited many cities and been on many tours, and I can truly tell you that the historical Milwaukee tour by Gothic Milwaukee is hands down one of the best I’ve been on. The walking tour went along, and by the end, I had a whole new appreciation of Milwaukee and the history of the buildings I had passed 100 times without ever knowing their history. Odd to say, but I felt more connected to the city after taking this tour (and as you know, I raved about it in this Milwaukee guide post as well).

Do a self-guided tour. If you’d rather go at your own pace and not on a guided tour, a self-guided walking tour is just the thing for you! You can purchase a really neat set of 10 mapped walking tours of downtown Milwaukee, which comes with 8 bonus tour cards that highlight iconic architecture of the downtown Milwaukee skyline. I can tell you – this is a super cool option, because you can go at your own pace and break it up over different days, depending on your time (with a baby, this has been such a fun thing to do, just pack the baby and the stroller and you’re set).

2.) Tour Milwaukee by Bus. If you’re looking to visit different locations (perhaps stop at a brewery or a museum) and see the city at the same time, the Milwaukee hop-on-hop-off tour is for you! Milwaukee City Tours offers the hop-on-hop-off tours, they’re actually the same company that does the food tours, so they know what they’re doing!

On the bus tour, you can see the city and visit many of its attractions (like did you know that Milwaukee is home to Harley Davidson?) and have a ride to and from the different paces – all the while having a tour guide talk to you about the history of what you’re seeing.

3.) Tour Milwaukee by Boat. One of my absolute favorite things about Milwaukee is that it sits on Lake Michigan and has a beautiful River Walk. There’s just something peaceful about being on water, isn’t there? I have been to many different spots on the lake and near the lake (like walking paths or the many museums or the Summerfest grounds) but I never had I been on the lake, looking at the city.

I took a boat tour, and was seriously amazed at just how incredibly gorgeous the Milwaukee sky line is. Milwaukee Boat Line offers a narrated history and architecture tour that I would highly recommend. It starts on the river and you get to see all these neat bridges lift up for your boat as you learn about the history of the buildings and trade that happened along the water, and then you go out into Lake Michigan and along the downtown lakefront and get super close to the shore line to see the expansive and magnificent skyline. I will definitely be taking friends and family on this tour whenever they visit!

After going on different tours, I can definitely say that it is something I wish I had done sooner! Seeing the skyline and learning about the history of the city I live in made me feel so connected to it (as cheesy as that sounds) and made me want to show it off even more!

Other posts you might enjoy:

So I have to ask – what is your favorite way to see a city? By foot? Bus/Car? or Boat? Leave a comment and let me know!

This post is brought to you by my partnership with Visit Milwaukee. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with which make the SweetPhi blog possible.

Guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby)

Sep 22, 2017 · 7 Comments

A few miles west of Milwaukee is this adorable village called Wauwatosa. Wauwatosa, or “Tosa” as it’s called by the locals, has so much to do and see, so today I’m going to share with you a guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby, because now that we have a son, it’s so fun to discover fun things we can do as a family – and these things are activities that adults can enjoy with or without children!)

I’ll share an itinerary with you, and go through it as you would starting on a Saturday morning, but then at the bottom I’ll provide a recap in list form of places. Any of these places are fun to go to on any night of the week also (especially the beer garden – they have live music and it’s a great spot to meet with family and friends after work).

You’ll start the day by getting some delicious donuts from Cranky Al’s.

Cranky Al’s has the most delicious donuts around.

They are hand made, and Food Network’s Alton Brown declared they were the best donuts he’d ever had on the road in 2015! There’s also a myth going around by the nurses at the local hospital that if you want to go into labor (and you’re at 40 weeks), you should eat Cranky Al’s. When Ben’s due date had come and passed, I definitely tried this (I mean, eating donuts is the least weird thing you’ll hear) but sadly it did not work for me lol – but hey, at least I had delicious donuts!

Also, Cranky Al’s serves pizza (which you can enjoy in their restaurant or at the beer garden I’ll talk about later on.) After you grab some donuts, it’s time to head on over to the Tosa Farmers Market.

Tosa Farmers Market is a beautiful open air market, held every Saturday throughout the summer from 8am -12pm.

There are a plethora of farm stands selling fresh produce as well as local artists and crafters who sell their homemade goods, and the flowers, omg I’m so in love with farmers market flowers! You can also get fresh pour-over coffee and buy the freshest produce around (I love heirloom tomatoes, they’re so gorgeous!) After the farmers market you can stroll around the heart of Tosa village which has many shops to check out. Of course this guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby) is filled with amazing food options too!

