Happy Leap Day Eve, Milwaukee. These are a few of our favorite things this week: Fuel Café -- If the funnel clouds of cigarette smoke kept you away from Fuel Café, 818 E. Center St., give the place another chance now that indoor puffing was snuffed out. With free Wi-Fi and plenty of seating, Fuel is now a reasonable locale to set up office. The menu is consistently inconsistent, featuring really good food made slightly differently every time. Some of my favorites include the Cheesy Toasted Artichoke and the Hippie Hoagie. Also, Fuel has amusing names for its menu items, from the Buttafuoco sandwich, named after Joey, to the super caffeinated Kevorkian Krush and the frou-frou raspberry mocha named The Shorewood. Don't get over to Riverwest very often? Try Comet Café, 1947 N. Farwell Ave. Owned by the same folks, Comet has many of the same menu items as Fuel, and a full bar. --Molly Snyder Edler

Red4 -- It may sound like a dangerous food dye, but Red4 is actually a very tasty Syrah. Very smooth and juicy with hints of blackberry, cherry and other fruits, this tasty offering from Vina Robles costs about $15 and is well worth it. Match it with some cheese or a nice pork dish and you'll feel like a hotshot wine expert. --Drew Olson

"Big Brother: After Dark" -- The bloom has come off the reality show rose for me, with the exception of the CBS show "Big Brother." I can't put my finger on why I like it; I just do. For the second straight season, "Big Brother" has expanded outside of the confines of network broadcast with the addition of "Big Brother: After Dark" on Showtime. Airing nightly at 11 p.m., "After Dark" is an unedited view of the houseguests in their gerbil-like existence. The majority of the show is basically inaudible whispering, but it recently has been spiced up with a near-deadly peanut allergy reaction, semi-nude lap dancing and an overabundance of F-bombs. Mind-numbing television at it's finest. Is it worth staying up late to watch it? No. But if you happen to tune in and catch a gratuitous, girl-on-girl make-out session, you'll be awake until dawn. --Kevin Brandt

Coke Zero -- A generation ago, men wouldn't drink Tab because, well, it was diet and it came in a feminine pink can. There is no shame for men to drink diet cola these days, but that didn't stop the marketing gurus at Coke from pandering to the male audience and young people. Coke Zero -- no mention of the word "diet" -- replaces Aspartame, the main ingredient in Diet Coke, with Splenda. The result is a smooth drink that echoes Classic Coke. It comes in a cool, masculine black can and it's tasty, as diet drinks go. --D.O.

Grilling in winter -- I'm just as sick of the snow and bone-chilling cold weather as the next guy, but I refuse to let it get me down. As a personal gesture of indifference towards Mother Nature and her wrath, I fired up my trusty grill during a recent chilly weekend. OK, so I looked like an idiot standing on the patio lighting coals in the middle of a foot-high snow pile, but there was something satisfying about the sound of the coals crackling in the fire and the smell and taste of a fresh steak, hot off the grill, made spring seem just a little bit closer. --Andrew Wagner

Early lawn mower maintenance -- You know we're not done with shovels and snow blowers yet, but it's a good time to think about taking the lawn mower in for a tune-up. Several local dealers / repair outfits will pick up your riding mower free of charge and have it back to you just in time for the spring mowing season. If you have a push mower, throw it in the car and take it in for a new blade, spark plug and general engine repair. If nothing else, it will make you think about green grass. --D.O.

Following the presidential campaigns -- I love change. The candidates love change. I just wish one of them would tell us one of the changes they are planning to make. Then I would really, really love the election races. --K.B.

"Loose Change" by the Gaskets -- OK, I'm a little late catching on to this synth-pop outfit, but I've been really busy and there is so much music out there ... The CD was released two years ago and another one reportedly is in the works. For now, I'm enjoying the disc that was produced by Cracker's Dave Lowery and mixes guitars, drums along with the catchy synth hooks and witty lyrics. --D.O.