Located on the west side of town, at 1185 West Main Street, the SweetSpot Bakehouse in a small, unassuming bakery. It bills itself as a ‘small-town bakery,’ and so it is. That’s its charm and advantage: it does one thing (baked goods) very well, some things well (coffee, tea), and a few others (all-day breakfast)…

View Larger Map Here’s a summary of a return trip to Whitewater’s Tokyo restaurant.   When I visited Tokyo two years ago, I wrote that I liked it, despite a “décor [that was] a bit aged, but pleasant.”  In the times that I’ve visited since, including recently, the establishment is no less aged, but no…

Over on James Street, vacant for so many years, sat the Fort Auto Body building.  Eventually, an entrepreneur would have found some use for the building, but it’s to Whitewater’s advantage that Causal Joe’s, an American barbecue restaurant, took the spot.   Casual Joe’s is more than some use – it’s an establishment easy to recommend.…

Italian cuisine is among the most celebrated of offerings, yet there aren’t many Italian restaurants in Whitewater’s part of the state.  Despite many choices, Whitewater hasn’t had a full, primary Italian menu.  Fratelli’s Ristorante Italiano adds something lacking in our restaurant scene; I’m happy to recommend what it adds. This review comprises two dinner visits,…

Karina’s Mexican Restaurant recently opened on the west side of Whitewater.  I reviewed the establishment at its then-downtown location about two years ago.  Karina’s is now located immediately to the west of Subway, in the same building, and east of Rocky Rococo’s.  I’m not interested in reviewing those chains, but having returned to Karina’s I’d…

Second Salem Brewing Company is a small, locally-owned brewery that offers several beers from light to dark.  There are two full bars, a gastro-pub with outdoor seating, and a tap lounge & anteroom.  Thinking about the establishment principally as a gastro-pub, or even a tavern, gets Second Salem wrong (very much so).  It’s not just…