Next it’s time for lunch: head on over to Pizzeria Piccola. Pizzeria Piccola means tiny pizzeria, it’s just that! It’s a small pizzeria which makes individual wood-fired pizza to order. It’s so yummy! I’m not ashamed to admit I can eat a whole pizza by myself.

The crust is crispy and chewy at the same time, and there is just nothing better than wood fired pizza crust and a fresh Caesar salad. We sat outside on their lovely patio, and all the warm summer air put Ben right to sleep (just look at his little cheeks though!!)

After lunch you’ll take a stroll along the Oak leaf Trail which goes along the Menomonee River. You can walk right from downtown Wauwatosa Village to Hoyt Park (1.3 miles).

The Landing at Hoyt Park is a really nice beer garden where you can enjoy a nice cold beer and a giant pretzel.

And I mean GIANT! Just look at this thing. We even got a fun little family photo that I shared earlier on Instagram (ps – lets be friends on Insta!)

There is live music, cold beer, pretzels, and you can order pizza there too. It’s Cranky Al’s pizza – the place I mentioned earlier that has the awesome donuts. The whole family will love this beer garden!

Finish the evening by having dinner at Firefly Tosa. It’s back where the farmers market was.

Firefly has a great selection of really innovative menu items and the restaurant has such a nice atmosphere. There’s a really big lounge/bar area at the back, and the dining room has big tables and super comfy chairs – and the chandeliers – swoon worthy! I could legit just eat off their apps menu. We had bacon wrapped figs (an all time fave of mine).

We had their micro burgers (3 different sliders, each more delicious than the last) with fries as an appetizer, and then totally filled up before we even got our main course (we shared a gnocchi dish that was chock full of fresh summer vegetables and had a poached egg on top).

The next day, start the morning off right by going to Rocket Baby Bakery!

This bakery has long been one of my favorite morning spots in Milwaukee. They have their flagship location in Tosa (they’re located kitty-corner from Cranky Al’s) and then they also have a satellite location in Milwaukee (both of which we’ve been to plenty of times.)

I would suggest getting some fresh baked goods (definitely get a croissant or savory scone) and grab a cup of coffee to go, and then head on to the Milwaukee County Zoo. I don’t know about other babies, but I can tell you that Ben loves to be on the go. As soon as the stroller gets going, he calms right down and even sleeps. But stop moving? That my friends, is when he has a meltdown! So all the activities you see here, they’re all nice and baby friendly because they had space for us to keep Ben on the move!

Now, I have been to the Milwaukee Zoo a few times, but with a baby? OMG it’s so much more fun! I cannot wait until Ben is a little older, but we will definitely be getting a Zoo pass next summer.

There are so many amazing exhibits and activities at the zoo. You can take the Safari Train or take a tour on the Zoomobile or visit the family farm (or feed the giraffes or go on the climbing wall or ropes course!) While Ben was a little young for any of the activities, we loved walking around the zoo and staring at the majestic animals! This was probably Ben’s favorite thing in this guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby)!

After the Zoo, head on over to the Mayfair Collection. The Mayfair Collection is a brand new premier shopping complex (I’ve been seeing it be built over the past few years, so it’s great to finally be able to shop there) and has stores such as Carter’s and OshKosh Bigosh.

The Mayfair Collection is also home to may great restaurants.

We went to Cafe Grace for a late lunch/early dinner which is sadly no longer there. Cafe Grace is a modern, upscale French cafe. When at a French cafe, you must order a French onion soup (the one at Cafe Grace is so darn good, I may or may not have regretted splitting it with my hubby lol). Also when at a french restaurant, steak and frites is a must.

We shared our meal, and everything was just so perfect, I could not have asked for a better finish to our active weekend.

Food:

Cranky Al’s – donuts and pizza
Pizzeria Piccola – wood oven pizza
The Landing at Hoyt Park – beer garden and pizza
Firefly Tosa – contemporary food – twists on classics
Rocket Baby Bakery – fresh bread, bakery, sandwiches
Cafe Grace – modern French cafe

Activities:

This guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby) was so fun to make! If you’re looking for family/baby friendly places to go and things to do in outskirts of Milwaukee, the Village of Wauwatosa has a lot to offer!

Milwaukee Guide for a Girls Day Out

Aug 31, 2017 · 12 Comments

Grab your best friend and spend a super fun day exploring Milwaukee, because today I’m so excited to share a Milwaukee guide for a girls day out!

