Blog entries for David.Todd

Why, NOW, it's even "cooler" near the lake!

David.Todd — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:48:13 GMT

Bay View is heading south, right down Kinnickinnic Aveue, right into St. Francis. Just last week the St. Francis Brewery opened on the corner of Howard Avenue and KK. Cardinal Stritch is set to open up a campus in what is now the Cousin's Center. And, I was recently presented the opportunity to manage a small, family-owned restaurant on St. Francis Avenue - Cool Water Bar and Grill. A high-school buddy of mine, (Chef) Joe Schulte, and his wife, Tesa Santoro own the six month old restaurant, but also own Broadway Bakery/Gourmet-to-Go Catering in the Third Ward. And, being in two places at one time wasn't working out. Enter David Todd, neuvo restranteur and south side resident.

So, now to those reason's why it's cooler near the lake. Here are five reason's to check out Cool Water Bar and Grill (2247 E St. Francis Ave):

1) Under New Management. My philosophy: when dining out, one should be greeted with a smile, enjoy a well-made cocktail, eat a wonderful meal and leave feeling better than when you walked in the door. It's a simple as that.

2) The Food. Chef Joe has taken the best of his menu from the Broadway Bistro and incorporated some great south shore favorites like one of the Journal Sentinel's 10 hottest fish frys in Milwaukee. (Oh, and as I'm writing this, I'm enjoying our pastry chef's chocolate chip cheesecake! Thanks Parrin.) From a melt-in-your mouth steak sandwich to wild mushroom ravioli in smoked gouda sauce, you can't go wrong. And if you like ribs! Oy!

3) Non-smoking Dining. Cool Water has a seperate bar and dining room upstairs for smokers, leaving the entire first floor bar and dining room for non-smoking guests. But, you're always welcomed upstairs to have one after dinner.

4) Downtown Style/South Shore Prices. The newly exposed library brick of the old Modjecki's is now bathed in the warm light of tortoise shell lamps, neon and sunlight. The crowd is 25-75 with most right around 40 and as one would expect, the later the younger. The music, eclectic - everything from Steely Dan to Lady GaGa (and Pat McCurdy Sunday 4/19). The staff, casual/stylish in blue jeans. And, NOTHING on the menu is over $17.95 including the petite filet and ribs.

5) The Boys. Let me introduce you to the front line... Chef Joe, Pius XI grad '87, his classmate and friend General Manager David Todd (thank you), and the newest addition, Mixologist Nick Koehler. Although Joe and I are damn cute, wait until you ladies (and a few men) meet Nick. Not only is he a primo mixologist, but he's easy on the eyes! (But, hey, there's more to come on him right here on onmilwaukee.com next week - watch for his feature!) I would be remiss if I didn't mention Tesa Santoro, a little dynamo at everything... just ask her!

It's only partially a shameless plug, but more of a surprise to me how even in these tough times, the south shore is blooming all over again... and as a native south-sider, I'm damn proud of it all. Cheers!

Why Idol Adam Lambert Is Brilliant

David.Todd — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:59:12 GMT

Think Freddie Mercury as lead singer of the Doors, but in the videos he's a male Britney Spears. Have I nailed Adam Lambert?!

I'm going to claim some expertise upfront here and tell you I held the very first Idol auditions here in Milwaukee as promotion manager for fox 6 even before Idol was a show. We did them in a barn at state fair, ask Kiss-FM. Then, I went to work for the Fox Network in LA and attened many an Idol taping.

So, this week, Adam Lambert nailed it for many reasons:

1) He's was never going to sing country. He took an iconic country song and gave it the "Nine Inch Nails" treatment and it worked for his style. It is already evident he has one; heavy on the drama. (Dolly Parton covered Collective Soul's "Shine" and it was a country hit.) And, if he knows Johnny Cash from seeing Joaquin Phoenix, that was played dark.

2) Which leads to - he's a great performer. He's already done stage. Can you tell? He can sing. He can dance. Check out youtube: adam lambert crazy

3) Despite what Simon said this week, he has called Adam out as a front-runner already in the media; I think Extra - the one with his girlfriend. And on this week's show, record producer and judge Randy Jackson noted his nine octive range on that song. And, note-perfect. You can do a lot with that voice. Clive Davis has done wonders with Kelly and Carrie.

3) Critics said the eastern/sitar sound music was weird music. Well, Adam's just upstaged Anoop Dawg with East Idian pop. Anyone here heard of Slumdog Millionaire? Or the song "Jai Ho" by 0 Rahman that right now is #2 on Kiss-FM. This is Idol's demographic. Score.

4) He's styled to the T. From the fingerless gloves, to the leather jacket, zipper-front jeans, black nail polish, guy-liner... he's put together. Pre-packaged you might say. He's the BAD Jonas Brother.

5) The guy made the Idol tour tonight. Adam gets to perform and he's going to put everyone, save Danny Gokey, to shame.

Danny has great energy and he's all-american. Danny's more American Idol than anyone there and talented, but mark my words... you keep you're eye-liner on Lambert!

One Hundred Words on Equality

David.Todd — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:32:02 GMT

I am a citizen and taxpayer. I am a gay American. I am not afforded the same rights as my fellow citizens. I don’t know why. Gay Americans are the last minority citizenship that it is legally permissible to discriminate against. We’re the only minority group that’s socially acceptable to publically hate and harass. I am not "free." How can the leadership of this nation turn a blind eye to the dignity of its citizens? I vote, but that’s the thing about minorities, they don’t get the majority vote and therefore, remain marginalized. Please act.

