Saturday in Milwaukee: MAM, Swig, The Rep

We spent the afternoon in downtown Milwaukee today, catching the Rembrandt exhibit on its last weekend, eating a late lunch at Swig, and seeing Sense & Sensibility at The Rep.  It was a fun way to spend the day and easily doable as it was only 1.7 miles between all three places!

The Milwaukee Art Museum was crazy busy today!  This was the first time we weren't able to park on-site, so we ended up across the street at a parking garage connected by a bridge.  Due to high wind speeds, the Brise Soleil was unfortunately closed but even with it closed, the architecture of the museum is still impressive.

The Rembrandt exhibit was ok.  We've previously seen a lot of similar work in European museums, so I spent some time outside while Chris lingered in the exhibit.  The spring-like weather we're experiencing in Wisconsin right now is amazing.

From the museum we headed to the Third Ward to dine at Swig.  It was our first time and we loved it.  So much so that we're really looking forward to going there again!  I chose Swig because of its proximity to the MAM and The Rep, but also because it's one of the 2013 CityTin Milwaukee restaurants.

As promised my City Tin coupon was easy to redeem, and I can't wait to try more new restaurants.  People seem to have two mindsets when redeeming such coupons.  Either they try to order exactly the minimum amount ($25 in this case) or they view it as an opportunity to order something they typically wouldn't get.

I definitely fall into the latter category and ordered a peartini which equaled the value of my coupon :)  A mix of grey goose le poire, triple sec, sour and fresh lime juice, it's a drink I'd definitely recommend ordering.

Small plates (tapas style) is what Swig is known for, so Chris and I selected three small plates to share.  We ordered rustic flatbread (pesto, snap peas, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, mozzarella and parmesan), black bean cakes (with cilantro sour cream and salsa) and tempura snap peas (with tarragon sour cream).

The food was outstanding and almost the perfect amount for us.  We ended up taking just two small flatbreads home with us.  If I had to pick one item to definitely order when you visit Swig, I'd have to say the tempura snap peas.  Lightly breaded and delicious on their own, no sour cream needed.

We had a little time to kill before our show at The Rep, so we walked over to the Milwaukee Public Market after lunch.  I bought a cookie from C. Adams Bakery to enjoy during intermission, and we had hoped to check out the used books for sale on the second floor but the live band playing was blocking the carts of books :(

 

 

I really like seeing plays at The Rep because the venue is intimate.  Check out the view from our cheap seats in the balcony.  We had a great view of the stage for only $20, compared to $45 for the lower seats.

The performance of Sense and Sensibility was really good.  With each visit to The Rep, I'm amazed at the quality of actors they're able to get.  I guess I just assume that talented actors would be most attracted to the coasts and would not reside in a flyover state.

I'm thankful to live in a great city that offers so many things to do.  Thanks to our museum membership and CityTins, it was a pretty cheap day which made it even better!