While waiting for the others to join us, we spent a delicious and relaxing hour enjoying tasty dessert, wine, and coffee. The wonderfully intimate setting was enhanced by the waiter’s lack of intrusion, which wasn’t yet a bad thing.

Then the waiter brings over our check, which had not been requested. Our glasses weren’t empty and the place was empty. I suspected they were closing, thinking 9pm in Milwaukee may be all the hipsters could take.

He replied, “No, we’re open until midnight.”

“In that case, I’d like a cappuccino and you’d better take this (handing the check) back.”

It’s funny that JWEBB was also confused about the correct European source of Trocadero. I thought it was an Italian place. I thought this all the way back to our table, as we passed traditional cafe chairs, a menu listing mussels in white wine, and a mediocre recreation of van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace above the bar. I continued to think this as I marveled over the great French wine list. Trocadero’s French origins finally dawned on me while reading the dinner menu. Croque Monsieur (here adorably named Mr. Crock), Crepes, Salade Nicoise, Onion Soup.

PDO and I shared a deliciously wonderful Nono Crepe, filled with Nutella and chocolate mousse and sprinkled with hazelnuts. And the skim cappuccino (making up for the Nono) was truly fantastic. I’ve worked at a coffee shop and I know correctly steaming skim milk is not a fun (or sometimes, achievable) task. They even did the design on top/chocolate on the side thing.

In summary, I can’t wait to go back with PDO for the Nono Crepe, the French Onion Soup (which looked tasty in passing), and more reasonably-priced French wine. The terrace looked like a fun place to sip bubbly and eat mussels in the summer. I will not be back with a group, though.