Louise's Trattoria and the electrician

First a couple of comments on your comments – from techie-talented people who could figure out this Google blog. Sandy, I said I threw out the onion soup crocks? Dang. Since The Man Who Taught You Your Work Ethic apparently likes my onion soup, I may have to search out new crocks, once I’ve got cupboards to put them in.

And an Oops! on my part: Mike, who is in charge of making my kitchen the coolest in Brookfield, actually spells his last name “Wahlen”. So when you see my fab kitchen and decide to have him fix up yours, look for that spelling in the phone book. Or just look for Cabinet Werks.

Today both Mike’s carpenter and the electrician are banging around in my house. Early this morning The Engineer Who Drew The Electrical Plans And Likes To Kibbitz and the electrician were perched on two ladders, consulting in the future Best Kitchen In Brookfield, when I mentioned that the fan in my bathroom doesn’t work today, but the lights coming from the same switch do work. There was this moment of silence. Then The Eloquent Engineer said, “The same switchplate, not the same switch.”

Good grief. Get a life.

Maybe construction people could manage to get a life if they didn’t start it so blessed early in the morning. If I actually have a best time, it’s not morning. After The Man Who May Never Retire leaves at about 7:15, I like to have a leisurely cup of Starbuck’s sumatra while perusing the New York Times, and then take a second cup with me as I tour my gardens. After that I can almost face the day’s phone calls and meetings.

One of the major inconveniences of remodeling: strange guys in the house before 9 AM. (I’m too old to actually enjoy this.) This is probably even worse than the lack of a garbage disposal and adequate electrical circuits.

I think I’ll go for a very long walk. And remember a lovely dinner at Louise’s Trattoria. I have to confess we did kind of pass over George Webb’s in favor of Louise’s. I promise to have a meal at Milwaukee’s finest all-night breakfast establishment (that would be George Webb’s, for you out-of-towners), but after the Melting Pot, I needed a fix of Good Food.

If there is a nicer place with better food on all of Bluemound than Louise’s, I haven’t been there yet. The decor is stunning, with blond woodwork and cool European light fixtures, or as the Man Who Often Exclaims About The Light Fixtures In Public Buildings explained, “cable system lighting with MR16 lamps”. Ooh! Don’t you just LOVE that techie talk? The bar area is mighty cool too. For the couple who asked me to be on the lookout for neat bars, this one would be hard to beat. Very attractive, with a conveniently located TV on which to watch your favorite Brewer’s game, and a lovely bartender to distract you from your team’s occasional meltdowns.

We each ordered wine, even The Connoisseur Of Diet Pepsi. My sangiovese (when in Rome,...) had decent tannins and a pretty long finish for $6.75 a glass. The Man Who, If He Drinks Wine, Drinks Chardonnay, had a Kendall Jackson ($8). The wine is served with Louise’s delicious chunks of bread rubbed with spices and oils, though for my taste their dipping oil is too sweet and has too much vinegar. But the bread is so good, who needs to dip it? Our waiter was charming and helpful (not to mention handsome – but of course that makes no difference in how I judge an establishment). My, isn’t this evening off to a good start?

The menu at Louise’s also gives me goosebumps – I just want to take it home and browse through it while soaking in a hot tub. I finally settled on the Tortelloni Vegetali with spinach and a parmesan sauce ($10.95). It was rich and delicious and.... what else can I say? The Man Who Has No Indecision Problems In Italian Restaurants ordered the meat lasagna ($13.95), which he was pleased to point out was just what he expected. That is, it was just like home and his wife’s lasagna – though I haven’t told him that he doesn’t get homemade pasta from my kitchen.

A final note: it’s suddenly turned to fall in Wisconsin, so our al fresco evenings may be over. But if they are not, Louise’s is the nicest al fresco location on Bluemound, which perhaps isn’t saying much. The restaurant’s location is high above and pretty far from the road noise, and its outdoor tables are screened from the traffic by a dense hedge.

Kitchenless in Brookfield