A few weeks ago we had a huge snowstorm. This was taken only a few hours after the snow began falling.

Walking down Brady Street after dong Happy Hour at The Nomad. The entourage was en route to the new Irish eatery, Brocach. Which I decided to pronounce as "boo coochie" all night. Charming, I know.

We approved of the cheese dip.

Snapped this picture of Pete in the lobby. He didn't approve.

The old St. Casimir's just a block from home being smothered by snow.

This year is off to a great start and seems like it might be the year of unlikely pairings. For the last few months I've been organizing Milwaukee's very first co-ed indoor LGBT soccer league which is to begin at the end of February 2008. I wasn't sure how many Brewcity gays would be interested in joining but I've been overwhelmed by the excitement.

Now, the always fun Bayview soccer bar, The Highbury, is jumping on board to not only support the league but now is also providing some gay entertainment! (I'm sure you can also thank my friend Joe W. who works there for the recent gay interest) I can't wait to be in the crowd when the raucous soccer bar is taken hostage by a stage full of drag queens. It will certainly be an enjoyable evening of entertainment.

Local coffee chain, Alterra, has finally opened their Riverwest cafe at the corner of Humboldt & Chambers. For those Milwaukeans that enjoy their coffee there is no substitute.

I tend to frequent the vastly popular Prospect Avenue location because I see all kinds of important people but it will be interesting to see what kind of regulars I'll see at this new store.

The Riverwest cafe will also serve food -breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and salads. The very large building will also play host to the Alterra Baking Company and the roastery.

A large portion of the building is still empty until the bakery and roastery move in but overall I think I'll enjoy the new option for my coffee addiction.

Shopaholics, fashion whores, wannabes, teen queens, homos, and bears high schoolers will be rejoicing this weekend. Why?

The brand spankin' new Urban Outfitters on Milwaukee's Eastside will be opening their doors this Friday, December 14th. Oh, and for those of you that need a job they are also hiring. The store is on the corner of E. Kenilworth and N. Prospect. Get on it betches!

Things in downtown Milwaukee are about to heat up. Literally.

Edgar's Calypso recently opened at 628 N. Water Street last week with a soft opening. The restaurant is the dream of Michael Dillon who also owns local graphic design company, McDill Design, which is located upstairs from the new restaurant. Edgar's Calypso is in the same space where Swank used to be right next door to Steamer's.

Dillon's love affair with the caribean began when he was 24 and went to Jamaica. "I've gone back to Jamaica every year for the last 30 years."

I stopped by this past weekend to check things out and see what we might be able to expect from this little gem on Water. Immediately upon arrival into Edgar's Calypso I felt transported to a lively tropical island - far away from the very cold Milwaukee night that was surrounding me. Dillon hand painted the colorful scenes throughout the restaurant to reflect his love for his favorite island, Gaudalupe.

Though the menu was limited I was very pleased with my selections. (A bigger menu will be unveiled down the line.) We started out with the tostones which were incredibly delicious. The dipping sauce really made this appetizer worth it. I don't tend to like sauces that much but this one was zesty and scrumptious. I almost licked the bowl clean.

I also tried the Red Pepper soup which was the perfect antidote to the frigid, brisk wind whipping around the streets outside. The flavors in the soup were rich and "punchy". The soup could have been served a bit warmer but ultimately did the trick.

For my main dish I had the Atlantic Salmon with sweet potato fries. My fish was incredibly moist and flavorful. The filet was quite large as well and I had a very hard time eating it all. The sweet potato fries were heavenly. The sweet flavor combined with the crunchyness of the fry danced playfully on my pallet. Only after I ordered the fries did I realize it was an odd pairing with my fish dish but I was quite glad that I did.

My partner ordered the cheese quesadillas. The limited menu is actually a challenge for vegetarians, something I hope Dillon will correct with the expanded menu. The quesadillas were quite tasty and the jalapenos inside them made them a nice spicy pick-me-up.

Not wanting to deprive ourselves, we decided to also order the Chocolate Bread Pudding. This dessert was fantastic. The rich chocolate flavor paired with the carmelized bananas were what every sweet tooth dreams of. Every bite I made sure to get a little bit of the pudding and banana. Delish!

Edgar's Calypso might have only did a soft opening last week but with the current menu, friendly staff, and inviting environment it will only be a matter time before it becomes a new favorite for many Milwaukeans.