Now, if you’re new to the SweetPhi blog, welcome! Something about me that you should know: I live in Milwaukee and absolutely LOVE this city. I love discovering new things the Cream City has to offer, and showing it off to friends. The nickname the “Cream City” is not beause of all the diary we have, but rather because of the cream or light yellow colored brick made from clay found around Milwaukee and on the western banks of Lake Michigan. If you’re looking for some past travel recaps, you can see them here.

I’ll take any opportunity to show the city off, but with all the different neighborhoods and things, sometimes it’s tough to know what to show off and how to go about that. When my best friend came into town, I wanted to show her as much as I could, and in one day (because my hubby was out of town and my in-laws were babysitting Ben).

I cannot tell you how great this itinerary was, we were able to see SO much in a day, and I felt like we really saw a lot of what Milwaukee has to offer, plus this itinerary takes you in a fun loop, so you can get a feel of where you are at by the end of the day.

Coffee at Colectivo: we started the day with coffee/drinks at the beautiful lakefront location. Colectivo has great coffee and cafe food. I’ve been such a fan for years. My favorite summertime drink is their dark chocolate frappe, it’s perfect for a hot day. There are gorgeous chairs outside, and is a great morning spot. The building (built in 1888) is gorgeous and used to be Milwaukee’s Flushing Station, so it has a super cool vibe in it, and it’s right on the lakefront!

Stroll along the Lakefront: after coffee, you can stroll along the lakefront (Veterans Park or walk the beautiful Lake Park trail) and stare in amazement at gorgeous Lake Michigan, the colors in summer are just stunning!

Lunch at Beans and Barley: located on the East Side, Beans and Barley is a deli, market, and cafe. They have a really cute little restaurant, and when there is a wait, it’s fun to peruse the natural grocery store. I had never had food from their deli, so we got a grilled cheese sandwich (because it’s Wisconsin so of course we had to have cheese). It was seriously the best grilled cheese ever! We also got a vegetarian burrito to share…let’s just say it’s a good thing I don’t live closer because I would be there every.single.day! Their food exceeded my expectations by far.

View works of art at the Milwaukee Art Museum: this winter was the first time I went to the Milwaukee Art Museum, and I’ve been back a few times since. Not only is the architecture amazing, it’s really beautifully laid out, one of my favorite museums I’ve been to!

Chocolate and cheese (or wine) pairing at Indulgence Chocolatiers: chocolate and cheese. I need not say anymore, lol, one of the beset combinations around: rich indulgent chocolate and flavorful Wisconsin cheese. The Indulgence store (we went to the one Walker’s Point) is very welcoming and I love how they always have samples out (I always end up trying something new and buying it!)

Stop in to Clock Shadow Creamery to see how cheese is made: just down the street from Indulgence Chocolatiers is Clock Shadow Creamery (again in the Walker’s Point area – my favorite area of Milwaukee by the way). You can see how cheese is made and buy some of their squeaky cheese curds. I always get asked “what are cheese curds” so here is the definition: Cheese curds, in cuisine or cooking, are the solid pieces of curdled milk either eaten alone as a snack, or used in various regional dishes. They’re really good, you just need to have them if you’re in Milwaukee, it’s just a thing.

Eat local farm-to-table cuisine at Braise: one of my all-time favorite Milwaukee restaurants! If you want to eat locally sourced, delicious, innovative and creative food, Braise is where to go. I have been following chef Dave Swanson since the days when he was on PBS sharing about mushroom hunting and cooking in a parking lot and ate at his restaurant Braise the first week it opened! It’s not this incredible restaurant, cooking school, and has an RSA (restaurant supported agriculture) program. Since it’s seasonal and local ingredients, the menu always changes. One thing I think has pretty much remained on the menu in some form or another is their pork buns. Definitely get the pork buns! They’re insanely good!

Save room for dessert and get ice cream from Purple Door Ice Cream: small batch ice cream done right! I love unique ice cream flavors, and Purple Door definitely has them. They always change their flavors and use locally sourced diary. In the summer months you can see a line out the door and down the block in the evenings, and rightfully so, it’s delicious.

Finish your night by taking a Gothic Milwaukee Walking Tour: this is by far the COOLEST and most fascinating thing I have ever done in Milwaukee! So the conversation went like this…me:”Lynn, when you’re in town, do you want to go on a walking ghost tour of Milwaukee?” Lynn: “Ummm…Phi, is this like a ‘boo’ spooky ghost tour? I scare really easily” me: “I don’t think so, I’m the biggest baby there is, I can’t even watch those serial killer shows you like, and it says it’s historic, so I don’t think it’s going to be too scary” Lynn: “fine, but you’ll have to hold my hand the whole time.” As you can see, we didn’t quite know what to expect, but whatever it was we were expecting, it was like a thousand percent better. Anna, the tour guide (it’s her business, and she’s a true Milwaukee expert) showed me a whole new side of Milwaukee.

