An afternoon outing

Showhouse & Watts Tea Room

My mom and I never miss the Breast Cancer Showhouse — it's tradition. And the Showhouse for a Cure has been a Milwaukee tradition for the past 16 years. Each year, talented interior designers invade one of the fancy houses on or near Lake Drive and redecorate each room from top to bottom. The house is then open to the public for a price, and the cost per ticket goes toward breast cancer research. 

This year, the three-story house was just up the street from Colectivo on the lake. Our favorite room was the third floor master bedroom with its gold leaf pan ceiling above a plush queen size bed. My Aunt Kal actually knows the lovely people who own the house and was a guest at their wedding; the reception was held at the house, including the rooftop terrace — which sadly was not part of the Showhouse tour.

After touring the house with phrases like "Can you imagine actually living in a place like this?" starting to sound like a broken record, we met Aunt Kal for lunch at Watts Tea Room. Kal knows all the fancy spots — and she knows to ask for a window table. 


I'm not big on tea, but there was one on the menu called "Almond Cookie" and, well, I gave it a whirl and wasn't disappointed. We chatted about Aunt Kal's downtown apartment search, family matters, and how Kal is giving away some winter boots and should she run them by us before handing them over to Good Will? (Always!) 

For lunch, I had a perfectly-sized Raspberry Harvest Fest Salad with a warm dinner roll on the side. Note to self: Next time, choose the English muffin. My mom got one with her quiche du jour and it looked heavenly. 

Of course, though we were perfectly full, I pleaded for sharing a piece of the Sunshine Cake. I mean — hello! — Sunshine cake? Plus, I'd seen a glorious wedge of it heaped on a plate at the table next to ours; those layers, that cream, that frosting — I was a goner. 






















With just a hint of citrus flavor, the layers of cake had an ideal crumb — not dry, not pudding-like, just perfect. The French custard snugged between each of these layers: not too sweet. And the frosting, Aunt Kal said, is actually boiled. It's marshmallowy, like the kind of filling found inside a chocolate Easter egg. With the combination of flavors and textures, it really is a bit of sunshine — in the cheery way, but also in the I-need-this-to-survive way. 

Yes, moms and aunts, gold leaf ceilings, Almond Cookie tea, Harvest salads, and Sunshine cakes — if that's not a perfect afternoon outing, I don't know what is.