If you've got a craving - whether it be for Polish food, popcorn, the smell of mountains or just something to give Dad this Father's Day - we've got your guide right here with this week's edition of OnMilwaukee.com recommends.
Duluth Trading Company - My dad is so hard to buy for. He never buys anything for himself unless he really needs it, mostly because he's a guy of very simple desires. I knew I had found the perfect gift destination for him when I visited Duluth Trading Company in Port Washington (also online here) and saw, in the window, a book entitled "How To Stay Alive in the Woods." This store has literally everything the Ron Swanson in your life could ever dream of owning. Fire Hose overalls, pants with a million pockets in them (My dad freaking loves pockets), a telescoping tool kit, a softswipe boot cleaner...items that you would never imagine you needed until you own them. - Colleen Jurkiewicz
Golf and Polish Fest - I can't think of two things I like better than potato pierogi and golf, so why not combine the two this weekend? First, head to Polish Fest - a must-visit for anyone in and around Milwaukee. Even if the polka isn't your thing, there are plenty of attractions and great food and drink, including specially imported beer and Sobiesky vodka to sample. Then, spend Father's Day at home on Sunday and watch the conclusion of the U.S. Open. – the best golf tournament in the world. What a weekend! - Jim Owczarski
Kenneth Roberts dress shirts – I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that dad probably needs a little sprucing up once in awhile. What better time to do that than on Father's Day? Right now Boston Store has a range of comfortable, 100% cotton dress shirts from Kenneth Roberts in a variety of patterns. Dad will look especially dapper in the blue sail aqua ribbon stripe shirt, also available in other shades, too. They're $59.50 each. Check 'em out online – along with some other Father's Day suggestions here or at a local Boston Store. – Bobby Tanzilo
Juniper Ridge cabin spray – The team behind Juniper Ridge cabin sprays isn’t messing around. Their process for capturing "the mountains in a bottle" is go to the mountains, harvest wild plants and distill natural fragrance. That’s why their Cascade Glacier Cabin Spray isn’t just the scent of the Pacific Northwest, it is the Pacific Northwest. The result is a great-smelling, woodsy and pungent blend of pine, bark, moss and mushroom – what you’d smell if you were actually hiking a trail. Because Juniper Ridge isn’t your traditional fragrance house – they claim they’re the only company in the world extracting and formulating 100 percent real, plant-based fragrances – the cabin spray doesn’t have anywhere the longevity of some cheap Glade air freshener. And it’s not cheap, either. At $65 for a four-ounce bottle, you do have to spray liberally. But you can feel good when you do: 10 percent of the profits to wilderness groups, and the ingredients are carefully considered for sustainability. Think of the stuff as room spray for people who hate perfume. – Andy Tarnoff
Jiffy Pop popcorn – After decades of popping corn in the microwave or with an electric popper (I really love my Stir Crazy popper), I spontaneously tossed the familiar-looking aluminum pan of Jiffy Pop in my cart. I thought I would use it when camping, but it claims on the packaging that it doesn't work well over an open fire, and so I plopped it on my stove top. We found it very amusing to watch the aluminum bag expand and yet, somehow, not burst open. The corn was good, too. A little soft but definitely "buttery" and flavorful. Jiffy Pop is one of those products that, although it was never wildly popular, it's been around for so long that it became a novel and iconic pop culture product. – Molly Snyder