The designer behind more than 100 bars and restaurants, a Bon-Ton revival and how Rihanna got into Wisconsin politics

Who we are. Where we go. What we need to know.

If you always skip over my openers, you'll regret it this week because you'll miss out on free stuff. 

We're giving away pairs of tickets to the Journal Sentinel's Wine & Food Experience on our Instagram. That's all the best food from local restaurants, fine wine and craft beers in one spot Saturday. Now that's a winning combination. If you don't win tickets (winners will be randomly selected Thursday at noon), buy tickets in advance. The price goes up at the door!

I'll be there and so should you. Don't be lame. Come hang out with me. 

The big deals this week: the designer behind more than 100 of Milwaukee's bars and restaurants, a brewery anniversary celebration and how Rihanna got involved in Wisconsin politics. 

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Let's talk business

This guy wears a kilt on the daily but that's not why we're talking about him. Jeremy Shamrowicz is the designer behind more than 100 of Milwaukee's favorite bars and restaurants like The Harp and AJ Bombers. Basically, you've had dinner with him and never knew it. I got the whole story about his part in Milwaukee's downtown evolution here. 

Bon-Ton is back. At least on the internet. A company paid less than a million dollars for Bon-Ton's brand trademarks, websites and other intellectual property. The websites for Boston Store, Younkers and other department stores relaunched over the weekend. My deskmate talked with an executive from the new parent company and asked why he thinks the bankrupted brand could be revived. Read that here. 

Just guess how much airlines pocketed from charging for seat assignments and baggage. $47.2 billion. That's a lot of bags of pretzels. That number has grown a lot over the last decade. "The airlines that make a specialty of this, low-cost carriers such Allegiant, Ryan Air and Spirit, have had spectacular financial results," said the president of an airline industry consultancy. "So that's another bit of evidence that this works. It works because consumers buy it."

Boozin'

Here's your reason to go to Waukesha this weekend. Raised Grain Brewing is celebrating its third anniversary Saturday with its last party in its original brewery and taproom. Raised Grain will move to a new spot this winter. Like all good beer parties, there will be an anniversary brew, a stout, and special tappings.

You may have closed Wolski's but Wolski's isn't closing. Wolski's Tavern is celebrating its 110th anniversary Sunday with a block party on Pulaski Street. 

How fun is Milwaukee? Well, not as fun as 31 other cities in the country, according to a new ranking. They put Milwaukee at No. 32, behind our neighbor to the north, Minneapolis. 

Don’t go hangry

Baked wings. Sounds like an oxymoron, but I'll try it. A new restaurant on North Oakland Avenue is serving what it calls guilt-free — baked instead of fried. Good Land Wing Co. opened Tuesday with four spice rubs and 10 sauces for its wings.

Have I mentioned the Journal Sentinel's Wine & Food Experience? Click here in case you missed my plug for it. 

Here are the talkers

This political saga ends with a Rihanna quote. A couple weeks back, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch said her opponent in the fall election, Democrat Mandela Barnes, knelt during the national anthem. Both the incumbent and candidate had been at the same event where Kleefisch said she was told Barnes knelt. Barnes said he was standing. Kleefisch dropped the claim Tuesday and apologized. “Don't tell me you're sorry cause you're not,” Barnes said after the apology. “You’re only sorry you got caught.”

There are now three investigations into the husband of the chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Three sets of allegations have come out against the chancellor's husband from a former student and employees. In response, the University of Wisconsin System has launched an investigation and people are calling for the chancellor to resign. "At this moment in time, I can see no positive future for UW-Whitewater under the leadership of Chancellor Kopper," a state senator said in a statement.

An attack ad against the Democratic candidate for Speaker Paul Ryan's congressional seat, Randy Bryce, starred his own brother. That was messy enough. Enter Bryce's mom who is saying "shame on Paul Ryan" for endorsing the super PAC that released the ad. "There is now a group of people from Washington who consider it a good idea to pit my boys against each other for their own political gain," she said in a statement. "But they didn’t consider a mother’s pain at seeing her children used as tools in a political fight, splashed with millions of dollars of ads across the airwaves."

My purebred mutt Nala is living her best life on my Instagram @HauerSarah. Keep up with my gif game on Twitter @SarahHauer. You can always go old school and send me an email at shauer@journalsentinel.com. 

Be MKE,

Sarah

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