Edgar's Calypso is open for lunch starting at 11am. Dinner ends at 10pm Monday - Thursday and 11pm on Friday & Saturday. They are closed on Sundays.

CONSUME is our new restaurant feature here at DyerTimes. We will continue to highlight Milwaukee resturants as they open and may even throw in a few that have been around for ages. If you have a restaurant that you'd like to see us review send us a note at info AT dyertimes DOT com.

Milwaukee is soon to get a friendly new neighbor located on the trendy & fashionable Eastside. Urban Outfitters will be opening their 2nd Wisconsin store in UW-Milwaukee's Kenilworth building with work already underway for the 12,000 square foot store.

Shopaholics that wanted to shop at Urban Outfitters had to drive to Madison's State Street to get their hands on some U.O. loot but that will all change soon. Urban Outfitters is a trendy clothing and houseware chain that resonates with young adults 18-30.

Urban Outfitters is expected to open this fall at the corner of E. Kenilworth and N. Prospect Avenue. The neighborhood also saw the opening of Whole Foods last year and is expected to continue to attract exciting businesses to Milwaukee.

And down in the Third Ward, Anthropologie signed a lease in early July for a 10,500 square feet at 301 N. Broadway, the former A. Gagliano & Co. produce warehouse. Anthropologie is part of the same company as Urban Outfitters which specializes in professional, sophisticated clothing for the well-educated woman ages 30 to 45, from high-income households.

It won't do anything for me but I'm glad it's coming to the 414! Finally some decent shopping options for the fashion-minded Milwaukean.

The Advocate - the nation's largest LGBT news magazine - ran a piece in their September 25th issue entitled, "Out With the Mayors." The story centers around University of Toronto business professor Richard Florida's best-selling book The Rise of the Creative Class where he argues that a large gay presence helps a city's economic performance. Five mayors were asked: "Why should young gay professionals move to your city?"

Milwaukee's very own, Mayor Tom Barrett, along with the mayor's from Dallas, Kansas City, MO, Newark, and Portland, OR all answered the question.

Milwaukee's LGBT community should be pretty depressed by the TERRIBLE answer that Mayor Barrett gave. Notice how he doesn't even mention the word "gay" or even the acronym "LGBT". What's up with that Mayor Barrett???

Mayor Mark Funkhouser (Kansas City, MO) probably gave the best answer and he even used a clever reference to The Wizard of Oz. Mayor Tom Leppert of Dallas gave an almost equally bad answer to Barrett's but he at least mentioned GLBT. Leppert beat the openly gay candidate, Ed Oakley, in June 2007 in what supporters hoped would become the largest city with an openly gay mayor in the US.

Mayor Barrett certainly needs to work on catering to Milwaukee's thriving lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Let's ask him to begin by saying the right words.

Fall seems to be the time when everyone wants to compile lists. Everywhere I turn I see another party compiling the "Best of..." list. My favorite is the list compiled by the Shepherd Express. Some of my usual stomping grounds can be found there such as Beans & Barley, the Oriental Theatre, and Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore.

But, I'm always surprised by some of the winners. Especially some of the winners from the Shepherd. Boston Store won best Female Clothing store!?! Are you for real? Boston Store! Of all the options for women's clothing and a big box store wins?!?! What about Ma Jolie, Fred, Fashion Ninja, or Lela? I wish I had as many choices when it came to quality men's clothing....

Anyways, back to my topic. So, WISN Channel 12 is also compiling their "Best of" list which they are calling the A-List. I can only imagine who some of the winners will be. My predictions are it will go something like this:
Best Restaurant: TGI Friday's
Best Mexican: Spicy Chicken Snackwrap from McDonald's
Best Men's Clothing Store: Wal-Mart
Best Watering Hole: Orange Julius
Best "Alternative Lifestyle" Establishment: Milwaukee Art Museum

With all the list compiling going on I thought I'd just do one of my own. Feel free to add some of your additions.

Best Place to Get Pulled Over for "Driving While Black": Glendale
Best Place to Get Robbed: A Bayview establishment on KK / Booth & Center on the first nice days of summer [Tie]
Best Place to Get A Loogie in Your Sandwich: Judy's Red Hots on Holton
Best Place to Get Gay Bashed: Axel's on Oakland
Best Business to Be Ignored by the Sales Staff: BBC Lighting