I have literally walked by all the various buildings hundreds of times, and I knew none of the fascinating history behind the buildings or things that took place in them. We walked from Cathedral Square to the Pfister (did not know this was a haunted hotel, I’ve stayed there!) and then around to news alley and then down to the riverfront along the river walk, and then back up by the court house and back to Cathedral Square. It was fascinating! The whole time she told us interesting stories and facts. I loved it so much that the whole time we were walking, I kept taking out my phone to 1-take pictures and 2-text my husband that we NEEDED to go on the tour together because it was so cool (the guided walking tour would make such a fun date night). When I was getting all the links together to write this post, I saw on the Gothic Milwaukee website that one can buy cards for a self guided walking tour, I just purchased them and cannot wait to see them, if they’re anything like the guided tour, I’m sure they’ll be nothing short of amazing. I won’t give anything away from the guided walking tour, I’ll just tell you that it’s so amazing and I cannot recommend it highly enough. After the tour (a nice 90 minutes of walking) I felt so much more connected to the city and will never forget the fun stories I learned about the history.

So there you have it: a Milwaukee guide for a fun day out! I had such a great time, and would do this itinerary over in a heartbeat!

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Guide for a Relaxing Weekend in Milwaukee, WI

Apr 26, 2017 · 41 Comments

Today I’m going to share with you a guide for a relaxing weekend in Milwaukee, WI – where to stay, what to see and do and of course recommendations on where to eat. This would also make an amazing “babymoon” trip itinerary for any fellow expecting mamas out there.

I often get asked by family and friends who are planning to visit Milwaukee what my recommendations are for things to do, where to stay, and what to eat. Since Milwaukee is the city I live in, I didn’t really have any recommendations on where to stay, until now, because I hadn’t stayed anywhere besides my house lol. I can now highly recommend one of the most wonderful place to stay: The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel.

Where to stay: The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel Milwaukee

Over the last year, I kept hearing things about a new hotel being built in the historic Third Ward in Milwaukee. Well, that hotel just so happens to be The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, which opened in 2016. It is gorgeous! The hotel is a 158 room boutique hotel which has an amazing restaurant on the ground floor (more on that in the ‘where to eat’ section below) and a gorgeous rooftop bar with panoramic views of the city.

Before even going, I loved that the Journeyman Hotel is proudly pet friendly, which meant that we could bring our little angel, Clover. Upon checking in, the hotel wrote her name on a little chalk board and told us where she was all welcome (basically everywhere in the hotel! She was even welcome at their happy hour or morning coffee!)

The room was simply stunning. There’s no other way to describe it. Designed with comfort, luxury, relaxation and travelers in mind, the room had everything one could want: views, beautiful Milwaukee themed artwork, super comfortable bed, and a bathroom that will forever give me design envy. There was even this really cool bag that one could ‘borrow or buy’ made by a local artisan.

Are you ready to see the bathroom that I want to live in? Just look at that beautiful bathtub!!!! In the middle is a baby bump picture of me – I’m now 32 weeks!!

The Journeyman also had the best room service ever – you guys – I’m talking the worlds best cheese board and these strawberries and fudge sauce with a marshmallow-like dipping sauce. Pretty much the best menu items evvvvverrrrr.

Where to eat:

There is so much great food in Milwaukee, that’s for sure. I love the restaurant scene in this city. For this relaxing weekend, we ate at places convenient/close to where we were staying and where our activities were.The Outsider – Even if you’re not staying at the Journeyman hotel, you want to make a stop at this beautiful rooftop bar, that’s for sure. The Outsider features an impressive cocktail and beer list, as well as a small bites menu.

The funny thing is that I’ve never been much of a drinker, but ever since becoming pregnant, I love smelling cocktails. It’s super weird, I know lol. I’m always envious of the delicious smelling cocktails my hubby gets. I sheepishly asked for a ‘mocktail’ and the server said “not a problem” and came back with THE MOST DELICIOUS drink ever. It was a concoction that was so good, that I ordered a second one lol.

It was fresh and fruity and sweet, but not overly sweet. I was very impressed. We ordered a little snack which was the perfect little bites of food to tide us over until dinner.