A good glass at Coquette Cafe

David.Todd — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:48:56 GMT

I often frequent Coquette Cafe for lunch working down in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, but I have never been there for dinner... until last weekend. Nice!

There were just two of us and at 6:30p on a Friday night, they couldn't seat us until 8:15, but I called ahead so it all worked out.

The food was great. My date was looking for red meat and enjoyed their steak. I had the veal meatloaf - divine.

But, what we really enjoyed was choosing a wine. The wine list at Coquette is very good and they have knowledgable servers on hand to answer your questions; ours was Jake (I'd highly recommend him). My friend was looking for a pinot noir. They were pouring the '06 Edna Valley, a great central coast California red-dry and fruity. I cound't decide between that, the '05 Louis Latour beaujolais or the '06 Yalumba Australian shiraz. Our server provided us with three small tastings to help the process. The pinot was great, but not enough excitement on the tongue for me. This wine was light, zesty and smelled beautiful. Full. The shiraz was tasty, more jammy, but the beaujolais was the one for me. After we ordered, we enjoyed a great plate of french cheeses, followed by our main courses and topped it off with some great red wine desserts: chocolate mousse and molten chocolate cake (perfection).

If you've only ben to Coquette for lunch, make plans to try it for dinner. And, make plans to enjoy some wine and cheese... and leave room for dessert. Tell Jake, David sent you. Cheers!

Choosing a good wine?

David.Todd — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:33:27 GMT

OK - I have to admit, I couldn't take the Wisconsin winter anymore, so I ran away to Arizona this last weekend for some sun... and to enjoy some wine. In Ariziona? YES. I packed my carry-on and my last three issues of Wine Spectator. As I sat in the sun by the pool, I scoured the issues to see what wines I could find by seeing what has been getting the best ratings AND what I get at the grocery store.

This is what I found: supermarkets carry very few of Wine Spectators 85+ point wines. BUT, I did find many of the same vineyards and many of the same vintage years - and that was enough for me to go on. I ended up with a Penfolds Cab-Shiraz (always a safe choice), a great Pinot Noir called Hob Nob from France (you can find this wine at The Market Basket on Lisbon), a Frei Borthers Reserve Pinot (choosing a reserve can help, but they cost a bit more), a Guenoc (a Petite Syrah which is a very underrated varietal), a Coppola Claret (another great varietal by a reputable vineyard), and a Yellow Tail... when in doubt...

I intened to have a little wine tasting with friends and chose a variety of reds all ranging from about $8 a bottle (the Yellow Tail) to a reserve for $25 (the Frei Borthers). I got a few girls together and let the corks fly. Now, I'm the only hard-core red drinker in the group, so I knew to get some softer, smoother reds. I wanted to see if an informed selection helped and to see if $$$ translated into a better wine.

The results? The names and prices mattered little over the palette.

My girls almost overwhelmingly enjoyed the Hob Nob the most ($12). The Frei Borthers reserve was good, but not an additional $13 good (hell, that's a whole 'nother bottle of wine)!

All-in-all, I chose some pretty good wines. Here's how:

1) Choose a rhone varietal (Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz, Petite Syrah) or a blend like a cab-shiraz or zinfindel blend. Why? Wines are generally blended when the single varietal, well, didn't turn out like the winemaker wanted it to, so they made it drinkable. There! That's the big secret. I got it out of a winemaker friend of mine. It's what saved California winemakers and something French winemakers have known for years.

2) Go with a reputable name. This one is easy. If you have any interets in wine, a few names stand out... Yellow Tail, Coppola, Conch y Toro, etc... all affordable, all easy to get... or ask the guy behind the counter. He'll be flattered and you might get a good suggestion (another great way to find a great wine).

3) Lastly, do some research - if you want. I like reaidng about wines and seeing who's producing good wines and from what year (that's key as well). Right now, Wine Spectator was suggesting a lot of 2004/2005 wines. What was in the grocery store? Mostly 2006, but I focused in on the 2005 reds and did my best.

Now, if you're heading to a wine store, take your Wine Spectator. Those places will have the high rated wines and many at a good price, too. Need any more tips? Feel free to email me.

Cheers!

Looking for a great red?

David.Todd — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:58:48 GMT

It's one of the greatest feelings when you happen upon an exceptional wine, and I did recently. It's name, Venta La Ossa, a 2005 Temparnillo from the LaMancha region of Spain. That's all the formal info I'm going to give you. Now, for the good stuff: this wine is an extremely approachable, drinkable full-bodied red wine. Soft tannins, lush fruity flavor and maybe a hint of spice or tobacco (something gives it a punch).

I'm a huge fan of wine and was sitting at one of my favorite watering holes, Cuvee on Broadway, when the rep for this wine was trying to get owners Kris and Kim to add it to their wine list. Being somewhat a regular, they poured me a glass after the rep left and one for my friend who is not as big a red fan as I. Some wines hit you in a big way - and this one did. Even my non-red friend thought it was one of the best wines she's tasted in a while. Now, I know Cuvee just received their first shipment and it might not even be on the list yet. They'll be selling it by the bottle only, but I have it on good authority if you talk to Kim or Kris (who are almost always there) and ask that they pour you a glass, they will... and you'll probably end of wanting to buy the bottle!

Enjoy!