LOCAL REVIEW: Gateway Cafe of Kenosha

It's Valentine's Day, and love is in the air! Ahhhh... Each reader gets a complimentary kiss on the forehead. Kiss for you... Mwaah! Kiss for you... Mwaah! Kiss for you... Mwaah! Kis for you...

But just kidding. Most of you probably have someone special to kiss your forehead for you. If not, join the club.

Anyway guys, you better be taking your gal somewhere pretty special for Valentine's dinner. Iffin' you ARE taking her to Valentine's dinner. If I had a date (my lack of which I'm oddly ever-to-eager to proclaim), I would have him take me to somewhere that serves breakfast 24/7. It doesn't have to be some fancy place, no sir. I'm fine with the breakfast, thanks. And if my date suggests we go out for breakfast without even having to take my heed, he is probably Mr. Right. 

And where would I like to go for breakfast specifically? Well... the Gateway Cafe is certainly a viable option here in town. I wouldn't mind going there at all, just to give you guys a little review spoiler. But, today I'll be going over there menu items, prices, service, etc, to make sure that you guys are taking your gals to a restaurant that will fit both your Valentin-y tastes. Or whatever tastes. 

LOCAL REVIEW: Valeo's Pizza of Kenosha

Are you in the Kenosha area during New Year's and throwing a party? Have a bunch of hungry mouths to feed? Going one more day without the "lose weight" resolution weighing down upon your shoulders? Sounds like a recipe for pizza! But where to order it from? Kenoshans are rather picky about their pizza, I'll tell you what. They will NOT take some tacky, greasy, chemically deep-dish abomination from Pizza Hut or Domino's or Papa John's or Rocky Rococo's...Ugh. They need something REAL. Thankfully, there are a lot of "real" pizza options to choose from in Kenosha, and Valeo's Pizza is one of them.

REVIEW: Wisconian Deletables' Apple of My Eye Chips

Today I bring to you a review for a local product, made here fresh in Wisconsin- Wisconian Delectables' Apple of My Eye Chips. Wisconian Delectables makes at least a dozen different chips flavors (and salsas too), but since I've always had an affinity for sweet over salty flavors (of which WD has varieties of both), I pleaded with my parents to pick this certain type of chip up when we stopped at Wisconian Delectables' stand at the Kenosha HarborMarket. One 9 oz. bag of chips costs $6.00. You can purchase Wisconian Delectable's products at the several locations listed here.

REVIEW: The Roma Lodge's Roast Beef Au Jus Bomber

Every Thursday at the Roma Lodge in Racine, Wisconsin, is Bingo Night, and I am NOT ashamed to say I've frequenting the joint for this certain event nearly every week with my grandmother for about a year now. We grab our daubers, our Sharpie pens, our good-luck possessions- whatever is required to win us some big bucks!
I don't think many teens my age realize that the Bingo played here this isn't your average, run-of-the-mill, "get five in a row" Bingo. No, rather, quite contrary to the sort: You have your Four Corners Bingo, your Arrow-Shaped Bingo, your Top & Bottom Row Bingo, and your Cover All Bingo, just to name a few (You can play about 20 different games, altogether). And what do you get if you win?A big wad of cash money, that's what! Most games pay out $75.00 to the winner, but some are even worth $200.00! With so much money at stake, the competitiveness is high. Which is why I think so many old people like the game: It's one of the only things they can compete at and not break a hip in the process.
That's not to say young people can't enjoy Bingo too. It can actually develop into something pretty fierce, believe it or not. Each game, your heart is pratically beating out of your chest. "What if the number you so desperately need is called next? But if it is called, will someone else shout out "Bingo" too? How close are all the other players to winning the game? What if the next number called ends it all? Or the next one? Or the one after that? Or the one after that?" Many thoughts swirl through your head as you stare intently at the paper sheet below you, dotted with the colorful ink of your dauber.
What I'm saying this, you gotta respect the game of Bingo. It's not just some chance for all the old bags out there to have their "ladies' night"- It's more than that. It's a high-risk game of luck and suspense! And, I think if more kids out there realized that their grandmothers are mainly playing for humongous cash prizes, they'd join in too. Of course, Bingo Night isn't free- You have to pay for your sets of Bingo sheets. And if you want dinner, you're going to have to pay for that too.
Which makes for a great segway into the main topic of this article- Roma Lodge's Roast Beef Au Jus Bomber: the greatest hot beef sandwich this young one has tasted in her short, fourteen (near fifteen, by the way) years.

The Roma Lodge has plenty of options for grub to eat during their Bingo Night- The selection varies from week to week, but there are a couple of staples- One of them being the Roast Beef Bomber. I can say, with the utmost certainty, that it will be available every Thursday. And that's good news for me, since I oh-so loooove this scrumptious sandwich. It's large, it's in charge, and it tastes like a big hunk of heaven!!! And one whale-sized sammy will only cost you $2.50, unless you're going to Bingo on the third week of the month, where all food items are priced at a discount $1.50. My Roast Beef Bomber (which I ordered with extra meat, because it is just that delicious), my Diet Mug, and my coffee only set me myself back $2.00, but this is because the cashier is sweet on kids. I may be reaching my age though- He used to even give me a free dessert- sometimes two even, but I'm not offered a single cookie anymore. Growing old is tough, and sometimes rather sad, when you think about it... Enjoy your youth while you can, kiddos!

REVIEW: Cafe La Scala (aka The Italian Community Center)

My Italian class had planned a field trip to go see Le nozze di Figaro, or the Marriage of Figaro, an Italian opera which was written by, believe it or not, Mozart himself! I didn't know Mozart had written operas before this trip had been brought up. It's pretty impressive that the man can write a whole opera in a completely different language from his own. I can barely write a whole paragraph in a different language, you know?
Well, anyway, this field trip was optional, but all the Italian classes taught at my school were invited. Mama had offered to drive some kids over to the opera, which was in Milwaukee, and I was afraid we might get stuck with a bunch of students who were either painstakingly annoying and immature, or so unrelatable that the car ride would get extremely awkward. I was on pins and needles, really! But in the end, everybody in our car was an adult chaperone. And it turns out that, altogether, only 25 people had signed up to go in the first place. Even better was that the students were the more mature, more wittier kids at school. Va bene! Needless to say, the car ride went much better than expected. Adults can provide much greater conversations than I'd get out of most of the students at school. But am I sounding condescending? Well,  I'll just move right along then!