Oakland Ave
I know what you are thinking...Shorewood...really? Really! Yes, Shorewood. Good, if not great things are happening north of your typical trendy spots. Hear me out...Over the past 10 years Milwaukee has seen a resurgence of neighborhoods that have been rebuilt around food. Somewhere along our recent history our neighborhoods lost their connections to food. Depending on your nationality, the local butcher, deli, bakery and tavern were mirrors to who the community was, who are neighbors were and what we all dreamed to be. These artisans not only nourished us with quality foods but knew everything about us. Fast forward a generation and we have lost touch with our neighborhoods personal culinary vibe, resulting in us losing touch with ourselves. Food is the ultimate connector. With young families and newly retired couples all moving to Milwaukee there are so many different neighborhoods one could live. Some seek schools, entertainment, green space, people and food. We’ve seen what restaurants like La Merenda and Braise have done for Walker's Point. The Tandem and The Juice Kitchen for Lindsay Heights and Odd Duck, Goodkind, Vanguard for Bayview.
That brings us to Shorewood, a very trendy destination for young families coming for the schools, the green spaces and the neighborhood vibe. What about the food? For such an active and engaged community of residence, there seemed to be a severe lack of dining options. But over the past couple year that has begun to change. One spot that stands out is self proclaimed “social house” Cloud Red run by Rebecca Goldberger former owner of Roots Restaurant. There is also the newly opened Ruckus, owned by the same guys from Colectivo. Not to mention the possible celebrity sightings next door at Benji’s, which has been in the neighborhood over 60 years and frequented by Senator Herb Kohl. That leads us to this issue of “The Block” where photographer Paul Oemig and I venture out into Shorewood and see what’s really up with Oakland Ave. Enjoy!