Cafe Benelux– Named after the Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), Cafe Benelux features region favorites, as well as a large menu and serves food from breakfast through midnight, every night of the week. It’s a brunch favorite.

We ordered all the brunch foods: a waffle, a breakfast burger, and these delicious little beignets!

Tre Rivali –Tre Rivali is located on the ground floor of the Journeyman hotel, but is not to be dismissed as a ‘hotel restaurant’ – it is a restaurant true destination that should be sought out.

I’ve been there for dinner on several occasions, and it has never disappointed. This time was no different. Tre Rivali’s menu plays host to the coastline countries with a wholesome Mediterranean menu that draws culinary inspiration from Italy, France, Spain, and Greece, to Morocco, Turkey, and Israel.

They have super amazing wood fire pizzas (which are actually served at The Journeyman Hotel during the happy hour), and I had this burrata squash hazelnut salad that I have been dying to recreate!

Also not to be missed is brunch at Tre Rivali. Usually it is impossible to find a seat at a restaurant for Sunday brunch at a reasonable hour in Milwaukee. However, we were delighted to find that there was ample seating. And the food – again, totally delicious.

The Milwaukee Public Market – The Milwaukee Public Market holds a special place in my heart. It’s where my husband and I had our wedding 5 years ago (we were one of the first weddings there!) and it’s where I had my cookbook signing party.

The Milwaukee Public Market is an indoor market where the focus is on Wisconsin products (think cheese, frozen custard, coffee) and has amazing vendors ranging from Thai to Mexican and everything in-between.

Rumpus Room – This is a restaurant we have been going to since it opened (aka – I’ve been there many times!) The menu offers plates inspired by a love for quality, regionally sourced ingredients. My favorite thing on their menu is the Pork Schnitzel – it’s a breaded boneless pork loin with arugula, shaved mushrooms, a fried egg (which I had to ruin because I’m preggo and cannot eat a sunny side up egg), and Foenegreek gouda and I legit order it every time we go there because it’s just so perfect. The Rumpus Room is really conveniently located across the street from the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Theater so it’s perfect for dinner before a show.

Things to do:

Milwaukee has many many things to do! If you’re looking for relaxing activities, here are my recommendations:

FLOAT Milwaukee–Have you ever heard of sensory deprecation ‘float’ tanks? They’re tanks of Epsom salt water (so you float) and are in rooms that can be completely pitch black and quiet – hence the sensory deprivation. The rooms are kept really warm (95 degrees). Floatation tanks are designed to create a condition which is ideal for the relaxation and rejuvenation of the mind and body. I had done a ‘float’ before, but didn’t hear the part of the instructions where the lights in the room could go off. So essentially it felt like I was just in a bath tub tank with a lid. This time though, it was much more relaxing, and instead of a ‘tank’ I got to try a pool. Being pregnant it was also a different experience. I had read that you could hear your baby’s heartbeat, while I didn’t hear the heartbeat, when the baby kicked, it did create a ripple of water which was really cute. My husband did say he had an “existential experience” where he felt like he was in space lol, so it really is different for everyone. Have you ever floated?Neroli Salon & Spa – I’ve been to a lot of different salon and spas in my day, and I have to tell you, Neroli is at the very top of my list, my list of best spas of all time! It’s an Aveda salon and spa and each service was simply outstanding. My hubby and I got pedicures – he had never had a pedicure, so it was really fun to get them done together, mine included this glorious cooling treatment which was applied with a paintbrush. I had a prenatal massage which was so incredible, and he got a facial and then haircut and beard trim. He had never had a facial (I have never had one) and I about died laughing when he was telling me how they kept putting scrubs and lotions on his face, it was too cute, and now I really want to get one (I’ll be scheduling an appointment at Neroli asap!)

The Milwaukee Repertory Theater – The Milwaukee Repertory Theater is nationally recognized as one of the top regional theaters in the country. We have been several times, and I love seeing different shows in the beautiful theater. We saw a production of The Glass Menagerie (the play that put Tennessee Walker on the map). We arrived early and there just so happened to be a discussion of the play beforehand, so we learned so much about the history of the author and about the production before the show, which I found super interesting.

The next time you’re looking for a relaxing weekend, I’d highly recommend spending a weekend in Milwaukee!

This post is brought to you by my partnership with Visit Milwaukee. A big thank you to Visit Milwaukee for coordinating this weekend. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with which make the SweetPhi blog possible.

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I’d love to hear from you – what is the most relaxing vacation you’ve been on?

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