Ian's Pizza, the Madison-based pizzeria chain that specializes in selling its product by the slice, will open a second Milwaukee location Downtown next month. Lexy Frautschy, a partner in the business, told me Ian's will open a restaurant in the old What's Fresh space at 146 E. Juneau Ave.
He said the firm has encountered some infrastructure problems in the building, but it is determined to be up and running by the time Summerfest opens. Like its first Milwaukee location, at 2035 E. North Ave., the What's Fresh space is in a popular late night bar district.
There are two Ian's in Madison and another in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago.
Damien has been around so long, he was at Summerfest the night George Carlin was arrested for speaking the seven dirty words you can't say on TV. He was also at the Uptown Theatre the night Bruce Springsteen's first Milwaukee concert was interrupted for three hours by a bomb scare. Damien was reviewing the concert for the Milwaukee Journal. He wrote for the Journal and Journal Sentinel for 37 years, the last 29 as theater critic.
During those years, Damien served two terms on the board of the American Theatre Critics Association, a term on the board of the association's foundation, and he studied the Latinization of American culture in a University of Southern California fellowship program. Damien also hosted his own arts radio program, "Milwaukee Presents with Damien Jaques," on WHAD for eight years.
Travel, books and, not surprisingly, theater top the list of Damien's interests. A news junkie, he is particularly plugged into politics and international affairs, but he also closely follows the Brewers, Packers and Marquette baskeball. Damien lives downtown, within easy walking distance of most of the theaters he attends.
